Previously: Rory missed the big test and a meltdown followed.
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Cinnamon’s Wake
Annie: Straight talk: I have a loooong history with Gilmore Girls. I watched the show when it first aired with my mum. It started out just the two of us watching, but eventually my brothers and even my dad would watch it with us. I have the complete series on DVD, I have watched the series all the way through so many times that I’ve lost count. Gilmore Girls coming to Netflix has only made it worse, because it’s much easier to rewatch it when I don’t have to change DVD discs every 3 episodes like a sucker. So now that I’ve exposed my probably unhealthy obsession with GG, let’s get to the recap!
Cold open on Friday Night Dinner. It’s just the 3 Gilmore ladies, as Richard is away on business in Germany. We get a Nazi joke from Lorelai that doesn’t land and Rory has to explain that Lorelai is joking. Emily deadpans that she can’t tell when Lorelai is joking or not.
Emily tells Lorelai that her distant cousin Claudia has died, and that she expects Lorelai to join her at the funeral. That’s a no from Lorelai on the whole funeral business. She tells Emily that it’s next to impossible to get time off work, and more importantly, she has no idea who Claudia is, so she won’t be attending her funeral. Emily’s not thrilled, but she drops it. There’s a pause and Emily wins the show by telling a joke of her own.
Marines: Mostly I was thinking that it’s 2017 and jokes about Nazi are especially not funny.
Annie: WHERE YOU LEAD, I WILL FOLLOW.
After the credits, we find ourselves at Chez Gilmore. Lorelai is sitting in the kitchen watching a TV that I am certain was only put there for this scene, because I don’t even recall them having a TV in their kitchen ever again. It’s like the disappearing first floor bathroom, I guess.
Rory enters and ignores her mother’s commentary on reality TV and instead asks her mother why she isn’t baking for the Chilton bake sale. Lorelai swears she has it covered, but Rory is sceptical. Lorelai tells Rory to get her stuff and turn off the radio. Rory says the loud music coming from her room isn’t her doing and opens her door to reveal Lane. Lorelai asks Lane if her mother knows about her whereabouts.
I love, love, love seeing Lorelai doing her best to be a responsible parent when it comes to Lane, even though she and Mrs. Kim have vastly different ideals about parenting. The Lane-Lorelai relationship is one of those cool, not often discussed relationships of this show that I live for.
Outside, Lorelai and Rory run into their neighbours, Babette and Maury, who are taking their cat for a walk. They’re pulling her in a wagon, because the cat is older and can’t get around as well as she used to.
The Gilmore girls have a quick chat with their weird neighbours before setting out to work and school.
In ‘downtown’ Stars Hallow, Rory is engrossed in a book as the bus pulls up and doesn’t notice Dum-dum Dean (M: Tell us how you really feel…) (A: I’m showing GREAT restraint, Mari. You should be proud.) skulking near by. He follows her onto the bus, sits down behind her, leans over her shoulder and says hi, startling Rory. This guy wins zero points with me, he never has and he never will. Like, reading a book is equivalent to wearing headphones. You do NOT interrupt a girl when she’s reading, you dum-dum. Leave her be.
Mari: This to me was more painfully awkward on both their parts than anything else. Am I being a Snow? Shall I look forward to much Dean hate? ‘Cause look at him he’s just a clueless little baby.
Annie: I’m probably carrying too much Dean baggage. I can admit he was okay some of the time. Maybe.
Dean thanks Rory for helping him get a job, and says that it isn’t a career, but it works for now, and I snort because I’ve seen this whole show a million times and my hate for Dean runs deep, folks. He asks her if she’s always so serious, you know, a cute version of the ‘you should smile more’. He asks her a few more questions, and then Rory panics because Dean’s now stuck on a bus heading to Hartford. He tells her that she’s forgotten buses make stops, and gets off the bus, saying goodbye to Rory and calling her ‘Lorelai Gilmore’.
I call bullshit because there is NO way there is more than one bus stop in this tiny town, but okay.
Also, can I point out how much I hate, hate, hate that device of using a person’s full name in the names of flirting? They seem to do it a lot in TV and movies and I’m not here for it.
At the Independence Inn, a French delegation approaches the front desk and tries to speak to Michel in French. He tells them, he’s just a simple man from Texas and he’s not French, nor does he speak French. In his ridiculous accent.
Lorelai appears and reminds Michel that it’s his job to deal with the delegation and Michel grumbles about how much he dislikes French people. Lorelai threatens his job and Michel unhappily returns to the delegation, who think it’s all a big joke that Michel was playing on them about not being able to speak French.
They seem to have these ‘Michel is bad at his job and grumpy’ scenes in every episode early on, and they always seem to be short, filler scenes? IDK.
Mari: If you DK, I really DK. Why does Michel have a job, y’all?
