Nitpicking

[eledgy]

LORELAI: Do you know that the best things in my life have happened when it snowed?

RORY: Why, yes, I do.

LORELAI: My best birthday.

RORY: Your first kiss.

LORELAI: Your first steps. They all happened when it snowed.

 

 

It's not Rory's being born that happened during snow, it was her first steps. So with an October birthday, her starting to walk could be anywhere from October through December (12-14 months being a typical timeframe for first steps.)

 

I've lived my whole life in New England and New York---though there has been the occasional freak snowstorm in October (there was 3 years ago, the day before Halloween), big storms aren't typical before Christmas. Light flurries often start late November, early December. So definitely feasible that Lorelai would remember snow of some form coming down the day Rory first walked.

Edited September 30, 2014 by eledgy

[junienmomo]

Hmmm, if ASP used a bunch of ILY with L/C, then I'm guessing she really didn't value it for this production. Not the way i would do it, but it's her story. The general lack of PDA bugs me often, especially among the older-than-college-age people. I did see a YouTube video the other day about L/L over the seasons, and it was beautiful, so I'm slightly comforted. :)

[graefin]

I just watched the Yale graduation (only for the second time since I faithfully avoid all things Season 7) and don't quite get all of the angst surrounding the "four tickets per family" rule.  The graduation was held outdoors in a courtyard - there were only about 30 seats for the graduates and just a few more for the families but surely anyone who wanted to attend could do so and just stand at the back. Plus Logan was standing across the yard under a tree.  All of Stars Hollow could certainly have been there with no problem.  Of course, that doesn't fit the story line.

In fact, tickets to graduation *are* limited (at least they were at my university), so this was fairly realistic. When I graduated, extra tickets were being sold for hundreds of dollars. Even if the ceremony is held outdoors, there is still limited space.

[dustylil]

I could never understand why the residents of Stars Hollow wanted to attend the ceremony in the first place.  True, it is Rory and all things concerning her are worthy of rapt attention. But she was one of a large number of  graduates and didn't achieve any particular academic distinction while at Yale. She wasn't making any speeches or being given any prizes, Her accomplishments at Chilton were more significant and I don't recall the townies clamoring to be at the Chilton ceremony. A graduation party in the town, sure. But schlepping all the way to New Haven to attend a lengthy ceremony  involving hordes of strangers in black gowns trudging to and from a stage? Seems less likely.

 

I confess to  wondering if the headline in the Stars Hollow Gazette that day read "Local Felon Graduates From Yale".

Edited September 30, 2014 by dustylil

[txhorns79]

I could never understand why the residents of Stars Hollow wanted to attend the ceremony in the first place.

 

Because they love Rory, felt like they had been part of her life and wanted to be there for a big life event?  I would presume that is why anyone would attend a graduation ceremony.  I mean, I recall mine having thousands of people attend, and I doubt they were there because they found the whole thing fascinating.         

[dustylil]

Thousands of people attended my undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremonies too. But I had assumed they had a personal connection to at least one of the students involved - parents, siblings, spouses/partners, other family members,  and close friends. They were there to honour and celebrate the achievement of someone close to them.

 

Rory had barely been back to Stars Hollow since completing Chilton. She was at Yale and then spent two summers in Europe, one summer sulking in Hartford, and then the final summer presumably  scrambling to catch up to her graduating class. I am sure the townies wished Rory well and were pleased for her. However,  it continues to strike me as farfetched that  - beyond a group of about ten to fifteen - a large number of Stars Hollow residents would take a half day off work, get babysitters, re-arrange their own schedules and drive/carpool out of town to attend a ceremony for someone who hadn't been part of their community for four years.

[txhorns79]

I can't speak to the motivations of the characters in that situation, but I didn't have the impression that Rory was not considered part of the Stars Hollow community, or the townie characters viewed their relationship with her in terms of the literal time she had spent in Stars Hollow during the last few seasons.  Though, I honestly didn't remember the show saying that every single person who attended her graduation party had been planning on attending her graduation ceremony.    

