Rory Gilmore: Poor little rich girl?

[Splash]

I was in the process of replying in the Rory/Logan thread and realized that most of my response was focused on how Rory viewed herself and her life versus her reality and thought it might make an interesting thread.

 

This might be an unpopular opinion, but as much as they tried to show Rory as being someone of "humble origins", she just wasn't.  Even though FND (and her developing a relationship with her grandparents) didn't start until she was a sophomore in high school, Rory did spend a limited amount of time at her grandparents house before that (based on talk about being their for the annual Christmas party).  So as much as Lorelei tried to shield her from that life, Rory was aware that her grandparents lived in a mansion and had servants.

 

Not to mention, her goal was to attend Harvard and, in order to get her there, she applied to Chilton, a private prep school.  I find it very hard to believe that someone as intelligent as Rory wouldn't have been aware of how much it would cost to attend Chilton and that it would be difficult for the manager of an inn to come up with the tuition.

 

At various times throughout the series, she discovered that her mom had money issues, but I think the only time we saw her react to those issues was when she got the cafeteria job.  I know she did occasionally tell her mom not to worry about money problems, that she'd figure things out, but never once acted in the way that a working or lower middle class person would have acted when they realized that their academic goals might not have been affordable.  And to me, that always takes me out of the story.  

 

We are led to believe that Rory's earliest memories of home were living in a potting shed, with a bathroom addition.  Her mom was a housekeeper and they lived in a small town.  So we are supposed to accept that Rory, a transplant to the community, is the wunderkind, golden child of Stars Hollow.  Why were none of the parents of Rory's old peers thrilled when she left?  They should have been overjoyed that she was gone.

 

And as far Logan treatment goes, I felt he generally treated her like an equal, both intellectually and from a "social/class" standpoint, and he had no problem cluing her in to how the real world works (at least for her).  I mean, as much as she felt that she and Marty were equals at Yale, she didn't have to get a job in order to help pay for Yale expenses like Marty did.

[dustylil]

I am not in the habit of sticking up for Rory (by the beginning of the fourth season, she was making my inlays ache). However , I feel I must wade in.

Certainly, she knew that her grandparents were well-to-do, but since she saw them very little in her early years and the two families were clearly not close, why would she think their lifestyle (and for that matter, their assets) had anything to do with her?  By her mid to late teens, she would learn that she would likely inherit a good deal of money. But not before then.

 

I do think she had some awareness of her mother's financial issues  and that her own academic aspirations might be a stretch - as  she did have a part-time job at the Independence Inn both when she attended Stars Hollow High and later at Chilton. Perhaps she hoped she would get a scholarship to Chilton. Later she assumed she would qualify for financial aid to Yale as well as take out any necessary loans. Lots of people (I know I did) have aspirations above their financial station and then they (and their families) try to figure out how to achieve them.

 

As to other parents being happy at her departure (presumably for Yale), I am not sure I understand. Were the adults of Stars Hollow that small-minded that they couldn't enjoy the hard-earned success of someone who had grown up with their own children and by all accounts was a polite, nicely spoken young woman who took a positive and active role in community life? As far as I could tell the only townies who had a well-founded grievance against Rory were LIndsay's  family.

 

Rory's circumstances changed drastically once she got to Yale. What was once a loan from the senior Gilmores somehow morphed into them paying the Yale freight and then we had Christopher take over.   It was also made clear that she had a trust fund coming her way in the not too distant future. Rory never really did seem to recognize this. I was pleased to see that Logan did call her on it.

 

As to Logan treating her like an equal, I saw that as more gallantry than anything else. The Gilmores were well-to-do but the Huntzbergers were filthy rich.  Exactly how many houses did the Huntzbergers have? The Gilmore fortune was as to the Huntzberger fortune as Luke Dane's financial resouces were to that of Richard Gilmore's.

[dustylil]

Responding to points raised in another thread regarding her education and career choices -  I did not begrudge Rory pursuing an undergraduate, liberal arts type degree at Yale. Lots of journalists get degrees in who knows what before going into that line of work.  And she could have done graduate work in journalism at Columbia or a comparable school if she decided she needed  particular training and that credential.

But I too was surprised that she never appeared to pursue any avenues in television, radio or any other forms of broadcast journalism as a gofer, summer student or trainee of some persuasion in Hartford or New Haven once she left Chilton. I believe even Yale had its own television station at that point in time.

