Look at me!!

A little bit of shameless self-pimping, because really, what other kind is there?

U-Turn is finished--the epilogue is up, so now you can see it all in its Jess-loving glory!

Also... Tuesday Morning is a bit of an angsty, post "Vineyard Valentine" one-shot.

6.15--You've got Mass Ass

I know, I know, I know. it's after 10 p.m., and I'm just now posting this. And, I have to apologize for a not-so-untainted review--I've spent too much time today on the TWoP forums, so I already have second and third and fourth opinions of the episode running through my head.

Also, Chapter Five of U-Turn is up. So go read it. And then tell me what you think. Please? Only the epilogue left... I'm just doing some last edits on it, and it should be up before the end of the week (just in time for Jen's visit, the watching of the end of season 4, and her subsequent re-read).

Now. Onto a review of 6.15, "A Vineyard Valentine."

I guess this one just had two main storyline-ish things--Rory/Logan and Lorelai/Luke. Really, this week, it all boils down to those two relationships, since we had a location shoot, which equals very limited townie interactions and storylines.

I liked the first Rory/Logan scene, in the apartment, if only because Logan's waking up looked so much more natural and less corpse-like than this. That was just creepy on every level. Besides that, though, I liked their interactions, although I was a bit put off by the timeline. Usually, GG doesn't focus on specific dates (with a few exceptions, like Rory's birthday, Luke's Dark Day, or Rory's sentencing), but the past two episodes have been very focused on the dates--Paris specifically mentioned last week being Feb 3, and this is the weekend before Valentine's Day, making it the 10th. Therefore, Rory and Logan have lived together for a week, and they already have the basis to know that they "see each other less now that [they're] living together"?

I can accept that they've gone to the Vineyard before, especially since they would probably have wanted a place to get away from Yale and the pool house during the fall, but it just seemed like they were showing them as having lived together longer. A fairly minor point, though, considering the fact that they have been together for close to a year (minus their break), and have obviously spent a good part of that time staying at each other's houses.

Whale sperm made me laugh. Out loud. Several times. Yes, I am a junior high boy.

Now, I have to talk about Rory for a minute. There's a lot of Rory-hate out there, and I can understand some of it, but I actually have quite a bit of sympathy for the character right now. I may not agree with all her decisions, or the attitudes she has towards them, but I'm actually enjoying watching her try to figure out a balance in her life. It's seemed to me lately that she's trying figure out how she fits into all these opposite worlds that she seems to be stuck in. I didn't see it so much when she was younger, probably because she still lived in Stars Hollow, so her life at Chilton and FND's were more like "visits" to the world of high society, but lately, I've seen her trying to figure out the whole balance, and I kind of like it. I just remember myself at 21, and even though I wasn't trying to balance such extreme lifestyles, there's a huge sense of finding your identity as an adult and beginning to discover where you fit into life.

For instance, her fight with Emily over the DAR--It surprised me a little bit that she was so insistent on staying in it, but then I thought that it might not be such a bad thing, if she balances it out with the rest of her life (which is what she wasn't doing before), and still makes time to go to the Winter Carnival in Stars Hollow. Those two things, shown almost back-to-back, really struck me as both being significant parts of who she is, and I loved watching her do both.

Also, I really loved the cooking scene in VV. I liked that she was moving away, a little bit, from being Lorelai's mini-me, but still included Lorelai in her life and the new things she was interested in, and let their banter extend to something new (showing that they can change, but their relationship can move with them).

And random side note to the cooking: It shows a way in which Rory is growing up in a different way than Lorelai did. Lorelai was thrown into a grown-up world at an age where pop-tarts and junk food were still haute cuisine, and even though she grew up quickly and admirably in the other areas of her life, her diet was always an area where she remained a 16-year-old. Rory, I think, is getting to the age where the junk doesn't cut it as much any more (in most social circles, not just the ones that Logan runs in), and she's starting to experiment and play around with that. I thought it was cool, and very indicitive of the fact that she's not 16 anymore, as much as everyone may lament the fact that OldRory isn't there. If she was exactly the same at 21 as she was at 16, I would be concerned.

