Gilmore Girls Recap: I Get a Sidekick out of You (Contains Spoilers)

As Joe Cocker soulfully sang it in The Wonder Years theme song, “I get by with a little help from my friends”.  Some of my new Give Me My Remote friends are becoming part of the team, and I couldn’t be more excited. 

Over the past few weeks I’ve had a great response to the recaps I’ve been posting.  I’d love to do recaps for all my shows, but there just aren’t enough hours in day. But with the help from a few new “guest” recappers, Give Me My Remote will be offering more recaps on some of your favorite shows. 

Our very first guest recapper, Julie took on last night’s Gilmore Girls…and much like Lorelai – Julie was hammered. Kidding, kidding…no she rocked!  So enjoy a recap of last night’s Gilmore Girls, and if you enjoyed Julie’s recap then make sure to leave a comment and let her know!!

“I Get A Sidekick out of You”

Last time on Gilmore Girls, Logan planned a basejump off a cliff plus river rafting trip with the Life and Death Brigade. Lorelai offered to tailor Mrs. Kim’s old wedding gown for Lane. Rory went to Jess’ bookstore opening, where she bumped into Luke and April.

We open with Mama Kim in typical bossy form, arranging food preparation for Lane’s wedding. She’s busy and preoccupied, and she won’t let Lane do a thing. Lorelai pops by with the much-altered wedding dress (hey, it’s got a waist!). To Lane and Lorelai’s surprise, Mama Kim is so distracted that she gives her approval without much hesitation.

But upon hearing the Luke is out of town and Lorelai plans to go stag to Lane’s wedding, Mama Kim is jolted from her stupor. She runs out the door after Lorelai, insisting that she bring a date, lest she be thought, you know, for sale. Gosh, Mama Kim, way to put it delicately. As she exits, Lorelai says to herself, “Lorelai Gilmore: disappointing mothers since 1968.” Aww.

Meanwhile, Rory’s hard at work at the newspaper, bantering with Paris over a story. Two girls, apparently dating other members of the Life and Death Brigade, arrive with a proposition for Rory: fly to Costa Rica to meet their men at the foot of the river. With Lane’s wedding to attend, Rory declines. Doesn’t sound like she’s missing her lad quite as much as the other lasses.

Back at the Dragonfly, Michel has graciously offered to attend the wedding with Lorelai, and is adding a few stipulations: namely, that she wear a blue dress (to coordinate with his ensemble) and be prepared to dance (because he likes to get down). As Lorelai answers a call from Chris, Michel hilariously demonstrates his dancing skills. Chris is calling to ask if he can buy Rory a Sidekick. Lorelai, no stranger to the need for rapid-fire communication, says of course.

When Rory heads to Kim’s Antiques, she runs into a rapidly-moving Lane and Mrs. Kim, frantically Buddha-izing their home in anticipation of Grandmama Kim’s surprise arrival. Grandmama Kim hasn’t left Korea in 45 years, is a devout Buddhist, and has no idea the Stars Hollow Kims are Seventh Day Adventist. When GK arrives, she gives Lane an energetic hug, after which much Korean is spoken with a critical tone and an upturned nose. Looks like disappointing moms isn’t just a Gilmore talent.

Later, at Lane’s bachelorette party, Rory, Lane, Sookie, Lorelai, and a few other tiara-lei-blinky-light-wearing ladies are out on the town. Of course, in Stars Hollow, you can’t get very “out on the town” when the risque movie you wanted to see (American Gigolo) is showing at the wrong time and the two bars in town are closed. The ladies bump into Zach’s equally raucous bachelor party, including Gil and Brian, and eventually head back to Brian’s parents’ house for some foosball.

The next day, a dolled-up Lorelai gets a call from Michel. Guess who’s ditching her for some front-row seats to see Celine Dion? Three guesses. In typical Michel fashion, he leaves her sans date. Luckily, Rory is having a Sidekick-conversation with Christopher at the time. After confirming that he has no plans (no, eating 4 tacos does not count as plans), they wrangle him into attending the wedding with Lorelai.