I did wonder on occasion exactly how much ASP knew of Ms. Amanpour and her career ;)

[blueray]

I never took Rory as being snobby until well into college when she starts getting involved in Lorgan's groups and with him. For the first 4 seasons of the show Rory was a hard working student, who was nice to everyone. If i remember correctly she tried to get a scholarship  to Chilton, but it was rejected for some reason (or maybe it was a loan). Lorali knew how much this meant to her, so she turned to her parents for help. She did seem to have a job in high school at the inn, and she didn't work at Yale, which is understandable since I'm sure its a heavy work load.

 

As for the town being obsessed with her, I didn't get. Sure she was nice and active in community events, but I remember Taylor making a big deal about Rory not being able to come home, as if going away to school was unheard of. Also the only family to hate her is Lindsay's family for good reason and maybe to in some ways Dean's family.

 

Now later at Yale, she did start to seem entitled and didn't take one person rejecting her well at all. Which looking back at the past seasons was really out of character. She seemed to be thinking that she was so perfect that she could take one guy telling her she wouldn't be a good journalist. Even though the editor on the Yale paper also criticized her. She that time proved him wrong.

Edited June 28, 2015 by blueray

[takalotti]

I wouldn't have expected Rory to go into broadcast journalism.

HEADMASTER: Why do you wish to be Christiane Amanpour?

RORY: Well, I don't wish to be her, exactly. I just want to do what she does.

HEADMASTER: Which is?

RORY: Travel, uh, see the world up close, report on what's really going on, be apart of something big.

HEADMASTER: And to be part of something big you have to be on TV? Why not lead the police on a high-speed chase? That's a quicker way to achieve this goal.

RORY: Being on TV has nothing to do with it. Maybe I'll be a journalist and write books or articles about what I see. I just want to be sure that I see. . .something.

RORY: I just think you are so inspiring. Your reporting is so bold and moving and fascinating and I know you've won nine Emmys, but I just don't think that's enough -- not that you care about that kind of thing, but I just want to say thank you.

Christiane Amanpour: Thank you. That's really nice of you. And your mother says that you've graduated Yale, editor of the Yale Daily News -- that's not bad.

RORY: Oh, thank you. I want to pursue a career in journalism.

Christiane Amanpour: That’s good, is it print you want? Television? CNN, maybe?

RORY: Oh, I'd love to work for a major daily.

Edited June 28, 2015 by takalotti

[txhorns79]

I wouldn't have expected Rory to go into broadcast journalism.

 

I agree, and your cites back to the episodes are well placed.  There's obviously been some confusion where people took Rory saying she wanted to be like Christiane Amanpour, to mean that Rory wanted to literally copy her career trajectory.  Though I think the show has been back and forth on the issue over the seasons.

Edited June 28, 2015 by txhorns79

[Taryn74]

Though I think the show has been back and forth on the issue over the seasons.

 

It has.  From her conversation with Jess in TMT:

 

 

RORY: What about me?

 

JESS: What are your big ambitions?

 

RORY: Harvard.

 

JESS: And after Harvard?

 

RORY: I’m gonna be a journalist.

 

JESS: Paula Zahn?

 

RORY: Christiane Amapour

 

JESS: You’re gonna be an overseas correspondent?

 

RORY: Yes, I am.

 

JESS: You’re gonna crawl around in trenches and stand on top of buildings and have bombs going off in the background and some wars raging all around you?

 

RORY: What, you don’t think I can do it?

 

JESS: No, I do. Just sounds a little too – .

 

RORY: A little what?

 

JESS: Just sounds a little too rough for you.

 

RORY: Well, it’s not a little too rough for me. I hope it’s not a little too rough for me, I’ve been talking about this forever. I mean, I don’t even know what I would do if – .

 

JESS: Hey, I didn’t mean to freak you out. I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ll do it. You will, I promise. I’ll help you practice, okay? Tomorrow, you’ll stand in the middle of the street and I will drive straight at you screaming in a foreign language.

 

RORY: Well, you’re gonna have to learn a foreign language first.

 

JESS: Well, it’s lucky I’ve got me a tutor, isn’t it?

[txhorns79]

I also vaguely recall Rory making a sarcastic joke about being the only reporter to have her mother with her when she was reporting overseas, but I can't place the episode. 

[takalotti]

It's still open for interpretation, but the scene with Jess doesn't necessarily mean tv broadcasting to me.

