[7.7/10] “Secrets and Loans” has two things I really like from Gilmore Girls. The first is an intergenerational issue -- one that stretches between Rory, Lorelai, and Emily in unique ways. The second is a conflict where everyone has principled reasons for taking the position that they do, which are true to the characters as we know them, with understandable motivations all around.
The impetus for all of this is termite damage at Lorelai and Rory’s house, requiring an unexpected $15,000 charge to repair. It’s not the kind of money the younger Gilmores have on hand, which means Lorelai has to frantically and persistently seek loans from any available source in order to pay for the necessary fixes to make their home safe again.
The conflict comes when Lorelai has exhausted her available financial options, including being rejected from the equivalent of “Joe’s Loans,” and still not being able to finance the repairs, causing Rory to suggest going to Richard and Emily, something Lorelai, naturally, resists.
What I like about the episode is that Rory does it anyway, because she thinks they need the help and that her mom is too proud to ask for it, and Lorelai is, again, understandably angry with her daughter for doing so against her wishes. To be frank, most of the conflicts between Lorelai and Rory have been pretty thin. Aside from Rory staying out after the dance with Dean, they tend to be the product of misdirected frustration rather than genuine issues between the two.
But here, the conflict is a meaningful one borne from conflicting perspectives at the core of each character, and that, combined with their typical easy rapport, gives it force when Lorelai won’t even talk to her daughter and yells at her to go to bed.
The one thing Lorelai values the most in the world (other than Rory, of course) is her independence and self-sufficiency. She prides herself on having made it on her own, without the help of her parents or the control that came with it, and not needing to rely on anyone for anything. It makes sense that she would see Rory explaining the situation to Emily, the person whose help Lorelai is most determined not seem as though she needs, would feel like such a betrayal to her and make her feel like her daughter is popping the image of self-reliance and capability Lorelai has worked so hard to achieve in the eyes of her parents.
The other side of the coin is that it’s also understandable to see her mom at the end of her rope and feel like the only reason she won’t ask for help that the younger Gilmores really need is out of a sense of stubborn pride. At the same time, there’s been a sense in the show that Lorelai can be impulsive or resistant, however determined she may be, while Rory can be more responsible and practical. It’s not crazy for Rory to second guess her mom here, and feel like talking to Richard and Emily is the pragmatic solution to their problem that Lorelai won’t face due to her personal feelings.
That’s what makes their fight significant and not something like Lorelai being miffed at Rory for having a nice time at the golf course with Richard where she just projected her anger onto an unrelated issue. Both characters have good reasons for wanting the things they want here and acting accordingly, which makes the two being at odds seem all the more serious and earned.
That extends to the conflict between Lorelai and Emily as well. Again, for the same reasons that Lorelai didn’t want to ask for her mother’s help in the first place, she’s resistant to letting Emily pull any strings on her behalf either. The most admirable thing about Lorelai in this episode is the way she tries very hard not to accept any special treatment, not to schmooze her mother’s friend at the bank, but simply to put her best foot forward and hope it’s enough.
But both she and Lorelai have to bend. Emily has to bend because Lorelai won’t accept her help outright, and Lorelai has to bend by letting her mom co-sign the loan since she can’t get it on her own. It’s a nice middle ground solution to a thorny problem.
And it’s only half the equation, since Lorelai is (again) understandably concerned that the help from her mom comes with strings, and Emily is understandably hurt that Lorelai is unwilling to countenance the idea that Emily just wants to help her daughter. It’s a second instance of the show giving both characters comprehensible motivations and perspectives that leave each of them smarting and upset. Their reconciliation (with Lorelai offering an apology she admits isn’t fully sincere and Emily noting that she’ll be holding her DAR meetings at the inn) is a nice “everything’s not suddenly hunky dory” way to resolve it.
The rest of the episode is mostly fluff, but it’s enjoyable enough fluff. Lane becoming a cheerleader and not telling Rory since she thinks Rory will judge her for it is a slight bit of storytelling, but again, it’s rooted in a genuine and relatable source of friction between the two friends, so it works. There too, the reconciliation between them where Lane affirms that she’s still the same Lane that Rory always knew, and Rory semi-apologizes herself is nice. The bit with Paris trying to figure out Rory’s PSAT scores doesn’t really have an ending, to where it feels like there’s a deleted scene to tie it together, but it’s fine for what it is.
Overall though, “Secrets and Loans” works because it takes each of its characters, and their concerns and wants and emotional responses, seriously, without turning anyone into an easy mark or villain. Lorelai wants her independence, Rory wants the Gilmore Girls to get the help that they need, and Emily wants to be trusted to offer her assistance without having ulterior motives. It’s natural that these impulses would conflict, and Gilmore Girls doesn’t shy away from the sparks that would fly and the compromises that would have to be made when they do.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-08-29T02:02:22Z
[7.7/10] “Secrets and Loans” has two things I really like from Gilmore Girls. The first is an intergenerational issue -- one that stretches between Rory, Lorelai, and Emily in unique ways. The second is a conflict where everyone has principled reasons for taking the position that they do, which are true to the characters as we know them, with understandable motivations all around.