At last, the moment we’ve all been waiting for: Lane and Zach in traditional dress (and I mean dress) for their Buddhist wedding ceremony. The ceremony continues despite an interruption from a loudly whispering Mama and Grandmama Kim. Halfway through, Grandmama Kim leaves the room. When the ceremony’s over, she departs angrily, immediately, in a taxi. Then, suddenly, the guests look like they’re taking part in the running of the bulls at Pamplona. What’s the rush? Turns out the Buddhist wedding was just staged for Grandmama Kim. The real wedding is taking place down at the church – a church that contains only 58 seats for 62 Korean attendees. You do the math. Or the hustle – whatever will get you a spot in a pew.

Once everyone’s settled at the church, Lane and her mom have a brief discussion of wedding night..er…obligations. Mama Kim explains how kissing will be required, along with other…things. She ends by saying “hopefully, if you’re lucky like me, you’ll only have to do it once.” However, the way Zach is looking in his suit, Lane probably won’t mind. Looking radiant herself, Lane walks down the aisle towards a very happy Zach. They get hitched as Brian the best man and Rory the maid of honor look on.

Watching the (second) ceremony, Lorelai talks to Chris about how she remembers when Rory met Lane back in kindergarten. She says Lane’s the first of Rory’s friends to get married. Chris speculates that Rory might be next, and Lorelai says she knows, with an expression that is full of love and joy and sadness all at once.

Out in the town square, now a married man, Zach waxes poetic about the Buddhist robe he wore for the ceremony. (I’m sensing a trend here. Does anyone remember T.J. and the tights? Do all just-married men do this?) Lorelai and others search in vain for the bar as a parade of Korean guests (Mama Kim’s friends) grabs food, drops off money, and leaves in a hurry. Mama Kim thanks Lane for having two weddings, and says she’ll be wearing the good earplugs that night so she can’t hear all the revelry out in the streets. With that, a truck drops by with the booze, Lorelai rips off the long skirt of Lane’s wedding gown, and partying ensues.

There’s ‘Heart of Glass’ coming through the speakers and people are dancing up a storm. Too bad Michel’s not there! Rory, Lorelai, and Chris are seated at a table with Sookie and Jackson. A tipsy Lane and Zach stop by for a picture. As Lorelai checks it out on Rory’s camera, she notices the pictures of April taken when Rory was in Philadelphia. Lorelai is understandably upset that this is the first she’s heard of Rory or Luke going out to see Jess, but she brushes it off like nothing’s wrong and goes to get drinks.

Lane and Zach’s band, Hep Alien, launches into a rocking performance of “I’m A Believer” as Chris tells Rory he approves of Logan. When the song’s over, Brian and Rory launch into joking toasts about the bride and groom. Meanwhile, Lorelai has returned with a tray of tequila shots and is getting quite toasted herself.

To everyone’s embarrassment, she stumbles up to the microphone and does a toast of her own. It starts off nice, describing how happy she is to see Lane get married. Lane, the adorable girl she’s known forever, the twenty-two-year old girl, is getting married. Then it turns uncomfortable as Lorelai continues on how she herself is NOT getting married, ever, certainly not on June 3rd, nope, no need for people to mark their calendars, not getting married. It’s honest and painful and everyone is relieved when Rory and Chris gently pull her off stage.

Chris and Rory are just getting back to the Gilmore home, with passed-out Lorelai in tow, when Rory gets a call that Logan’s hurt and is being airlifted to a hospital in New York. Rory departs immediately, leaving Chris to carry Lorelai upstairs. A phone call later awakens Lorelai, upstairs in her bed. Luke’s on the phone, but who’s sleeping on the couch in Lorelai’s bedroom? It’s Chris. He leaves the room while a guilty-looking Lorelai carries on her conversation with Luke.

On the next Gilmore Girls:
Logan is hurt – badly. I can’t wait! (Just kidding, I kinda like his cute rich blondness.)