I'm naming my dog Neil Sedaka
8.2
I was hoping to say that season six would start out on a major roll like season five did with it's first few episodes. Last week's premiere was great, and was big in the ratings with 6.2 million viewers, even beating the season premiere numbers Monday night for 7th Heaven's big 10th season premiere. But the show didn't make it two for two with this episode. This was not a bad episode at all, but it was not a great one either. There were moments throughout this episode that were just uncomfortable and hard to watch. The best parts of the entire episode were Lorelai and her new dog. But, more on that in a minute. The return of Luke's sister and TJ is always fun, and hey!, was that Sookie in the beginning?. Nice to see they haven't forgotten that she was still a part of the show. One small scene in the opening teaser is better than nothing, right?. Now if only they would fill us in on what's happening with Lane. I forgot to mention this in my review for the premiere, but I would like to thank whoever was responsible for adding(finally!)some new scenes into the opening credits. I was beginning to think that they would never change!. Granted, most of the credits are pretty much the same, but the new blood is nice to see every now and then. So, what did Lorelai and crew have in store for us this week?. Plenty. And let's hope Paul Anka is getting some checks for this. Here we go...
Luke and Lorelai have the majority of the screen this week. What was cute, sweet, and romantic last week, is not so much this week, unfortunatley. Lorelai and Sookie(where's the new baby?!)are looking at the old Twickum house and are taken aback by it's size. It's big. We get Sookie and Lorelai talking about Lorelai possibly bailing out of the whole thing. The house, the engagement, etc. Lorelai tells Sookie that she is not bailing. She is staying put. Echoes of Dean's talk to Luke in "Live And Let Diorama" sneak up again. Is this what Lorelai wants?. Does she want to bail?. Is she having second thoughts?. I guess we will have to wait and see. Speaking of big, Lorelai is in her house all by herself and with everything going on with Rory, she is feeling a bit alone. I don't know why when she has Luke. Anyways, the town is having some kind of pet fair and Lorelai spots a cute shaggy dog. Miss Patty intervenes and lets us know that one Lorelai Gilmore is not one that pets should be allowed to go home with. In a funny bit, she informs us of all the casualties that have happened under Lorelai's care. She gets the dog anyway and decides to name him Paul Anka. Leave it to Lorelai, and this show, to get a dog that needs serious psychiatric therapy(but don't tell Tom Cruise that). Luke voices his dislike for dogs(which is surprising since he seems like a real dog kind of guy). During his visit, he lets Lorelai know his plans for selling her house. Right away you know that Lorelai does not want to give up her house, and it seems obvious to Luke too. He sets about doing some work on her house if the two of them are going to live there now. Okay, so that part was sweet. Luke giving up his dream house so his fiancee can stay in hers. Pressured by sister Liz, he lets TJ work on the house as well. This results in a giant gaping hole in Lorelai's bedroom wall. This whole dog/house plot was fun. Especially the dog. Things got a bit heated and uncomfortable towards the end and the remodeling and such. It's always uneasy to see the characters we love have a spat. No matter how big or small it is. The dog storyline was really funny. It started to get a little ridiculous towards the end. The dog is a little nuts. We get that. But they were really milking a bit too much after a while.
Rory. Where to start?. As I have stated before in other reviews, I loved the direction they had taken with Rory. It was a smart, creative, and risky idea. And it worked. This was the first time that I had started to doubt the direction. I still like it, but the scene towards the end with Rory talking to the guy after getting into a fight was off putting. Sitting there, dirty, with her fight face on, was just a tad jarring. It was a little darker than what this show has done with a character, and for a moment I doubted what they were doing. I know that it will be fine and will pay off in the end. Anyways, Rory begins her community service by working on a road crew and picking up junk along the sides of the road. What a sight to see!. The best part is Emily driving Rory to the site in her jag. She gives Rory the info on how to handle these "criminals", and it's hilarious to see Emily try to read up on this stuff and tell Rory. Emily also gives Rory a job working at the DAR office. Rory will have to become a member first, but Emily seems ready to start that as well. Feeling a bit lonely herself, Rory makes a stop at Luke's diner to check in on things. Luke tells her that he and Lorelai are engaged. This was heartbreaking. The look on Rory's face spoke volumes and Alexis Bledel was good in the scene. You hate that things have to be this way, but at the same time are excited with the great drama, writing, acting, and chances the show is taking with throwing a wrench into the relationships we thought we knew. The confrontation at the end between Rory and Lorelai on the side of the road was the worst. We had never really seen anything like that between them on the show, and it was hard to watch. This is a great thing that is happening in Lorelai's life, and it's a shame that there has to be this cloud hanging over it. Mother and daughter should be overjoyed with the news, but this is happening in it's place. You feel for Luke as well. He is now officially in the picture, and like he tells Lorelai, he is caught up in the middle. She didn't like him telling Rory about the two of them, but what was he supposed to do?. This is between mother and daughter, and he is put in an awkward situation. Scott Patterson was great in his scene when he lays it on the line to Lorelai about it.
"Fight Face" was a well written episode, but it was painful to watch. Lorelai and Rory seem to be getting further and further away, and it's hard to bear. The acting in the episode was as good as it can get. All three main players here(Graham, Bledel, Patterson)all gave Emmy worthy performances, and I hope furry Paul Anka gets his own trailer and name in the opening credits. The scene in the beginning with Luke and Lorelai talking about movies and "Star Wars" was pretty funny. I can't really comment any further since I have not seen Episode III or "Bewitched". In the end, it was an interesting episode. Not the best ep, but it certainly served up some things that I can't wait to see develop. It was a mixed bag to me. It certainly had some great moments, some funny moments, but on the whole it rubbed me the wrong way. I hope some things get lighter before they get darker.