2.10 - The Bracebridge Dinner

[LitLover]

This is honestly my favorite episode of the entire series. I think it's so cute how everyone comes together for one night! Ahh love it.

It's not my favorite episode of the series, but it's definitely in the Top 10!  It really is so wonderful how everyone's there, all gathered together.    I don't even really know why I like that so much; I just do.  All those personalities together in one room...that's just too great.  And all the wonderful Lit moments definitely help my opinion, too. 

[bingbong]

This ep is probably be in my Top 10-15 fave episodes. It's loaded with classic GG dialogue, all kinds of wackiness, appearances by the S.H. and rare mingling between Emily & Richard and the S.H. peeps. L&L have their moment, R&J have their moment, Paris gets her take on the anachronisms in the production, on & on. I like eps like this one, where the goofiness of the show takes over from the more soap opera-ish elements.

As Sharon Litlover pointed out, it is an important ep in the relationship between Rory & Jess. Rory doesn't really mind when Jess jumps on the carriage, does she? No, i think not.

The only oddity is the fact that Richard retired without telling Emily. Richard (and Emily) was one of the most consistent characters on the show over the years and it was out of character for him to take such a step without informing Emily. True, his decision came spur of the moment on the job, but how could he not inform Emily immediately afterwards? For once, Emily's outrage was justified. But even this was worth it, because they had a great make-up scene together, very sweet ('sweet' is not a word that often comes up with E&R).



RICHARD: Lorelai, this is just beautiful. It's like something out of Architectural Digest. You should be very proud.

LORELAI: Thanks Dad.

EMILY: Your dress needs pressing.

LORELAI: Thanks Mom.

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PARIS: Did you notice the anachronisms?

LORELAI: The what?

PARIS: The period discrepancies. They were pretty blatant. I mean, forget that the nineteenth century didn't include recessed lighting or the Fossil watch that your server was wearing, but water in that period would not have been served with cubed ice.

LORELAI: Right.

PARIS: And your servers are wearing nylon blend shirts, and nylon was invented by a scientist at Dupont in the 1920's. It shattered the illusion.

LORELAI: Floggings will be administered.

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JACKSON: Lo! Now has come our joyfullest feast. Let every man be jolly.

JESS: We should've eaten before we came.

LUKE: Shh! And yeah.
---------------------------------------------

LORELAI: You're gonna stay in character no matter what, huh?

KIRK: 'Tis hot, so proceed daintily.

LORELAI: Hey, did you ever see that I Love Lucy where she goes to Buckingham Palace?

RORY: Mom.

LORELAI: She tries to get the palace guard to break character. That was a funny one.

KIRK: 'Tis foreign to me good lady.

RORY: Hang in there, Kirk.

LORELAI: Those ones where she was in Europe, hands down, those were the best!

KIRK: No way, the Hollywood ones!

LORELAI: Ha!

KIRK: Damn!

RORY: I was rooting for you boy.

 

[LoveMe011]

i agree with jim.
this episode is stars hollow and the gilmore family at its best.

and the only other thing i have to say is that milo ventimiglia can jump into my horse drawn carriage anytime=]

<3

[lessa]

Better not be yours, or you could be liable when he breaks his neck. XD I love the parts where they hold up the daugter-mother comparison. Here we see Lorelai celebrating the first snow of the year, and doing her absolute favorite thing ever - to coordinate a big dinner party and invite all her friends. Heck the only way she could have loved it more is if it had been a town fundraiser.

What struck me was how far apart Emily and Richard are in this episode. I mean, they've been married forty years, but she knows almost nothing about his job, and he doesn't really find any meaning in her projects. Something about the way Richard described his "retirement speech" reminded me of the rushed way Lorelai parted company with Max, and the disappointment it cause for her, her family, and their friends (besides Luke.) They forgave because they just want her to be happy. It's nice to see Emily doing that kind of thing.

