[8.2/10] I love the way that this one captures that nervous, excited energy of the first day of college for both mother and daughter. Considering how shaggy Gilmore Girls’s episodes have been lately, it’s nice to see the show basically turn over the hour to one continuous story about Lorelai, Rory, and Luke, one of those makeshift families that so often emerges on television, and the act of each of them turning over a new leaf.
That’s not to say it’s a focused hour. We have Luke’s escapades with an escalating number of lawyers who each disbelieves that he doesn’t want anything from Nicole in their divorce. We have Tahna, Rory’s new roommate who is sixteen, an orphan, and so socially awkward that she just blurts out random, semi-macabre facts when trying to make small talk.
Then, of course, there’s Paris. I wish I could say I was surprised at her sudden appearance here, but at least the show handwaves her turning up as Rory’s roommate with her dad having “made a phonecall.” The schtick with her life coach is pretty broad, but Liza Weil’s performance saves it.
Otherwise, the episode is a great series of misadventures between the two Gilmore Girls and Luke getting Rory all squared away for Yale. It’s nice that rather than pushing the romantic drama hard, “The Lorelais’ First Day at Yale” basically just treats Luke and Lorelai like they’re already married, playfully jousting about how to operate the stick shift in Luke’s truck or where to unload a mattress. There’s such an effortless to Luke and Lorelai together that it feels unavailing and unnecessary when the show belabors it with teases.
But more than that, this is a great Lorelai and Rory episode. Sometimes Gilmore Girls is at its best when it just winds that pair up and watches them go. Whether it’s mishearing make-up related packing as “copperboom,” or snapping pictures with the freshman counselor, forcing oneself to take a moment to appreciate walking into your dorm for the first time, or throwing an impromptu floor party replete with pizza and delivery boys ranked on their cuteness, having the two engage in their trademark back and forth for nearly the whole episode is a wonderful tribute to their dynamic and relationship.
What’s nice is that the show pays tribute to that in less funny, more sincere ways, without overdoing it. Rory getting immediately homesick and then ranting about how something must be wrong with her and second-guessing everything is some well-done separation anxiety, and Lorelai handles it like a pro. At the same time, Lorelai saying goodbye (twice!) and clearly feeling it each time, with one alternately reassuring the other, is a nice, underplayed moment.
And then there’s the end of the episode, where Rory, having received one last big “transition into adulthood” favor from her mom is accepted by her new classmates and heads out in search of adventure. Lorelai, meanwhile, comes home to an empty house that is liable to be empty for the foreseeable future. It’s a striking contrast, and one that signifies the Gilmore Girls’ changing circumstances and differing paths in a nice, understated way.
Overall, this is a fun and funny outing for the show, that adds just enough sweet and affecting material to make the college drop-off experience feel real and relatable, while also keeping it light and humorous enough for T.V.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-10-20T02:19:34Z
[8.2/10] I love the way that this one captures that nervous, excited energy of the first day of college for both mother and daughter. Considering how shaggy Gilmore Girls’s episodes have been lately, it’s nice to see the show basically turn over the hour to one continuous story about Lorelai, Rory, and Luke, one of those makeshift families that so often emerges on television, and the act of each of them turning over a new leaf.
That’s not to say it’s a focused hour. We have Luke’s escapades with an escalating number of lawyers who each disbelieves that he doesn’t want anything from Nicole in their divorce. We have Tahna, Rory’s new roommate who is sixteen, an orphan, and so socially awkward that she just blurts out random, semi-macabre facts when trying to make small talk.
Then, of course, there’s Paris. I wish I could say I was surprised at her sudden appearance here, but at least the show handwaves her turning up as Rory’s roommate with her dad having “made a phonecall.” The schtick with her life coach is pretty broad, but Liza Weil’s performance saves it.
Otherwise, the episode is a great series of misadventures between the two Gilmore Girls and Luke getting Rory all squared away for Yale. It’s nice that rather than pushing the romantic drama hard, “The Lorelais’ First Day at Yale” basically just treats Luke and Lorelai like they’re already married, playfully jousting about how to operate the stick shift in Luke’s truck or where to unload a mattress. There’s such an effortless to Luke and Lorelai together that it feels unavailing and unnecessary when the show belabors it with teases.
But more than that, this is a great Lorelai and Rory episode. Sometimes Gilmore Girls is at its best when it just winds that pair up and watches them go. Whether it’s mishearing make-up related packing as “copperboom,” or snapping pictures with the freshman counselor, forcing oneself to take a moment to appreciate walking into your dorm for the first time, or throwing an impromptu floor party replete with pizza and delivery boys ranked on their cuteness, having the two engage in their trademark back and forth for nearly the whole episode is a wonderful tribute to their dynamic and relationship.
What’s nice is that the show pays tribute to that in less funny, more sincere ways, without overdoing it. Rory getting immediately homesick and then ranting about how something must be wrong with her and second-guessing everything is some well-done separation anxiety, and Lorelai handles it like a pro. At the same time, Lorelai saying goodbye (twice!) and clearly feeling it each time, with one alternately reassuring the other, is a nice, underplayed moment.
And then there’s the end of the episode, where Rory, having received one last big “transition into adulthood” favor from her mom is accepted by her new classmates and heads out in search of adventure. Lorelai, meanwhile, comes home to an empty house that is liable to be empty for the foreseeable future. It’s a striking contrast, and one that signifies the Gilmore Girls’ changing circumstances and differing paths in a nice, understated way.
Overall, this is a fun and funny outing for the show, that adds just enough sweet and affecting material to make the college drop-off experience feel real and relatable, while also keeping it light and humorous enough for T.V.