Season 1 Episode 15: "Christopher Returns"
Right off the bat we get the impression that Christopher hasn't visited Stars Hollow and that he is very unreliable. The fact that Lorelai reminds Rory that he's "going to come and go as he pleases" doesn't set the tone for a typical father-daughter relationship, especially compared to the connection Rory has with her mom. Christopher tells Lorelia he's been "tying up the loose ends" of his life which Lorelai wants to believe, but she knows Christopher better than anyone and doesn't feel so confident about his life changes.
Synopsis: As a way to make up for lost time with his daughter, Christopher unexpectedly comes to Stars Hollow to see Rory and Lorelai. When Emily becomes aware of his arrival, she arranges a dinner for both the Hayden's (Christopher's parents) and the Gilmore's to reunite. Despite the fight that arises between the two families, Christopher and Lorelai rekindle their teenage romance...kind of. The next morning emotions are high when Lorelai realizes she's letdown Luke and broke her promise to re-paint the diner with him.
Who is Christopher? Up until now we know 1) Christopher and Rory talk once a week and 2) Dean (Rory's boyfriend) reminds Lorelai of Christopher - below is a clip from Episode 7 "Kiss and Tell".
Right off the bat we get the impression that Christopher hasn't visited Stars Hollow and that he is very unreliable. The fact that Lorelai reminds Rory that he's "going to come and go as he pleases" doesn't set the tone for a typical father-daughter relationship, especially compared to the connection Rory has with her mom. Christopher tells Lorelia he's been "tying up the loose ends" of his life which Lorelai wants to believe, but she knows Christopher better than anyone and doesn't feel so confident about his life changes.
Emily coordinates a family reunion with the Hayden's and Gilmore's. It's interesting to see both Lorelai and Christopher dreading the evening. Emily and Richard dote on Christopher and Richard is very proud of Christopher's business sense. It's kind of hard to watch because in other episodes Emily and Richard react so negatively to Lorelai's choices and how she progressed to where she is.
When Christopher's parents show up words are exchanged, insults are swapped and Presidents' heads are mocked. I love that Richard takes defense of Lorelai and states how successful she's become. The moment between Lorelai and Richard is so real and the most honest we've seen between Richard and Lorelai. We heard in the episode "Forgiveness and Stuff" that Lorelai feels like a disappointment to her parents, especially her dad. Watching Lorelai thank Richard for defending her and then hearing him go on about how he felt embarrassed and upset that she didn't follow "proper procedure" is tough to watch.
I admire Lorelai in this episode, vocalizing her rights and her wants for her life and Rory's. Like I've said in previous posts, I identify with each "Gilmore girl" separately ... and in this episode I'm on Lorelai's side.
Christopher and Lorelai meet up on the balcony of her old bedroom to commiserate together, reminisce about their childhood and get a little too intimate with one another. Christopher confesses that even if Lorelai hadn't gotten pregnant he still wouldn't have made it through Princeton, which Lorelai doesn't believe to be true.
The next morning Lorelai wakes up panicked because she wasn't there to help Luke repaint the diner as she promised. She immediately heads to the diner to apologize, but Luke knows it's because of Christopher. Later, Christopher tells Lorelai that he wants to marry her, which exposes how immature both Christopher and Lorelai can be.
RORY: Do you love him?
LORELAI: Honey come on.
RORY: Answer me.
LORELAI: Honestly?
RORY: Yes.
LORELAI: I will probably always love him.
RORY: Ok so?
LORELAI: But that doesn’t change the fact that he still has a long way to go before he is ready to take us on full time. I mean you are a handful, Missy. And while I am pure joy and sunshine every waking hour, I still have my own set of needs that - that must be met. It just wasn’t right babe. You have to trust me on that. Mm? Talk please
LORELAI: Honey come on.
RORY: Answer me.
LORELAI: Honestly?
RORY: Yes.
LORELAI: I will probably always love him.
RORY: Ok so?
LORELAI: But that doesn’t change the fact that he still has a long way to go before he is ready to take us on full time. I mean you are a handful, Missy. And while I am pure joy and sunshine every waking hour, I still have my own set of needs that - that must be met. It just wasn’t right babe. You have to trust me on that. Mm? Talk please
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