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« Gilmore Girls
March 6, 2007: Gilmore à la Mode
Our three Gilmore girls together on a road trip to North Carolina? You’d think it would be witty Lorelai providing the comic relief, but this time it was typically humorless Emily! Driving the Jag in the slow lane with a parade of cars behind her. Fighting with Lorelai over the power window button, and winning by using the child-proof feature. A stop at a greasy spoon, where Em actually ordered a chardonnay. “That’s the clear one,” she informed the waitress. And of course, there were show tunes for entertainment. (For those of you who aren’t theater geeks, that was “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” from Oklahoma!. Love the irony.)
Afterwards came some much-needed bonding. (This was a road trip, after all.) Which did you think was more powerful? That Emily sought out Mia for some old pictures of Lor and Rory? After all, the woman was essentially Lorelai’s surrogate mother and Emily’s nemesis. (Talk about swallowing your priceless pride.) Or was it when Lorelai finally admitted to her mom that it must’ve been hard when she upped and left home. Of course, Lorelai had the kinder reaction; she was visibly touched. Emily barely uttered an acknowledgement. Typical. But she did eagerly join Rory and Lorelai for a night of junk food and a movie at a cheap hotel. How gauche! And how freaking cool! Oh, and Will Smith? Really?
But kudos goes to Rory. Finally... for months she seemed so lost and off track. Last week I said she’s back, and she continues to prove it. The girl who had been tip-toeing around an out-of-control Logan actually stood up to him in the most powerful way possible. She agreed with Mitchum. “I love you but I am not going to support every stupid decision you make,” she lectured a stunned Logan. “I don’t see you getting your bearings, I see you hiding out, not facing your responsibilities. You’re being a jerk!” My sentiments exactly! Old Rory would have caved when Logan swooped in on Mia’s wedding “to talk.” Not this time. “This is so last year’s Logan!” she hissed at him. “You think you can fly anywhere I am and overwhelm me by your grand gestures. I’m just not impressed.” Neither am I. I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting for her to see through all the expensive gifts and vapid displays of wealthy wooing. She finally put it together in just one sentence: “If I am going to do this, I am going to do this on my terms,” she explained to a shocked Lorelai. (Oh, and by the way, good advice for Mom, too.) She might be tough, but she’s still our Rory, which means she’ll always be supportive when Logan does right. And when he told her that he quit his father’s company, Rory was proud of him. I’ve never been a big Logan fan, but I’ll admit it: That move took serious cojones. Good for him.
I’d be remiss if I didn't mention the great, and at times hilarious, interaction between Luke and Zack. It makes sense that Lane and Zack would want a father figure for the twins, especially since Mr. Kim is MIA and Zack’s dad “left when he was like, 10.” And who better than Luke, who was wonderful with Rory and now April? Did you catch the stunned look on Luke’s face when they asked him to be their children’s godfather? (He thought they were going to ask him for money!) I think he should have been more freaked out at the diner when Zack asked if he should have the boys circumcised. Really, the best part was when Zack started to panic about becoming a father (I think he might have been crying) and Luke calmed him down. “I found my dad mode. So will you,” he told the soon-to-be father/rocker.
Didn’t it feel like everyone found their mode? Absolutely no complaints here.
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Mar 6, 2007 11:39 PM
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Robin, the Will Smith thing just HAS to be a shout-out to the fact that Kelly Bishop was in the movie version of Six Degrees of Separation with Will...
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Mar 7, 2007 12:10 AM
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I liked this episode. Didn't love it, but having a nice relaxed episode is refreshing once in a while.
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Mar 7, 2007 12:10 AM
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Yay! I was actually wondering if Amy Sherman Palladino was lurking around the set or sprinkled a bit of her unique touch on this week's script. This was a classic Gilmore episode filled with a good mix of drama, laughter, and strong acting all around. I absolutely loved every minute of it!
Quick question - does Luke know about Lorelai's breakup with Chris yet? I can't wait to see how he reacts to that.
And yes - I thought the same thing about Kelly Bishop and Will Smith! I hope he finds out about it. 
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Mar 7, 2007 12:27 AM
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I know it's minor, but I couldn't get over the fact that it was a different actress portraying Mia.
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Mar 7, 2007 1:03 AM
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I missed the first couple of seasons so I was kinda clueless on the whole Mia thing. This was the first I'd heard of her. Did she have a story line in past seasons?
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Mar 7, 2007 1:44 AM
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talespinner, Mia was the most important person in Lorelai and Rory's pre-show lives. She is in the episode The Ins and Out of Inns (ep. 2.09).
She owned the Independence Inn (the first Inn that Lorelai worked at when the show started.) Mia knew Luke growing up (she tells a cute story about what a Star Trek/skateboard geek he was as a boy.) Everyone loves her--there's great banter with Michel, etc. There's a wonderful scene when she goes into the diner and Luke does something we have not seen him do since: smiles a huge smile and runs out from behind the counter to hug Mia.