And I liked Rory and Logan's domesticity, and playing house. It shows a level of comfort with each other--particularly in the fact that she was playing host in his house. Obviously she had been there often enough to be comfortable with it, and I know that I totally do that when I'm at a friend's house--when I get to the point where I can go through the kitchen cupboards without asking (and without feeling awkward), that's when it's most fun. Plus, I think that it was appropriate, since it was her mother and stepfather-to-be, not his friends or family, that they were entertaining.

Logan, on the whole... still good. There were a few things that I was like, "Dumb kid," but they weren't on the same level as the "Logan's such a smarm!" moments from the first half of the season. I thought that it was great that he gave Luke the heads-up about the gifts at dinner, but it might have been better if he had re-thought his plan once he realized that there would be more than just the two of them there. I didn't think that he was trying to show Luke up, though--he was very generous, once he realized Luke's situation, and he can't really be blamed for not knowing Luke well enough to realize that Luke doesn't "do" Valentine's.

It bugged me that Luke and Logan introduced themselves again. They've met at least twice--granted, the first time was under "less than ideal" circumstances (and I thought that the way they handled that with Christopher last week was hilarious), but they were both at Rory's 21st birthday, too. Even though they haven't spent much time together, they shouldn't need to be re-introduced.

Logan and Mitchum... I felt bad for him. I think he made a dumb move by blowing off the London trip, and maybe Mitchum was justified in his anger, but I still felt for Logan, being lambasted in front of his girlfriend and her parents(ish) like that. Public humiliation is never fun, whether it's deserved or not. And the look on his face at the end of the fight was just heartbreaking. He looked like such a little boy, and I couldn't help but feel sympathetic.

I get his reasoning behind not telling Rory about London, too, even though, again, I think he should have told her. Avoidance is beautiful sometimes, and I got that he really wanted to believe that it would all be okay, but at the same time, she's fallen hard for him, and I really believe that he has for her, too, and if he doesn't tell her until he leaves, he (as a 23-year-old) is hurting her in the exact same way that Jess did as an 18-year-old. I think that if they're trying to write this as an adult (or becoming-adult) relationship, they would do well to avoid that particular comparison.

And now. Luke and Lorelai.

I couldn't believe Luke for a good part of the episode. He's not the type to be so petty, and I was so irritated by the way that he was badmouthing Logan to Lorelai. It has nothing to do with whether he likes or doesn't like Logan; the fact is, this is yet another character inconsistency in Luke right now. He's not that kind of two-faced, and it made me really sad to see that.

And that was what made the long-awaited I Love You seem less special. I mean, we've been waiting for it forever (and I liked that it was made obvious that this wasn't the first time they've said it), but it seemed like that whole scene, as sweet as it was, was tainted by everything lately. It was like AS-P said, "You know, the fans are getting really mad at Luke, and beginning to hate them. Let's give them a scene that they can squee over so that they forget just a little bit that they hate it so much."

Because I did love the scene, and I loved them waking up together--that sweetness has been missing lately--but it was then two steps forward, one step back, when they went back to the diner and Luke didn't pick up on the fact that Lorelai wanted to meet April. Plus, we haven't even gotten the benefit of seeing Dad!Luke lately. We've just seen Jerk!Luke without the sweetness of watching him learn how to be a dad.

Having said that, though, I'm still willing to wait it out and see where they're going with this. I think that there's a reason for the L/L storyline, and there's a reason for the way Rory is developing, even though those are both major points of contention right now, and I'm not going to give up on either.

I should probably have more to say about Lorelai and Luke, but right now, I don't really have anything. I wanted to love it more, but I was still put off by the scenes before and after the ILY.

And now, to end with some fun lines and moments...

Did anyone else notice that Logan didn't call Rory "Ace" once this episode?

I loved Luke's "Is that wise?" It was a normal-Luke moment, and I really appreciated that.

The whole kitchen bit with Lorelai and Rory... the banter is back, and I love it!

And the "Mass Ass"? Hilarious!

So there you go. Thoughts? Because really, no one comments on this thing, so I'm just sending my thoughts out into cyberspace and letting them float.

All around the cobblers bench...

I know that I've been the negligent blogger recently - the one who can come up with the idea but has no follow through.

