It’s not terribly plausible that Luke’s emotional growth would happen so quickly-I always found the tape storyline weird-but watching now I think there’s more to it than that. And just like that: Luke is in touch with his feelings and READY TO COMMUNICATE! “Whoa,” says Luke, and we all know why: He’s in love with Lorelai-and also the last person to know. After all these seasons of will-they-or-won’t-they, when the tape asks “Whose phone calls or visits are never unwanted or too long? Do you see her face?” he does, in fact, see her face. Hey, but somebody is finally growing up! I’m pleased to report that this is the episode where we finally get to see Luke’s grudging acceptance of self-help, as he hides his embarrassing book purchases from Andrew (this is what powells dot com is for) and makes his way through a workbook and audio counseling from a disembodied voice reminding him that he deserves love. Good job, Sean Gunn!)ĭespite the stressy circumstances, love is in the air! When Luke stops by the inn as a show of support later on, Sookie tries to set Lorelai up with the chicken supplier, so Lorelai does that classic “save me pretend we are dating!!!” thing with Luke, because she is a teenager in a high-school romantic comedy I guess? Arrested development is a helluva drug! (Also, this is unrelated, but I just want you to know that Sean Gunn, who plays Kirk, is on the right side of history in his crusade against J.K. Kirk also strolls in at this hour, which makes me wonder what the hours actually are at Luke’s? Sometimes it seems like this place is open 24 hours a day and sometimes it seems like Luke, a committed morning person, would really only thrive while operating a classic 6 am to 2 pm brunch-type situation. As usual, she leans on Luke, showing up at the diner at 5 in the morning for coffee and advice that Luke pretends he doesn’t want to supply but definitely does. Lorelai is melting down in this episode, because running a business is hard, and you can’t girlboss your way out of capitalism. (That’s Babette.) And as delightful as it is to see Lauren Graham defend her hotness to a cat - “Hey, I am a young desirable woman” - this is a very silly cold open and I’m with Rory when she says “Mom, I need you to get a grip.”īut Lorelai does not get a grip. I am not sure Gilmore Girls is capable of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ’s irony, despite the fact that cattiest cat lady on this show is happily married. And as absurd as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend could be at times, I loved that it always subverted tropes even as it enacted them: Cats really aren’t that friendly, and having a bunch of them is more likely a symptom of animal-hoarding than having recently dumped a finance guy none of us liked anyway. I have a friendly cat, but my cat also looks like a baby Ewok, there’s a lot about her that doesn’t make sense. I have no problem with a fun examination of a trope, and the gold standard for this is arguably Rachel Bloom’s glorious “Fuck-Ton of Cats” from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, in which a wall of cat muppets ask some heavy questions: “Why have cats, over time, become / Synonymous with loneliness? / We gotta work on our collective image / We need a new publicist / The ironic part is we're not that friendly / If you're lonely, we might make it worse / Also, we sleep, like, sixteen hours a day / Have you considered getting a dog?” I’m less into this episode’s opening, when Lorelai, freshly broken up with Jason, reads too much into finding a cat on her porch, interpreting it as a sign that she’s never going to find love, because we all know being near a cat means you’ve given up. It’s too bad Rory has so little to do this season, because in episodes like this one, Lorelai’s journey ramps up for some big payoffs, professional and otherwise. I watched a couple back-end season four episodes this week because I injured my tailbone (please be careful walking on ice), and the low-stakes emotional growth is so soothing. These moments feel closer to season two and three and the warm ‘n’ fuzzy Stars Hollow magic we expect from this show. “Luke Can See Her Face” is one of those almost-good Gilmore Girls episodes, where the charming moments-sleeping in the zucchini, Luke’s newfound appreciation for self-help, the moment when he finally realizes something the rest of us have known all along-basically outweigh the bad. What’s Wrong with Episode 85: “Luke Can See Her Face”? I Love Luke’s Emotional Journey, But Let’s Lose the Surprise Male Gaze by Megan