[S3E15] It Happened One Night

What Aria did learn is that LORD BYRON got mom pretty drunk off red wine, and that mom is a very deep sleeper. So yes, this definitely feeds into the case of LORD BYRON being up to no good that night. Poor Aria.

[S3E15] It Happened One Night

Other adults in SH are apparently just as bored, because they show up to the hockey match in droves. Kirk is there, announcing the game even though he clearly doesn't know dick about hockey. Babette and Miss Patty sing the national anthem, because of course they do. I'm surprised Sookie and Jackson aren't there. Nothing says hot date night in SH quite like a high school sporting event.

Thoughts:As previously mentioned, Taylor's family is in town and oh yay, they're all staying at the Independence Inn. Lorelai and Michel are going to have a blast hosting a bunch of light sleepers who are prone to night terrors and allergic to bedclothes. Are we 100% sure that Kirk isn't related to Taylor? Finding out that Kirk is Taylor's illegitimate son would explain so much.

Emily is stressed out at Friday night dinner because Gran is coming to stay for a few days and won't stop calling with questions and demands. Lorelai and Rory are secretly happy about this because it provides a nice distraction for their warp speed eating. They both have dates that night and need to gtfo by 8:30 PM. Unfortunately for them, Emily Gilmore is sharp as a tack and realizes what they're trying to do in spite of all the mattress delivery and towel inquiry interruptions.

The next day, as they walk to Luke's, Rory tells Lorelai about her hot night of cleaning and organizing. In one of her finest parenting moments, Lorelai asks her why the fuck she didn't just call Jess. When Rory responds with her standard teen girl bullshit ("because he said he'd call me"), Lorelai expresses her opinion but doesn't try to control the situation. Why isn't Lorelai this reasonable all the time (she has a secret meth addiction)?

On the night of the big game, Lorelai calls the house to check her messages and finds that Rory is home alone, sitting around like a sad sack, waiting for Jess to call. After a brief pep talk, she convinces Rory to third wheel Lane's fake date with Yiung Chui at the hockey game. Later, when Lorelai is back at home, Jess swings by and asks for Rory. Lorelai tells him that he's an asshole and needs to treat Rory better. I normally hate when Lorelai interferes in Rory's personal life, but when I imagine myself in her position, I don't think I could contain my rage, either.

As much as she tries to remain civil, all hell breaks loose after Emily sees Gran making out with an old coot in a track suit. Lorelai, the strange voice of reason, convinces Emily to stay quiet, but all bets are off after Gran humiliates her for the 100th time of the night. Emily exposes Gran and her paramour in front of all of the other old biddies and after a heartfelt apology and explanation, the two women reach a terse point of understanding. As far as B plots go, this one is relatively solid.

People do crazy things for love, which was basically the theme of the night, but most of us draw the line at smuggling drugs across international borders. He really couldn't find another way to come up with the money?

This is the most entertaining blog ever. I just finished watching the last Srugim episode last night on DVD and have loved reading this commentary. You know what would be awesome? To make a list of all the songs and singers played at the end of the episodes.

Radar is back on the phone with HQ explaining what happened, and the 2nd Lieutenant (the same one Radar talked to before) admits that intel was wrong and the 4077th is indeed being shelled, but he then tells Radar that "there's nothing to worry about; you're being hit by your own artillery." Radar asks what he can do about it, but when the Lieutenant sheepishly tells him that he can't get hold of anyone directing the firing because "they're all at the Bob Hope show", Radar angrily hangs up on him.

Henry orders the camp to prepare survival kits in case they need to evacuate. As the doctors pack, a jealous Frank pesters Trapper about what happened in the supply room. Trapper tries to tell him nothing happened, but Frank goes to question Margaret who says the same thing. Jealousy gets the better of Frank and he blurts out that he wants to marry Margaret, but when she asks him to say it again, they are interrupted by another barrage of shell fire; Frank loses his nerve and runs out of Margaret's tent. (This scene between Frank and Margaret in her tent is usually cut in syndicated airings - which makes the final scene a bit confusing.)

