Fans Found Gilmore Girls' 'Keg! Max!' Episode Unbearably Cringey
To err is human. To be cringe is unforgivable. Even the most beloved cultural artifacts are guilty of delving into cringe territory, including Amy Sherman-Palladino's motor-mouthed cult favorite, "Gilmore Girls." Insofar as cringe levels go, the Season 3 episode "Max! Keg!" takes the cake, according to fans.
"Max! Keg!" is perhaps best remembered for the climactic fight between Jess and Dean, but the episode is plenty uncomfortable before the infamous fisticuffs. "This episode truly has all of my least favorite scenes all bunched up at once," posted u/spicymemories19 before checking off a laundry list of moments: Lorelai doing turndown service for Luke and Nicole, Kyle's awkward party, Lorelai confronting Max in his office, and Jess getting handsy with Rory. "Name a cringier episode, I'll wait," added the Reddit user.
Fans chimed in to agree, especially regarding the moments leading up to Lane's band's house party gig. "Whenever 'Gilmore Girls' characters talk about 'rock and roll!' or 'I have to rock!' I cringe so bad omg," wrote u/icetslovechild. "The girl that yells 'rock and roll' makes me wanna eat my fist," added u/JuliaAstrowsly. "I can't explain it." Others, however, looked back fondly at the episode in spite of its flaws.
Some fans find the awkwardness charming and relatable
The centerpiece of "Max! Keg!" is Kyle's house party, where Lane's band plays their first show and the teens of Stars Hollow prove themselves to be an especially uncool bunch. Still, some "Gilmore Girls" fans find the awkward party to be funny and even charming. "In my opinion, I find it so cringey to the point where it's hilarious," wrote u/Inevitable-Struggle5. "Mostly the scenes with the band and Kyle running around the house trying to make sure all of his parents' important items are hidden is always so funny to me."
Indeed, all the cool kid posturing is truer to life than most fictional teen parties, and Rory's MC skills are characteristically stiff. When she asks the room who wants to hear some tunes and they respond with cheers, she says, "Ok, good, there's a consensus." In one fan's opinion, "Girl got shoved so far out of her comfort zone and she was doing her best!"
Meanwhile, Lorelai lets Luke and Nicole stay a night at the inn, but she doesn't expect to do personal turndown service for the couple. It's far from the worst thing that Luke did to Lorelai, but it's still hard to watch, according to sympathetic fans. "I love Lauren Graham's acting in that scene," noted u/BuffaloEnough703 of the intentionally cringey sequence. "It's so funny and endearing and also totally relatable if you've ever had to navigate trying to act 'normal' around someone you maybe have feelings for when they're dating someone else."