 

Here's my nitpick, Luke finds out that Jess is cutting class because of his award from WalMart.  We later find out that Jess has been so truant that he won't graduate, and warnings were previously given to Jess.   How was it that that no one from Stars Hollow High ever contacted Luke regarding this?  It seems like as Jess' guardian, they would have clued him in at some point.  It isn't as though a school suddenly cuts off all contact with the parents or guardian of a student simply because the student turns 18.     

Edited October 1, 2014 by txhorns79

[blueray]

I just watched the episode with Rory's birthday parties from season 1. And to be nitpicky why was Sookie still making appitizers when they had moved on to cake? Shouldn't they have already eaten them.

[junienmomo]

Considering the size of the cake and the guests, they would have gone back to drinking pretty quickly. Tasty snacks would fit right in. Don't forget that Sookie is a compulsive chef, she can hardly stop once she gets going.

[JayInChicago]

Related to Jess, why wasn't the Stars Hollow High principal an important part of town life?  You think he would have been. 

[junienmomo]

I think we saw Stars Hollow as a series of businesses, and the schools were incidental, existing to support the existence of a couple of key characters. That's why principals of the schools would have been outsiders to our story.

Too bad they didn't make more out of Butch Danes. There could have been a couple of good stories there, rather than the overused bleacher joke.

[dustylil]

Inasmuch that nobody seemed to think all that much of the schools in Stars Hollow - even Taylor Doose, the town's chief booster, didn't rebuke either Gilmore for Rory decamping to Chilton! - I am not sure the principal would be regarded as all that significant a figure in Stars Hollow's civic life.

As to municipal officials in general - given Rory's love of books and their modest means for much of her early years, I had  kind of hoped that the town librarian would have been an on-going, meaningful person in her life while she lived in Stars Hollow.

Edited October 2, 2014 by dustylil

[blueray]

Considering the size of the cake and the guests, they would have gone back to drinking pretty quickly. Tasty snacks would fit right in. Don't forget that Sookie is a compulsive chef, she can hardly stop once she gets going.

That's true, good point. Even if they were done eating Sookie probably would still be cooking lol.

[txhorns79]

Even if they were done eating Sookie probably would still be cooking lol.

 

Yeah, wasn't she the one who made what looked like 50,000 broccoli tarts for that catering gig for Emily?  I was like: "You've just spent whatever profit you hoped to make Sookie, because no way is Emily going to reimburse you for all those tarts."

Edited October 3, 2014 by txhorns79

[JayInChicago]

Am I the only one who, when season one starts again thinks "why is Kevin Arnold's grandpa mayor?"

Also where the heck does Michel live? Is he commuting from New York?!? He seems to despise stars hollow and all small towns.

[dustylil]

I don't know anything about Kevin Arnold's grandpa, but I did wonder how two residents of 704 Hauser Street, Queens, New York ended up in Stars Hollow ;)

[JayInChicago]

am i the only one who actually likes Richard's mustache?

[solotrek]

Yeah, wasn't she the one who made what looked like 50,000 broccoli tarts for that catering gig for Emily?  I was like: "You've just spent whatever profit you hoped to make Sookie, because no way is Emily going to reimburse you for all those tarts."

I think the most egregious part of that was the fact that after the gig fell through with Emily, she threw them all out. Like, literally dumping them into the garbage can. Freeze them. Eat them. Sell them somewhere. Hell, they used Luke a lot, I'm sure they could have cajoled him into buying it off them and then reselling them. Sookie was the worst business partner.

[dustylil]

Defending Sookie - a phrase not often in my vocabulary - she didn't toss out all the broccoli tarts. She froze a great number of them - both in her own freezer and in Lorelai's.

I doubt if they could have sold them to Luke. He may have been a pushover in many ways but those tarts scarcely seem like diner food. Doose's Market may have been a possibility but there may have been restrictions - as there are in many communities - concerning selling home-prepared foods in commercial venues.

Perhaps they could have been donated to a shelter or a soup kitchen and they could have taken some sort of charitable write-off.

I do agree  Sookie was a rotten business partner - from their catering days through the development and running of the Dragonfly. But did not think the broccoli tart incident was an example of it.