Anyway, when Lorelai at age 17 and ran away from home with her baby, she landed on the doorsteps of the inn, Jane-Eyre-like, LOL. She asked Mia for a job. Mia took her in and gave her a job as a maid. She let them live in a potting shed on the inn property. Lorelai eventually worked her way up to manager (they had Mia living in Santa Barbara at the time of the show.)
As Lorelai got closer to striking out on her own, she was feeling guilty about leaving the Inn, but Mia came to town to...dum-dee-dum...sell the inn. So no guilt needed. She encouraged Lorelai to get her own inn.
At the end of the episode there is a pivotal scene mentioned again tonight. Emily, hearing that Mia is in town, goes to the Independence Inn to see her and says that she just wants to meet the woman who helped raise her daughter.
Mia asks her to stay for lunch or at least tea, Emily makes a dig about the beautiful home (similar to her comment tonight...)
They chat a bit more, subtle Amy Sherman comments about home and where home is...and Mia says:
"When Lorelai showed up on my porch that day with a tiny baby in her arms, I thought to myself, what if this were my daughter, and she was cold and scared and needed a place to live? What would I want for her? And then I thought, I'd want her to find somebody to take her in and make her safe and help her find her way."
And Emily zings back with:
"That's funny. I would've wanted her to find someone who would send her home. I have to go. I'd appreciate if you didn't mention this to Lorelai."
(I found this funny years later because when Rory showed up at Emily's during the rift, she did the same thing Mia did!)
Emily then asks her for pictures of Rory and Emily from "back then".
Mia says she'll send her a box "tomorrow".
Truly a pivotal scene about the Emily/Lorelai history...
HOWEVER, the part was played by Elizabeth Franz, a decade-older actress than Kathy Baker.
Anyhow, you should watch this episode 2.09. It's quite action filled, Luke is teaching Lorelai how to set up a business (incorporate), she has to tell him that the new inn is the property that his ex girlfirend love-of-his-life Rachel has photographed (and she'd just left the show a few episodes before...) and great Taylor stuff...ah good times...
Damn. Lorelai HAS to get her butt back into that diner!
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Mar 7, 2007 2:41 AM
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This was a great episode. The change in actor part didn't bother me - Kathy Baker did a nice job of capturing the mannerisms, so the fit felt fine.
Estee - great job of summarizing the Season 2 episode with Mia.
I think last night's episode may be my favorite since Season 5. I hated Season 6.
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Mar 7, 2007 6:34 AM
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Hey Stylish-
Luke does know about the break-up. They didn't actually have a scene where he first found out, but it has been established that he does know.
He's known since the episode after it happened. Miss Patty and Babette were talking about it in the diner, and they said that Luke knew because someone else had been in the diner blabbing about it the day before.
Then, there was the episode two weeks ago when Luke's sister and her husband and their baby came to visit and stayed with him for a night. She and Luke talked about the fact that Lorelia and Chris had broken up, and she said it was an opportunity for him to get back together with Lorelai, and then her husband said that they shouldn't get back together.
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Mar 7, 2007 8:03 AM
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Finally! THIS was the show I have missed and have longed for! It was a beautiful thing-felt like an ASP penned episode in her heyday (why oh why did you leave us Amy??) The only thing that threw me for a loop was the actress switch for the Mia character, but I love Kathy Baker (ever since Picket Fences) so I was okay with it. I thought she did an excellent job. I'm so glad to see this show back on track, but I hope it isn't too late--did anyone tell Matt Roush about this epi--it might bring him back on GG's side!
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Mar 7, 2007 8:29 AM
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my only (minor) complaint is I felt like Lane had the quickiet pregnancy ever and I wish the birth would have been highlighted a bit more.
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Mar 7, 2007 9:11 AM
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I'm so happy to like Rory again! Smart and sweet. It's great that Luke and Rory are back to being likeable this season.
The actress who played Mia, wasn't she the hook lady from Boston Public?
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Mar 7, 2007 9:27 AM
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I'm a firm believer that NOT all babies are cute just as NOT all brides are beautiful, so how refreshingly wonderful it was to hear Emily say to Rory & Lorelei that "the photo may have distorted the babies face".
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Mar 7, 2007 9:37 AM
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Estee, thanks. I'm also a latecomer to GG, and while I figured out the gist from context, it was nice to get that summary.
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Mar 7, 2007 9:40 AM
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Robin - Great write up as usual.
Estee - great recap of the old Mia. I am just sorry they did not use the same actress. It was very jarring to me to see Kathy Baker instead, but I'll get over it.
I love road trip episodes on GG, and this was no exception. I also loved that Luke is the father figure to Zack and Lane. And will we ever see Mr. Kim?
Not much to say that has not already been said, except I am very happy that Rory gave Logan the straighten up and fly right speech. It was about time someone called him on his behavior, and he listens to Rory.
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Mar 7, 2007 9:48 AM
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