Gilmore Girls: The Ins and Outs of Inns
January 29, 2025 5:37 PM - Season 2, Episode 8 - Subscribe
Emily meets the woman who took in Lorelai and Rory all those years ago. Luke defends Jess at a town meeting. Lorelai lashes out at Sookie.
Authors Note: dang but this stretch of Season 2 is a bit of a slog. Just three straight episodes of all-filler, very little killer. But I'm pretty sure it'll pick up again soon, so here we go!
We open on Friday Night Dinner, minus Richard, who's enjoying the finest aspects of Akron, OH. In the hopes of cheering him up when he returns home, Emily talks Rory into sitting for a portrait for his study. And while, yes, this is some top-drawer weird rich people nonsense, Emily is basically a saint for trying to do something this nice for Richard considering his behavior lately. Except that saints can probably tell different Latin American countries apart.
Lorelai has kind of a one-track-mind these days, and it is set on the Dragonfly Inn, and the purchase therof, and what she and Sookie can do with it once they've got it. Luke has some sensible business advice, Sookie has enthusiasm, and Michel has a cold dash of cynicism, but it seems like a plan is forming.
Taylor is surprised to come to the market in the morning to find police tape in front of the door and a chalk outline of a body on the ground. Cops are called, crowds gather, and Taylor gets himself in quite a tizzy over it.*
Sookie and Lorelai meet up at the diner with Fran, the elderly current owner of the Dragonfly, whom we've met previously when Lorelai was scamming her bakery for free wedding cake tastings even though Sookie was already commissioned to make said wedding cake. Fran doesn't want to sell the Inn, evne though it's dilapidated and unused, because it's "the only family she has." Sookie and Lorelai try to gently find out what the plans are for the property upon her seemingly imminent demise, but these inquiries fly right over Fran's head.
But enough about Fran, because Mia's here! You know, Mia! An extremely important figure in our main characters' shared history who we've never heard about before now! In truth, Mia fills an important void that I had actually been wondering about shortly before she was introduced, namely: Who owns the inn, who took in Lorelai and Rory after Lorelai ran away? And I don't blame the show too much for not bringing her in until now, but I wish someone had had the forethought to put a stake or two down earlier on in the series by at least mentioning her name in passing once or twice. It would have made a huge difference here.
Anyway, Mia is like a mother/grandmother to Lorelai and Rory, still owns the Independence, and lives in Santa Barbara now that Lorelai has everything well in hand. She also knew Luke as a boy when he used to wear a Star Trek shirt every day and charge old ladies for carrying their grocery bags. She and Lorelai have a nice catching-up chat at the diner when Taylor rages in demanding that Luke do something about Jess's prank (which Jess totally did, though Taylor really only has suspicions.)
After Rory does her portrait-sitting, she, Lorelai, Luke and Mia head over to the town meeting, getting there a few minutes early for a change, to find it already in full-swing. Taylor had invited basically everyone but Luke to discuss "The Jess Problem" in his absence, and the town seems ready for whatever passes for mob justice in Stars Hollow. Lorelai backs up Luke and keeps the town from a rendition of "Kill the Beast" but the resentments are still a-simmerin'.
After much dilly-dallying, Lorelai tells Mia about her and Sookie's intentions to buy the Dragonfly. Mia is, unsurprisingly, very supportive, insists on helping them out, and excited because it means that she can sell the Independence now, so please get a move on Lorelai toot sweet thank you. But the Independence is Lorelai's "Memory home," you see, more meaningful to her than the Hartford House, and the thought of it changing scares the hell out of her.
So Lorelai goes into an emotional tailspin. She talks to Sookie, trying to instill enough doubt about any specific plans with the Dragonfly to forstall action on it indefinitely. As Sookie counters each of these tacks, Lorelai gets angrier and more desperate until she snaps at her best friend, calling her flaky and unreliable and essentially an unviable business partner, and Sookie leaves. (Note: Melissa McCarthy is very good in this scene, a very different kind of material than she normally gets to work with here or elsewhere.)
