Nitpicking

[blackCatCollins]

I am not sure I understand your nitpick about foreign languages, blackCatCollins. Would Rory only be allowed to take one language throughout high school? Could she not take three if she wanted to (and met whatever standards were required, of course)? I know back in the fifteenth century  I  took two foreign languages all the way through and knew several students who took three.

 

Given Rory's aspiration to follow Christiane Amanpour's footsteps, knowing a number of foreign tongues would seem quite logical  for her. Although I do question those particular language choices in this day and age.

 

 

I wank it to Rory being in the German club but approaching that language as an extracurricular (since that was the only time we heard about it) while taking either French or Spanish as her required language and the other as an independent study.  Though, thinking about it, didn't she also say something in season 1 about taking a Latin test?  Maybe Chilton exists in a parallel universe where school is in session for 24 hours instead of 8?

 

Scarynikki sort of explains my thinking, dustylil. with the constant listing of all the other classes Rory was taking, i doubt there would have been time for her to take all 4 (i had forgotten about Latin!) languages. i know it's certainly possible she could have, but having grown up in a boarding school environment, i know that good colleges (and therefore guidance counselors) would certain push for fluency over diversity.

 

besides which, you know this wasn't some "look at Rory, she can take 4 languages" point of the Palladinos, it was simply "we don't look at our old scripts, and can't remember what language we said last time"

Edited December 10, 2014 by blackCatCollins

[JayInChicago]

German was kind of a throw away just used to answer whether she was involved in any extracurriculars while at Stars Hollow High, right? Am I remembering that correctly?

[blackCatCollins]

i'm pretty sure all the references to language classes were just throw aways- "you forgot your French book" "i know, i took Latin" "I have a Spanish test" "i was in the German Club". none were plot points or anything. 

[dustylil]

JayinChicago,you are quite right. Rory was in the German Club when she was attending Stars Hollow High.

As to the other languages, I guess taking  three never struck me as peculiar given her own interests. Now if she also had been taking a wide assortment of high level maths, chemistry, physics and biology classes, then it might have seemed like academic overkill.

Perhaps it is merely a difference in countries (and eras!).

 

 

[blackCatCollins]

i believe she was taking those high level courses though- when she has her freak out about Harvard, she brings up that they're all taking "the same AP courses".

 

to each their own, i guess.

[junienmomo]

Rory was in German club until the three members saw Schindler's List or something similar, so it seems like German didn't last.

My daughter had three languages in high school, not so extraordinary.

ASP seems to have jumped the shark, given her track record since GG. Wouldn't be surprised if the season 6 contract negotiations etc. made her studio poison a little.

[txhorns79]

ASP seems to have jumped the shark, given her track record since GG. Wouldn't be surprised if the season 6 contract negotiations etc. made her studio poison a little.

 

I think she just didn't seem to have great ideas beyond Gilmore Girls.  Bunheads had cute moments, but also felt like a bizarro version of Gilmore Girls, complete with a quasi-mother and daughter at the center, mixed in with some seriously weird storylines. 

 

 

i believe she was taking those high level courses though- when she has her freak out about Harvard, she brings up that they're all taking "the same AP courses".

 

I think I get what you are saying, and you are right in that it did feel like Rory was taking more classes at times than seemed possible. 

Edited December 10, 2014 by txhorns79

[JayInChicago]

Why didn't my father make an investment when I was born and then give me a check for $75000? I need the money to buy presents.

Instead, I have half a box of Lake Placid Winter Olympics cigars.

[JayInChicago]

You know, Lorelai's behavior in Keg! Max! probably makes Max realize he dodged a raven haired, 5'10" bullet. 

[Kohola3]

Why didn't Goody Two Shoes Rory not let Logan have it when he let the maid take the blame for the antique sewing box he pocketed?  His behavior was abhorrent (as was his condescending treatment of Marty) but this seemingly intelligent young woman sees no parallel between the way she was looked down upon by the Huntzburgers and how Mr. Rich Britches treated those "beneath" him.

 

And knowing how freakishly attached Lorelai and Rory were, was stealing it in front of Lorelai some sort of test of loyalty?  If Rory didn't take him to task was that one more trophy win?

