2.07 - Like Mother, Like Daughter

[lessa]

Hey, cool, I forgot how smart I was the last time I posted. I think maybe the fact that Rory was able to tell off the Headmaster figured into him relenting. She obviously didn't have a problem getting along with the most esteemed sorority in the place (part of her may have even been processing Paris's aside about Sandra Day O'Conner) and she articulated herself much better in his office than she did with the guidance counselor. It kind of reminded me of the opening scene where Luke was turning the charm on and off with a switch. Rory went from go-along-to-get-along to standing up for herself in a flash when the felony charges appeared.

I got from the way it ended that socializing with the Chilton clones was something Rory and Lorelai had been snobs about up to that point, and Emily's last remark was completely off the point - of course they fit easily into the Gilmore world, far more easily than the antisocial Paris and her slutty mother, they got away from it because it was bad for them, not the other way around.

I like Lorelai's speech after meeting the headmaster. The fact was, they needed to impress people at Chilton or Rory wouldn't have stood a chance at Harvard (where they also play by Chilton's rules) and if she resented it, she could always take over the world and turn it into a rave club. And they may have been wrong about Rory's social life, but they were right about Lorelai - her desire to keep her "lives" separate was cutting Rory off and, apparently, strangling the booster club.

That was funny about the "annoying, rude French actor." Heh, however awkward Lorelai felt, Michel was definitely in his element.

[bingbong]

Lorelai normally organizes events such as the fashion show at the inn. It's right up her alley of expertise. We saw that as early as "Kill Me Now" when she handled a big wedding with great success. I see it as another reason why Emily was off the mark when she smugly said Lorelai fits into the world she ran away from. Lorelai has genuine talent in her career. What exactly is Emily's great talent in life? But maybe she was buzzing over her wild moment of stardom on the catwalk.

The only things i like about the headmaster are that his wife is named Biddy and he inspired the word schnickelfritz. The premise of this episode - that Rory is a loner and it could hurt her chances of acceptance into a school such as Harvard - was just as bogus as Lorelai and Rory insisted. And although the headmaster admitted at the end that his thoughts about Rory were wrong, i didn't buy that Rory's speech of indignation would alter his thinking.

Another less than wonderful aspect of this ep is the introduction of Francie. I put her alongside Tristan as a character with zero redeeming features. Maybe the headmaster should concern himself with a student who thinks she is so important she needs a spokesman, not to mention the other students who go along with it.

I love this moment:

RORY: Actually, Rory is a nickname. My full name is Lorelai.

LEM: Lorelai. That's a weird name.

RORY: Well, Lem, what can I say?

[lessa]

Respectfully disagreeing. It's not about the lonerism, it's about the ability to navigate a social situation to good effect, whether it's with classmates, friends, parents or teachers. Her confused ramble with the guidance counselor would have been a huge black mark in an actual college interview, and her firm stance about injustice and Charleston's directives may well have been a skill born out of necessity. In that moment she proved her aloofness had nothing to do with shyness or intimidation, something that hadn't been obvious to the Chilton administration up to that point.

Heh, maybe they just noticed the way she swallowed Paris's bullying without complaint and assumed she was a social masochist. In any case, networking was anathema to her because of who Lorelai was, not because of who she was. And definitely not because it was unimportant.

Speaking of which, I don't get all the dumping on Emily. Charity is a great ambition, and being popular gets butts into seats at benefits. Lorelai demonstrated talent at exactly what Emily does in this epi, and it didn't look unimportant or something that just anybody could do. There's a reason Emily is chair or co-chair of so many fundraising organizations, and it's not just a string of endless tea parties and gab about who has a scar and who's getting dumped, any more than the booster club was just about the humor of mentally absent stepparents.

The thing is, Richard was feeling resentful about the events leading up to his being promoted out of the way. In a time like that, he could easily regret all the time he'd spent with his wife instead of working overtime and maintaining his rep. He might think it was her fault he had a stupid balanced life instead of a turkish drive to workaholism, when in fact, he was simply resigned to a professional structure that was unfair to him, and unable to stand up for himself the way Rory did when the rules turned against her.

[bingbong]

^ Are those last two paragraphs more about the previous episode? In any case, i fully agree that Emily does much good with her charity work. My own objection is the manner in which she conducts herself. Call it her Emily manner, but she treats people like dirt. When she hires people for a function she bullies and badgers, as for example the birthday party in "Rory's Birthday Parties" or when we've seen her yelling on the phone.  No different from the way she treats her servants at home. There are such people in the world, that's what makes the world go 'round, but although the work is admirable, her own daughter is an example of how to work with people. Emily is expecting things to be done her way and she is paying money for it, whether with the Gilmore money or the DAR money, and there is something to be said for striving towards excellence rather than mediocrity. But who would want to work for her if they didn't have to? That's the difference when i see Lorelai doing her work at the inn for weddings or conventions or whatever is going on. I also on occasion wonder how much Emily even cares about the charities and how much is just something to do in her role as Mrs. Gilmore (possibly excepting the symphony; Emily likes the symphony).

