tbh i kinda hate the whole "rory gives into dean's misogyny" deal of this episode. i get that they were trying to compromise about a problem, but it just seems to me that she lowered herself to a position of idealized "womanhood homemaker" status - who caters to a man - that she so expressly hated on principle, just to make him happy and to fix the fight so he wouldn't be mad anymore. and that my friends, is wrong, and a bad lesson to teach young girls. there's a different between compromising and of passively giving a piece of yourself up to please someone else's ideals of what is "right" for you to do or the "right" way you should be as a woman, or as a person in general. but i guess nobody is ready for this conversation so i'll just keep on keeping on, or something. but the moral is so so muddled. rory went from the progressive thoughts of "don't bow down for a man or live solely for pleasing him" to doing the exact thing she resented because dean made her feel guilty (in a way that he didn't exactly express, but implied) about thinking and feeling the way she did, and made her feel like she was wrong for it. and made her feel like she was wrong for taking the stance that women were not born without a purpose besides caring for the men and families in their lives. made her feel like she was wrong for sticking up for women everywhere, back in the 50s and even still today. it's just wrong on a lot of levels for the showrunners to solve the problem of their characters this way, and it sacrifices the morals and integrity of what WAS a strong, important and forward-thinking opinion that a woman has the right to have for herself. idk. not only is it lazy writing but it's also an ethical backslide, and many young viewers probably were in some way led astray by this. but hey, it's just a show, right? it's not that deep, right? except this is the kind of portrayal of women and women's issues that all forms of media have been beating into us since the conception of gender role stereotypes. but hey, who am i, but a lowly viewer who sits in my bedroom late at night getting offended by a fictional character arc? except that it does affect me and every woman/girl to ever watch this episode. anyways. moving on
We finally meet the dad! I wonder what kind of person he is.
I feel like this is the first episode where Rory’s voice is a little more high pitched. Just interesting to note
Feminism and animal abusement.
They put baby chicken into cage. It is horrible.
Emily alco cooks birds. Such an animal abusement!
We see some feminism at first. Rory speaks against gender norms assigned by society . But then as favor or to try, she becomes a housewife.
Luke- lorelai is really interesting. Lorelai can hurt him. He knows also it but he goes for it.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-07-23T23:56:21Z
[8.5/10] When the Palladinos pen an episode, things immediately tick up. It’s not like the show hasn’t been great even when they’re not the credited writers, but when they’re writing the episode, the characters voices seem clearer, their intentions and insecurities more comprehensible, and the comedy sharper.
To the point, “That Damn Donna Reed” started out poised to annoy me, with Rory and Lorelai quickly turning on Dean when he interrupts their snark-fest over The Donna Reed Show to meekly suggest he doesn’t think the situation on the show is that bad. But rather than turning the episode into a referendum on whether that is or isn’t okay, it becomes a rumination both on what our vision for our futures means in relation to the lives of our parents, and on what it is to try to figure out what you want apart from that.
So while Dean and Rory are initially at odds, the show plays the usual sitcom trick of two characters arguing over something and then seeing the merits of the other side. Rory (adorably) tries the Donna Reed thing on for size, and discovers that while she probably wouldn’t want to do it every day (and that’s kind of the point) it can be a fun thing to try out once in a while. And she learns that Reed was a pioneer in the television industry, showing that there was more going on behind the scenes than she realized.
And Dean admits that his feelings about this come from his own parental situation, and more importantly, that while he may appreciate the trouble Rory went to (and the tasty results) he likes her as her, and isn’t trying to force her into that ideal. It’s a sweet story that doesn’t vilify either of its young characters who are the children of the generation where it became more normalized for women to go to work, each trying to figure out what they want.
But it also parallels that with Lorelai and Luke, with the backwards hat-wearing part of that duo obliquely admitting that part of his reluctance to painting his diner comes from that fact that the current paintjob was done by his dad. There’s a piece of his father in that diner, one that Luke is loath to let go of, even if he didn’t want to go into the hardware business. I love that Lorelai has her way of convincing Luke to grow and bend a little bit, but is also perceptive about why all this matters to Luke without him needing to come out and say it, and how she’s even envious of his relationship with his father. The legacies our parents leave affect us in different way, and both couples (or would-be couples) in the episode evince that in a neat fashion.
As always, it helps that Luke and Lorelai have dynamite chemistry. That said, I didn’t really like how the episode kind of belabors the will-they-won’t-they stuff here. I can tolerate a few sweet, soon-to-be-kiss moments interrupted by the town rabble, but Lorelai denying there’s anything between them and taking mild offense to the suggestion feels a bit miscalibrated. (Though Emily getting it out of her was a nice touch.) I wish the show would go ahead and pull the trigger on it, but the the arrival of Christopher suggests that’s not in the offing anytime soon.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the town beautification committee’s skepticism, wagering, and enthusiasm about Luke finally “sprucing” a bit. And Richard and Emily talking about how they only go to Europe in the fall every two years, and blanche at Lorelai’s suggestion that they mix it up, is a nice bit about another contrast between parents and children, and their willingness to mix it up just a little by getting a different rental at the vineyards this year shows a minor potential for change. Overall, a fun episode with well-done, witty dialogue and some interesting themes.