Shaken & Stirred: GilmoreGossipCircle

January 17, 2006

GilmoreGossipCircle

And tonight's ep is:

Just Like Gwen and Gavin. Knowing he has let too much time go by, Luke (Scott Patterson) is still unable to tell Lorelai (Lauren Graham) about the existence of his 12-year-old daughter, April (Vanessa Marano), and he is thrown into a panic when April wants to hang out with him at the diner. When April and Lorelai both show up at the diner and begin chatting, April innocently explains that Luke is her father. Lorelai tries to be supportive, even offering to postpone the wedding date, but Luke's reaction to this idea leaves her confused and hurt. Back at Yale, Logan (Matt Czuchry) takes unusual steps to win Rory (Alexis Bledel) back, and the newspaper staff rebels against Paris' (Liza Weil) reign of terror at the Yale Daily News. Meanwhile, Stars Hollow holds its annual Winter Carnival, and Lorelai and Rory run a booth featuring their dog, Paul Anka, as a fortune teller. Sherilyn Fenn guest stars as Ana Nardini. Keiko Agena, Liz Torres and Sean Gunn also star.The episode was written by Daniel Palladino and directed by Stephen Clancy.

Great. A Daniel Palladino episode. (Also, didn't he used to hyphenate like ASP?)

Posted at 02:35 PM in TV Goodness | Permalink

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Man. I didn't want to write another cranky post about Daniel Palladino, but it's not a subtle thing anymore -- I'm really sick of his writing on this show. It's bad enough that he writes every character all fraught and stressed, with the tension ratcheted up by several notches, and that it never lets up. But it's not just the pacing; it's the whole tone of the characters. For example: ASP has a gift for scattering pop culture references through the show in ways that let us feel Lorelai's and Rory's sincere enjoyment of them. When DP does it, the references feel forced, but worse: they're all slightly mocking put-downs of the things they refer to. It turns the characters from people who delight in pop culture into snarky, pretentious twits. It's completely wrong and upends one of the liveliest aspects of the show.

Then there's his plotting. He's got plots hinging on that staple of bad tv comedy, the wacky misunderstanding. (Lane's uncle? Please.) He's got plots revolving around preposterous behavior that noone would put up with except that the script requires them to (Paris's ludicrous treatment of the newspaper staff). I mean presumably this is all supposed to be funny, but as I watch it I just want to shout at the characters to cut it out. And I really hate that he completely sidestepped the problem of how to deal with the complicated relationship between Rory and Logan by coming up with the mysterious Lorelai letter. (Which we never get to hear, even a hint of what was in it, because that would mean he had to actually write a letter that "genius" or "brilliant" or whatever it was Rory called it, whereas this way it's all a lame gag bit.) SO ANNOYING.

Posted by:Karen | January 17, 2006 at 10:39 PM

I don't think Daniel ever hyphenated.

Posted by:eek | January 17, 2006 at 11:08 PM

I heart Karen.

The weak plotting. The character assassination. The lack of any type of finesse. (sigh) I want my show back.

Posted by:toni | January 17, 2006 at 11:21 PM

The only parts of the whole episode that rang true to me were where Lorelai & Sookie were watching the syrup people (drinking syrup - ugh!) and the end, where Luke was a basic idiot guy saying he was overwhelmed and Lorelai was a typical woman, offering to postpone the wedding even though she doesn't want to and the whole thing ended where neither one of them really understood what the other wanted.

I have been there people.

Otherwise - blah. And could someone please explain why Lane would even want that idiot back? And why didn't someone just punch Paris - these are Yale college students for God's sake - what do they have to be afraid of?!

Posted by:Colleen | January 18, 2006 at 03:01 AM

Karen nails it, as usual. But, Paul Anka in a swami outfit! (Although, was there some kind of weird special effect when he stopped the wheel? It looked almost like they reversed the film in that bit).

Posted by:Christopher | January 18, 2006 at 10:15 AM

You're right about Doggie Swami. Thanks for salvaging a happy memory from this episode!

Posted by:Karen | January 18, 2006 at 11:48 AM

Maybe DPs problem is a matter of his being more accustomed to writing for sit-coms? I recognized his name on both "Roseanne" and "Family Guy" -- I had the flu yesterday, and ended up watching more TV than I probably should have. Neither show was renowned for their subtlety. I hadn't really thought about it (I blame the flu), but in retrospect the entire episode seemed ham-handed and a little shrill. And it sort of pisses me off that we apparently don't have a new episode to look forward to next week, either.

I did like the Swami though.

Posted by:Bill S. | January 18, 2006 at 08:50 PM

Read Read

E. Lockhart: Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The
You might think the world doesn't need any more boarding school novels, but if you haven't read this one then you're wrong, wrong, wrong. E. Lockhart has surpassed herself with this fable of a girl coming into her own and challenging the boy's club at her prep school -- while falling in love with its members at the same time. Lockhart never simplifies or skirts gender issues and power dynamics, and lets Frankie be realistic instead of a treatise disguised as a character. The sly omniscient narrator tells the story perfectly, and leaves hope that maybe one girl can change the world. More novels as funny and true and perfect as this one, please.
Kathi Appelt: The Underneath
Appelt's first novel is a beautiful, magical fantasy for younger readers that will instantly become a classic. Seriously. I can imagine this book being in classrooms right alongside Charlotte's Web in a hundred years. The writing is poetic in the good way, and there's a lamia. Children are going to absolutely fall in love with Appelt's equally kind and brutal universe, where love conquers most, and it can take millenia to come to your senses.
Jincy Willett: The Writing Class
With her second novel, Willett matches the perfect pitch and execution of her brilliant short stories. Every writer will want to read this novel--very little wincing is involved, but expect a great deal of laughter. C and I found ourselves reading pieces aloud, after howling provoked the "what's so funny?" question. As with any good writing workshop or class, the characters become more appealing as you get to know them, and ultimately what she has pulled off is a satisfying mystery, and a satisfying exploration of humanity. Amy Gallup is a character to remember.
Karen Joy Fowler: Wit's End
A new novel by Karen Fowler really is something to be excited about, unlike many of the writers for whom such praise gets bandied about. (If you're smirking because you think you know something about her work from the title--not the book--The Jane Austen Book Club, please go sit in the corner and read any of her novels. You're welcome.) This is an unmystery-like mystery, concerned not so much with dead bodies--though there are plenty--as with the mysteries of healing and the heart, politics and people. How is it that a writer gets a lens on the present that's as revealing as the one she employs in historical fiction? Now that's a mystery. Highly recommended.
Steve Erickson: Zeroville
Steve Erickson novels are often like dreams, or revelations, or discovered artifacts, or written just for you. Zeroville's no different, although it is perhaps the most readily graspable example of his work to date. The Rosetta Stone is there; the secret decoder ring is a film projector. The dizzying Hollywood confidential stylings will make your inner film geek happy, but the uncovering of a truly mythic cinematic story--since cinema has existed forever--of sacrifice and redemption is even more memorable. See also: this review.
Ursula Dubosarsky: The Red Shoe (Neal Porter Books)
Set in Sydney during WWII, this wonderful novel travels between the view from inside each of three sisters. Dubosarsky perfectly captures the differences that come from being the younger, older, or middle child. Perfectly conjuring the period, and yet creating a completely accessible story, the narrative contrasts chapters focusing on the family with interstitials from the Sydney newspapers of the time, stories of polio, the H-bomb, and a defecting Russian spy (who happens to be in hiding next door). Nothing here is heavy-handed. Everything is perfectly balanced. It's a beautiful, beautiful novel. See my full take here.

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