Through a Glass, Darkly

Spoilers for the Gilmore Girls episode “The Great Stink.”

Last night’s episode was called “The Great Stink.” And stink it did. Even I, the eternal optimist, am not sure I can find something to be cheerful about. That was rough. But Theresa left me a sad comment begging me to help her feel better, and so I am going to do my best.

Let’s start somewhere easier. First, the townies. The pickle stuff was stupid, but think how terrible it would have been last year, if Daniel had written it. There would have been MORE pickles and MORE Taylor and MORE Kirk all in an attempt to show everybody how QUIRKY this show is. It would have been half the episode! Instead, it was just the right amount of townies to be humorous. That made me feel better about the new regime. I always think townies are best in small doses. Except Babette. I love Babette.

Additionally, as much as I don’t like Rory and Logan together, their scenes in the first half of the episode were . . . super-cute. I am hanging my head in shame as I type that. I cursed them for being so cute last night, for making me like Logan sometimes. But then, at the end, I felt good about not liking him again. Not that what he did was so terrible, just that it was enough to make me get over him again. hehe. But still, I must confess, when Rory jumped on him, I got all girly and smiley. Stupid Huntzberger, winning me over for 30 minutes.

Also, I should point out that Theresa loves British accents. And I’ll use that to segue into this question: “Was Bobby/Bobbi the Orbit gum girl?”

I’ve been enjoying the good Lorelai and Rory scenes lately, and I have to say that the phone conversation they had was very fun. “Pickles pickles pickles.” hee.

I guess I have stalled long enough. And I’m still not sure I can think of something positive to say. (In fact, I said that last night. “What am I going to tell Theresa?!“) It does seem like they were talking smack about Luke without giving him a chance to defend himself, which is sad. (Especially since he was pretty much just another townie in this episode.) And Christopher is suddenly supposed to be likeable. I feel a little bit of despair creeping in myself.

However, I still maintain that Christopher is not really what Lorelai wants. She wants someone who is a part of her whole life, who understands the Stars Hollow part of her (which Christopher doesn’t), who knows Rory (which . . . Christopher wasn’t around for MOST OF RORY’S LIFE), and who will support her in her relationship with her parents. Now, sure, the grandparents love Christopher, but I think that he and his sarcasm are never going to help her make peace with Richard and Emily.

This is the last season. She needs someone who can help her learn how to merge all those parts of her life, not someone who helps her compartmentalize them. She needs someone who can give her the whole package. The question is not, “Is Christopher going to be tempted by Sherri?” or, “Is Christopher going to be so great she can’t resist?” or, “Is Christopher going to screw it up?” The question is, “Is Christopher what Lorelai wants and needs?” And, despite his newly-written charms that certainly haven’t been present in seasons past, I think the answer is no.

I’ve been thinking about old episodes lately, thinking about why I hate Christopher so much. There are a lot of reasons I don’t like him, but one scene sums it up for me. In “Christopher Returns,” the following conversation takes place between Christopher’s parents, Richard and Emily, and Lorelai:

STRAUB: A mutual mistake Richard? This whole evening is ridiculous. We’re supposed to sit here like one big happy family and pretend that the damage that was done is over, gone? I don’t care about how good a student you say that girl is….

LORELAI: Hey!

STRAUB: Our son was bound for Princeton. Every Hayden male attended Princeton including myself, but it all stopped with Christopher. It’s a humiliation we’ve had to live with every day, all because you seduced him into ruining his life. She had that baby and ended his future.

GRANDPA: [grabbing Straub’s arm] You recant that Straub!

STRAUB: You’re spilling my drink.

GRANDPA: You owe my daughter an apology.

STRAUB: An apology, that’s rich.

GRANDPA: How dare you?! [grabbing Straub] How dare you?!

GRANDMA: Richard what are you doing?

GRANDPA: How dare you come into my house and insult my daughter!

STRAUB: Let go of me!

CHRISTOPHER: Whoa, whoa, what is going on here? [putting himself between them]

More than insulting Lorelai, who can take it, Straub called Rory a mistake. And Christopher . . . Christopher sat there and let him do it. He didn’t get involved until well after Richard, who is not known for being all that close to Lorelai, actually got involved and defended his daughter (and granddaughter). Christopher, as Rory’s father, should have been the first person (or at least the first person after Lorelai) to call out his father. But he didn’t. He did what was easy, just like he’s always done.

The reason I’m bringing this up is because I think that Luke, who certainly hasn’t done everything right in recent seasons, would never sit there and let someone berate Rory, who is the most important person in Lorelai’s life. I think Luke, having watched Lorelai and Rory interact on a daily basis for years, understands that part of Lorelai’s life better than Christopher does, even if Christopher and Rory are closer than they were back in season 1. Christopher may get the flippant side of Lorelai, but Luke gets what makes her tick. And even though he was berated last night, I think he is ultimately the better man.

I guess I did have something to say. I didn’t even know all that was in there. hehe.

Next week is a rerun, and I for one can use the break. We’ll use the next two weeks to muster up the courage to see what happens next. Stay strong!