Gilmore Girls 6.16 "Bridesmaids Revisited"

Gilmore Girls 6.16 "Bridesmaids Revisited"
Original Air Date: February 28, 2006 (Recap date: May 7, 2008)
Recap & Discussion

Discussion Questions:

• Why is it ok for everyone but Lorelai to see and bond with April?
• Why is Paris still on the war path against everybody?
• Would Rory be giving Paris special treatment with more articles?
• Does Rory seem to encourage Logan to drink more?
• Why does it take Lane’s poster to get Zack to try to get the band back together?
• Did Honor invite Rory back out of friendship or obligation?
• Are you surprised Logan slept with so many people during his break with Rory? Should he have told her?
• Should Chris have warned Lorelai that Gigi was trouble?
• Rory accuses Logan of letting her walk into a room with girls he’d had sex with, but wasn’t he away when Honor grabbed her?
• Did Logan cheat on Rory?
• Is Rory overreacting?
• Was Logan right, were the girls stirring up trouble on purpose?
• Why is Chris dismissive about Gigi’s behavior?
• Is it out of character for Rory to turn to drinking?
• Are you surprised Paris let Rory back so easily?
• Why does Lorelai promise to help fix Gigi?

Gilmore Girls Episode Recap:

The diner is very busy. Lorelai sits down and tries to encourage Luke to re-hire his unreliable meat guy because his parents are old. Kirk is on a juice fast, and now thinks he has super-smell. Lorelai warns Luke, in advance, that Chris will be at Rory’s "Young Voices in Journalism" panel at Yale. He’s ok with that.

Lane has an ad for "Drummer Available" with her photo on it. She misses playing in a band. Lane is using April’s pens, and Lorelai asks how things are going with April. Apparently Lane plays games with April when things are slow. Lane and Lorelai share stories of how Rory played as a kid and how April plays.

Paris is back as a writer at the Yale Daily News, and Rory has notes for her on the latest article. Paris won’t look Rory in the eye while she’s talking to her. Rory calls her on it but Paris claims to be looking at her (just not in her eyes). Rory walks away and says how unpleasant that was. Doyle agrees – Paris doesn’t sleep anymore. He’s been trying to ride it out and keep his mouth shut. He thinks Paris needs some time to get off the war path.

Rory wonders if more assignments at the paper will help Paris rebound faster. As one editor to another, Doyle wonders if that is special treatment for Paris. Rory reluctantly agrees it would be. Doyle thinks Paris needs to work through this on her own.

Lane goes to put up a poster at the music store and is startled to see Zack there doing a bluegrass concert. Zack stops mid-song to run to the board to see what Lane put there, after she leaves the store. He crumples up Lane’s advertisement to be a drummer.

Rory is admiring herself in the mirror, in her outfit for the panel. Logan can’t go see it – he has a wedding rehearsal for Honor, he’s one of Josh’s groomsmen. He’s bored just thinking about it. Rory reminds him to "talk" to his good friend Flasky. Rory gets him out of the door, but he comes back for one last kiss and compliment for Rory.

Rory comes to say hi to Lorelai and Christopher, who have come to hear her speak. They give her a pep talk, of sorts, before the panel begins. Lorelai passes Chris a Milk Dud while Professor Gordon announces the "country’s most prestigious collegiate newspaper" editors. They are there to talk on where Ivy League Journalism is heading and their views on the future of the free press in America.

The Princeton editor is quite arrogant in jumping into the conversation first and in flaunting his opinions. Rory counters his argument, which as to do with capitulating to government pressure to reveal confidential sources. Chris and Lorelai are so proud. Rory is strong willed and even manages to be witty in her replies.

Rory has a mixer after the event, so it’s Chris & Lorelai on their own. Chris has written down all the words Rory used that he didn’t know. Proud and mystified of how smart Rory is. The new nanny pages Chris to say she can’t stay on Sunday, when he had promised to take his mom to the cemetery for his dad’s grave. Single parenting is tough. Chris is also in the process of trying to find a good private school for Gigi. Lorelai offers to babysit if he’s in a bind.