Then, in Hartford, as Emily is proudly showing off the portrait, Lorelai goes off on her, for no particular reason other than that she's angry (she does, at least, immediately make amends about that one.) Lorelai talks to Luke pretty frankly about her crippling self-doubt, which surprises Luke because he sees her as so confident, and then she makes up with Sookie, and all is right in the world again.
Emily drops in at the end to find Mia, whom she's never met before. It's an interesting dynamic, as both feel like they have the moral high ground, but Mia carries no resentments towards Emily and Emily has enough for the both of them. Kelly Bishop kills it in this scene, as per usual, especially the tag, where she grits her teeth and asks if Mia has any pictures from that era, and Mia offers to send her a boxful.
Finally, Rory gives Jess a good talking to about appreciating what Luke is doing for him and how defending Jess has the whole town against him. Because it's coming from Rory, the message actually gets through a little, and the next morning Luke finds that his good toaster has been fixed by little toaster elves.
*This prank is so dumb that I kind of love it. First, it's sub-Bart-Simpson levels of hooliganism, from a kid who spends 100% of his time trying to come off as the biggest badass this town has ever seen. Secondly, it's actually perfectly-pitched to cause Taylor the greatest amount of impotent rage while doing no actual harm to anyone or anything. Since Taylor is the true villain of this show, I heartily approve.
A.V. Club Review - David Sims
Woman in Revolt Review - Lindsay Pugh
Soundtrack: Just Grant Lee Phillips as the Troubadour, which I haven't been counting.
Random Guest Star Watch: Elizabeth Franz as Mia. Her film/TV resumé is kind of all over the place, but she won a Tony for her part in Death of a Salesman!
Authors Note: dang but this stretch of Season 2 is a bit of a slog. Just three straight episodes of all-filler, very little killer. But I'm pretty sure it'll pick up again soon, so here we go!
We open on Friday Night Dinner, minus Richard, who's enjoying the finest aspects of Akron, OH. In the hopes of cheering him up when he returns home, Emily talks Rory into sitting for a portrait for his study. And while, yes, this is some top-drawer weird rich people nonsense, Emily is basically a saint for trying to do something this nice for Richard considering his behavior lately. Except that saints can probably tell different Latin American countries apart.
Lorelai has kind of a one-track-mind these days, and it is set on the Dragonfly Inn, and the purchase therof, and what she and Sookie can do with it once they've got it. Luke has some sensible business advice, Sookie has enthusiasm, and Michel has a cold dash of cynicism, but it seems like a plan is forming.
Taylor is surprised to come to the market in the morning to find police tape in front of the door and a chalk outline of a body on the ground. Cops are called, crowds gather, and Taylor gets himself in quite a tizzy over it.*
Sookie and Lorelai meet up at the diner with Fran, the elderly current owner of the Dragonfly, whom we've met previously when Lorelai was scamming her bakery for free wedding cake tastings even though Sookie was already commissioned to make said wedding cake. Fran doesn't want to sell the Inn, evne though it's dilapidated and unused, because it's "the only family she has." Sookie and Lorelai try to gently find out what the plans are for the property upon her seemingly imminent demise, but these inquiries fly right over Fran's head.
But enough about Fran, because Mia's here! You know, Mia! An extremely important figure in our main characters' shared history who we've never heard about before now! In truth, Mia fills an important void that I had actually been wondering about shortly before she was introduced, namely: Who owns the inn, who took in Lorelai and Rory after Lorelai ran away? And I don't blame the show too much for not bringing her in until now, but I wish someone had had the forethought to put a stake or two down earlier on in the series by at least mentioning her name in passing once or twice. It would have made a huge difference here.
Anyway, Mia is like a mother/grandmother to Lorelai and Rory, still owns the Independence, and lives in Santa Barbara now that Lorelai has everything well in hand. She also knew Luke as a boy when he used to wear a Star Trek shirt every day and charge old ladies for carrying their grocery bags. She and Lorelai have a nice catching-up chat at the diner when Taylor rages in demanding that Luke do something about Jess's prank (which Jess totally did, though Taylor really only has suspicions.)
