scott patterson

(S07E14) This was the one. This was the episode that pulled together all the pieces that resulted when Team Palladino smashed everything to bits at the end of season six, when Lorelai dumped an aloof Luke and fell into bed with Christopher. It's taken way, way too long to get to this point, but what I found very interesting about this episode is, despite the fact that I wasn't emotionally involved in the Lor-Chris-Luke triangle at all this year, this resolution to one of the sides of the triangle sucked me in and got me involved again.

I think the dog funeral helped that out a little.

(S07E13) So this is what it takes to get a good episode this season? Richard Gilmore has to have open-heart surgery? Well, I guess if this is what they have to do, I can accept that. Maybe next week, they'll give Paul Anka worms.

Seriously, though, the reason why this episode worked is because all we saw was the Family Gilmore, together for most of the episode. Not sixty seconds of a Friday night dinner. Not Lorelai and Rory chatting on the phone. Nope, they were all together for an extended period, interacting in the ways that once made the show so great.

Did this episode have flaws? Tons. But it was the best of the season so far.

(S07E12) For some reason, despite everything that has happened to make this show start circling the drain, four Gilmore characters can be relied upon to entertain, no matter who is writing the episode: Emily, Richard, Sookie and Paris. All four of them are in tonight's episode (Emily is just in the cold open, but it counts), and, I've got to tell you, their presence made it pretty decent as a result.

Otherwise? Um... well... Let's just say this crawl towards the inevitable Lorelai - Luke reunion is driving me nuts.

(S07E11) When I was out in LA, I ran into a few members of the Gilmore Girls cast at the various network parties. Whenever I brought up the topic of whether there's going to be another season or not, the answer I got didn't seem to vary much. It wasn't definitive by any means, but the general feeling was that, yes, we're probably seeing the last episodes of the long-running show.

That's a good thing, folks. While episodes like tonight's had quite a bit of the chemistry of the first five-plus seasons, you just know that it's not going to last. But at least we're seeing some peeks into what we might see in the second half of the year, and it certainly looks like the Chris/Lor 'shippers are going to be disappointed.

(S07E10) For the last few weeks, I've been wondering if David Rosenthal and company have been turning Lorelai Gilmore into a more childish, petulant character than she had been in recent years, or if she's always been this childish and petulant, but her act has started to wear thin. After this episode, I've determined it's a little bit of each, leaning towards the "written that way" side. There really seems to be no reason that Lor should be so mean-spirited nowadays, especially towards her parents. She's pushing 40. She owns a successful business. And she's finally married to her high school sweetheart, who just happens to be loaded. So why does she still act like a baby?

In short: it's an easy way to for the writers to make Christopher look like a putz.

(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.

(S07E08) Hmmmm......

Ya think something's a'brewin' in Gilmore-land?

Lorelai is trying to convince herself as much as Rory that marrying Christopher was the good and right thing to do; meanwhile, she's running to see Luke at the hospital when April has appendicitis. She resists, but then relents when Chris wants to make some changes around the house; meanwhile, she's definitely keeping the name Gilmore, because she doesn't want to be called "Lorelai Hayden Planetarium." And here's the biggest thing: despite the fact that she married Rory's dad, she, Chris, and everyone else knows who the rock is in Rory's life. That's going to be a lot for ol' Christopher to overcome, isn't it?

(S07E05) Even though Gilmore Girls fans have complained about everything that has occurred from the beginning of Season Six until now, they have to admit that the best thing to come out of this somewhat fallow creative period of the show is a character that was introduced early last year: Paul Anka.

That neurotic dog has been the source of a lot of comedy the last year and a quarter, hasn't he? Hearing Lorelai reel off all his fobiles in the opener of this episode made me laugh; he likes chewing a certain shoe, and will only catch tennis balls of a certain brand and color. How Lor keeps these things straight is anyone's guess. And then, as she rattles them off, and Chris grows weary of the litany of doggie quirks, Paul Anka just lies there, like any dog, probably contemplating where he's going to sleep later on that day. It's a contrast that I've always found to be very funny.

