Welcome to Throwback Thursday! Each week a member of SpoilerTV will take time out to write about an episode of TV that has previously aired that they feel had an impact on them. With the Gilmore Girls revival around the corner, I decided to give them a bit more space on the world wide web. And what episode is better than the one where Lorelai and Rory reunite, just like we will reunite with them in a bit over 2 months.
"The Prodigal Daughter Returns" is probably one of my favorite Gilmore Girls episode, it is an emotional and well-written episode and they've used their enormous cast in a pretty brilliant way. Besides that, the episode marks the end of the 8 episode long feud between mother and daughter. Back in 2005 Gilmore Girls did something shows probably wouldn't dare in today's TV business, they've reduced their main characters interaction to a bare minimum with only 5 scenes in 9 episodes.
Even though the mother-daughter reunion happened in the final moments of the episode, the episode featured a lot of growth for our two leading ladies, three if you count Emily. Lorelai had to handle a lot of relationship drama with her inability to speak up to Luke. Lorke's (yeah I just made this up and that is Lorelai's and Luke's official shipper name from now on) relationship was always so delicately portraited what wasn't really surprising considering Luke's alpha male and no BS attitude. He has this annoying/adorable no compromise attitude that pushed laid back Lorelai feeling unnatural and unsure how to approach him. A call from Christopher (Rory's dad in case you forgot) brought up a lot of suppressed tension and things quickly escalated. And even though it was a really silly fight the resolution was wonderfully written and executed. Lorelai and Luke are really star-crossed lovers from my pov and their charming relationship according to rumors will finally see the climax it deserves in the upcoming revival.
Also, a thing I really enjoyed is how they smacked KARMA right into Luke's face. The introduction of his daughter April played by the adorable Vanessa Marano was a game changer no one saw coming at that point. Luke's decision to keep April a secret was such a humanizing move that it made me love Luke so much more. He was way too perfect, even for TV standards. Also, Vanessa was the perfect casting decision for the role of April and I'm so glad she'll be back for the revival.
Still, the scene of the episode belonged to Emily (Kelly Bishop) and Lorelai. Rory's words from a week before hit Emily hard and made her remember her broken relationship with Lorelai. After going MIA on Richard, Emily contacted Lorelai and the two shared a scene in a plane Emily intended to buy (pictured above). The magic of the show always laid in the mother-daughter moments and this time, they didn't disappoint either. Emily's desperation was heartbreaking and Lorelai being supportive was different. They've come a long way from the start of the series and Lorelai forgiving her in a way and taking off the burden of their past from their heart was really moving.
Last but not least Rory! Rory went on a rollercoaster ride this season and in this episode, she finally found back to her old self. It was an odd decision to derail Rory so much from her road and personality. Still, looking at it from this point it was really necessary as her professional road was progressing way to smoothly. After the blowout with Emily, Rory finally realized she has to change something in her life. She moved out of the Gilmore mansion, professionally and in a very cute way bullied her former boss to give her a job and called the dean at Yale to take her back. The thing I liked the most about this was the writers choosing not to send her back to Lorelai right away to solve Rory's problems together. Instead, Rory did it all on her own being the empowered and emancipated women Lorelai thought her to be.
In the final moments, Rory called her Mom and everything was fine again. I really hope you enjoyed this visit to memory lane, I totally enjoyed rewatching season 6 for my very first SpoilerTv article. At the end enjoy the endless loop of mother and daughter reuniting.