[dustylil]

If we had learned that Rory had been a faithful reader of The New Yorker since the age of ten and had had subscriptions to both The New York Times and The Washington Post since the seventh grade, we might have had more of an inkling of her ongoing  interest in print journalism. But as best as I recall, in the early years of the series the only real-life journalism reference  (and someone she wished to emulate) was to  Ms. Amanpour.

[Anela]

I also vaguely recall Rory making a sarcastic joke about being the only reporter to have her mother with her when she was reporting overseas, but I can't place the episode. 

I thought it was her first night at Yale, when she called her mother, and asked her to come back. She said something about reporting from a foxhole with her mommy. :) 

[solotrek]

But there are plenty of overseas correspondents who aren't on TV. Newspapers/news magazines do send people abroad to cover stories, for instance a lot of print media had gone over to spend time with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The number has decreased by a lot, but the same goes for TV news. I suppose she could do something like Reporters without borders. But regardless, she has to build up her resume in print journalism at a real newsroom so her trajectory was pretty normal. Or she could eventually end up being a fact checker in the background of a TV newsroom or The Daily Show or Weekly Show (which goes out of it's way to get journalism students/graduates) or something and work her way up.

 

In fact, I don't know why Rory was freaking out about visiting Europe with Emily and "wasting her summer". She could have written some interesting articles about the places she had visited especially since she went out of her way to do different things while Emily was napping (I know my school newspaper always had travel pieces similar to how our local paper has a travel section and I was only a few years behind Rory school wise). Heck, she could have pretended to be Yale Daily News' European foreign correspondent and written something really interesting up. It's not just wars and political uprisings they cover. I know she went in the pre-blogosphere era, but her reaction in the newsroom was incredibly short sighted.

Edited June 29, 2015 by solotrek

[amensisterfriend]

Here's a question for those (relatively few?!) of us who love Rory even as we can readily and mercilessly snark about her flaws and the way she was written through much of S5-S7: What are your very favorite Rory scenes/episodes, the ones in which you find yourself liking, relating to, or even just being entertained by her the most...? 

[HeySandyStrange]

I think Rory's Birthday Parties is one of the best Rory centered episodes, imo. I certainly sympathized with Rory's dread at the too stuffy, too overwhelming party Emily was throwing her. Plus her genuine sweetness and thoughtfulness in keeping it all on the down low as to not upset Lorelai's truce with Emily. I definitely related to her freaking out over Emily trying to force her to make a speech to the Chilton snobs. As someone who has social anxiety, I probably would've ran screaming from the room! I was the same age as Rory when the episode first aired, so I really appreciated seeing a young teen girl on tv who was shy, introverted, and smart while still being normal, nice, and well liked.

 

I think the other party almost perfectly captured how well liked/loved Rory was by her close circle of Star's Hollow friends. It was  much more natural then the Perfect Rory syndrome that the show later fell into. The select group of townies sitting around and reminiscing about their favorite young Rory stories was great, and the fairy circle will never not be adorable.

[amensisterfriend]

Awesome example, SandyStrange! I love that one as well. A few other great Rory scenes/moments that spring to mind, nearly all of which not so coincidentally occur in the show's earlier seasons:

 

LMLD, where Rory cheerfully listens to music and reads at the lunch table, concluding that it's okay to be an independent introvert over bowing to pressure to be part of a peer group that makes one uncomfortable 

 

Rory spontaneously and very uncharacteristically ditching school to surprise Jess in NYC and then freaking out about it. I know many dislike this, but for me it's a great example of how the show could make Rory imperfect and have her 'rebel' a bit, test her boundaries, figure out who she is apart from Lorelai/Stars Hollow etc. while still retaining her basic Rory-ness and likability for me. And, as a bonus, no yachts were stolen and she remained enrolled in school by the end of the episode! ;) 

 

Rory telling Paris, even after the latter had just spread a damaging rumor about her, that she was there if Paris needed to talk. 

 

Rory helping Paris get ready for her date with Tristan despite not expecting Paris to show up, Paris being...Paris-y, and feeling badly about Dean but not allowing the focus to be on HER. (I don't think Early Rory was nearly as selfish as many make her out to be, but that's just me)

 

Rory comforting Paris after her public meltdown in The Big One. Yeah, I know...I tend to be just a tad fond of Rory/Paris scenes! 

 

Rory approaching her grandparents to arrange her own loan for Yale without involving her mom in Those Are Strings. It showed a quiet maturity and uncharacteristic assertiveness that I loved. 

 

Rory showing up giddily excited---and insanely early---for her first Yale class (The Hobbit, the Sofa etc.) 

