Episode Report Card Kim: B | 0 USERS: N/A YOU GRADE IT Happy Birthday, Baby!
By Kim | Season 3 | Episode 18 | Aired on April 21, 2003
At the Inn, Lorelai explains to someone on the phone about the whole bed-and-breakfast deal. She hangs up and walks over to Tobin, who is showing some of the other employees (I guess) how they can paint the walls and add a wallpaper border. What is he, Kia's evil twin? Michel looks sad. Tobin says they can use the chipped teacups to make votive holders, and then use the other broken china to make a mosaic picture frame. Michel walks over and says that he has a gift for Lorelai, which he ordered from Madrid. Lorelai is stunned that Michel is being...you know, nice and thoughtful. She opens the gift and finds a leather-bound journal. Michel says he wanted it to be special and "not just some knickknack you could pick up at a supermarket or car wash." He gives Tobin a pointed look. Michel smiles widely, possibly the first time that's ever happened on this show. Unless someone fell down or something, and he was laughing. Tobin says he has something else for Lorelai. He shoves Michel aside and Lorelai opens the bag to find a leather jacket. Tobin explains that it's the jacket that Joe Strummer (of The Clash) "wore during the 1979 Pearl Harbor tour." Lorelai won't accept five dollars from her father but she'll take this from an employee? Michel doesn't know who Joe Strummer is, and thinks he might be "a Hell's Angel man." Lorelai explains that Joe Strummer just died, and that the jacket is the coolest thing she's ever gotten. She smells it and says it smells like Joe. Michel says it must be wonderful to smell like a dead guy. Lorelai says she's going to hug Tobin, and does. Michel says he has to run an errand and tells Lorelai to be there when he gets back. Lorelai continues to gush over the jacket as Michel looks back and makes a "Goddammit!" face. Hee! I really wish it had turned out that Tobin and Lorelai were playing a giant prank on Michel and messing with his head, though.
Luke meets with Nicole and her parents. Nicole and her dad argue about the ethics and legality of surrogate parenthood. Nicole's mother keeps offering people food and Luke shifts around uncomfortably. What a weird subject to be discussing. How did that come up? Did someone just watch the TV movie about Mary Beth Whitehead or something? I think Nicole's dad was on Buffy. Nicole's mom says that Nicole and her dad always pick a subject, argue until dinner, call a truce, and then argue again when they have finished eating. Nicole calls off the argument. Nicole's mom says that she hears Luke has never been married. Nicole tries to change the subject to Luke's business and gives her mom a look like, "Please!" Luke admits that he's never been married. Nicole's mom asks if Luke wants to be married someday and have children. Luke gulps some wine as Nicole tries to soften her mom's line of questioning. Nicole's mom says there is nothing more wonderful than marriage and nothing more rewarding than children. Nicole tells Luke that her other boyfriends escaped out the bathroom window. Luke looks like he's got heartburn. Nicole's mom goes on about how great kids are and all of the rewarding milestones like their first step and first word. ["It's so ludicrous that people who are all classy and educated like Nicole's parents would ask Luke stuff like that the very first time they met him. They'd wait for him to leave, and then needle Nicole about it. Duh!" -- Wing Chun] Luke adds, "The first time they tell you they're going to school and then you follow them and they get in their car and drive to Wal-Mart. And they think you don't know. They think you're just a moron and you're going, 'Hey, they must be telling me the truth. Right?' And they don't think that maybe you know that they're lying to your face and that you're really mad because you guys had an agreement. And that agreement was clear. Very clear. And they know that breaking that agreement is a violation of everything that you had talked about. Oh yeah, that is cute. That's just darling. I can't wait to experience that again." Imagine all those words I just typed being spoken in about ten seconds, and then everyone just staring at each other in awkward silence.