Gil and Brian are playing in a band for a Bat Mitzvah – Zack enters and Brian avoids his hi. Gil isn’t happy with him either. Zack compliments them on their playing and talks video games with Brian, then comes to his point: he wants to fix things. Zack wants to get the band back together, saying they were going somewhere and he also misses his friends. Gil and Brian agree to re-form Hep Alien only if Lane comes back. Zack dances along when the band resumes playing Hava Nagila.

Rory and Logan have arrived to the golf club for Honor’s wedding. Rory had to show up early, since Logan is part of the wedding party. Rory was planning on doing some work in the library, but Honor (in wedding sweats and curlers) spots her and begs her to come back with them. The bridesmaids are into the champagne so Honor asks Rory to be her designated dresser. One of the bridesmaids compliments Rory on her dress, wondering if it’s a designer, but Rory says it’s just hers. The girls toast to Honor, after she toasts to them.

Chris brings Gigi to Lorelai’s. Gigi screams at the thought of giving Lorelai a hug, then runs away. Chris looks concerned as he leaves. Lorelai sits with Gigi, who already has the tv on, and is violently shhh’d by her.

Honor has a last-minute, and thankfully brief, freak out about marriage. She’s all dolled up in her dress. Walker, one of the bridesmaids, nearly spills champagne all over Honor’s dress. Some of the girls warn Rory about some of the hands-on dignitaries at the event. Rory rattles it back:

"Poet, red face, not gay, Bhagavad-Gita, perv. Got it."

Honor is swooped away for some photos and Walker, quite drunk, talks about wanting to hook up with someone. The groomsmen are discussed as options. "There’s always Logan," one girl says, but Walker replies:

"Ah, been there, done that."

Rory looks up, startled. Gwen tries to shush her, but Walker implies Gwen has slept with Logan too. Gwen tells Walker that Rory is Logan’s girlfriend, so Walker apologizes, saying she slept with Logan at Thanksgiving (Rory’s face falls). Gwen mentions she slept with Logan in December. Alexandra pipes up, and it turns out she messed around with Logan too – so that’s three bridesmaids that Logan has slept with. The girls file out for the wedding and Rory is left to her own thoughts.

Gigi has torn Lorelai’s house apart, destroying everything she comes in contact with. Gigi draws a line with the permanent marker directly onto the floor, in order to make a point. That she’s in charge. When Lorelai takes the marker away, Gigi just screams. Lorelai bribes her to stop, but Gigi’s a menace on wheels.

Logan comes looking for Rory after the ceremony – she’s still sitting in the dressing room. Logan asks what’s going on and Rory puts out her hand to stop him.

"You didn’t say a word. You just let me walk into a room full of girls you’d had sex with. [Logan's eyes close.] Oh, no, wait, I’m sorry. You only had sex with two of them. One of them you just fooled around with. Whatever that means. She spared me the exact parameters of the fooling around, you want to fill me in?"

Rory accuses Logan of cheating on her. Logan says he didn’t, that they were broken up. Rory thought they were on a break, but Logan thought it was more.

"No! When you break up, you have to tell the other person! You can’t just decide that you’re broken up, and just go off and – God! I can’t believe I fell for all your stupid tricks! The coffee cart, and going to my mother – you went to my mother! Why would you bother going through that? You had plenty of backup! What do you need me for?"

Logan says he loves Rory. She says "no" and turns to leave. Logan says he didn’t cheat or lie to Rory, but Rory says he didn’t tell her. Logan says "of course not", why would he? Why would he hurt her? Logan thinks the girls brought it all up to cause trouble. Rory asks how he managed to sleep with so many girls so quickly. Logan says he’s known them forever, that it was just companionship. Rory says, firmly, that Logan should not be at the apartment between 10 and 1 tomorrow – that’s when she’s coming to get her stuff.