Am I the only one who thinks it's kind of weird that there wasn't also a content warning in the season premiere for Ushari's death? Then again, villains die all the time in Disney films, which don't have blatant content warnings, so why would shows based on them be any different? What makes Queen Janna's death especially painful is that Mama Binturong and the others just tried to assassinate her two episodes ago. Speaking of which, the reason why I'm skipping episode 14 is because it's a filler episode about animals at the Tree of Life being scared of Beshte because he unintentionally causes destruction wherever he goes and never notices, they think his catchphrase is his name, and they've never seen a hippo before. It's stupid. The villains don't even show up. Anyways, in this episode, it starts with the bad guys cornering a Siberian tiger mom and her three cubs. She tells her kids to run to the Tree of Life and says she'll be right behind them. Before Chuluun can get them, she's confronted by the combined forces of the Lion Guard and the Night Pride. They fight her, Ora, and Makucha while Bunga and Beshte help the cubs. Also, there's not a lot of comedy in this episode, but when there is, it always involves Bunga and the tiger cubs, Feliks, Polina, and Pasha. I only smiled at their antics at the very beginning, before we even learn about Queen Janna. Anyways, the villains run away, the tiger mom isn't hurt, and she's reunited with her cubs. Her name is Varya. She came to the Tree of Life because she heard that it would be a safe place to raise her cubs. It's up to the queen if they get to stay, but before they can see her, Ullu tells Rani that Janna has asked to see her, the rest of the Night Pride, and Kion. They see all of the animals gathered at the Tree of Life. Nirmala says that it seems like Queen Janna's time has come. Baliyo doesn't want to go in at first, but Surak, Nirmala, and Rani assure him that they'll be there with him. The voice acting in this episode is amazing for pretty much all of the characters, but especially Rani. It honestly sounds like Peyton is about to or has already started crying during the first half of the episode. And the music! The animation! It's all so beautiful and heartbreaking and wonderful all at the same time! Makini is with Queen Janna, but she's not doing well. She's dying of old age, and exchanges some final words with everyone. She's glad that she got to see the Roar return to the Tree of Life. She only regrets that she won't live long enough to see Kion complete his healing, but at least she knows he's here. She hopes he finds peace, and maybe even chooses to stay. When she puts her paw on his right shoulder, a Night Pride mark appears and then fades, like when Kion got his Lion Guard mark after he used the Roar for the first time. Kion thanks her for everything. She tells Baliyo to stay strong for Rani. The healing powers of the Tree of Life now belong to Nirmala, who promises the queen that she will continue to help all who are hurting. Janna tells her son Surak to give Rani wisdom, but let her find her own path as well. Finally, she tells Rani that it's time. Rani says that she isn't ready and still has so much to learn. Her grandmother tells her that she is ready, and she has everything she needs to be queen. She won't be alone. The Night Pride will stand beside her, and her new Royal Mjuzi, Makini, will help guide her. Rani starts crying, and promises to do her best. Queen Janna closes her eyes for the last time, and everyone starts crying. Rani says goodbye to her, and starts sobbing. Kion goes up to her and tells her that he's sorry. She thanks him and buries her head into his chest, and he starts crying too. They eventually leave and see all of the animals still waiting outside. Rani realizes that someone has to tell them, and decides to do it herself. However, Makini tells her that as her Royal Mjuzi, this is her duty. She tells everyone that Queen Janna has passed away. As is tradition, they will gather at the willows to say goodbye to her, and the coronation to make Rani the new Queen of the Tree of Life will happen at sunset. We basically see a funeral procession as everyone lays down flowers by the willow trees, marking Queen Janna's grave. Kion talks to Rani, who is further away from everyone else. She's staring at the Tree of Life, and like Baliyo, she's still crying. She assures Kion that she'll be okay. She'll miss having her grandmother here. She thought she'd have more time to learn from her. Queen Janna was so wise. She always knew the right thing to do. Rani tells Kion that if her grandmother hadn't insisted, she never would've let him in. She's worried that she can't be a good queen. Kion tells her that when he first got the Roar, he didn't think he could be the leader of the Lion Guard, but then he found the strength he needed inside him. His grandfather Mufasa taught him that. Rani asks him if he still talks to his grandfather, and learns that he hasn't spoken to him since he got his scar. Queen Janna told her the story of what Scar did to Mufasa, so the show can conveniently avoid using words like "killed," "murdered," or "assassinated." Kion doesn't think he can face Mufasa until his scar is healed, but Rani tells him that they all have their scars, and shows him the one she has on the inside of her right forepaw. Interesting. She has a scar and a mark on her right side, much like how Kion has a scar and a mark on his left side. It's like they mirror each other. Rani tells Kion that they're the same. Her grandmother reminded her of that when she wasn't sure if the Night Pride should welcome him to the Tree of Life. Rani is glad that she did, and so is Kion. Queen Janna always said exactly what Rani needed to hear, and talking to her always made her feel better. Rani suggests that Kion might feel better if he talked to his grandfather. He says that he might, and tells her that she's a lot like her grandmother. She knows just what to say too. The other members of their teams talk about Queen Janna, and Nirmala tells Fuli that now they have to prepare for Rani's coronation. She enters the Tree of Life and tells her grandmother that it won't be the same without her. She hears a rustling noise, but it's just Makini. She shows her paintings behind the vines of the Tree of Life that show its past, including Queen Janna's stories. Makini has been working on them since she and the Guard arrived. Queen Janna wanted to make sure that Rani had all of her wisdom whenever she needed it, and Rani realizes that this is what her grandmother meant about having everything she needed to be queen. Varya and her cubs come in and ask Rani if they can stay, and she says yes. Kion speaks to Mufasa again, who was worried that he had forgotten about him. Kion tells him that he was afraid to face him after he got his scar, and especially when he got angry and lost control of the Roar. He was worried that he would turn evil like Scar. Mufasa tells Kion that he could've talked to him at any time, and reminds him that he said he would always be there for him, no matter what. That hasn't changed, and it never will. Kion thanks him. He feels better now. He apologizes for staying away and promises that he won't be afraid to talk to Mufasa again. They missed each other. Rani and Bunga take Varya and her cubs to a snowy forest, which should be a perfect home for them. However, a herd of musk deer doesn't want a tiger family living near them. Rani assures them that they know the rules and respect the Circle of Life. The leader of the musk deer, Kiril, asks Rani if she's sure that she knows the rules. Her grandmother died today, you jackass, and she's been put in a position of power that she thought she'd have more time to prepare for, kind of like a young Queen Elizabeth II. Anyways, Rani tells him that she's still learning, but she's willing to give the tigers a chance. No Mom, not the Detroit Tigers. Varya came here hoping to find a safe place to raise her cubs. She wouldn't risk being kicked out by disrespecting the Circle of Life. Kiril tells his herd that the tigers are welcome by decree of Queen Rani. She and Bunga rush back to the Tree of Life for her coronation. Everyone sings a song, appropriately titled Long Live the Queen, just like the episode, as Rani is crowned the new Queen of the Tree of Life by Makini painting a blue stripe on her forehead. She tells her that Queen Janna would be proud. That night, Rani passes by her grandmother's grave, looks up at the sky, and tells her that she was right. She is ready. We don't see or hear Janna, but she's listening, because the clouds part to let moonlight shine on her worthy successor. 041b061a72