Annie: Later, at Chilton, Sookie is setting up insanely fancy baked goods for the fancy school’s bake sale, while Lorelai and Rory watch. Max Medina is skulking nearby, because that’s what the men are doing in this episode. He approaches their bake table and cracks a joke about how fancy it is. Lorelai calls him Mr. Medina a million times and introduces him to Sookie. He asks to talk to Lorelai and they walk and talk. Max tries to explain himself for the Rory-test thing from the previous episode. Then he asks Lorelai out. While Lorelai wants to go out with him, she feels it’s inappropriate for her to date her daughter’s teacher. Max wears her down to agree to a pre-date: in that she would note ignore him if he happened to show up at the coffee shop she goes to every week before class.
Back in Stars Hallow, Lane and Rory are walking down the street when they pass Maury, Babette and a very sick-sounding Cinnamon, still being pulled in the wagon. Apparently Maury and Cinnamon are suffering after eating bad clams at Al’s Pancake World. I don’t care how many coupons I had, I would never, ever order clams from Al’s. Just saying.
Mari: I would assume all they ever have are bad clams. Nary a good clam to be seen.
Annie: Rory spots Dean inside Doose’s Market. Being the great friend that she is, Rory ditches Lane fast to go in and see Dean.
While skulking about the market, she runs into Miss Patty, who quickly figures out that Rory is there to check out Dean. Rory picks out a few items, and goes through the checkout line where Dean is bagging. Rory doesn’t have enough cash to pay for her items, so Dean offers to loan her the rest. She instead chooses just her head of lettuce, and then runs out awkwardly when Dean tries to bag her lettuce.
In Hartford, Lorelai arrives at her coffee shop (which is called the No Fish Today Restaurant?), and sits down at the bar, one stool down from Max. They pretend to be surprised to see each other, and trade barbs until Lorelai says they should cut the cute and just get down to it. Max tells her he’d like to date her, and Lorelai again expresses how uncomfortable that idea makes her feel, because he is HER DAUGHTER’S TEACHER. Lorelai explains that Rory is her everything, and Max still won’t take no for an answer. He tells Lorelai a story about his uncle who missed out on a girl because he didn’t go after her when he had the chance. Lorelai agrees to dinner with Max and gives him her card. As Max is leaving, she asks him if the story about his uncle was true. He smiles and says ‘Goodbye Lorelai Gilmore’, because he didn’t get my memo about how irritating that it.
After the not!break, Sookie and Lorelai are at Luke’s, talking over burgers. Lorelai tells Sookie about Max, and about how she’s conflicted about Max. Sookie seems more concerned about Luke’s inability to properly dress a burger. Sookie slips behind Luke’s counter as Lorelai vents her concerns, and fixing their burgers, garnishing other customer’s plates, and serves customers as the food comes up. Sookie echoes what Max had said, reminding Lorelai that Rory is all grown up now. Lorelai admits that it might be nice to get laid, though Sookie doesn’t seem to get what Lorelai is referring to. Luke comes back then and catches Sookie behind the counter. He kicks her out and threatens Lorelai to keep better watch on Sookie if she’s to come to his dinner. Rory shows up to tell Lorelai they need her, that it’s about Cinnamon.
Mari: Lorelai has got two chefs for friends and her mom has a cook so I love food and I kind of want to be Lorelai. Sorry, I got sidetracked.
Annie: Yet Lorelai’s meal of choice is Poptarts. She is doing food so wrong.
At Maury and Babette’s, there is a Stars Hallow Animal Hospital van in their driveway. Who knew small-town animal hospitals made house calls for cats. Inside, Maury and Babette, the vet and now Lorelai and Rory have all convened around a white sheet that is covering the body of Cinnamon. Babette recounts the final moments of Cinnamon, which include Babette pushing the dead cat across the floor and knocking a lamp over. I could do without that bit of ‘comedy’. Maury is feeling guilty about feeding her bad clams, but the vet assures Maury that the cat didn’t die from the clams, but because she was 260 years old in human years. Maury swears he’ll never eat clams again, and Rory says she won’t, either.
After another not!break, Stars Hallow is descending upon Babette and Maury’s farm house to attend a wake in honour of Cinnamon. Michel shows up to drop something off for Lorelai, and is horrified to discover people are actually having a wake for a cat. Sookie and Luke arrive at the same time, both having brought food. Their mini-rivalry continues, as Sookie tries to set up a dignified Cat Wake buffet, while Luke simply drops her bags of food on the table and says ‘Dig in’. (M: RUDE.)