I would feel bad, except that I did say this about this blog. That make me off the hook, right?

Anyway, perhaps tonight's episode will inspire me to write. Only 11 more hours until I get to see it! :)

My muse is playing whack-a-mole with my creative instincts

So apparently, when my muse strikes, it hits me in the head with a 2x4.

I wrote Moving Day as a one-shot, but a number of people, particularly over at Illusive, clamored and clangored for more chapters. Now, I realize that I don't have to accomodate them, but I started thinking about all the different places that the story could go, beginning with that one-shot as the first chapter.

And came up with at least 5.

So, I'm not just writing a story off of that one-shot. Oh, no. That would be too simple. I'm writing a series. Probably five different stories, each one 5 or so chapters long, that begin with "Moving Day" as the first chapter. The stories themselves will have nothing to do with each other, but it's just an exercise in storylines to see how far down completely different paths the same beginning can take us.

Which means that I'm going to be stuck in the minds of Rory and Logan for a very long time. I'll definitely need to write something else in between, just to keep myself from going too crazy!

Moving Day

My muse hit. I wrote a new story. It's nothing epic; just a one-shot, a post-ep for 6.14. Moving Day, up at BWR. Go tell me what you think. Please?

Chapter Four

U-Turn chapter 4 is up at BWR. Check it out, please!

Hotplate Harriet strikes again

Alright. Here we go. 6.14, "You've Been Gilmored," review, coming up!

Much filler. I'm looking forward to the Valentine's episode, just because they'd better do something with it. Still, even though it seemed like filler, there were good things about it, and definitely review-able. :o)

First, though, let me pick apart last week's promo and prove my point that the Evil Promo Monkey is trying to take over the world. If, by chance, you didn't watch the promo, go down two posts and click on that link, and then come back here.

Okay. First of all, did anyone else think that they were trying to look like they were setting up a Rory/Logan pregnancy announcement? That's what happens with the magic of splicing, people. I knew, because I read spoilers, that the "big announcement" was the moving in, but it's amazing what they can make you think it is.

Let's pick this apart clip by clip. First three images? Rory and Logan's "whirlwind romance"--the Birkin bag debacle, the evil dinner at the Huntzbergers', and the success at the paper. No complaints there, so far. Then. Over the Logan voice-over of "Look, we'll figure this out, okay?" from the phone call where he is doing nothing so romantic as hugging her to reassure her, we see the hug from her breakdown over Mitchum's criticism at the end of S5. Then, cut to a random shot of the insurance dinner, then Emily's face from the first FND of the episode, then Rory's phone call with Lorelai and Lorelai's phone call with Chris are merged together to make one ultra-dramatic conversation.

And what did I say about it? How much do you want to bet that none of the spliced scenes have anything to do with each other, and 80% of the promo is from the last 10 minutes of the show? There you go. Evil Promo Monkey. I told you.

Okay, onto the episode.

Again, the Luke/Lorelai storyline was less than utterly compelling, but the difference was that this week, Rory and Logan weren't nearly as interesting (or sweet) as last week. The Lorelai/Michel storyline was cute, but it was better for the fact that we got to see Michel in all his glory, rather than the fact that the storyline did anything to further the plot. I actually didn't mind the Rory/Chris interactions, simply because it was good. It was a nice father/daughter moment, without intruding on Lorelai at all.

I have to say that I'm fascinated by Lorelai's commitment to repairing the extended-family relationships, or at least to not slamming the doors for Rory to build those relationships. She's going so far above and beyond in her efforts to make sure that things between Rory and the Gilmores and between Rory and Christopher are good, and that's kind of cool to see. Except for the minor fact that she's fixing all these other relationships and not her relationship with Luke. Or maybe she's doing that because he's not trying to fix things.

And, in defense of relationships being restored, I was so glad to see that movie night, complete with pop-tarts, was restored. It was yet another example of Rory and Lorelai getting back to where they should be, after not being there for so long. I think that we're actually starting to see this relationship get back to a place that it hasn't been since before "Raincoats and Recipes." It's still somewhat tentative, as we see in the phone call, but they're both taking those baby steps to where they should be.

