(S07E22) This may not have been the way Gilmore Girls was originally supposed to end, but, as it turned out, it was a pretty good way for it to go out.

When I think about it, ending the show in such a "rip off the Band-Aid" fashion was best for everyone, including the fans. We had only two weeks to cope with the show's departure, knowing that the finale was already shot and ready to go. Nothing we could do or say was going to change how we were going to leave Lorelai, Rory, Luke, and the rest of the folks in the Gilmore world. Because of that, there was no speculation, no guessing. And there were also no grand moments, supreme life changes, and the obligatory scenes of someone looking back on an empty room before turning out the lights. It was very understated. And very satisfying.

(S07E21) So here we are... the next-to-last (or penultimate, if you want to use SAT words) episode of Gilmore Girls. Like I said when the show's demise was first announced, it seems like the show wouldn't be able to wrap up any of their loose ends, especially because the season was already in the can when the announcement was made. But as we found out from one Ms. Lauren Graham, chances were that the show wasn't going to come back, anyway, and the last few episodes were written to function as a season and series finale.

(S07E20) I really find it hard to feel sorry for Rory Gilmore. Yes, she grew up without a father for the most part, and for much of her young life, she and her mother Lorelai struggled to keep their heads above water. But, for the most part. Rory has been able to achieve whatever she's set her mind to achieving. Until now, of course.

There are worse things that can happen to a person than not getting a New York Times internship: dismemberment, irritable bowel syndrome, bad haircuts, and at least a couple of other things. But she's gotten so much in her life that not having a job when she graduates seems like a complete disaster to her.

(S07E17) When Dawn Ostroff, the CW's president of entertainment, was doing her "state of the network" press tour session in January, she said this about Gilmore Girls: "(David Rosenthal) was painted into a corner into with a storyline that he got out of. The second half of the season is much stronger, and I think viewers will be surprised."

I scoffed a little when she said that; nothing about the season to that point had suggested that the show was going to improve. But I've got to hand it to Rosenthal and company; the show has been on an upward trend, giving us about a month's worth of entertaining episodes that, while not quite up to the level of the show's creative peak, certainly give me hope that the show won't go out with a whimper, whether it's this season or next.

The key? Keep the Gilmore girls together. All three of them.

(S07E09) This one felt cozy, didn't it? Snappy dialogue, funny situations (I mean, come on... huge knitting needles and balls of yarn?), quirky parties, story development... This week's episode felt almost... almost like the Gilmore Girls we knew and loved, moreso than any we've seen this year so far. One problem, though:

Christopher.

How is he gumming up the works so much, literally, figuratively, and everything in between? It's not like the town never knew he existed up until now; he's been in and out of Lor and Rory's life for over 20 years. Surely, the folks in Stars Hollow would be treating him more warmly in the past than they are now, when he's Mr. Lorelai Gilmore. There's just one thing that can explain this: Sloppiness.