Some time has passed, because it’s now dark outside. Rory answers a knock on the door and finds Dean there dropping off bottles of pop for the wake. Rory and Dean have an awkward interaction, which Lorelai witnesses. Lorelai asks Rory if she knows Dean, and Rory awkwardly tells her that she doesn’t, but she kind of does because they both went to Stars Hallow High. Before Dean leaves, he asks Rory if he could talk with her for a minute, but she tells him she can’t. As she’s showing Dean out, she spots Max on their porch next door. Rory calls for her mom, because she’s confused as to why her teacher is showing up at their house. In all the excitement around Cinnamon, Lorelai has forgotten her date with Max and has forgotten to tell Rory about it. Lorelai promises she will explain what’s going on with Max in a minute, but she just has to go talk to Max. Rory insists that Lorelai explain first, and Lorelai tells Rory that Max is there to see her and it has nothing to do with Rory and school. Rory is not happy.
Lorelai runs across the yard to talk to Max. She tells him that there was an emergency and that she has to cancel their date. Max is skeptical that Lorelai is breaking their date over the death of their neighbour’s cat and tells Lorelai that he doesn’t want to force her into dating him if she doesn’t want to. Lorelai tells Max that she really does want to reschedule their date, that she isn’t using the ‘my neighbour’s cat died’ as an excuse to get out of seeing him.
Lorelai heads back to Babette and Maury’s to find Rory. As she’s searching for Rory, she comes across Babette who is emptying a kitchen cupboard-full of medications into a hatbox. Lorelai asks if Babette needs any help, and she confesses that she’s just packing away Cinnamon’s medication. Babette tells Lorelai that she’s really going to miss Cinnamon and they talk about how you can really let your life be taken over for caring for your kids. Lorelai listens and empathizes and doesn’t once tell Babette that having a pet isn’t the same thing as raising a child, so she gets points from me.
Mari: She really is being a good friend. She hasn’t lessened the importance of this to anyone so far and that’s really sweet of her.
Annie: Lorelai offers to help Babette wash dishes in the tiny, tiny kitchen, and Lorelai asks Babette how tall Maury manages in Babette’s pint-sized home. Babette tells Lorelai that she doesn’t know what she’d do without Maury. She tells Lorelai that she doesn’t know if she and Maury will survive the sadness of loosing Cinnamon. Lorelai assures Babette that won’t happen to her. Babette tells Lorelai that she didn’t think anyone would ever want her.
Lorelai finds Sookie and tells her that she still can’t find Rory. Sookie tells Lorelai that she’ll find Rory and everything will work out.
Outside, Rory is sitting in the garden in the yard, surrounded by Babette’s garden gnomes. Dean slides out of the shadows, startling her. (M: Okay, now it’s getting a little weird…) He tells her he came by to tell her that he thought Rory might’ve had feelings for him, but now he doesn’t think she’s interested. He says he’s sorry and he’ll stop bothering her now. He goes to leave, and Rory tells him that she is interested. Then she tells him she has to go and runs back to Babette and Maury’s, where she runs into Lorelai on the front porch.
Lorelai tells Rory that she wants to explain everything to Rory about why Max was on their front porch. Lorelai tells her that she and Max were going to have their first date and that she really likes Max and hasn’t felt this way in a long time. Rory explains that she’s not mad that Lorelai is dating her teacher, but more because Lorelai lied to her. Lorelai apologizes to Rory and tells her that she won’t date Max, because she doesn’t want Rory to be upset. Rory says that it’s weird, but she’s not saying that Lorelai can’t date Max. Lorelai tells Rory that she’s glad, because she really likes Max. Lorelai apologizes to Rory and promises that she won’t keep anything from Rory ever again, including her fashion choices.
After the not!break, Lorelai and Rory are leaving Babette and Maury’s. As they walk in the door, the Gilmore’s phone is ringing. Lorelai answers the phone and it’s Emily calling. She’s been trying to reach Lorelai all day, and asks Lorelai where she’s been. Lorelai tells her mother that she was at a funeral for her neighbour’s cat. Emily can’t believe that Lorelai missed her relative’s funeral for a cat funeral. Lorelai explains to her mother that she was just trying to be honest.
Once Lorelai gets off the phone, she finds Rory in the kitchen to find out where she stands on the whole dating Max thing. Rory is being very noncommittal and won’t give her mother an answer either way about whether or not Lorelai can date Max. Rory closes her bedroom door on her mom, and Lorelai gives up and starts heading out of the kitchen. Rory opens her bedroom door and puts Lorelai out of her misery:
Mari: I don’t trust Max Medina’s face for some reason so add that to how awful Chilton is and I’m going to go with A LOT.
Annie: I guess you’ll just have to keep watching! (Is this how being coy works?)
Next time on Gilmore Girls: Rory gets two birthday parties in S01 E06 – Rory’s Birthday Parties.
Fuchsia-haired, caffeine enthusiast, dog person, Raptors fan, sometimes blogger, music & social media geek, freelancer, human being. She/her.
I'm a 30-something south Floridan who loves the beach but cannot swim. Such is my life, full of small contradictions and little trivialities. My main life goals are never to take life too seriously, but to do everything I attempt seriously well. After that, my life goals devolve into things like not wearing pants and eating all of the Zebra Cakes in the world. THE WORLD.
