Episode Report Card Al Lowe: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Home For Fake Christmas
By Al Lowe | Season 7 | Episode 11 | Aired on 01.22.2007
At the mall, Rory bemoans the heaviness of books as she and Lorelai shop for gifts. They run over the list of what they've bought. "I got some cologne for Michel," Lorelai says, "same cologne for my mother." Rory points out that that's weird. "Well," says Lorelai, "I figure they'll hate whatever I get them, so why spend time picking out doomed gifts?" All that's left, after the butter slicer or whatever it is they bought for Sookie, they only need to buy something for Christopher. "He is my husband now," says Lorelai. "I've never bought something for a husband before." She can't think of anything he might want or need ["I heard that, girlfriend" -- Wing Chun] until Rory walks past a science store window containing a huge telescope. Despite never indicating, to my recollection, that Christopher has an interest in space, they decide this is the perfect gift. I guess it didn't occur to them to get him a mirror? ["To be fair, there are mirrors in it." -- Wing Chun] Surprise, April and Luke are in line at the science store, exchanging the rock polisher. They share awkward hellos, and when April compliments them on their Christmas sweaters, Lorelai explains that they've saved Christmas to spend together. "Of course you did," says Luke, smiling knowingly. April is impressed that Rory has just returned from "meeting [her] lover in a foreign city." Dude, "lover"? She's twelve. Please don't ever have her say "lover" again. Mostly, April can't wait to be a glamorous grown-up who gets to decide where she goes and when: "Being a kid is the pits sometimes." The Gilmores agree. Luke returns from the register with April's replacement gift: a microscope. "Wow," says Rory, "that's great." April: "My dad's always been a great gift-giver." Uh, "always"? Since the five minutes you've known him? Perhaps she is remembering her birthday, when he almost gave her a cat vanity set or whatever it was, and Lorelai saved his ass. Luke shyly recalls that he's not really the best at choosing presents. "Right, Rory?" he shrugs. "Towels." Rory pshaws -- the towels were great, she says -- but April is mortified. "You gave her towels?" she says, as if they're talking about a bag of coal. Luke says he thought the towels were cool, being monogrammed and all. "Yes," says Rory, "you went through quite the monogram phase." Luke laughs, remember all the other stuff he gave her over the years. Rory reminds him of the unicorn marionette and unicorn sweatshirt and other unicorn paraphernalia he gifted. Luke looks sweetly embarrassed, but Rory comments on how nice he always was, never forgetting her birthday: "And every holiday there was always a monogrammed unicorn item." Hee. "Dad," April interrupts, "for the record, I'm not really into unicorns, either." During all of this, Lorelai tries to hold back her wistful smile as she remembers how sweet Luke has always been to her daughter.