[junienmomo]

50,000 broccoli tarts, 1,000 yellow daisy plants, I write all of this off to poetic license in TV land. GG did use a number of ridiculous mechanisms to create funny visuals.

Think Kirk in an acrylic box. That certainly would have solved his bed problem earlier in the series.

[txhorns79]

50,000 broccoli tarts, 1,000 yellow daisy plants, I write all of this off to poetic license in TV land. GG did use a number of ridiculous mechanisms to create funny visuals.

 

I thought the daisy plants worked, if only because it was meant as a grand romantic gesture for a proposal, and was what Lorelai had suggested she wanted. 

 

To me, making what looked thousands of tarts was just wasteful.  Though, it was a kind of callback to that earlier episode where Sookie must have wasted quite a bit of money on all that inappropriate food she made for that kid's birthday party she and Lorelai catered.  And that doesn't even get into the money they had to spend to buy the more kid-appropriate food at the last minute.  It all combines to give you a good idea of what a lousy business partner Sookie could be at times. 

[John Potts]

What bugged me was that the Gilmores always had take out. Seriously? Lorelei was a struggling single mum who lived in a shed for the first few years of her daughter's life and yet she can't make spaghetti bolognese (store bought sauce, obviously)? Or any other cheap to make foods (like meatloaf). I know there's meant to be suspension of disbelief but it did strike me that Lorelei wouldn't have so many (occassional) money issues if she just learned to boil an egg!

[JayInChicago]

I guess it was meant as one of her character's 'lovely' quirks--it also gave them ample reason to use Luke and Luke's Diner more than most drama-coms not set in a restaurant. Does anyone have a place they go to as much as Lorelai goes to Luke's?  Though it was more than hinted that a portion of her food there was offered and taken without charge :)

 

Not that I disagree with that nitpick. 

 

And yeah, Sookie is kind of a super terrible business partner. For me it didn't stick out until multiple rewatchings.

 

Oh and am apparently now rewatching the series again? For the...I dunno, fourth time in a row?!?!

Maaaaax Medina. Those are the tortured sounds I hear at night.

[JayInChicago]

also--is making a dress much cheaper than buying one? or does Lorelai just enjoy making clothes? 

[txhorns79]

And yeah, Sookie is kind of a super terrible business partner. For me it didn't stick out until multiple rewatchings.

 

It just amazes me that Sookie literally becomes exactly what Lorelai was scared of when they were first discussing their partnership.  I almost want to say she makes herself seem even more incompetent than she actually is just to get Lorelai to take on more responsibility.  

 

also--is making a dress much cheaper than buying one? or does Lorelai just enjoy making clothes?

 

Depends on the quality of the outfit.  You could probably buy some very cheap clothes that would approximate the cost in money, time and labor you would put into making a dress, but presumably your handmade outfit would last longer and save you money in the long run. 

[Taryn74]

Maaaaax Medina. Those are the tortured sounds I hear at night.

 

 

You are responsible for me choking on my own spit just now.  Thanks for that.

[JayInChicago]

Do you think Dean's parents cared that he was out all night in the Rory's Dance episode?

[deepfriedcake]

Dean? Dean had parents? Don't forget, Rory didn't even know his little sister until after they broke up the first time.
 

Maaaaax Medina. Those are the tortured sounds I hear at night.

HA!!! I can't stop laughing at this!

[Anela]

I can't remember the name of the episode - it's playing right now, and I'm wearing wireless headphones whilst I'm up here - when Michel's dog dies?

 

Why were Lorelai and Sookie so weird about the funeral? Was it just because it was Michel? (I know that he seems to hate everyone.) Because Cinnnamon's Wake was one of the sweetest episodes, and that was a wake for a cat.

[Kohola3]

Why were Lorelai and Sookie so weird about the funeral?

 

Never thought about that!  They did act like he was out of his mind and surprised at each request while the whole town rallied around Babette.  Maybe because he was an "outsider" and not really a member of the Stars Hollow Gang?  Or just another case of poor continuity where ASP didn't remember from year to year what she'd written.  Or thought WE wouldn't.

