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Gilmore Girls 2.05 "Nick & Nora/Sid & Nancy"
Original Air Date: October 30, 2001 (Recap date: December 13, 2007)
Photos, Recap & Discussion
Discussion Questions:
- When Luke first talks of Jess, he assumes that removing Jess from Liz will fix all Jess’ problems. Is this naive? Why would he think this way?
- Why is Paris still angry at Rory?
- Why is Luke being so tentative with Jess?
- Do you think it was significant that Jess picked up Rory’s photo after coming into their house?
- Why does Jess pretend he doesn’t read much? And why ask Rory to ditch with him?
- Do you agree with Jess? Is Lorelai naive when it comes to Luke?
- Why is Luke so mean to Lorelai?
- Is discipline what Jess needs? Will it make him respect Luke?
- Do you think Jess is more on par with Rory’s intellect than Dean?
- What are your first impressions of Jess?
Gilmore Girls Episode Recap & Photos:
Rory is worried about being late for her first day of class back at Chilton. Lane puts in an order for lots of 60s music from a store nearby. Luke has an upsetting call – he yells about someone not changing and arrangements being made. It’s his sister.
Luke is carrying back a copious amount of groceries from Doose’s, including Frosted Flakes – which makes Lorelai curious. Poor Luke – his box breaks and his groceries spill everywhere. Luke says they are for "someone who is not me". Luke says that his 17-year-old nephew is coming to live with him – his sister, Liz, cannot handle him. He may be on his way to getting into trouble and Liz has given up – Luke is supposed to ’straighten him out.’
Luke assumes Liz is the problem, though Lorelai cautions him to look into it. Communication is not Luke’s strong point. Lorelai tells Luke to get a proper bed for Jess, the nephew. And is surprised when she hears Luke has not talked with Jess about it. She does not think Luke is ready for it. Funny moment when Lorelai asks if he has more sheets and Luke says he does – only to bolt out to buy some after she leaves.
Looks like Rory’s issues with Paris are still there. Rory tries to call a truce. To co-exist. For the benefit of the Franklin (school paper).
Luke meets Jess at the bus – things couldn’t be more awkward. The instant he’s there, Jess dumps his bag, grabs his book and leaves. The music saying ‘this is hell’ mirrors Jess’ thoughts of the too-perfect Stars Hollow.
So much for the truce – Paris lied about when the Franklin meeting started, so Rory was late. She gets stuck covering the paving of the parking lot – which she intends to do an amazing job on. Rory assures Paris that no matter how evil she is, she will not back down. Rory bumps into Max on her way out, but bolts the other way.
Lorelai comes to meet Jess, but he’s ‘out’ somewhere. After telling Luke that he should know, Jess walks in. Lorelai is treated to her own word and series of nods. Lorelai invites them over for dinner. Rory vents about Paris and tries to say she didn’t see Max. Lorelai says it’s ok to see and talk to Max. She has to.
Jess is upstairs smoking. Luke doesn’t get mad. When Liz calls, Jess won’t speak with her. Luke tells Jess they are going to dinner with Lorelai & Rory the next day. Jess just walks out – not clear if he cares or is angry.
The Franklin advisor congratulates Paris on a great team – and in particular Rory, whose piece on pavement was bittersweet and amazing. Rory gloats. And the advisor suggests Paris give Rory better topics. So, Paris gives Rory the lead story, knowing it’s not what Rory wants – an interview with Max Medina, voted favorite teacher. Paris taunts Rory about her mom.
Sookie is preparing a mountain of food for the dinner. Jess picks up Rory’s photo before being ushered into the kitchen. He also walks right into her room after saying hi – and looks at her books. He says he doesn’t read. Jess encourages Rory to ditch with him, but she manages to keep him around. She ‘maybe’ looks trustworthy.
Jess grabs a beer from the fridge and goes outside. Lorelai finds him outside and thanks him for getting her a beer. Lorelai guesses he doesn’t want to be in Stars Hollow, to which he replies sarcastically that that would be "plum crazy." Lorelai tells Jess she’s mastered the stage of surliness he’s now in, but that Luke is a great guy and how comfortable it is to depend on him. Jess asks if Lorelai is sleeping with Luke. That she’s either "naive or gettin’ some". She gets mad at being talked to that way and Jess storms back with his own anger – that she doesn’t know anything about him, his mom or Luke.
Luke gets angry at Lorelai for talking to Jess. She felt like Luke needed help, he feels like Lorelai should stop assuming he’s unprepared. He says Lorelai is being condescending and then tells her that getting pregnant at 16 doesn’t really show the best decision making skills. That’s a big fight – they storm apart.