[dustylil]

I think the trinket thieving was the last straw for me concerning Rory.  I had been become less and less fond of her since she took her mother to task for having the temerity to thank Emily for the Chilton loan  back in Season 3 - but this! Sheesh!

I truly didn't fault Logan in this stupid caper. He and his moronic friends had been pulling stunts - large and small -  for a long time. It was their right as rich kids. Not unlike Richard and his own idiotic pals carrying out their nude protest at Yale decades earlier.  (When I first saw the episode with  this aspect of Richard's Yale years, I wondered about the embarrassment of the college's domestic staff back in that more  staid era). And then there was Christopher with his little pranks.  I  don't  think that Logan had any idea that a maid would lose her job over such a trifling matter. But Rory did certainly knew what would happen. And rather than gently or more assertively turn his attention elsewhere, Rory - at her giggling and simpering best - let him go ahead.

 

With respect, I sincerely doubt Logan knew all that much  about Lorelai's work history.  Now it has been a while since I've dated (my husband frowns on it)  but I wouldn't think the topic would have come up while he and Rory were dating. And that magazine article all about the Dragonfly and its owner(s)  hadn't come out yet.

I do agree  there was disloyalty on display that evening but I don't think Logan had anything to do with it.

[Taryn74]

Now it has been a while since I've dated (my husband frowns on it)

 

 

HA!  That just cracked me right up.

 

No, I don't have anything else to add.

[Betweenyouandme]

Why didn't Goody Two Shoes Rory not let Logan have it when he let the maid take the blame for the antique sewing box he pocketed? His behavior was abhorrent (as was his condescending treatment of Marty) but this seemingly intelligent young woman sees no parallel between the way she was looked down upon by the Huntzburgers and how Mr. Rich Britches treated those "beneath" him.

And knowing how freakishly attached Lorelai and Rory were, was stealing it in front of Lorelai some sort of test of loyalty? If Rory didn't take him to task was that one more trophy win?

I think Rory was really hurt about the Huntzberger treatment of her. Rather than being hurt and thinking she wanted nothing more to do them, I think it made her feel more pressure to try to fit in, thus those remarks "but I'm a Gilmore!" as they were leaving the Huntzbergers.

When Logan took the box from her grandparents, I think Rory just thought she had to play it cool. Rory seemed to really, really want to fit in with the wealthy and successful. I think all this scared and worried Lorelai. I think Rory's craving, at those moments, for Logan and his life exceeded her want for her mother's way of living and approval.

[txhorns79]

With respect, I sincerely doubt Logan knew all that much  about Lorelai's work history.

 

He probably did know.  He knew Emily and Richard, and his parents were close enough with them to get invited (and show up to) the vow renewal.  I'd also think Lorelai's story probably would have made a wonderful "warning" to teenagers in Hartford about the dangers of teenage sex for many years.  (I can imagine what parents would tell their children: "She had sex, got pregnant, dropped out of high school, ran away from home and became a maid!  Do you want that to be your future?  Don't have sex ever!") 

 

As to Logan, my guess would probably be he just didn't really connect his stealing, and how it would affect the maid, to the fact that Lorelai had once worked as a maid.    

Edited December 12, 2014 by txhorns79

[Aloeonatable]

 

I truly didn't fault Logan in this stupid caper. He and his moronic friends had been pulling stunts - large and small -  for a long time. It was their right as rich kids. Not unlike Richard and his own idiotic pals carrying out their nude protest at Yale decades earlier.

 

Logan, Richard, Christopher. ASP really thought that rich young men did stupid things, didn't she. I fault him because anyone at his age should know better regardless of who they are stealing from and who that theft effects. Did Logan ever learn? Wasn't he still doing reckless things (the business deal that failed) long after graduation from college? Maybe if he had been called on his behavior instead of being constantly bailed out he would have grown up sooner. 

[Taryn74]

I honestly don't think Logan even thought R/E would realize the trinket had been switched.  That was the whole point of their prank - the richie rich didn't even notice what was in their own homes.  He just didn't count on Emily being the way she is when it comes to these things.

 

He could have spoken up once Emily started going off, though.  Maybe he was just shocked that she was acting so ridiculous in front of guests LOL.