Kirk is still on his juice diet, but he breaks down and eats the crusts off someone else’s plate. Zack comes into the diner to talk with Lane and they fight openly. Lane knows he ripped down the flyer. Zack says it all feels wrong, and he tried to write a song about it, but instead decides to tell her:

"I get up in the morning and I don’t feel good. I go to work and I don’t feel good. I come home and I don’t feel good. I brush my teeth and I don’t feel good. Then I go to bed and I don’t feel good. Then I wake up and I don’t feel good and then I go to work and I don’t feel good"

By now, the whole diner is on edge listening. Zack gets back on track and comes out with

"Oh yeah. Lane… Will you marry me?"

A collective intake of breath… Zack has asked Lane to marry him! Lane asks if he knows what he’s saying. Zack pulls out a ring, something that belonged to an elk or something, and Lane knows he’s thought about it. She takes the ring, smiling. With tears in her eyes, Lane says yes! They kiss, and the whole diner cheers. Lane finishes her work shift in a clear daze, trying to serve a toaster to Kirk.

Chris comes to pick up Gigi, who is asleep in Rory’s room (Lorelai failed to keep her out of it). Lorelai details some of Gigi’s crazy stunts of the day, including trying to flush the sheets down the toilet. Chris dismisses it as being spirited. Lorelai says possessed. That she was more than 3-year-old crazy. Chris just thinks they didn’t click. Lorelai says it’s not about that – Gigi is spoiled. Lorelai says Gigi does not know the meaning of "no", that it only elicits screams from her.

Chris is taking offense to the conversation. He’s of the impression that kids are different these days and Lorelai’s ideas of discipline are outdated. Chris thinks kids need more nurturing and space. Lorelai reminds Chris about the preschool interviews and nannies – all of these people have been pointing out Gigi’s issues to him, but he’s been dismissing it. Lorelai says giving Gigi everything won’t make up for Sherry leaving her. Chris says he’s had enough of Lorelai’s advice and walks out.

Rory is alone in a bar and is so drunk the bartender doesn’t want to serve her. She convinces him to and nearly bites the head off a waitress who tries to take her napkins – she’s sick of people touching her stuff. Doyle, also getting drunk on his own, notices Rory and comes over. Paris threw Doyle out for telling her about Rory’s idea at the paper and that he advised Rory not to give Paris the series. Paris didn’t like her hot glue gun being taken away, either. They share their terrible love stories.

Out of drinking money, Rory decides to go. Doyle tags along, with some assistance from Rory. He’s a bit more wasted than she is. Rory gives her coat to Doyle, because he’s cold. And now she’s just in her strappy dress. They hug goodbye, but Doyle starts doing a little something extra on Rory’s neck. Rory sends him home.

Lorelai is trying to scrub the permanent marker off the floor. Chris calls, and he looks upset. He apologizes to Lorelai for the floor and for being out of line with what he said. Chris says Lorelai was right about Gigi. She is out of control but he’s been so mad at Sherry for leaving. Chris now understands how Lorelai felt when he left them.

Chris thinks he’s shortchanging Gigi – that without a mom, he’s not much for her. No school will take Gigi. Lorelai understands the single parent guilt, but Gigi needs him to say no. Lorelai promises to help fix Gigi. Chris says she’s amazing and thanks her for being around. Just then, there’s a loud crash and a screaming Gigi.

Rory has found her way to Paris’ door. Paris reluctantly lets her in. Paris doesn’t seem to care that Doyle was upset about the breakup, though she thinks that’s why Rory is there. For comfort. Paris gives Rory a big hug for being a good friend. In the name of disclosure, Rory tells Paris about breaking up with Logan because he cheated on her. Paris offers to let Rory stay there. 

Rory calls Lorelai, who is reading in bed. Rory says the wedding was "sucko" and that she has a new address for her. Lorelai just says "uh oh" and the scene is over. 

Tags: gilmore girls, bridesmaids revisited, gilmore girls season 6, gilmore girls episodes, gilmore girls recap, breakup, paris, rory gilmore, doyle, gigi, christopher, gilmore