Another thing that kind of struck me was that Richard, having just retired, is all blissed out and fairly glowing with overcompensation for his fear of the unknown (the way Lorelai does near the end of this season when the Indy finally closes) and he praises Lorelai ebulliently. I wonder what would constitute a retirement for Emily? I mean, something that would take so much pressure off of her that Lorelai's behavior was no longer inconvenient to her.

Probably Lorelai's wedding. I mean, after all, she's a homemaker and semi-pro event planner, Lorelai's wedding was probably to be the pinnacle of her distinguished career. If the movie-writers get ahold of it, that part will have to be doctored, though. I mean, it doesn't have to be a wedding, she just has to throw a party to commemorate a step in Lorelai's life that will get her completely squared away. Like franchising the inn, maybe? Or an elderly relative kicking it and leaving her richer than her parents and Taylor put together?

Luke: Lorelai! Marry me, before you read that letter from your attorney!
Lorelai: No, I can't accept this. I'm giving it all to charity.
Rory: I hereby change my name to Charity.
Luke: Do people really do that, give all their money to charity?
Rory: Saint Augustine did.
Luke: Besides him, he was like Superman.
Sookie: Come on, Lorelai, we can't just give up Checkers.
Lorelai: You named the check?
Sookie: I love the check. It's a big, beautiful 108 million dollar check.
Luke: Yeah, but, you know, we'd love it just as much if it were only worth ten or eleven million...

[laurla205]

Very rarely do I find a fault with Lorelai that I can’t justify in one way or another.  This was one of those few times.  Especially when Christopher was beginning to attempt to improve his relationship with Rory.  Lorelai constantly said the door was always open to Christopher and this is the first taste we get of the fact that maybe the door was only cracked open a little bit and not quite as wide open as she’d like to think it was.  I’m not sure just how much of it was losing time with Rory over her winter break and how much of it was picturing Sherry completing that Norman Rockwell painting instead of herself.  I know she loves having Rory to herself and we see that struggle with Emily and Richard too, but it wouldn’t have hurt their relationship in the least to share her for one break (I was glad that Rory didn’t hesitate in pointing that out to her).  I think Lorelai was just as afraid (or paranoid?) of being phased out of Rory’s life as Richard was at being phased out of his company. 

I buy Richard’s reasons for not telling Emily about retiring.  The consistency in his character in this area would appear to be cemented with his business decisions in Season 4.  He makes it clear in no uncertain terms that they are his decisions to be made and he doesn’t necessarily owe Emily an explanation nor does he need her approval.  Of course we all know where that leads but the underlying issue is the same.  While it is Emily and Richard’s life together and their decisions of course affect one another, Richard has a sense of ownership over his career.  I imagine when being the sole breadwinner that sort of feeling is easy to develop.  It never seemed like Emily was too interested in Richard’s actual day to day happenings at work.  She knew what he did of course but I can’t remember an instance where they actually discussed his business other then Richard explaining which business associate he was on the phone with or Emily planning the next cocktail party (and they had completely different functions at those events).  The space between them had grown as Richard separated himself from those events as a result of feeling pushed out at the office.  Could the events themselves have been the glue of the whole operation?  I also buy that Richard was concerned over what this would mean to Emily, how it would disrupt their lives/functions and plans.  He values her opinion and feelings above all else even if ultimately, in this particular area, the final decisions are his to make.

I agree as far as the Emily-Lorelai comparisons.  I love them in this episode, and I love this part:

[Rory watches as Lorelai and Emily both apply cream to their face]

RORY: Wow.

LORELAI: What?

RORY: Behold my future.

It’s not often Lorelai sees the similarities between herself and Emily, much like Emily never saw them between herself and Trix.  More alike than they will ever truly know. 


Rory and Jess, well Jess is just a tad stalkerish here.  Is this the first time that really comes out?  I agree that Rory doesn’t really mind, although she sure wants it to seem like she does. 

