(S07E18) Wow... I guess the whole "six-week spring break" tradition for Gilmore Girls has been carried over from the WB to the CW. But we're back with what might be the final five episodes of GG, and it looks like we're moving somewhat rapidly towards the series' inevitable conclusion.

But first, let me tell you why Taylor Doose is one of the most irritating characters in the history of television.

In the seven years GG has been on the air, we haven't seen one moment when Taylor's been anything but a pain in the backsides of his fellow Stars Hollow residents. Apparently, he remains town selectman ("He's like the mayor and Don Corleone rolled into one," observed Logan) only because no one else wants to do the job, as we found out when Jackson was elected -- and soon gave the job back to Taylor -- last year. Otherwise, all we've seen is a Taylor that a) does what he feels like, even if voted down by the entire town, b) prattles on about something or other involving subjects no one cares about, and c) uses Kirk like his own whipping boy.

In the meantime, the only scintilla of humanity we've ever seen from him is how sad he was when Jackson won that election. So he's a mean, selfish egomaniac whose whole existence is wrapped up in leading a tiny New England town. Jeez, even M*A*S*H had the heart to give Frank Burns a redeeming quality or two.

So now we have the hay bale maze. Sure, things turned out for the best; everyone was mesmerized by the maze and Taylor had to spend the entire Spring Fling fighting back a severe allergy attack. But to decimate the budget and block off the stores just felt like Taylor at his worst. And, because the writers never gave the viewers a chance to be sympathetic with him, every time he abuses the town for his own amusement makes me want to see him banished from the show forever.

Whew. Ok, that was way too much about Taylor, wasn't it? Anyway, it's amazing to me that Logan hasn't been in Stars Hollow until now. But I guess that, after seeing how everyone reacted to Christopher, bringing outsiders, especially wealthy ones, in the town is something a person has to ease into.

I noticed that when the episode opened, we had to assume a lot of information: 1) that Logan lost his apartment, 2) that he's been cut off from the Huntzberger ATM, and 3) that he's decided to bunk with Rory -- and Paris and Doyle -- for the time being (I'm into making lists today). Lorelai was right to question Logan's dedication to getting back on his feet, and it was interesting to see her play "concerned serious mom" yet again, something she's done with all of Rory's serious boyfriends, as she said to Sookie. The role looks good on her. Logan actually managed to convince her that he realizes how big he screwed up and that he wants to get back on track quickly. Whether he comes through or not, well... that's another matter.

By the way, just a note to Rosenthal and the other writers: Providence is a pretty nice city. I go up there often because I have a friend that lives there, and, while it's not Manhattan, it's got a nice downtown, great restaurants, and that unmistakable New England charm. And diners. Lots of diners. Anyway, they made Providence, and the Providence Journal, look like a backwater town with a tiny paper. I'm glad Rory decided to pass on the job for the right reasons -- she really wanted that fellowship -- and not because she thought Providence was a bad place to live.

Boy, April's grown up quickly, hasn't she? Nice new specs on her. Now that she's not a plot contrivance anymore, I always like seeing her on screen. Anyway, that mutual apology in the hay maze was a long time coming, wasn't it? Like the last few episodes, it really feels like the words coming out of Luke's and Lorelai's mouths are directed more towards the viewers than towards each other. He's sorry he shut Lorelai out when April first came into his life, and she's sorry she ran to Christopher the second things blew up with Luke. Yadda yadda yadda. So, the thaw begins. Next week, Lorelai steps into Luke's diner for the first time since the breakup. Let's see where this leads, and how long it'll take to get there.

Three more interesting things:

• Paris has been hilarious in her brief appearances this year, and this was no exception: her specialized uses for her milk, calling Doyle "lactose sensitive" and equating it to Tobey Maguire's sensitivity, ordering Logan to wash the dishes. All good.
• Lane and Zack's twins are named Kwan (or is it Quan?) and Steve. Interesting. And I love how Zack thinks he memorized the maze in order to make his deliveries faster. That's Zack to a T.
• What's the Yale contingent's obsession with The New York Times? I like the paper too, but there's hundreds of papers, magazines, and web sites that a budding journalist can land after college. Heck, they're better off freelancing for them then trying to land one of those hard-to-get entry-level spots there.

It was a nice, lighthearted episode, though I wished they pushed the Luke/Lorelai plot a little but further, given the limited number of episodes left. It's one of the better episodes of the season, but on our 1 to 7 scale, it merits a 5. If we had the ratings system in the first half of the year, most of those episodes wouldn't have come close to that, believe me.