Luke and Lorelai were less awkward this week than they were last week, but their familiarity wasn't the "aww-able" kind. For instance, my favorite L/L familiarity comes in "Twenty-One is the Loneliest Number," in some of their interactions there, about the link sausages, and the cooking fried chicken, and the smoke coming out of the nose. That's the kind of familiarity that is incredibly intimate and sweet. This kind was... not bored, per se, but almost just co-existing. I'm not saying that I want a fight, but I just want them to deal with everything!

The insurance dinner was just weird. Are they setting us up for something April-DNA-Luke's not the dad-related? If not, I don't think that dinner had much point, unless the whole thing was just a setup for Lorelai's comment about Richard and Emily accepting the relationship. In which case, may I just say, overkill! If it was an April thing... I dunno. It just seemed so random, and such a major way to spend so much of an episode. But then again, that's what filler is--when they spend so much focusing on Michel's jealousy of everyone who has anything to do with Lorelai (does anyone remember his insane jealousy to Tobin?) and the insurance business.

In the eternal question of "is Logan successful in redeeming himself not only in Rory's eyes, but also in the eyes of every viewer?", this week didn't do much to sway me one way or the other. Although I have to wonder at his relationship with Colin and Finn, if they can come move Rory at a moment's notice. Still. I wonder where the "moving in" thing is going; if he realizes the kind of commitment that it is. I think he does--I really do think that he made the offer on the spur of the moment, but I don't think that old Logan would have done that. The spontaneity of it was only possible because of the underlying commitment. But we'll see. They do love to prove us wrong on all things relationship-related.

Chris. Every Chris and Logan similarity is being slammed over our heads right now, and it makes me wonder how big of an anvil this is. "Chris isn't right for Lorelai; Logan isn't right for Rory?" Is it setting up a huge breakup? I guess we'll see. I did love Rory's line, though, "Interesting yardstick you're using." At least she realized the absurdity of the bond between boyfriend and dad. Like I said before, I actually enjoyed Chris' interactions in this episode, mostly because I didn't feel (with one exception) like he was barging in where he shouldn't be. And I liked his outfit.

The one exception. Caling Lorelai when he did. I don't necessarily have a problem with him playing the Dad card and telling Lorelai that Logan and Rory had moved in together. What I do have a problem with is the fact that he didn't give Rory a chance. She was obviously not trying to hide things from Lorelai--she told her as soon as she got home (and in her defense, it seemed like the day that never ended, in terms of life-altering occurrances, so we'll forgive her for not calling Lorelai first!), and didn't beat around the bush. If she hadn't told Lorelai, Chris would have had every right, I think, to share the news, but his timing sucked.

Anything else? I loved Paris' resignation speech. Leave it to Paris to try to preserve her dignity, even if it was only in her own mind. I actually kind of liked the fact that Rory wasn't an original choice for editor--it was only after the other, more legitimate, options had been exhausted that they overlooked her semester off and put her name up. Plus, I think that it shows that she really is a loyal friend to Paris, because she was never looking to take over Paris' position. I think that, through all of this, Rory has been more than patient with Paris, and has really tried to bridge the gap between the two sides, playing mediator as often as possible.

And the Gilmore timeline strikes again. So... we've got a FND at the beginning, and then we skip a week to the next Friday, and that's when the rest of the episode takes place. I think. Because the editor-ousting, the eviction, the moving into Logan's, the visit from Chris, the Michel/Lorelai Weston's coffee, the insurance dinner, and the phone call all took place on Friday. February 3rd, incidentally, if anyone cares. Oh, and we fit the Luke-hangs-the-key-rack and the first Michel scene somewhere into that week between FND and FND. Seriously. This show's timelines are just so far out there sometimes.

Anyways... I think that's it. Thoughts?

U-Turn

Chapter 3 of U-Turn is up at BWR. Go read.

Evil Promo Monkey in action

Mmmkay. I don't know how spoiler-free anyone out there is, but if you want to see the Evil Promo Monkey in action, check out this WB promo for the upcoming episode.

Any guesses what it's talking about? Come on. What does it sound like it's talking about?

But, since I am not at all spoiler free, I can say with a small degree of certainty that from the actual spoilers, it's probably not what it sounds like... of course, we'll all see after the episode is over, but still.