Probably Lorelai's wedding. I mean, after all, she's a homemaker and semi-pro event planner, Lorelai's wedding was probably to be the pinnacle of her distinguished career. If the movie-writers get ahold of it, that part will have to be doctored, though. I mean, it doesn't have to be a wedding, she just has to throw a party to commemorate a step in Lorelai's life that will get her completely squared away. Like franchising the inn, maybe? Or an elderly relative kicking it and leaving her richer than her parents and Taylor put together?

An ivy league grauation might have done   Though Checkers really is a fabulous name.

[lessa]

Heh, maybe I should rethink the premise of the movie. The lottery in Roseanne was definitely a motorcycle shark-hoop, and they kind of pointed out that Emily knows Lorelai is squared already in "I'm a Kayak."

It's funny about the similarities between Emily and Trix. I mean, all their friends were rich, how'd they get so popular being so obnoxious? Lorelai is the same sort of go-getter, is her soft spot for children and positive attitude really enough to compensate for the way she pushes people around? Well, not to add steam to the vague sense of Lorelai making inexcusable mistakes, or anything.

The thing with Sherry seems consistent, though. When Rory was cat-sitting and Luke was giving Lorelai the bird, she mentioned that it was the first time they'd been apart for the night. Anyway, she said she was sorry before it was too late and she took her mocking like an adult, try and picture Emily doing that!

Man, poor Rory. What do you do if you're dating the perfect guy, things are swinging along comfortably, you've already worked out the whole battle-bots for tuxedos thing, and you fall in love with some sexy, literate stalker snowman killer? I guess Lorelai would have hopped from one bed to the next, no problem (at this point) but Rory doesn't seem to have the first idea what she's doing here.

It's kind of funny how Rory is contrasted to Lorelai, with this. I mean, she's smart, responsible, moralistic, and punctual. Rory is tuned to facts, like the fact that Harvard comes first or that Jess is an interesting friend. Things like Dean's jealousies, the cost of Harvard being her soul, and Jess's attraction to her probably didn't figure into her calculations at all. It kind of hit me when she found out about the invite: she didn't mind nearly missing the chance, jut dismayed because he'd invited her and had to hold off making plans because he hadn't gotten a response. Plus she was completely unsympathetic to Lorelai's jealousy.

By contrast, Lorelai is sweet, ethical, attentive, and trained from birth to be aware of the way she disappoints her loved ones. Lorelai would never have ignored her boyfriend's apprehension about another guy sniffing around, or mocked Rory for coming between her and a potential second daughter. (Movie guys! Movie guuuuys!) By the same token, her financial independence, a father for Rory, which bank to use and which house to live in after a marriage don't occur to her when she's in love. Really, I haven't counted, but how many times does she say "We'll figure something out" in this series?

[bingbong]

This episode gets better each time i watch it. As with "Cinnamon's Wake", i love when the S.H. peeps are front and center. Things i noticed this time:

The comedy duos of Michel/Rune and Luke/Bootsy. Each features a combo of a crank and a goofball, sort of in the same vein as Luke/Kirk. 

Watching Richard and Taylor together at the dinner, they could be a natural fit for friendship, at least when Richard is feeling giddy. If Richard is going to hang with a S.H. peep, who better than the wanna-be King?

I enjoy hearing about Richard's love of roller-coasters (and i love when he mentions Coney Island, because their Cyclone coaster is the ultimate, sez i). Reminds me of his love of Chuck Berry. Refreshing to think he wasn't always such a stuffed shirt. Also reminds me of  L & R's aborted roller-coaster trip in "Bon Voyage"; perhaps Lorelai and Richard could take the trip together in the imagined season 8 (ok, not likely, but i'm assuming he and Emily never followed through with their own roller-coaster plans).

