Episode Report Card Pamie: A | 1 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Sniffles, Part Two
By Pamie | Season 1 | Episode 10 | Aired on 2000.12.21
"Oh, my God!" Lorelai says as she hangs up the phone. Luke shuts up Cardigan Man and asks Lorelai what's wrong. "My father's in the hospital," Lorelai stammers. "He collapsed or something. I don't know. I need a cab. I need to...call a cab. Where's a phone?" She starts shouting to everyone in the diner that she needs a phone, even though she's holding one, and the fear and disorientation in Lauren Graham's face here is reminding me of the time that I was at work when I found out that my father was in the hospital and the girl I was serving popcorn with took my apron and bowtie off me and walked me to my car as I stammered that I didn't know what was happening. Lorelai realizes that she's holding a phone and starts asking for the number of the cab company. She's sniffing and saying, "It's CAB-something, or something-something CAB," and Luke is grabbing her things as she's dropping them. Luke says he's going to drive her. He turns around and tells everyone that the diner is now closed and the food is on him and everyone needs to leave immediately. He tells Lorelai to put on her coat. He hands the keys to Cardigan Man, tells him to have his hot chocolate and then lock up. Lorelai stops and says tearfully, "Luke, I'm..." Luke turns back to her and says, "I know. Let's go." They walk out the diner together. Fade to commercial. Man, Cayla, I don't know if you read Mighty Big TV, and I'm not sure if you even remember doing that for me back in 1994, but thanks so much for being there when I got the scary phone call at work. I can't imagine what I would have looked like driving around Houston wearing a plastic neon Front Row Joe apron with tears all over it.
Luke and Lorelai are in Luke's truck. Lorelai is complaining that Luke is driving too slowly. Luke says that the roads are very icy and dangerous and he's just trying to get them there safely. Lorelai keeps listening to her voicemail over and over again: "Grampa's in the hospital. Please come." She complains that Rory didn't leave any details or any information. Luke says he's sure Rory was in a hurry when she left the message. Lorelai says that there are many simple questions that need to be answered when you leave a message like that. Luke says that they'll be there very soon, and then Lorelai can find out everything she needs to know. "What if he's dead?" she asks. "He's not dead," Luke assures her. Lorelai snaps that Luke can't possibly know unless he's now getting psychic visions as he drives at "twenty miles an hour in the oldest truck known to man." She stops for a second and then apologizes for yelling at him when he's being nice to her: "I feel like this is one of those moments where I should be remembering all of those great times I had with my dad," Lorelai says. "You know? The time he took me shopping for a Barbie, or to the circus or fishing, and my mind is a complete blank." Luke says he's sure those things happened. Lorelai corrects him: "No. It didn't. We never did any of that. He went to work, he came home, he read the paper, he went to bed, I snuck out the window. Simple. He was a very by-the-numbers guy. I was never very good with numbers." "I'm sure he loves you," Luke says. Lorelai: "You know, my dad is not a bad guy. He lived his life the way he thought he was supposed to. He followed the rules taught to him by his non-fishing-non-Barbie-buying dad. He worked hard. He bought a nice house. He provided for my mom. All he asked in return was for his daughter to wear white dresses and go to cotillion and...and want the same life that he had. What a disappointment it must have been for him to get me." Luke says he can't imagine anyone being disappointed by Lorelai. Lorelai says that Luke will make a great dad. Luke says that Lorelai makes a great mom. "Yeah. It's just the, uh, daughter part...I don't have down yet," Lorelai falters. Luke decides to drive faster. What a great scene.