[Kohola3]

He just didn't count on Emily being the way she is when it comes to these things.

 

And yet he didn't act one bit chastened when he knew he was the cause of the uproar and got caught at it.  He even had to be prompted to give the thing to Lorelai.

 

I can't imagine any friend of mine not being embarrassed to death getting caught doing something so childish in front of my parents.  This was the first rather formal occasion with Rory's mother (after the half dressed meeting at the vow renewal) so you'd think he'd want to be on his best behavior.  But, as has been said, his money has bought him out of every situation so his moral compass is not only askew but apparently non-existent.  Jerk.

[dustylil]

Given that Logan's mother had been a cocktail waitress (a cocktail waitress!) before her marriage to Mitchum,  would he even be taken aback about Lorelai's work history?

Let's face it. As long as she qualified for DAR membership, that was all that was important :)

[Kohola3]

I just occurred to me that the best community service for Logan would have been to work as Emily's maid for 200 hours.  Or any other of her Rich Bitch DAR cronies.  Talk about cruel and unusual punishment!

[Guest]

I honestly don't think Logan even thought R/E would realize the trinket had been switched.  That was the whole point of their prank - the richie rich didn't even notice what was in their own homes.  He just didn't count on Emily being the way she is when it comes to these things.

 

He could have spoken up once Emily started going off, though.  Maybe he was just shocked that she was acting so ridiculous in front of guests LOL.

This is how I always read it.  He or Rory should have spoken up. Had he said "Oh, Emily, I have it. It's something my friends and I like to do," the elder Gilmores almost certainly would have gushed over what clever young men they are to have such a long-standing joke amongst themselves.

[readster]

I just occurred to me that the best community service for Logan would have been to work as Emily's maid for 200 hours.  Or any other of her Rich Bitch DAR cronies.  Talk about cruel and unusual punishment!

 

 I really hated how Emily treated her maid services. I know the Ps threw in ones that really weren't the best but after one sued her I really wanted to see several episodes where there was no maid. Emily always found an excuse to get rid her of her maids who did one small thing wrong like talk to her granddaughter in spanish once. When Rory was just being nice. Emily went off on the one blamed for Logan stealing that stupid box. Speaking of the DAR cronies, I remember when Luke asked what the DAR stood for and they just kept laughing even when he said he was being serious. There are interviews with DAR that some people don't know what it stands for even in this age of Google and even question why people don't think they are relevant anymore. I remember the horrified look at Richard's face after he found out that everything the Huntzburgers said to Rory was true. He was like: "My God!" "She is going to end up a DAR cronie and have no life!" Which of course turned over when Emily ended up realizing  a lot of people thought she was just good at complaining and being up tight and also realized when she died. No one would care outside the family. 

 I really, really wanted the older Gilmores to get a wake up call that maybe they weren't the bread and butter of society. I remember even Lauren Graham and Bishop saying they really wish the final season would have focused on finally ending the stupid feud between Emily and Lorelai because they said at this point in time, it was time to get over getting pregnant at 16 and leaving home. 

[Aloeonatable]

 

I remember even Lauren Graham and Bishop saying they really wish the final season would have focused on finally ending the stupid feud between Emily and Lorelai because they said at this point in time, it was time to get over getting pregnant at 16 and leaving home.

 

 

I think the "feud" started well before Lorelai got pregnant. I wouldn't even call it a feud, but a clash of personalities and values. 

[blueray]

I always think back to the episode where they show Chris's parents. Not only do they not know Rory, they had no interest in meeting their granddaughter.   As bad as Loriali's relationship was with her parents they at least knew Rory. And of course because of the weekly dinners became a major part of her life.

[javajunkie86]

It annoyed me how we never saw Lorelai and Emily discuss Emily's poor treatment of Luke. I don't know how Lorelai could go to that dinner and meet Logan and suddenly the next FND Lorelai and Emily seem to be fine like nothing happened. I get it Lorelai wanted to meet Logan so bad that she was willing to be in the room with her mother, but I wanted to at least hear an apology from Emily.

