2x07 Like Mother, Like Daughter

[7.1/10] After a few episodes in a row with fairly dramatic things happening, it makes sense that Gilmore Girls would go for a low key, low stakes outing this time around. Rory being encouraged to make friends and Lorelai being encouraged to get involved at Chilton is mild stuff, but generally amusing. “Like Mother Like Daughter” is a trifle of an episode, but it has its high points.

For Rory, that comes when she dresses down the headmaster. The entire secret society Puffs deal is pretty silly, and leans into the show’s Mean Girls tendencies that aren’t its strong suit. Paris gets to be a little sympathetic (though still cartoonish) with her desire to get in, and it gives Rory a nice moment of sticking up for her and helping her find a way into the club in her own roundabout way. But the pressure and rituals and silliness of it all fall flat.

The other side of the coin is that Rory’s speech is a good one. When chastised by the headmaster for sneaking into his office and ringing the Chilton bell as part of her Puff initiation, she rightfully points out that he imposed this on her, and that she has an active non-scholastic life, it’s just not something he sees because it’s not in his orbit. The fact that the headmaster softens a bit and admits she has a point works as a solid moment for both parties, and Lorelai’s chagrin that of all the things Rory could get in trouble for, she’s risking suspension for having rung a bell, is delightful.

For Lorelai, the high point comes in her makeshift booster club fashion show. Her and Emily bopping on the runway to “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” oozes with cheese, but it’s enjoyable cheeze! Gif-worthy cheese, even! Emily’s rejoinder that it’s amazing how Lorelai is flourishing in the world she tried to run away from is the perfect half-compliment half-”I told you so” that’s perfect for the eldest Gilmore Girl. And Lorelai finding her place among the Chilton parents is a nice touch, even if Emily’s compliminsult puts a damper on her success.

What isn’t a nice touch is Lorelai telling Luke not to date one of the Chilton moms. I get what the show’s going for -- Lorelai still wants Luke for herself, or at least for him to be available to flirt and futz with, even if she can’t admit it, so she’s undermining his chances at forming a real relationship. But it’s a very petty and small thing to do, and while I’m not against characters doing things to make themselves less likable, this whole “projecting my feelings by not addressing the real issue” tack they take with Lorelai sometimes has never been my favorite.

Still, while there’s little in “Like Mother Like Daughter” to knock your socks off, it’s an amiable episode that works as a pleasant breather between some of this season’s bigger fireworks.