Then we have Lorelai not-so-subtly pushing Luke into social activities. When he fudges over attending the dinner, all she has to do is stare him down and he's in. When he balks at riding the sleigh, she wears him down. He of course loves hanging with her, but it's fun watching him try to resist. Even when he momentarily gets over his grumpiness and appreciates the beauty of the horses, Lorelai reduces his sentiment to "horse's hiney" jokes. But when she fizzles his "secret of parenting" and the white lie to Jess, she knows it will do him good to hear the truth and she pulls no punches about it. I think she is being a good friend to him in a moment like that. She takes on a slight air of parental superiority but she has earned that right and she knows how to talk to Luke in a way that will deliver the message (and of course her wisdom about the lie to Jess is verified in the very next sequence between Jess & Rory). Luke assists Lorelai with starting a business and Lorelai assists Luke in the ways of parenting. These two have lots of potential!

Paris, the product of Hartford's upper crust, knows how to sit politely at a dinner table with strangers and elders. But, at the slightest prompt, she can provide a handy list of the dinner's anachronisms. Paris is always Paris. Love her line about crushing her nanny in Monopoly. Also love when she gets on the cell and bursts into Portuguese! What can't she do?

I enjoyed Mrs. Kim's tidbit of wisdom, her "people have too much stuff" rant. Also enjoyed her stare-down of Babette over saying grace. Hmmm, in this episode Mrs. Kim and Lorelai each got their way with an icy stare!

Another great scene of Lorelai playing the child and Rory playing the parent. I was reminded of Lorelai's immature reaction to the Rory/Richard bonding in "Kill Me Now", another ep where she allowed jealousy to over-shadow Rory's best interests. So much for those parenting skills! But only a temporary malfunction. Lorelai's open-door policy towards Christopher did not factor in another woman who, in her insecure mind, is a rival for Christopher's and Rory's affections.  Remove Sherry from the equation and i doubt Lorelai would have had much of an issue, beyond the factor of being separated from Rory. She might have suggested Christopher c'mon down to S.H., where all three of them could share in quality time.

About Christopher, he deserves praise for diplomatically going to Lorelai first. He was sincere in taking Lorelai's feelings into account, knowing it could be a delicate subject for her. Christopher was a pretty good dude most of the time. Interesting that he senses Lorelai's touchiness over borrowing Rory, but he apparently does not have a sense for Lorelai's jealousy over Sherry.

Alexis has a dry, under-stated way of delivering a line that is hilarious to me. In this episode, she does it in reply to Lorelai's "we're unapologetic mockers" line , with "there's an unexplained innocence in the world." She does it again in response to Lorelai and Emily dabbing their faces with cream, with "behold my future". Also (not quite as under-stated) when she says "I'm just trying to separate the gist from the ubububububah."

When Lorelai makes the "did you get lucky" crack to Emily, she is treading on dangerous ground. Making jokes about your own parents sex life? Not for me. I almost wish Emily would fire back with, "Yes, Lorelai, your father and i enjoyed hot steamy sex all night."

[laurla205]

What is it about Lorelai that makes most transgressions so forgivable?  She has the ability to rationalize like no one else on Earth, that helps.  It’s possible that it’s less tasteful in this episode because we don’t really see the caring side of her as much.  We see a lot of unapologetic mocking and poor housekeeping (can that really be held against someone?) and throwing weight around to get certain someones to the dinner.  But there are few redeeming moments, her advice on parenting being one of them but even that had the slightest condescending nature.  They way she dismisses Emily and Richard’s plights doesn’t help.  It has to be that she was so starkly contrasted against Rory’s good nature that does it.  I usually find Emily’s wrongdoings (with regards to her family) to be out of genuine care and love for her own family and the same can be said for Lorelai.  Of course there are boundaries but when there isn’t as much of a selfish motive behind something it’s easier to sympathize with.  As far as Emily and Trix succeeding in their social circles, they also obnoxiously followed rules of their society which probably makes their obnoxiousness forgivable in their peers’ minds (obnoxious, there three times in one sentence).

