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Sutton Foster stole the show in ‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’s’ third episode
Here’s the deal with that 10 minute musical in the middle of “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.”
Two minutes in, you’re thinking to yourself, “Ugh, they’re going to make this a full-blown thing, aren’t they?”
Five minutes in, you’re shaking your head at this weirdly self-indulgent interlude and remembering why episodes of “Gilmore Girls” were never supposed to be an hour and a half long.
Seven minutes in, you’re realizing this is the greatest thing to ever happen to the revival, and you’re dancing along with Babette (Sally Struthers ) and Andrew (Mike Gandolfi).
Nine minutes in, you’re so sad to see it go you actually cheer for an encore. And then ten minutes in, you realize they actually are going to do an encore, and you’re back on your feet.
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That kind of absurd musical interlude was actually a weirdly wonderful addition to an endless deluge of Rory (Alexis Bledel) and Lorelai’s (Lauren Graham) problems; a palate cleanser, if you will. It’s also something Dan and Amy Sherman-Palladino couldn’t possibly have gotten away with in a normal episode on a major network, so we’re glad they took this detour to indulge in some Stars Hollow craziness.
On the topic of Rory and Lorelai, though, “Summer” happens to be the slowest episode in terms of the two main characters.
First off, Rory gets an unpaid editor’s position at the Stars Hollow Gazette, which seems like a serious step down for her. Her life quite literally seems to be crumbling around her, and any hope of making her journalism dreams come true is pretty much out the window.
Luckily, Jess arrives just in time to give her a firm kick exactly where she needs it: Writing her own book seems like something that should have occurred to Rory long before now. It was always quaint that she had this journalism dream from Day 1, but it’s also not a career path the fits her very well — Jess said as much himself in Season 2. Books have always been her passion, so how did she get on a journalism kick in the first place? Now, given that modern journalism has been boiled down to silly projects like why kids are waiting in lines or fluffy listicles, it feels like Rory has outgrown this particular dream — or vice versa.
On the other hand, writing what is essentially an autobiography as the show wraps up seems like a cheesy move for “Gilmore Girls” to take. Next thing you know, she’ll turn it into a screenplay and the long-dead WB will call, offering to buy the rights.
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As for Lorelai, we’ve felt her existential crisis coming on in the first two episodes, especially in conjunction with Richard’s (Edward Herrmann) death. It’s harder to pin down why Lorelai feels so stagnant in her own life, but it’s also probably the most realistic thing about the revival so far. Losing her father has made her question things about her life (Luke, the Dragonfly, having kids, etc.), and this sudden urge to go hiking and spend time reflecting in the wilderness seems like the culmination of that crisis.
Whatever Lorelai ends up figuring out in the great outdoors, it will almost certainly be tied back to Richard’s death, rather than her relationship with Luke. No way are those two going to break up in the final installment of the revival.
As we head into the final episode, the guest star list still has a few no-shows. Sookie (Melissa McCarthy), Christopher (David Sutcliffe), and Dean (Jared Padalecki) have yet to make their appearances — and time is running out!
“Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” is a available for streaming on Netflix.