How much do you want to bet that none of the spliced scenes have anything to do with each other, and 80% of the promo is from the last 10 minutes of the show?

Because that's what the Evil Promo Monkey does.

You really did only like me for my looks, huh?

Alright! Let's get some content up here! And let's see how many posts we can put up in one day...

Just to get the ball rolling, I'm going to post my thoughts on 6.13--Friday Night's Alright For Fighting. If I emailed these to you already, I apologize for the redundancy, but I think that from now on, I'll post instead of email. Okay. Enough talking. Here you go:

Okay, first of all, let me say that this was a strange "Freaky Friday" esque swap between Logan and Luke. Seriously. It was like Logan filled that role in Rory's life that Luke usually fills in Lorelai's--the one that steps in to fix things and pick up her slack, and Luke took the avoidance track (albeit on a smaller, not-so-alcohol-soaked scale) of not dealing with things that Logan was so expert at for the first half of the season (can you believe that we're officially into the second half of season 6 already?!). The whole episode was kind of alternate-universe, though. I was more drawn in by the Rory/Logan storyline than the Luke/Lorelai one, and as I'm rewatching it to write this, I'm finding myself fast-forwarding the L/L scenes, which just isn't right. I'm all for Logan getting his act together, and I'm liking the way they're playing this out, but it seems that they can't have both Girls in good relationships at the same time; it's like they have to alternate dysfunction.

I'm going to just pretend that the teaser scene didn't happen. That was the most awkward L/L interaction since "Say Something," and it was just so... weird. Well-acted, but just too awkward for words, and I want to pretend I never saw it. However, Lorelai not cancelling everything could be a setup for another fight, or it could be a big anvil that things are going to be okay and June 3 will still go ahead. Although, based on timeline and certain spoilers, I doubt that.

Luke is... I don't know what to think. I think that they're writing him out of character for what he's been for 6 years. I'm not even talking (at this point) about waiting 2 months to tell Lorelai about April; I just think that he's being too oblivious to Lorelai's emotions. Yes, he's a guy, but he has proven, over and over, that he's pretty attuned to Lorelai, even before they were dating. I just don't see him suddenly becoming Mr. Insensitive. I appreciate his efforts with April, but I don't like him being so excited and not seeing Lorelai. I would have absolutely no problem with his "Geometry for Dummies for Dummies" if he was more willing to include Lorelai in it all. I love that he's so excited to be a dad, but I wish he wasn't so determined to do it alone.

Okay. Onto Logan. I really liked him in this ep, mostly because he got Rory back by really knowing her. Finally. The coffee was fine, but I like that it took him actually doing his job on something that means the world to her in order for her to give in. Back in s5, when we first met Logan, Doyle informed us that he was good at what he did; he was just too much of a playboy to be any good. I love that we saw him being good at it--the 90 wpm typing, the instincts about staffing the newsroom; the articles he was pulling... he does know his stuff, and even though he may hate it because of his father and the pressure, I really don't think he hates it because of what it is. Also, he gets brownie points for not saying a word about their date, and just pitching in. And, I loved that he pulled strings using his name. That it all came down to how seriously he was taking it, and he came through and used the connections for something other than partying or getting a platinum credit card. So, big Logan points this week. And Rory points for stringing him along a little until he proved himself.

It also shows that he takes her seriously. I really thought that they worked together, and that he didn't belittle her in any way. Now, we know that he's taken her at least somewhat seriously as a journalist ever since the LDB article, but this, especially in light of everything that happened, was a bonus affirmation.

The show seems to take the growth of certain characters seriously, aside from the main ones. We've seen it most (in my opinion) in Jess, in the ways he's changed and come back, and I think we're starting to see something in Logan. The difference, so far, is that Logan is changing in full view, and as a direct result of his relationship with Rory and his growing up and all that. Jess took Rory (and, I think, Luke) as an impetus and changed on his own, out of sight. Obviously, that's mostly due to casting and contracts and stuff, but it'll be interesting to see how they further both of those character developments--one in plain view; one out of sight.

