Gilmore Girls: The Complete Fourth Season (Digipack)
by Amy Sherman, Chris Long, Daniel Palladino, Jamie Babbit, Kenny Ortega
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Actor: Alexis Bledel, Keiko Agena, Lauren Graham, Scott Patterson, Yanic TruesdaleDirector: Amy Sherman, Chris Long, Daniel Palladino, Jamie Babbit, Kenny Ortega
Brand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 959 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-09-27
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: WB Television Network, The
DVD Reviews of Gilmore Girls: The Complete Fourth Season (Digipack)
DVD Review: Lorelia and Rory are treading water in the fourth season of "Gilmore Girls"
Summary: 4 Stars
The fourth season of "Gilmore Girls" is my least favorite season of the WB television dramedy to date and in watching the episodes again I figured out why this is the case. It is not just that the dynamic is totally different with Rory away at Yale while Lorelia remains in Stars Hollow. That was the situation in the fifth season and I enjoyed that one, which is what led me to the conclusion that what I did not like about season four was that, on balance, it was so unsatisfying. What Amy Sherman-Palladino has the Gilmore girls doing in the 2003-2004 season is essentially tread water. Keep in mind what happened in the season finale from the previous year, "Those Are Strings, Pinocchio," when Luke had the dream about Lorelia asking him not to go on the cruise with Nicole, which created a nice bookend with the third season premier, "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days," when Lorelia had the dream about Luke. Clearly something is being set up for the fourth season, but the payoff is deterred until the very end, at which point we have good news with Lorelia and bad news with Rory.
All you have to do is look at the carcasses of romantic comedies that died when the bickering couples consummated their love (with "Moonlighting" as the North Star in that particular constellation) to appreciate Sherman-Palladino's concern that she not kill the fatted calf with the love affair between Luke and Lorelia. The proof that she knew what she was doing is found in the current season, where the characters have found a way of fighting that never seems like it puts the relationship in danger. They are comfortable enough with each other to fight without it being counter productive, so it was worth it to get to emotional season five cliffhanger. But living through season four was sheer agony for those of us who have been waiting for those two to finally get together.
First, Lorelia gets back from the European trip with Rory to discover that Luke went on the cruise, got drunk, married Nicole, and now wants a divorce ("Ballrooms and Biscotti"). But getting a divorce proves to be a headache, so Luke and Nicole start dating ("Die, Jerk"), then move in together ("In the Clamor and the Clangor"), and the ups and downs of the relationship keep Luke busy, albeit mainly offstage. Second, when Richard takes on a new business partner, Jason "Digger" Styles turns out to be a blast from Lorelia's past ("The Hobbit, the Sofa, and Digger Stiles"). For once Lorelia has met somebody who can keep up with her sharp tongue and the next thing she knows she and Jason are dating ("Ted Koppel's Big Night Out") and hiding the relationship from her parents at her insistence until the whole thing explodes in her face ("Tick, Tick, Tick, Boom!"). In retrospect I found myself realizing that Jason did not replace Luke or Max in Lorelia's life, but Rory. With her daughter away at college, Jason was the one that Lorelia had the high-speed verbal battles resplendent with pop culture references and assorted nonsequiters.
As for Rory, her character is also swimming in place while trying to find her footing at Yale. The main problem is that since the whole point of Rory's existence from episode one was to get her into Harvard once she goes to college, even if it is a different Ivy League school, the character needs a new direction. Rory wants to be a journalist, but writing for the Yale newspaper is not exactly that big of a challenge for our girl ("Die, Jerk"). Paris continues to confound Rory's life with everything from a crafts corner ("The Lorelias' First Day at Yale") and an affair with Professor Asher Fleming ("The Nanny and the Professor") to a memorable first kiss on Spring Break ("Girls in Bikinis, Boys Doin' the Twist," a.k.a. "Gilmore Girls Gone Wild"). Meanwhile, Rory's dating life at Yale is almost nonexistent and even with the return of Jess ("A Family Matter"), she keeps running into Dean and his troubled marriage until the inevitable happens ("Raincoats and Recipes"). But the next year it becomes clear Rory was only treading water as well.
The other thing that keeps Lorelia busy while Rory is away and occupied while waiting for Luke to see her face ("Luke Can See Her Face") is the renovation of the Dragonfly Inn. Ultimately it is the inn that defines the story arc of the fourth season since the test run for the Dragonfly not only ends the year but gives us the fateful moment when Luke and Lorelia agree they are dating ("Raincoats and Recipes"). Of course, this great leap forward for Luke and Lorelia is followed by Rory entering a whole new world of her own, which really deflates the other big moment because we know nothing good will come of it (as the fifth season will prove in time).
Once your focus in on Luke and Lorelia you can see how everything else that happens in the fourth season is just an excuse to keep them apart. This includes everything from Sookie's baby ("The Festival of Living Art") and the funeral of Lorelia the first ("The Reigning Lorelia") to Liz and T.J.'s wedding ("Last Week Fights, This Week Tights") and Emily moving out of the Gilmore mansion ("Afterboom"). One of the DVD extras is "Who Wants to Get Together," a montage of the season's most romantic moments, but that only underscores that nothing was as good as the final episode. There are only additional scenes for two episodes (ironically for a show where everybody talks fast the writers rarely overwrite episodes) and only on-screen factoids for one episode. Throw in the Stars Hollow Challenge trivia game and the pop culture reference guide and the DVD extras are decent enough. But obviously we keep coming back for the main course, even if that means more Friday night dinners.
Description of Gilmore Girls: The Complete Fourth Season (Digipack)
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/27/2005 Rating: NrBestsellers in DVD
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