I do think Lorelai’s hesitancy to share Rory in general (seemingly only with actual blood relations) is at the root of “forgetting” to tell Rory about Christopher’s invite.  Jim, you’ve got a point another possible mother figure was never figured into that equation only worsening the original stubbornness.

I like how the similarities between Luke and Jess are shown in this episode.  SH life isn’t for either of them if you only listen to the words they are saying.  But underneath they both have reasons to enjoy their surroundings and the happenings in SH even if those reasons happen to begin with G and end with an E.  Despite the underlying cause for their involvement they both seem to truly enjoy themselves at one point or another.  Luke with the horses’ hinies and Jess, well he’s getting true interaction with other human beings instead of isolating himself further.

[lessa]

Heh, if anyone could get a pass on the basis of good intentions, it's Lorelai Gilmore. I mean, she pushes Luke into participating and acknowledging his friends and neighbors as such, but that's what any good friend would do with a guy like Luke. Besides, it sounded like he didn't want to stay clear, he was just being argumentative.

A big part of Lorelai's tao is found in digging under all the pushy, lonely, slutty, needy, manipulative crap to see those good intentions. I mean, who doesn't question the character of that girl who dropped out of high school and ran away from home after getting pregnant? Her shiny good intentions are only obvious in the first place because most of the story is from her POV.

Like Luke. I mean, lying to people in order to make them happy is new territory for him. It's no wonder he thought he'd discovered a superpower. It's so easy to manipulate kids while they're young enough to believe everything you say. I can't quite work out whether Lorelai had heard Jess was in a fight or she just knew what a crappy liar Luke was, but she questioned his (well-intentioned) parenting tactics for Jess's sake, not Luke's. Maybe a shade unsweet or judgmental, but she's gotta live by the mom code, doesn't she?

Heh, speaking of which, I told my 3-year old this morning that the stove handles were the "devil's hands" in a really scary voice, and she laughed her head off. Sigh, they get jaded so young, I should have started my stove safety lies before she was tall enough to reach it.

I liked Lorelai's human failing with Sherry and Christopher, too. I mean, just last episode, she was forgiving Luke for getting mad that she would see someone else even though he was afraid to date her, maybe she understood because she has feelings like that for Christopher. She wanted him to straighten out, then come save her, but instead he took his business elsewhere, to a girl who takes an unmockable card photo, has a much higher-paying job, and actually cleans up the living room every once in a while. Rory fits in fine with Christopher and Sherry and Richard and Emily, but Lorelai really doesn't, so not only is Rory leaving Lorelai behind, she's going somewhere Lorelai couldn't follow if she wanted, with all the people she loves but can't get along with. This episode could have been titled "Kill Me Now Part II."

[thevoid99]

I liked this episode.  I sympathized with Lorelai feeling uncomfortable about Rory spending time with her father and... Sherry.  Yet, she would later understand a different point of view when Luke's daughter came into the picture about how Anna is feeling. 

Jess trying to put his charm on Rory and he's definitely the intelligent equal of Rory.  I liked the idea of Luke trying to understand his role in parenting and I thought the whole dinner was funny.

I think what Richard is going through is exactly what Ed Tom Bell was going through in No Country for Old Men.  Here's two men, who has done a lot but as times have changed.  They find themselves feeling phased out.  Richard's unhappiness finally took it's toll and he just quit all of a sudden.  While he should've told Emily immediately, I think he was afraid at what her reaction was but being the wife that she is, she was supportive and caring for what he's going through. 

[gg crazy]

lorelai and the horse's firm hinny!!! LOL!!!!!!!!! 

[GGfanatic08]

heyy guyss im like a crazy freak bout Gilmore girls ive watched every eposode!!

[gg crazy]

me 2!!!!

[drain]

i expected them to destroy that guys snowman at the begining of the episode

[gg crazy]

I can agree with jess in this episode, it so over the top.