[junienmomo]

Some thoughts on the pet funerals -

- the primary relationships were different. Sookie/Lorelai were friends with Babette first, knew that she needed taking care of. They were colleagues with Michel first, and have to frequently hold him accountable to fulfill his role.

- age plays a difference as well. People tend to tolerate quirks in older people that they won't in younger.

- wouldn't be at all surprised if there were a gender difference as well

- Michel demanded his due, Babette was just in mourning without making demands on others

- also, they were more financially involved in Michel's event

Edited October 6, 2014 by junienmomo

[txhorns79]

Never thought about that!  They did act like he was out of his mind and surprised at each request while the whole town rallied around Babette.  Maybe because he was an "outsider" and not really a member of the Stars Hollow Gang?

 

I think Babette is more of a sweet, slightly kooky character, whom the town members love, so the idea of putting on a wake for her cat at Babette's home is not crazy for Stars Hollow.  Michel is generally an endearingly unpleasant person, and was more demanding in his request, whereas people simply rallied for Babette.  Even though Lorelai and Sookie like him, I can see why they don't treat his dog funeral in the same manner Babette's cat was treated.  

[junienmomo]

After rewatching 6.01, I'm no longer willing to cut ASP any slack with respect to the lack of contact during the proposal/toasting scene. She's credited with writing AND directing that episode, plus she's the creator. I can't imagine that she couldn't have improved that scene if she'd wanted to.

It remains high in the hall of shame of idiotic GG moves by the powers that be.

[Guest]

Never thought about that!  They did act like he was out of his mind and surprised at each request while the whole town rallied around Babette.  Maybe because he was an "outsider" and not really a member of the Stars Hollow Gang?  Or just another case of poor continuity where ASP didn't remember from year to year what she'd written.  Or thought WE wouldn't.

ASP was no longer involved with the show by that point.  

 

I think Emily probably did reimuburse for the broccoli tart prep. She said to give her the receipts and she would reimburse for whatever had been spent - she didn't specify that it had to be reasonable. 

[dustylil]

As deeja pointed out, Season 7's Farewell My Pet wasn't ASP's responsibility. The show was under new management then. It appears to be another example of the showrunners of the final season not being all that familiar with what went on before.

I sometimes wonder if those involved even read a Cliff/Coles Notes version of episodes of the previous seasons, let alone actually viewed them.

Edited October 6, 2014 by dustylil

[txhorns79]

I think Emily probably did reimburse for the broccoli tart prep. She said to give her the receipts and she would reimburse for whatever had been spent - she didn't specify that it had to be reasonable.

 

Isn't that just kind of understood?  I mean, I can't really imagine Lorelai sticking Emily with the bill for all that, and then trying to claim Emily had to pay because she didn't specifically say the bill had to be reasonable. 

 

As to the dog funeral, I think junie has it right.  To me, it makes sense to me that Lorelai and Sookie would react differently to him than they did Babette.  The relationships are different, and Michel is a much more difficult person.    

[dustylil]

If I remember correctly, Michel was at the feline wake. Perhaps that was where he got the idea that in Stars Hollow that for those without two-legged children, the four-legged ones could be publicly mourned.

[Guest]

Isn't that just kind of understood?  I mean, I can't really imagine Lorelai sticking Emily with the bill for all that, and then trying to claim Emily had to pay because she didn't specifically say the bill had to be reasonable. 

 

As to the dog funeral, I think junie has it right.  To me, it makes sense to me that Lorelai and Sookie would react differently to him than they did Babette.  The relationships are different, and Michel is a much more difficult person.    

I mean, it's understood, but I can also see Lorelai giving Emily the bills and let's say it was $1000 food cost for prep work. I doubt Emily (as annoyed as she was at that time with Richard and Jason) would sit down and see exactly what was spent on what, think "that's far too many broccoli tarts so I'm only reimbusing $300," and then follow-thru.  She seemed so resigned that I think she got the total, wrote a check, and washed her hands of it.