[dustylil]

Emily did accept that Lorelai wanted Luke as she told him herself. And she pledged to no longer interfere in their relationship.  I think that  was likely as a close to an apology for her conduct that Emily would ever give. And to her credit, she kept her word.

She continued to be rude to Luke  of course, but then she was rude to most people. But she never again tried to break them up. Hell, she even chose  a house  as a wedding gift that was quite suited to both of them. And she tried to make friends with the little girl in the diner she thought was April.

[junienmomo]

It annoyed me how we never saw Lorelai and Emily discuss Emily's poor treatment of Luke.

 

 

Rory actually demonstrated reasonable behavior that I'd expected from Lorelai. 

When Dean came to dinner and Richard treated him terribly, Rory at one point called a stop to it and she and Dean left, with Rory being perfectly polite yet clear that it was because of their treatment of Dean. 

Lorelai never did anything that mature. Too bad. Would have been great Season 7 material.

[readster]

 Believe it or not, I ran into some DAR ladies yesterday when I was out Christmas shopping. They were taking donations and were saying how sadly their chapter wasn't doing so well. They actually brought up Gilmore Girls when I was talking to them and they said how much they loved the show but how they had Emily and the DAR so wrong on the show. Her response: "If there was woman like Emily in the position with the DAR. They would have kicked her out. The point of the DAR is supporting the arts, the community and why the DAR started in the first place. She told me that the fundraising they did on the show was spot on and how they needed more and more younger people needed for the group. Sadly, she sees that maybe in 20 years, they might fold up. 

[Kohola3]

After Kirk appeared in a towel before the Town Elders (a disturbing scene at best) to plead his case for the Twickham house, why didn't he jump on it when Luke bailed out of the deal?  Did he prefer living in the bomb shelter and making out with Lulu in the back of the movie theater?

[readster]

After Kirk appeared in a towel before the Town Elders (a disturbing scene at best) to plead his case for the Twickham house, why didn't he jump on it when Luke bailed out of the deal?  Did he prefer living in the bomb shelter and making out with Lulu in the back of the movie theater?

 

 Another problem with Kirk is why he was the way he was. I get living with his mother due to nothing really wanting to leave the security he had with her. He even admitted after his dad died they just had each other. However, when she started charging rent and at times kicked him out of the house. It was really along the lines of: "Don't you get it your moron!" "She wants you to move on with your life." Another problem was that everyone let Kirk get away with everything like with Taylor. Both of them did some really questionable things and activities in the town and instead of the town going: "You guys need to see a shrink." They just laughed and went: "Oh, that Kirk of ours."  I also remember Sean Gunn saying at one point he at times questioned if Kirk went too far, he did bring up the nightmares and running out naked thinking that was a little too much. Yet, he played it as best he could. Yeah, between the rich stealing and criticizing people they thought were below them. Kirk and Taylor's behaviors were sometimes borderline cult following. 

[Kohola3]

I also remember Sean Gunn saying at one point he at times questioned if Kirk went too far, he did bring up the nightmares and running out naked thinking that was a little too much. Yet, he played it as best he could.

 

I remember thinking that statement that Kirk made when Luke was questioning him about how he had a quarter of a million dollars saved.  It was in such a totally non-Kirk voice that he said "I've  had 15,000 jobs in 11 years..." and it made me think it was Sean Gunn subtly  expressing some personal feelings on his character.

[junienmomo]

The night terrors really bothered me as well. Kirk I always saw as a court jester, mimicking the role of faithful assistant to Taylor yet being the comic relief for the show. 

It just got weirder when he also started mimicking Luke. 

[readster]

I remember thinking that statement that Kirk made when Luke was questioning him about how he had a quarter of a million dollars saved.  It was in such a totally non-Kirk voice that he said "I've  had 15,000 jobs in 11 years..." and it made me think it was Sean Gunn subtly  expressing some personal feelings on his character.

 

 I agree, it was like Sean Gunn was basically admitting if Kirk really had all these types of job year to year and filing income tax on them he would probably get a lot of returns in the process and despite he had to pay his mother to live with her. I don't think he was paying out as much as he thought. I remember when Sean Gunn was doing this one independent movie where he played a manager to one of the main characters in the film. He said he was able to play the role as more "in his style" since it was a humorous part but not over the top at all. Sean Gunn is a good actor and I've liked his stuff outside of GG and to tell the truth, I've enjoyed his post GG work more than the last three years on Gilmore Girls because Kirk went from court jester to at times creepy and pathetic. 

