Episode Report Card Al Lowe: A- | 2 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT Please Stand Up
By Al Lowe | Season 6 | Episode 18 | Aired on April 10, 2006
At Luke's truck, Luke and Lorelai are once again accosted by Cesar, who runs out to confirm Luke's itinerary. Cesar shares my frustration at the length of this trip. "In my day you learned two plus two and you stayed home," he says. "Today they got contests and go on the road like they're Metallica or something." This, of course, immediately conjures up the image of Metallica in a math contest, and I weep with laughter. Well, you know, they do have that song "One," which may be as high as all Metallica members, past and present combined, can count. During the itinerary review, Luke tells Lorelai that, during their Philadelphia stop, he'll be dropping in on Jess at the bookstore, where he works. (I thought he co-owned it, but whatever.) He describes the place, mentioning that they publish "'zines" as if Luke would ever know what a 'zine is. "They're having an open house," he says. "I'm taking April. It'll give Jess a chance to meet his little cousin." Lorelai nods, clutching the Anna Bag. "Oh," she says, hoisting the bag. "So, anywhere in the back, then?" And, with that, she slings that bag into the back of the truck like Catfish Hunter, throwing a dirty one straight at a batter. I love her for it, because...shit, I mean, April can meet everybody in the whole damn town, and now Jess? Who lives out of town? And Luke's all casual about it? I hate him. And I hate it that Lorelai won't say anything about it, STILL, because that's just stupid. Or, at least, let us SEE the conversation where Luke says he wants to hold off introducing April to his fiancée, for whatever reason. That would make more sense.
Cesar is still panicking, saying his main concern is that his elbow will lock up while he's working the grill. "And Luke," he says, "is the only one who knows how to rub it to get it working again." Lorelai looks at Luke, who immediately puts in that the elbow thing is like a sports injury, thus making it not gay. Yes, that's what all those guys snapping towels at each others' naked asses in locker rooms across the nation say, too. Lorelai assures Cesar that he'll do a great job, even going so far to tell him that his pancakes are better than Luke's, and the two lovebirds -- and here I am speaking of Luke and Lorelai, not Luke and Cesar's elbow, which have a better relationship -- say their farewells. They even have a goodbye kiss which seems fairly genuine. Gee, Palladinos, don't go crazy with the romance, okay? We wouldn't want anyone to think that Luke and Lorelai liked each other. Meanwhile, Cesar seems to have pulled himself together and says that he'll be fine. "Good," Luke says, pointing to the diner window. "Now go back in there and reclaim your turf." Confused, Cesar turns to see the ultimate nightmare: Kirk, in his personal hairnet, serving customers.