As for the loner question, that's the word the guidance counselor used on orders from the headmaster. Rory did stumble when talking to the gc, but i suspect a perfect response would not have made much difference. The gc and headmaster had already decided Rory needed to be more social and it didn't look like anything she said would have changed that. Well, her speech at the end did in fact make a difference but i'm still not convinced it added up to reality; it came across to me as a quickie tv resolution. Just not among my favorite episodes. But i'm glad to see lessa is back to keep things percolating!

[lessa]

Love ya back, bing.

Yeah, covering the epi missed a little there. But it figures in because this episode finds both Emily and Lorelai doing the work that Richard diminishes when comparing it to his personal happiness. I know Emily is not friendly, but I doubt the guys receiving bullet-proof vests or the field trip kids seeing the symphony care much what she's like up close. And maybe she doesn't care about her selected causes, she just wants to use her drive to be the best event coordinator ever for good instead of evil.

Not wanting to work for the best because she's abrasive is unprofessional, but I totally get that Emily needs to switch it off for her personal relationships. Failure to compromise drives off the people who love her the most. Kind of like Lorelai, that way, n'est-ce pas?

But Rory openly clarifying her point of view and the impossibility of the situation Charleston unnecessarily put her in matched reality well enough to suit me. If she'd mentioned Lane and Dean and her friendship with Lorelai instead of talking about jumpiness and punctuality to the counselor, she might have at least gotten a second meeting before she was required to mingle randomly. And if she'd waxed about her longstanding habit of not ringing bells or how getting busted would beat the deer story, she probably wouldn't have escaped Charleston's office alive. Besides, he never said she wouldn't be punished, just that he needed to consider his own role in her mistake.

Of course, my favorite part (after the Nancy Reagan collection) is when Rory and Madeline Zima are reading books together at the end. I wish she'd been in the series again.

[SIDNEY]

I think Lorelai was a bit defensive when Rory told her about the loner issue. She didn't stop for a second to see if there was really something wrong. She was acting like a mom, nothing completely wrong with that, but i wish if she had been more open about it.
Rory's definition of "loners" kind of annoyed me. She seems to forget that loners are people. She made them seem like criminals or sick people with her "suspicious bag" comment.

I liked how the headmaster yelled at Lorelai. Very funny and honestly i thought she deserved it!

I think the headmaster responded to Rory's rant because Rory was the one ranting. I think if it was Paris he would be yelling back at her. I have been in the situation. If a great student like Rory, sweet, polite and doesn't talk much starts to rant then you shut up and listen and often she doesn't get into trouble because she is often right about her rant. It's been known to happen.

[lessa]

Hmmm, maybe I should quit ranting 24-7, more people might listen to me. XD

At least Lorelai came around after she got her own lecture. Some parents would have fought the school questioning their kid's attitude to a dying breath. And it sort of gives some insight as to where Lorelai picked up her double talking ways - Compared to Charleston and Emily, Lorelai is the little fish in convincing people to do things they don't want to do. Of course, Charleston and Emily never tackled Luke's wardrobe...

[thevoid99]

That was hilarious.

I don't see Rory as a "loner".  Yet, Rory becoming a Puff was awkward and Paris begging her to get a good word was funny.  Paris' appearance in her pajamas.  Classic.  The sight of her being lectured by her Portugese nanny was also funny. 

The fashion show.  Lorelai and Emily in those clothes.  Oh, Emily looked like she was having a ball and Lorelai being very uncomfortable.  Even worse, Luke and Michel laughing. 

Wow, we had a Desperate Housewife who wants Luke, a former Baywatch babe as a stepmom who doesn't know her stepkids name, and in that last scene, the youngest child from The Nanny who is now the extremely-hot chick from Californication. 

I laughed at this one very much. 

[gg crazy]

Omg!!! those outfits were so ugly

[GGfanatic08]

i thought it was soo sweet when lorelai was on the run way with her mom. They both were having fun a true mother daughter moment. Which, as everyone knows, is EXTREMELY rare for emily and lorelai!! but they still had it and emily was soo proud of lorelai for running the fashion show. You kinda wished that moment would last a little longer! Lorelai was shmoozing with emily's friends and she did fit in perfectly!
But at the same time ur glad she left that world cb/c stars hollow has nothing to compare it to its that great!

[Gilmore Gyrlie]

The Puffs?

the writers couldn't come up with a better name for those snooty girls?


wasn't suprised to see the maid come and get Paris, it's clear her mom is  quite self-absorbed.