[blueray]

Kind of random but while it never said in the show, I always assumed that Kirk was Developmentally Disabled. He probably has an Intellectual disability and is high functioning. He is able to hold down a job similar to a temp where he fills in when needed in the town, which is why he is seen having random jobs.  

 

I assumed his mother didn't really charge him that much for rent, if at all. Therefore he was able to save a lot from his job(s), and may receive SSI for his disability.

Edited December 15, 2014 by blueray

[Kohola3]

He probably has an Intellectual disability and is high functioning.

 

I never thought about it that way. I just thought he was just supposed to be the town eccentric and ASP came up with all kinds of weird things to do (at which he was no good) that we were supposed to think were quirky. That's why his statement to Luke about the 15,000 jobs jumped out at me - it was so, I don't know, unusually insightful for goofy Kirk.

[junienmomo]

That's why his statement to Luke about the 15,000 jobs jumped out at me - it was so, I don't know, unusually insightful for goofy Kirk.

 

He was also delusional. 15,000 jobs over 11 years is 3.75 new jobs per day. SH couldn't create that many new jobs, in spite of Kirk's aggressive pursuit of new employment.

[txhorns79]

Kind of random but while it never said in the show, I always assumed that Kirk was Developmentally Disabled. He probably has an Intellectual disability and is high functioning.

 

I like the idea, but I think some of the Kirk-related storylines don't really work if he was developmentally disabled.  It takes the comic relief out of the storyline, and makes everyone kind of cruel to him, or at least more so than normal.  I just thought Kirk was simply a strange guy, made weirder by his social isolation.  And no, I have no idea what Lulu would have seen in the guy. 

[readster]

I like the idea, but I think some of the Kirk-related storylines don't really work if he was developmentally disabled.  It takes the comic relief out of the storyline, and makes everyone kind of cruel to him, or at least more so than normal.  I just thought Kirk was simply a strange guy, made weirder by his social isolation.  And no, I have no idea what Lulu would have seen in the guy. 

 

 

Considering Lulu let him be the main part in a school play where all the other actors were under the age of 10. I think Lulu was the right fit for Kirk because she was strange herself. Any other school would have said: "An adult in his mid 30s being the husband to a girl who is barely 10." "Yeah, let's cast him after we are sued by parents and the school board fires all of us." Lulu was also the only one who seem to really care about Kirk. Remember when he drove into Luke's diner, who really went to his side at first. Just her, everyone else was worried about Luke even Taylor. That should have been a wake up call that maybe Kirk was really only loved by one person. Since he had to talk about how his mother was making his life difficult since she wanted him to get a life and move out. Of course, characters that did very strange stuff. How about the nanny that Sookie hired who acted like she was going to steal their baby away because Jackson did baby talk with their own child and... *gasp* wanted to wake up to give Sookie some needed rest since she had the normal 9 to 5 job and he worked for himself. The horror!

[txhorns79]

Any other school would have said: "An adult in his mid 30s being the husband to a girl who is barely 10." "Yeah, let's cast him after we are sued by parents and the school board fires all of us."

 

Sued by the parents for what?  I completely agree the casting for the play was bizarre, but it wasn't like Kirk was making the girl do anything inappropriate.       

[JayInChicago]

did you ever notice this show has some weird thing about pins/buttons?

 

jackson's "I do not want to know the sex of my baby" button

didn't taylor use a button to advertise some unfortunate event? something with a really long phrase and rory was like "i can't believe they fit that on a button"

and the luke / lorelai ribbons/pins

and probably more

[readster]

did you ever notice this show has some weird thing about pins/buttons?

 

jackson's "I do not want to know the sex of my baby" button

didn't taylor use a button to advertise some unfortunate event? something with a really long phrase and rory was like "i can't believe they fit that on a button"

and the luke / lorelai ribbons/pins

and probably more

 

 

That is true. There were a lot of pins for various reasons. Must of been one of Kirk's jobs as a button maker. 