The Gilmores. The fight scene was interesting, and I think I did like it. The filming was so different from most GG scenes--adding to the alternate universe feel of the episode, and that added to the weirdness, but it was good. It added to the whole chaotic feeling without having to show the entire fight, and it showed the passage of time, again, within the time constraints of having the entire conversation. I hope that it infers that they actually dealt with some stuff, instead of just yelling about it, but I think that's something that remains to be seen.

And, I have to say, I loved Lorelai's concern for Rory's relationship with the grands. I think that shows a real maturity on her part--that she, after all this time, understands the relationship that Rory has had, and doesn't want her to sacrifice that. The crazy scarf scene was a good mix of the goofy scarf and the serious topic.

Paris. Don't even go there. That girl has gone crazy, and they'd better fix her soon, because Liza Weil deserves better. That's all I have to say about her.

Okay. Onto some great moments and lines:

Any time Lorelai parodied the Gilmores. Especially at the dinner table, especially calling "scene!" on herself. I laughed so hard.

Drunk Emily recapping her takedown of Shira.

Logan's line: "You really did only like me for my looks, didn't you?" Funny, telling, and leaves the door open for Rory's realization that she can now (perhaps) like him for more than that.

Bill's line: "All that was missing were the Kaballah bracelets and the matzoh."

Logan's moment as he hung up the phone. "And that's how it's done at the DAILY NEWS!" I loved that he got so excited about it, and again, it wasn't just about Rory. He got excited for the sake of what he'd done, and the accomplishment. And then the moment was ruined by Paris' emergence from her random office of cardboard.

Random extras in that scene. The "The computer crashed again!" guy, milking his one line for all it was worth, and then the random hugging couple (pink shirt girl and blue shirt guy) that must have taken lessons from the Alexis Bledel School of Physical Affection. That was awkward. But, for once, Alexis and Matt weren't. The exuberant hug was great, and the kiss wasn't all that bad, either.

And, Rory's back. This is the Rory that we know and love. Driven, a little bit of a mama's girl when it comes to dealing with conflict, but not a complete spineless wimp... it's good to see her back.

And I'm still going to pretend that the Luke and Lorelai in this episode never happened. That we can just erase that part of it, and pretend that they're fine.

Okay, long enough? I think I covered all the character analysis--this week, it was much more about that than it was about the acting... I mean, it was good. The usuals were all excellent--I loved the acting in the fight scene, but then again, Kelly Bishop and Ed Hermann always nail it, and they bring out some of the best in Lauren Graham.

Template to come...

I'm eventually going to try and find an actual Girls template, but for now, this is pretty and simple and it works.

Here we go, ride the pony... this is how we do it

So here's my GG story.....

It's fall 2001. I'm living off-campus, anxiously awaiting the day in a few months when I will finally move into residence. One of my housemates, Heather, is sitting infront of the tv one night, watching a show that I have never heard of. She tells me the name. I sit and watch with her, totally enjoying the banter back and forth between characters, the great clothes and the (relatively) clean storyline.

I forgot the name of the show. My class schedule changes, and I'm not home to watch it again all term. I miss it, but figure that I should be doing homework instead of watching tv anyway.

Fast forward two years. My friend Julie, who I've known since Kindergarten, tells me about this great show that she watches every week, Gilmore Girls. I watch it with her for a few weeks, but then I have to move again, so I have no tv to watch it on. I realize at the end of this time that it was Gilmore Girls I was watching in first year.

It's half way through season 5. My husband and I are given a TV. And the obsession begins, now that I can finally watch it every week.

First it was just a habit, something that I did for an hour a week. But then it became more than that; a social time with Julie every once in a while. A few minutes a week reading spoilers. A conversation with Alida about it.

And now look at where I am. Afraid that we won't have TV next year because I will miss Gilmore Girls too much. Writing a blog about a tv show. Looking for sales on the dvds.

Am I progressing or regressing? Only time will tell.

All in

Hello, hello, hello.

This was suggested by my favorite person who actually lives in Ontario right now (had to qualify that so I didn't forget about Kim)... my dearest Jen!

This is our geek-dom. We will review episodes, discuss all things Gilmore, and squee together.

You in? All in?

Heh. See? It's starting already!