After Rory does her portrait-sitting, she, Lorelai, Luke and Mia head over to the town meeting, getting there a few minutes early for a change, to find it already in full-swing. Taylor had invited basically everyone but Luke to discuss "The Jess Problem" in his absence, and the town seems ready for whatever passes for mob justice in Stars Hollow. Lorelai backs up Luke and keeps the town from a rendition of "Kill the Beast" but the resentments are still a-simmerin'.
After much dilly-dallying, Lorelai tells Mia about her and Sookie's intentions to buy the Dragonfly. Mia is, unsurprisingly, very supportive, insists on helping them out, and excited because it means that she can sell the Independence now, so please get a move on Lorelai toot sweet thank you. But the Independence is Lorelai's "Memory home," you see, more meaningful to her than the Hartford House, and the thought of it changing scares the hell out of her.
So Lorelai goes into an emotional tailspin. She talks to Sookie, trying to instill enough doubt about any specific plans with the Dragonfly to forstall action on it indefinitely. As Sookie counters each of these tacks, Lorelai gets angrier and more desperate until she snaps at her best friend, calling her flaky and unreliable and essentially an unviable business partner, and Sookie leaves. (Note: Melissa McCarthy is very good in this scene, a very different kind of material than she normally gets to work with here or elsewhere.)
Then, in Hartford, as Emily is proudly showing off the portrait, Lorelai goes off on her, for no particular reason other than that she's angry (she does, at least, immediately make amends about that one.) Lorelai talks to Luke pretty frankly about her crippling self-doubt, which surprises Luke because he sees her as so confident, and then she makes up with Sookie, and all is right in the world again.
Emily drops in at the end to find Mia, whom she's never met before. It's an interesting dynamic, as both feel like they have the moral high ground, but Mia carries no resentments towards Emily and Emily has enough for the both of them. Kelly Bishop kills it in this scene, as per usual, especially the tag, where she grits her teeth and asks if Mia has any pictures from that era, and Mia offers to send her a boxful.
Finally, Rory gives Jess a good talking to about appreciating what Luke is doing for him and how defending Jess has the whole town against him. Because it's coming from Rory, the message actually gets through a little, and the next morning Luke finds that his good toaster has been fixed by little toaster elves.
*This prank is so dumb that I kind of love it. First, it's sub-Bart-Simpson levels of hooliganism, from a kid who spends 100% of his time trying to come off as the biggest badass this town has ever seen. Secondly, it's actually perfectly-pitched to cause Taylor the greatest amount of impotent rage while doing no actual harm to anyone or anything. Since Taylor is the true villain of this show, I heartily approve.
A.V. Club Review - David Sims
Woman in Revolt Review - Lindsay Pugh
Soundtrack: Just Grant Lee Phillips as the Troubadour, which I haven't been counting.
Random Guest Star Watch: Elizabeth Franz as Mia. Her film/TV resumé is kind of all over the place, but she won a Tony for her part in Death of a Salesman!
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I like Jess's prank and the eye flirting that he and Rory does when she realizes he was behind it was delightful.
Lorelai acting out her fears and insecurities on Sookie is heartbreaking because Sookie doesn't deserve that. This seems to be a pattern in their friendship and honestly, Sookie deserves better. I know they make up but Lorelai is so often unintentionally cruel to Sookie.
The whole portrait thing is silly, but the end result is actually pretty appropriate (and I'm glad we get to see it -- too many TV shows/movies don't show us the art work in the end).
Emily's meeting with Mia is such a showcase for Kelly Bishop's acting. Her "I would've wanted her to find someone who would send her home" makes me on her side. As much as we know Lorelai was unhappy in that house and as much as Emily doesn't understand her, Emily loves her daughter and was absolutely hurt when she left. I like the show is trying to deal with that and humanizing Emily more and more.
posted by edencosmic at 5:43 PM on January 30 [1 favorite]