The impetus for all of this is termite damage at Lorelai and Rory’s house, requiring an unexpected $15,000 charge to repair. It’s not the kind of money the younger Gilmores have on hand, which means Lorelai has to frantically and persistently seek loans from any available source in order to pay for the necessary fixes to make their home safe again.
The conflict comes when Lorelai has exhausted her available financial options, including being rejected from the equivalent of “Joe’s Loans,” and still not being able to finance the repairs, causing Rory to suggest going to Richard and Emily, something Lorelai, naturally, resists.
What I like about the episode is that Rory does it anyway, because she thinks they need the help and that her mom is too proud to ask for it, and Lorelai is, again, understandably angry with her daughter for doing so against her wishes. To be frank, most of the conflicts between Lorelai and Rory have been pretty thin. Aside from Rory staying out after the dance with Dean, they tend to be the product of misdirected frustration rather than genuine issues between the two.
But here, the conflict is a meaningful one borne from conflicting perspectives at the core of each character, and that, combined with their typical easy rapport, gives it force when Lorelai won’t even talk to her daughter and yells at her to go to bed.
The one thing Lorelai values the most in the world (other than Rory, of course) is her independence and self-sufficiency. She prides herself on having made it on her own, without the help of her parents or the control that came with it, and not needing to rely on anyone for anything. It makes sense that she would see Rory explaining the situation to Emily, the person whose help Lorelai is most determined not seem as though she needs, would feel like such a betrayal to her and make her feel like her daughter is popping the image of self-reliance and capability Lorelai has worked so hard to achieve in the eyes of her parents.
The other side of the coin is that it’s also understandable to see her mom at the end of her rope and feel like the only reason she won’t ask for help that the younger Gilmores really need is out of a sense of stubborn pride. At the same time, there’s been a sense in the show that Lorelai can be impulsive or resistant, however determined she may be, while Rory can be more responsible and practical. It’s not crazy for Rory to second guess her mom here, and feel like talking to Richard and Emily is the pragmatic solution to their problem that Lorelai won’t face due to her personal feelings.
That’s what makes their fight significant and not something like Lorelai being miffed at Rory for having a nice time at the golf course with Richard where she just projected her anger onto an unrelated issue. Both characters have good reasons for wanting the things they want here and acting accordingly, which makes the two being at odds seem all the more serious and earned.
That extends to the conflict between Lorelai and Emily as well. Again, for the same reasons that Lorelai didn’t want to ask for her mother’s help in the first place, she’s resistant to letting Emily pull any strings on her behalf either. The most admirable thing about Lorelai in this episode is the way she tries very hard not to accept any special treatment, not to schmooze her mother’s friend at the bank, but simply to put her best foot forward and hope it’s enough.
But both she and Lorelai have to bend. Emily has to bend because Lorelai won’t accept her help outright, and Lorelai has to bend by letting her mom co-sign the loan since she can’t get it on her own. It’s a nice middle ground solution to a thorny problem.
And it’s only half the equation, since Lorelai is (again) understandably concerned that the help from her mom comes with strings, and Emily is understandably hurt that Lorelai is unwilling to countenance the idea that Emily just wants to help her daughter. It’s a second instance of the show giving both characters comprehensible motivations and perspectives that leave each of them smarting and upset. Their reconciliation (with Lorelai offering an apology she admits isn’t fully sincere and Emily noting that she’ll be holding her DAR meetings at the inn) is a nice “everything’s not suddenly hunky dory” way to resolve it.
The rest of the episode is mostly fluff, but it’s enjoyable enough fluff. Lane becoming a cheerleader and not telling Rory since she thinks Rory will judge her for it is a slight bit of storytelling, but again, it’s rooted in a genuine and relatable source of friction between the two friends, so it works. There too, the reconciliation between them where Lane affirms that she’s still the same Lane that Rory always knew, and Rory semi-apologizes herself is nice. The bit with Paris trying to figure out Rory’s PSAT scores doesn’t really have an ending, to where it feels like there’s a deleted scene to tie it together, but it’s fine for what it is.
Overall though, “Secrets and Loans” works because it takes each of its characters, and their concerns and wants and emotional responses, seriously, without turning anyone into an easy mark or villain. Lorelai wants her independence, Rory wants the Gilmore Girls to get the help that they need, and Emily wants to be trusted to offer her assistance without having ulterior motives. It’s natural that these impulses would conflict, and Gilmore Girls doesn’t shy away from the sparks that would fly and the compromises that would have to be made when they do.