Gilmore Girls*

* This is a critical competition between two reviews. Use the comments! State your preference and discuss with other readers.

"Gilmore Girls"
The CW Tuesdays 8/7C

By Becky Howell

Lorelai just can’t get over “Snakes on a Plane.” “Snakes on a plane!” she cries over and over again after seeing the infamous film with Chris, her daughter Rory’s father. Chris, with his charming, boy-like smile, gazes at her with amusement and appreciation.

“A movie should not just be its title,” Lorelai says. “This was all just snakes, snakes, relentless snakes, snakes on a plane, snakes, snakes, snakes on a plane.”
This is Lorelai Gilmore, a woman Lauren Graham has made infamous for her witty, fast-paced banter, with only her squeaky-clean daughter Rory, played by the porcelain-skinned Alexis Bledel, coming in a close second.

This is more like the “Gilmore Girls” we all know and love: long rants and outbursts about absolutely nothing. After Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of the show, decided to leave in early 2006, fans worried this might change the show, which is now in its seventh season. Dave Rosenthal, a writer/producer on the show, took over the job and almost proved the fans right. Something about the dialogue in the first few episodes just didn’t seem right, but “Gilmore Girls” is back on track in the fourth episode.

The big question now, after the bust-up of Lorelai and Luke, the grungy, grumpy diner owner, is whether or not Lorelai can trust Chris with her newly broken heart. Sookie, Lorelai’s bubbly yet annoying friend, and Rory are not so sure, with Sookie referring to Chris as the “bowling ball” of rebound dating.

Meanwhile, Rory is trying to deal with the absence of her boyfriend Logan while he is in London on business. Lonely and bored, she returns to Yale for the semester and dives right into work. While reporting on an art show for the paper, Rory makes two very annoying friends who are wearing what I can only assume is artsy-chic clothing. In true “Gilmore Girls” fashion, the newcomers are fast talkers, but not quite in the same charming manner as our beloved Gilmore girls. Oh, I wish they would stop talking. In a move that could only come from true desperation and boredom, Rory brings her new friends home to hang out and blows off a phone call from Logan.

This is all good fun, but the best part of the episode involves a scene with Emily Gilmore, Lorelai’s controlling and snooty mother, that left me almost crying with laughter. After being pulled over for talking on her cellphone, Emily lets the policeman have it, leading him to believe that she has been drinking. After refusing to take the Breathalyzer test, an incredulous and infuriated Mrs. Gilmore is arrested.

During a very romantic date with Chris, Lorelai’s evening gets even better when she goes to get her mother out of jail and gleefully takes pictures with the officers.

These are the ingredients that make up “Gilmore Girls.” The show has always been able to mix warm and fuzzy with quirky and amusing in a flawless execution. Though the new writers may have had trouble getting started, they now appear to be warmed up and ready to go.

By Jo Lee

I realize I’m about to anger many “Gilmore Girls” fans, but I’m prepared. I like Chris and Lorelai.

The Oct. 17 episode picks up six weeks after Chris tells Lorelai he loves her at the end of the previous week’s episode. They are now dating, but Chris hasn’t been invited inside.
Yes, Chris has made some terrible mistakes in past seasons. There was Sherri’s pregnancy and the fight that caused Luke and Lorelai’s breakup. After being miserable for the end of last season, Lorelai is finally happy with Chris, and presently, their relationship is the most engaging part of the Tuesday night drama.

To be fair, “Gilmore Girls” has faced major changes for its seventh (and, many speculate, final) season. There was the departure of creator and executive producer Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband, producer Daniel Palladino, who could not reach a contractual agreement last spring. In addition to producing, the Palladinos wrote 87 of the first six seasons’ 131 episodes. “Gilmore Girls” also moved to The CW, a new network conglomerate of ratings-challenged The WB and UPN.

Because of these changes, it’s natural that new executive producer David S. Rosenthal may need time to adjust. Tuesday marked the fourth episode of the new creative regime, but the spark that made “Gilmore Girls” such a popular and critical darling is still missing.

This week’s episode, titled “'S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous” was written by Gayle Abrams. In her “Gilmore Girls” debut, Abrams keeps the pop culture references, with characters citing everything from “Snakes on a Plane” to “Folsom Prison Blues.” However, the dialogue is slower and the flow of the previously fast-paced show lacks the wit and intelligence perfected under the Palladinos.

Though it’s natural for 21-year-old Rory to share less on-screen time with her mother, they shared a single scene bantering over clothes. Thankfully last season’s feud is over, but it would be nice to see them interact more, as their relationship, the envy of mothers and daughters everywhere, is the show’s heart.

When the writing falls short, the seasoned actors, so familiar with their small-screen counterparts, are able to lift the show up somewhat. Comedic genius Lauren Graham is perfect as Lorelai and flawlessly projects her character as a multi-faceted, complicated yet totally relatable modern-day single mother.

Scott Patterson has also evolved from surly diner-owner to unsure dad of April, the 12-year-old daughter he found out about last season. Patterson has been interesting to watch, as Luke makes his bumbling entrance into fatherhood, which should continue as April is staying with Luke for two weeks.

While covering an art show for the paper, Rory, (the talented Alexis Bledel), finally makes some girl friends of her own outside of Paris. Fast-talking but painfully annoying Lucy and Joni are too reminiscent of Madeline and Louise from Rory’s Chilton days, and I hope they’re not permanent fixtures in future episodes.

Then there’s Lorelai and Chris. In a gesture that would make any girl swoon, Chris goes all out on a romantic date, rents a vintage convertible, and they watch “Funny Face” at their own private drive-in. Though charismatic Graham could have chemistry with a telephone poll, hers with Chris, (David Sutcliffe), is undeniable. When they interact, I get the feeling that they have indeed known each other forever, and Chris is the only man who I think can truly get Lorelai, which he demonstrates in this episode when he and Lorelai have to bail out her mom, Emily.
The jail time is caused when, in a hilarious scene, Emily gets arrested for talking on her cell phone while driving. Kelly Bishop, who over the past seven seasons has perfected the blend of evil and humor in Emily, is at her peak tonight as a snob who refuses to comply.

As the episode winds down and they drop off Emily, Lorelai says Chris is the only man who really knows her and, to my delight, he finally makes it past the front door.

I realize happiness never lasts long, that Chris will probably screw up, and Luke will save the day. But for now, I’ll root for Chris and hope executive producer Rosenthal finds the spark fans expect from this superb show.