Stopping by Stars Hollow: A Critic’s First Watch of 'Gilmore Girls' - Season 1, Episode 12

Happy Memorial Day, bros. Let’s stop by Stars Hollow for some BBQ and summertime fun.

Season 1, Episode 12: “Double Date”

I love Rune, but this episode (besides the realization of Jackson and Sookie’s relationship) is absolute filler.

There were a lot of good, witty moments and a lot of cringe moments (cringing like it’s so bad but you can’t look away) but overall, if this episode hadn’t have happened… it wouldn’t have made a huge difference to the story as a whole.

Sookie and Jackson could have had their first date in a myriad of more impactful ways. In fact, the beginning of Sookie and Jackson’s relationship should have been more developed and helped define the character’s beyond their flat, supporting character roles.

It would be great to see Sookie and Jackson bridge the gap between work friends to lovers in more detail, instead of them talking about hybrid vegetables and cooking techniques. Sookie and Jackson’s relationship should be as deep and meaningful as Luke and Lorelai’s relationship, in fact, it could be seen as a teaser for how Luke and Lorelai’s relationship will wind up being.

Sookie and Jackson could still function as our comic relief support characters for the series but the audience would develop a deeper connection to their relationship that could lead to a deep, emotional love for the characters rather than a “Oh, they’re so funny” love. This episode screams “Plot B.” Plot B meaning a secondary story arc that is not nearly as important as the primary focus, and because it screams “secondary,” the audience labels it as unimportant.

Secondary plot lines should be deep, complex, and emotionally invested storylines just like the primary plot lines, with the only difference being that secondary plot lines should be shown less often. This need to be shown less often can work to a show’s advantage by creating a slow build up of anticipation that can lead to greater audience satisfaction at its resolve.

I wanted to see Sookie and Jackson’s date be a resolve of a season’s (or in the case of their working relationship: a few years) worth of romantic tension, not a joke feast where the main thing that makes the two of them work as a couple is because they’re so weirdly obsessed with food. Do better for your side characters, make them actual people, not cream pies waiting to be thrown.

The Rory helping Lane out with a double date story is also completely unimportant, and very uninteresting. It’s only there to cause a fight between Lorelai and Rory and to establish that, sometimes, Rory lies… even though Rory has totally lied before. Like you know about Dean, about wanting to stay at Stars Hollow High, about her first kiss… a lot of things. But hey, if this is the one that gets her yelled at… at least make it worth it. Like how many times has Lorelai covered for Lane in the past eleven episodes? Like the snow storm where Lane stayed at her house?

This episode was just a massive waste that misused its assets to create an unsatisfactory product. You had a bunch of lovable characters participate in completely useless events, there was no real character development, and the only thing that happened was the equivalent of Facebook relationship status change for Sookie and Jackson. I wanted to see more, I wanted to learn more about these characters. Let Lane’s first real date have more of an impact on her, let Sookie and Jackson’s start to dating be more monumental. Don’t just give me a shaky bridge episode, I want something to marvel at.

Let’s hope the future carries more character development and less filler as we move…

Onto Season 1, Episode 13: “Concert Interruptus”!