[dustylil]

And Kirk was a t-shirt maker as well.

Actually, Kirk never said that all of those 11,000 jobs were in Stars Hollow. He could have been gracing Woodbridge and all those other little nearby towns with his work ambitions.

I too find that number hard to believe. Unless he was counting individual tasks (e.g. preparing those Yale t-shirts for Lorelai) as separate, discrete jobs rather than as products of a job. Even so....

[Kohola3]

Well, I do believe he was talking figuratively, not literally.  We all exaggerate at times and Kirk was a master of bizarre communication.

[readster]

Yeah, I think Kirk was just rattling off that he has had so many jobs he has lost track. As for my term about suing, sad to say there was a school where a 4th grader ended up playing a piece of music their parents didn't approve of and sued the school for use of the music. Sad to say, some people will overreact to the slightest thing. I had an artist draw a scene for a book of the spouse of the character in a bikini and their husband wearing regular swim shorts. One person said that depicted sex and another said: "Did she need to wear a bikini?" People will find something wrong if they want to see it even if its suppose to be innocent. Kirk might not have done anything wrong but the school could be viewed that having a man in his mid 30s saying loving things to his wife who is in early elementary might set up a hostile environment. Trust me, I've seen it but I'm not saying it would happen.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I tore through all 7 seasons in a matter of weeks.  Now I can contribute.

 

You seriously would not believe how many times Lorelai (or I guess Rory seen below) uses the word "Shanghai" as a verb or noun.  It's once or twice a season.  Very easy to notice if you watch all 7 seasons quickly in a row.  Seriously.  It's ridiculous.  Very overused, especially because I never hear anyone use this in real life.  

 

Googling:

Here comes the Son:  "Plus, Paris will immediately shanghai me and give me a million things to do"

But I'm a Gilmore:  "The Huntzberger family Shanghai is over."

 

Anyway there's more.. trust me... 

Edited December 18, 2014 by Ms Blue Jay

[Kohola3]

If you set up a drinking game with the word "amazing" you would never make it through one episode without hitting the floor.  The most overused word in the English language, in my opinion.  Get a thesaurus, for Pete's sake.

Edited December 18, 2014 by Kohola3

[blackCatCollins]

If you set up a drinking game with the word "amazing" you would never make it through one episode without hitting the floor.  The most overused word in the English language, in my opinion.  Get a thesaurus, for Pete's sake.

you could also play the "my kid" drinking game. you'd be plastered in minutes.

[junienmomo]

I searched the transcripts and found the following:
Word or term      Number of Times used

------------------      -------------------------------
Shanghai                         7
my kid                            37

pregnant                      138
amazing                       243
love you                       201

 

The "love yous" are overwhelmingly between women. Love as in romantic love is used primarily sarcastically. 

[blackCatCollins]

in "Emily Says Hello", Lorelei freaks out because Emily sits next to her on the couch, which always bugged me because they had sat next to each other at FND NUMEROUS times in the past. 

[Kohola3]

243 "amazings" in 153 episodes. No wonder my ears were smoking.  I repeat - get a thesaurus.

[readster]

I was just on another thread but something that still irks me today was with Dean dropping out of school because Lindsey wanted a townhouse instead of living in a little apartment. I really never got Lindsey's character. She wanted a house, go out with friends and so forth. Yet, didn't know understand why Dean had to work all the time, told him to go from full time to part time and then Dean dropped out of school altogether because he wasn't making enough money to pay their bills. Then add in how Dean still had the Donna Reed Show idea in his head and Lindsey decided to just be a stay at home wife. What was she doing? She was also majorly demanding about things and why I think Dean was a moron and asshat, but the way it came off. Both of them had no idea what being married was suppose to be like. Guess what? You have to pay bills, unless you are running your own business or working for a family member. You need to finish school and get a degree of some sort to have a decent job. You can't just want to go out all the time and then whine that you don't have any money and you are bored at home. It was like neither Dean or Lindsey had basic living skill thoughts, of course I blame their parents. Neither set from what they were shown seem to want to teach their kids how to be self sufficient. Their moms were: "Hey your dad did all the work and I stayed at home and raised you." "Do it that way."