Lorelai won’t go into the diner – but Luke won’t serve Rory two danishes. He doesn’t want to give one to ‘her’. Lorelai then tries to get a kid to go in to get her coffee. Taylor calls – sounds like he’s accusing Jess of something.
Rory begins her interview of Max. Max wanted to be a clown! Rory recounts a story of being a kid and Lorelai chasing a clown to get her a new cotton candy. Rory tells Max that she really wanted him as a step-father – he reciprocates.
Luke tells Jess that Taylor had accused him of stealing from the charity jar. Jess is mad at Luke for ‘taking’ him away from what he knows. Luke agrees to ’shut up’. Then pushes Jess in the lake!
Lorelai reads the interview – is reminded of what a great guy Max is. Luke comes knocking on the door – his style of parenting (with the pushing into the lake) is bad. Luke admits he’s over his head. Luke has a panic attack about being bad around kids and having no patience for ‘jam hands’. Lorelai assures him he can do it - but it takes more than new sheets. Babette comes in looking for her gnome, Pierpont. Luke thinks he can sort it out and reminds Lorelai to come to the diner.
Luke-the-parent emerges - he comes in with a bag of things to get Jess to quit smoking. And sets down the rules, including working in the diner. And that he will return Taylor’s money and the gnome. He says he will not let Jess drift – and that is the end of the discussion. Nice and firm. Jess leaves.
Jess spots Rory and goes to walk with her. Shows her a magic trick. He then returns the book he stole from her – complete with his margin notes. He’d read it before – about 40 times. ‘What is much’ when it comes to reading? She says ‘good night Dodger’ - and asks him to figure it out. He knows – Oliver Twist. They both smile.
Image: TheWB.com
Tags: gilmore girls, gilmore girls season 2, jess, milo ventimiglia, nick nora sid nancy, gilmore girls episodes, gilmore girls photos, jess rory, gilmore girls screencaps
My first impression of Jess wasn’t a great one. I was sad that he was so mean to Lorelai, but I was also mad that Lorelai treated Luke like he was an idiot. Sure, he’d never raised a kid, but she didn’t have to talk to him like he was so stupid for trying to do a good thing. He was very naive for thinking the whole problem was his sister, but who would expect a kid like Jess to come along? He seemed like a pretty bad seed for Luke to have to put up with. Poor Luke. He tries so hard.
But what he said to Lorelai was so mean. I don’t know how she forgave him for that.
I always thought Luke’s response to Lorelai was out of character, down right mean. The very end, he says,” Don’t tell me what to do.”
I think, Lorelai was always naive, when it came to Luke. I wish Luke could of heard what she had said to Jess, Maybe, he would not have reacted in such a way. Jess was really a jerk, when he arrived in Stars Hollow. He would only show Rory what he was really like…
Jess is very jerk and theif,when he arrived in Stars Hollow.I was so mad that Jess not listen and rude to Luke,cuz he tried talk,nice and ask to him about something.I was mad Jess for not nice,insult and so mean to Lorelai,when she tried help and talk to him.I really hate that Luke not listen Lorelai,what she said about Jess,but she tried help Luke about him,cuz he never raised a kid.Poor Luke for hard time with Jess frist time.
I love part of when Luke pushes Jess in the lake then make me laugh.
Jess only want show Rory for what kind he really like,when he said Oliver Twist and Rory was smile and look at him.
2001 and it feels like it was yesterday! I feel so old
I think Luke was just taking out his frusterations with Jess out on Lorelai when he told her to but out of his life. However, I notice that the minute Luke realizes how the way Jess acts is getting to him (when he pushes him in the lake) Luke runs straight to Lorelai with the whole fight thing far from his mind. Lorelai also forgets they’re supposed to be fighting when she notices Luke is freaking out. I think it’s great they do that. Whenever Luke is in doubt of anything the only person who can get it out of him is Lorelai and she’s the only person he listens to. Example when Lorelai mentions sheets he buys sheets. When she sugguests he doesn’t give Jess the blow-up mattress he ends up sleeping on it.
The only times I like Jess in this episode is when he’s with Rory because that’s the only time he slips on his tough guy image. Of course it’s foreshadowing but I like that.
Jess’s arrival! I didn’t like him at all (sort of the 1st person to upset the apple cart) until the end when I saw some sort of potential with Rory’s dodger comment. Loved the push he got off the bridge – I watched that scene over and over!
More good sparing between Rory and Paris. Always a welcome sight.
Plus one of my favorites – “we were here first! – On the planet??”
BTW – my husband can’t stand this show and I tell him to go to the other TV and watch his shoot ‘em up shows and be quiet!
Regarding Jess’ arrival: Here I see a tought kid just looking for a sense of belonging that he never felt with his mother. All is bravado and attitude is a little boy crying out for love, attention and discipline. Yes, discipline because he needed some structure. I kind of felt empathy for him and I think Rory recognized it too somehow.
