February 13, 2007: I Want You to Want Me
If you managed to catch the preview for this episode - and I'm not sure you could have missed it since it aired every half-hour for a week straight - you knew the end was coming. "You're the man I
want to
want!" wails Lorelai in the promo. So when she finally choked out those sad words in the episode, they kinda lost their kick-to-the-stomach-effect. Which was a shame, because the familiarity practically robbed us of her honesty. It's as if the lines were delivered by a woman on truth serum, admitting to one horrible thing after another: "I still have feelings for Luke." "I jumped." "I've always thought of you as a possibility" (BTW: Chris, "possibility" is another word for "backup."
Ouch.) And then the Big Line. Chris took it well, actually. Who wants to hear that someone
wants to love you, but you know, they just can't muster up the feelings? Interesting: Chris is a selfish jerk, but sometimes he does handle other people's feelings with grace. I'm sure a lot of people would have flipped out over that doozy, even if they knew it was true.
My favorite scenes with Lauren Graham are often the silent ones, which is ironic since her fast-talking, quick-witted, pop-culture refs make her one of the best written characters on TV. (This combo should make her an Emmy contender, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.) The first of her silences in this ep was when she passed the window of Luke's diner and saw him filling out a check at the counter. She forced a smile when their eyes met and he waved, but when she turned away, the look of regret and sadness washed right across her face. If you weren't sure about her "future" with Chris by that point, then did you notice when she was choking back tears as Zack played an acoustic version of "My Heart Will Go On" at the funeral for Michel's dog? (Pure genius! Nothing could be worse for a rocker than playing Celine Dion, even for a good cause. I am still shuddering.)
I might be remiss if I finish my column without writing about Rory. Crush on her T.A.: totally adorable! Telling Logan all about it: completely lame! So she had stammered her way through a few conversations and offered the guy a book to read. (OK, I looked up
Eva Luna, by Isabelle Allende. One site did describe it as "sensuous." Big screaming deal! It's not like she offered him the
Kama Sutra!) Her reason? She wanted to make sure Paris had it wrong, that she hadn't "broken Logan." He said she didn't. (
Riiiiight. What guy would admit otherwise?). Then again, Paris did deliver the best line of the night: "Logan was on the Colin Farrell Freeway just about to pull over at the Robert Downey Jr. rest stop." Maybe Rory didn't break him, but instead sent him on a better course. Considering the Gilmore track record,
that's an accomplishment.