[Kohola3]

For the love of God, pick a word other than AMAZING.  Used 40 times per episode, I swear.

[junienmomo]

@Kohola:

hockey puck, rattlesnake, monkey monkey underpants

A classic Gilmoreism. :)

[DisneyBoy]

Two general questions (I couldn't find the "Questions" thread):

 

-Why was Mia recast for Season Seven?  Was the original actress ill or something?

 

-Why was Michel not written as gay?  Not to stereotype, but he lived up to so many of the stereotypes. It seemed really, really odd that he wasn't gay.  Did the network not want a gay character?  There were noticeably none in the series, and only occasional jokes made at the expense of gay folks (Richard's "special friend", Rory: "Ew, gross!", "Heather has two mommies", etc, etc)

[dustylil]

What! Taylor Doose wasn't gay?

And of course there was Butch (er Buff) Otis from Season 4's Festival of Living Art ;)

I thought Michel was intended to be more snobby European - as a contrast to the provincial New Englanders - than anything else. Although his French accent did tend to fail him when he had lengthy speeches.

[txhorns79]

-Why was Michel not written as gay?  Not to stereotype, but he lived up to so many of the stereotypes. It seemed really, really odd that he wasn't gay.  Did the network not want a gay character?  There were noticeably none in the series, and only occasional jokes made at the expense of gay folks (Richard's "special friend", Rory: "Ew, gross!", "Heather has two mommies", etc, etc)

 

I want to say Michel makes a comment very early in the show about wanting to look good for the ladies, but he essentially becomes an asexual character at some point.  Maybe the network or perhaps the writers themselves figured it would be easier if the issue was never dealt with.   

 

 

I mean, it's understood, but I can also see Lorelai giving Emily the bills and let's say it was $1000 food cost for prep work.  I doubt Emily (as annoyed as she was at that time with Richard and Jason) would sit down and see exactly what was spent on what, think "that's far too many broccoli tarts so I'm only reimbusing $300," and then follow-thru.  She seemed so resigned that I think she got the total, wrote a check, and washed her hands of it.

 

I get ya.  My thought was that Lorelai would never present that kind of bill in the first place.  She would cut something from Sookie's costs and present what she thought would be a reasonable bill. 

Edited October 7, 2014 by txhorns79

[JayInChicago]

They should have just made Tobin gay and out. I'd eat my hat if Bruce McCulloch wasn't playing Tobin as a gay man.

 

I never could tell if Lorelai's occasional gay jokes were representing that slight boorishness her character would have to balance the cutesy/manic, or whether the writers just thought gay jokes were funny.

Just like I never could tell if the whole senior year Yale apartment ongoing "doo wop group" joke was because the characters would be racist or if it was just racist writing,

[dustylil]

I thought the "doo wop " reference was another musical nod  by the series. This time to the urban, close harmony, a cappella singing style popularized particularly in the fifties and early sixties. Thought to have got its start on street corners and front stoops in large American cities. Prominent doo wop groups of that era include the Skyliners, the Marcels, the Fleetwoods, and the Five Satins.

(Among my own favourite musical style of that era).

Edited October 8, 2014 by dustylil

[JayInChicago]

well, there certainly are multiple interpretations.

[DisneyBoy]

I forgot about Tobin.  He was definitely gay.  I disliked his scenes, though, which all revolved around trying outdo Michel as Lor's gay BFF.

[dustylil]

With respect, jayinchicago, I also have my doubts that showrunners with the surname Palladino would be likely to use that particular ethic slur. If indeed, they would use degrading terms about any ethnic group.

[txhorns79]

well, there certainly are multiple interpretations.

 

I agree.  Given doo-wop's heavy association with black culture, they could be referring to black people, but it is never clear because we never get to see the people to whom they were referring.  Obviously, there are a number of cringe-worthy gay jokes sprinkled throughout the series, so it isn't as though you could claim the writers or showrunners had some kind of heightened sensitivity regarding those kind of comments.    

[JayInChicago]

Yeah, the whole "New Haven is a pit, well besides Yale" thing wears on me--I know New Haven's reputation, but like...ok we get it already.