As for Lorelei: She is used to dealing with a Dean type character and really is put off by Jess, understandably. Both she and Luke become territorial. Luke is new at this game but usually ends up acquiescing to LG after some time.
I apologize for not proof reading my above notes.
I think Luke is immediately concerned for Jess, almost giving the impression that he’s questioned his sister’s ability to parent before, tantamount to inviting him to stay in past. His main concern is to separate Jess from his mom – Luke firmly believes Liz is a flake. In his mind, the solution is as simple as that: Liz can’t do it, Luke fixes it. (Later episodes usually show them interacting just so.)
Paris is still angry at Rory because Paris is Paris, and she holds her grudges with a deathgrip. But at the same time, I think this year there’s just a little less hostility thrown at Rory; or perhaps, she’s older, more confident and secure in herself, so she’s handling it better. I think Liza Weil shows incredible acting abilities when she and Rory talk of “coexisting” – her face looks so warm and genuine!
Luke is being tentative with Jess because he doesn’t know him, and he doesn’t how to “be a parent”. (Later in the series, when Luke develops his “I’m the boss, do it my way” yelling disciplinary methods and the chemistry between Luke and Jess falls into regularity is when the real comedy begins.) When Luke doesn’t know how to act in any given situation, he’s nice. That’s just how he his. Plus, I’m sure he feels kind of bad for Jess at first. Until he learns better.
I definitely think Jess holding Rory’s photo is significant; after all, two seasons from now he declares, “You know we’re supposed to be together, I knew it from the first time I saw you two years ago!” Jess picks up the photo presumably to check out the “daughter about your age” Luke mentioned. And apparently, she’s satisfactory, because when they meet he seems amicable for the first time in the whole episode.
Jess really isn’t the type to volunteer information about himself – that’s why he doesn’t tell Rory that he’s a bookworm too. According to his season four assertion, he “knew it from the first time” that he saw Rory. Asking her to escape through the window shows that he likes her, and it also show how spontaneous and uncaring he is at first, before Rory gets to his good side.
I don’t think it’s that Lorelai’s naïve; it’s more like she really thinks Luke is a good person, and in describing these qualities, she unknowingly slips into sounding a little love-dazed, which Jess immediately picks up on. It’s one of the rare moments in the early seasons in which we see Lorelai harboring secret feelings for Luke – feelings that she’s unaware of, of course. Jess shows up and exposes them, but being a hoodlum she discredits his input.
Luke’s mean to Lorelai because she sometimes has a know-it-all air about her, especially in areas that are clearly her expertise, such as parenting. Luke doesn’t like her implications that he can’t handle Jess, and when she totally disses Jess, “That kid is way more screwed up than you think he is” he gets pretty angry. The thing is, Lorelai is always right about this kind of thing – remember Shane in the closet in season 3? – and Luke knows it, too, so that’s why he’s loathe to take Lorelai’s input on it, because he wants to show that he can handle it.
I don’t think it’s quite discipline that Jess needs – more like stability, and for someone to really care about him, his interests, and his achievements. Over the course of the series, Jess’s maturity is a direct result of Luke’s influence, and by season six, he’s realized this and does truly respect and love his uncle. Right now, though, he’s got zero respect for Luke – I don’t think it really starts budding until season three.
Jess’s intelligence isn’t really expanded on so much in this episode, further than her likes the same books as Rory. The romantic chemistry between isn’t really evident (at least from Rory’s side) until the end of the episode. At their first meeting he’s really just “Luke’s nephew” to her, a potential friend, but nothing more. Once they’ve got some common ground – books – Rory’s interest is definitely piqued. To have read Howl, and put (presumably) clever notes in the margins, as well as being familiar with Oliver Twist, definitely gives him an edge over Dean The BattleBots Loving Machine.
My first impression of Jess was definitely a negative one – kind of. He’s a sarcastic, rude kid that’s mean to characters we know and love (minus Rory), but at the same time he stirs up some interesting drama. He drinks, smokes, steals, and it’s implied that he picks locks. However, his character is very intriguing – the magic tricks, the poker, the unexpected love of literature, and his overall “bad boy” persona makes him a direct contrast to Dean. Plus, Milo Ventimiglia displays perfect Gilmore pace, and he’s very good looking, giving his character more than a few points. He fits in nicely. Sort of. Jess gives the impression of a bad kid that’s beyond fixing – it’s nice to remember his final appearance in the series and realize how he much he’s changed.
how come dean wanst in this esp
[...] a Comment // In ‘Nick & Nora/Sid & Nancy‘, we meet Jess. Ah, Jess. How we will come to love you (well, most of us anyway). But at [...]