1.05 - Cinnamon's Wake

[Ange]

i think this episode was great i love how it goes back and forth from lorelai to rory...like when max comes to the house and she tells him she is interested then 10seconds later rory and dean are in the same situation...also i love when any episode starts out with them at dinner it just makes for a great story and the joke emilt told was just so priceless like she is not a joke maker and not the one with a sencse of humor but this time she proved everyone wrong and busted out the comedy!

[SIDNEY]

I don't think i have ever watched any episode more than this one. I looove Max's scenes in this episode. I like how he was trying to melt the ice between him and Lorelai but at the same time he says he doesn't regret not allowing Rory to take the exam, that he would even do it again. He didn't just tell her something to make her feel better but was sticking to his beliefs. I respect that. I also love the way he tried to convince Lorelai to date him. I love how he told her about his uncle. That guy is really smart, sensitive and wise. I think it's impossible for anyone not to date him after hearing that story!

I also love the "Life is a funny funny thing" scene. I like how conflicted Lorelai was between her attraction to Max and doing the right thing. We see how Lorelai has set strict rules about dating to create a safe environment for Rory. She is really a great mother and keep in mind that she was really young when she did set those rules. Makes you think of how deep her character is, she is wise and thoughtful.

I also like how the whole town gathered for a cat's awake. The sense of community is outstanding in S.H. The amazing thing is that they really cared. I like the way Max laughed when Lorelai told him she canceled their date because a cat died.

[Lorelailovr1043]

I like how Michel reacted when he walked in and Lorelai told him they were having a wake for Babette's cat! Gotta love that Michel!

[SIDNEY]

I like how Michel reacted when he walked in and Lorelai told him they were having a wake for Babette's cat! Gotta love that Michel!

The funny thing is that he himself had a wake for his dog later on. You got to love the irony.

[bingbong]

^ ^ Sounds like a bit of GG kharma directed at Michel. Serves him right. Michel thinks he is above all the S.H. crazies but he is just as blissfully wacko as any of them.

[SIDNEY]

Wel, you can't really blame Michel for thinking he is above the SH. They are crazy and i am convinced that he was actually normal but being around those people long enough made him a wacko. Hey, he is a victim! 

[bingbong]

Hmmm, that depends on your idea of "normal." Normal or not, i think Michel was a first-class snob from the day he arrived in S.H., nose stuck up high in the air.

[SIDNEY]

What normal is? Pretty simple: anyone who is not Patty, Kirk or Babbette is normal. Michel is a snob, that's probably why he get along so well with Emily.

[bingbong]

Ha, i like your definition of "normal." Actually, compared to Kirk, Patty and Babette are pretty ordinary.

I agree, it's no surprise that Michel and Emily get along. But Emily is a genuine member of the upscale life, whereas Michel comes off as someone who merely aspires to it. Despite his fancy suits and high-minded 'tude, he's a middle-class schlump as much as anyone else. He's basically a clerk. Not that there is anything wrong with being a clerk but with his snooty manners he would look down on anyone else who is a clerk.

[SIDNEY]

Yeah, Emily & Michel are from different classes but they are soulmates. They are so much alike. I agree that Michel would look down on anyone who works as a clerk but we don't really know anything about his financial state, he must have plenty of money to afford his taste in clothes. And he did say that he went to one of the top school in France so who knows.

[bingbong]

That's true, at least once Michel said that he went to some kind of hotel training school. So, i wonder what he learned? How to treat the customers like dirt? He must have aced that class. It was funny to me, when Lorelai & Sookie were planning to open the Dragonfly, they acted as though they couldn't possibly manage the Dragonfly without Michel on their team. I never could figure out his valuable contribution.

We saw Michel's apartment at least once, when he was baby-sitting for Sookie's baby i think it was. It was a perfectly pleasant but unremarkable place. There has never been mention that Michel has other sources of income besides his job at the inn.

[SIDNEY]

You are right. I also never figured why Lorelai needed him so bad because for all we know Michel never considered leaving the Independence Inn before the fire. So how was she planning to run her inn?

Michel doesn't treat people with respect most of the time but we saw him treat the customers pleasantly more than once so maybe he saves the pleasant attitude for Lorelai and the crazy people of SH.

[bingbong]

I'm having trouble thinking of when Michel was ever genuinely pleasant to customers at the inn, without sarcasm attached to it. Let's face it, in real life he never would have survived all those years at the Independence and the Dragonfly. No matter how loyal Lorelai was to him, eventually his snarky 'tude would have resulted in him getting the axe (sooner rather than later, sez i). That's a job in which pleasant customer service was essential and he was the exact opposite of what any sane business person would want. He'd get fired and possibly go back to his dear mama, who would chastise him full-time about not eating enough carbs.

[SIDNEY]

One time Michel acted nicely was in season 5 when they wanted to cancel lunch and Luke called Lorelai to tell her about the huge hot dog infront of his diner, she was talking to a customer at the time but then she asked Michel to take over and he was pleasant. Also in the episode when the inn caught fire, he was nice t one of the Poe society, he even said "how can i help you?"  Also when he entertained the kids with their dolls when Lorelai was crying over her break up with Luke. Believe it or not, there are plenty of moments like these. 

I agree in real life it would be hard to keep his job with that attitude but we should give him credit because he has to deal with Kirk from time to time and come on, what sane person can do that. That makes Michel valuable.

[bingbong]

Ha, those are brief shining moments for Michel. Although as best i recall, when Lorelai went to investigate about Kirk the hot dog we only heard Michel on the phone very briefly; who knows what happened after those few precious moments? (ok, that's a stretch, but it's hard to be serious when talking about Kirk the hot dog). And, yes, it took a fire that burned down the inn for Michel to show a bit of decency to people thrown out in the street. As for Kirk, Luke and Taylor had to put up with him far more often than Michel.