(S07E02) Holy out-of-character, Batman! This is what fans were afraid was going to happen during the new Rosenthal regime: a slowish episode where people do and say things that no one has ever seen or heard them do, punctuated by forced "classic Gilmore" dialogue that neither flowed right nor made much sense in the context of the episode.

I've got to say, I was immensely let down here, in more ways than one. How many ways, exactly? Well, right now I can count five:

1. Predictability - As soon as the cold open started and we saw Luke driving in his truck with a map in his hand, we knew exactly what was going to happen.

(S07E01) I decided to watch this episode a second time, just to see if my early assessment of it was correct. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't just so damn happy to have Gilmore Girls back, that I missed some fundamental change, something that would tell me that new EP David Rosenthal was going to completely screw up the transfer from Team Palladino and turn this show into something different than the one I came to know and love.

And, you know what? It is different. But those differences weren't due to the transfer in power. No, this show started changing while Team Palladino was still around, and I'm not sure if it's ever going to go back to what it was.

Anyone remember when Scott Patterson -- currently playing Luke Danes on Gilmore Girls -- played Elaine's "spongeworthy" boyfriend on Seinfeld? Well, that was probably Patterson's first big role, but it didn't exactly start the money rolling in. In fact, according to this New York Daily News article, Patterson's earnings in the two years before he got the Gilmore part were $23,000 and $33,000 (yikes -- he made that little money despite his high profile roles? Shows you how hard it is out there if you don't have a regular series).

But seven years on a hit show has Patterson in the money. But he didn't always spend it well. The article details some of the mistakes Patterson made at first -- he lost a bundle on eToys stock, for instance -- before seeking the help of former actor and current financial planner Jeffery Fishman. Now, he's actively involved in planning for his future, whether the acting jobs continue or not.

By the way, Patterson is 47. Wow. Didn't realize he was that old (I figured he was closer to 40). At least we know the guy takes care of himself.

[via Pop Candy]

(S06E20) After I read the awesome interview Mike Ausiello of TVGuide.com conducted with Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, I began to understand the TV business a little better. First of all, it seems like what the Palladinos were seeking from Warner Brothers was a) a little security, hence the request for 2 years, even if the show was only going to last just one, and b) a little help, because they didn't seem to have the extensive writing and producing staff that other hit shows seem to have. They got neither, so they walked.

What also struck me about the interview is how fiercely they defended their creative vision of the show (something they won't at all be involved with in Season 7, by the way... no pay, no guidance) despite what many feel has been a down season for Gilmore Girls. To them, the characters need to develop and grow, and everything isn't going to be hunky-dory all the time, especially with Luke and Lorelai.

But that's still not an excuse for... this.

(S06E19) While I was watching this episode, I noticed something weird. Every one of the main female characters in this episode (well, except for Mrs. Kim) looked absolutely radiant. Keiko Agena looked beautiful. Alexis Bledel looked beautiful. Lauren Graham looked especially beautiful.

Was it the way the episode was shot? Different make-up artists and hair stylists? Nope, it wasn't any of that stuff. Know why everyone looked so good?

They were all smiling.

Yesterday, Slate posted a great article by Kate Arthur about how poorly TV shows treat sexual tension between characters. In the article, Arthur mentions every major TV couple that's teased us with their constant "will they or won't they?" games over the last thrity years, from Sam and Diane to Mulder and Scully.

The jump-off point for the article is the recent West Wing episode where longtime flirts Josh and Donna first kissed, then had sex. Twice. Took 'em long enough, right? I mean, the show's been on for seven years, for Pete's sake. But they're willful teenagers compared to some of the other couples that Arthur examines in the article. She even includes couples that do hook up, like Luke and Lorelai of Gilmore Girls, giving the added twist that they are being kept at arm's length from each other this year because Lauren Graham's and Scott Patterson's physical chemistry with each other is so poor (I've heard that the two don't get along, but I don't see that tension on screen at all).

Of course, she cites the grandaddy of all TV hookups, when Maddie and Dave slept together on Moonlighting, as the big reason why TV flirts never get together anymore.

Damn you, Moonlighting! If it weren't for you, we would have never had to endure the words, "We were on a break!" for eight years.