 

Rory not connecting with Lane at first and then admitting how weird it is and trying to bridge the gap (Always a Godmother...and, no, I can't justify why I like this one so much!) 

 

There are roughly a thousand more, but I'll spare you guys :) 

Edited July 7, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[junienmomo]

For me the iconic Rory thread is her investigative journalism that leads her to You Jump, I Jump. She is invited to a great adventure by Logan, who will never be more adorable than he is at this point, and she dares to take the challenge. She jumps into that scary balance between the world she knows and the one offered to her on a literally silver platter. If she'd had time to contemplate it might have occurred to her that this was the glorious side of wealth - unlimited opportunity. 

Her frequent emotional transition from scared to choosing to take each challenge must have been difficult for the young actress, but she pulled it off. 

[Taryn74]

One of my very favorite Rory scenes is the scene at the end of Help Wanted, when Luke is back from his "fishing" trip and Rory has had a very tough day fending off all the Jess-hate from everyone around her.

 

RORY: Luke?

LUKE: Yeah?

RORY: It wasn’t his fault.

LUKE: I know it wasn’t.

 

That scene so beautifully epitomizes their relationship, IMO.

[Anela]

As much as I didn't like Jess at first, he could be funny, and I thought it was weird how everyone freaked out and blamed him. 

 

I liked, "What's up Quippy?? Why so silent??!!" from the episode in which she's late for the test. Her whole part yelling at Paris, and then, "The name is RORY!!" cracked me up.

 

Anytime she seemed really shy and awkward.

 

Rory telling Jess when he was being a jerk. 

 

Her being excited about being home alone, and doing what SHE wanted to do. I used to love getting the house to myself.

 

Her just happening to fall into a clique, and sitting alone again, later. I take at least two books with me everywhere, as well, which comes in handy when the van breaks down, or in long lines. 

Oh, and the lists! Dad teased me last year, when I panicked over not having my notebook with me. I don't make pro/con lists, but everything else goes down.

 

Her insistence that she wasn't going to break down over losing her boyfriend, only to cry and then get crabby later on. Her waking up early, and making a list of things to do, is like me, and Lorelai was like my parents trying to make it happen.

[moonb]

Another vote for "Like Mother, Like Daughter," where Rory reads by herself at lunch. I was a kid who constantly worried my teachers in elementary school by "reading too much by myself" instead of developing social skills, so it was great to see that for all of us who can identify. (Hey, books were my friends! Other kids were not necessarily my friends.)

 

A less than positive Rory scene is "Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days," where Lorelai bluntly points out Rory's crappy treatment of Dean. It's a whole S2-3 character arc, of course, but I can relate to Rory's less than stellar handling of the fact that she's not into Dean anymore....but because he seems right for her and she wants to like him and be likable herself, she's trying to talk herself into it. Not a shining Rory moment, but again, so relatable.

Edited July 11, 2015 by moonb

[amensisterfriend]

I know that many of us talk about the perceived differences in Rory's character that take place around late S4 and S5, but I was just rewatching parts of S1 (yes...again!), and I'm always struck by the differences I see between S1 Rory and the Rory we get for the rest of the series, even as early as S2. S1 Rory is often written/directed as every bit the overtly snarky wiseass that Lorelai is (and even around people other than Rory and Lane), she's more wry and a little more outspoken and confident and just...I don't know...a little tougher and savvier somehow? (Again, relatively speaking!) She seemed like someone who CHOSE not to be a part of certain things rather than someone who was kind of intimidated and unsure.  By S2 she's softer somehow---a little sweeter, a little more nervous/neurotic, a little quieter, more conscious of what people think and eager to get along with them, and just generally more of a contrast to Lorelai.

 

I don't think I'm explaining it well, but I see a definite distinction between S1 Rory and Rest of the Series Rory. Even Rory's S1 voice is markedly different to me---it's so much lower! I used to prefer S1 Rory, but at times it's almost like a different character! The Rory we see in S2-S4 (and at times, though not enough times, in later seasons!) is endearing and relatable to me in a different way. And I actually don't mind that they made her kind of passive and socially unsure, as those flaws made her more interesting and human for me...though they did convince me by S2 or so that she'd be far happier and more successful as a book editor/ researcher/possible English teacher than an international journalist.  

[solotrek]

I'd say the "Rory shift" was already happening in season 1. Her voice was definitely lower in the first season, but I think that's Alexis learning "acting" voice vs "normal" voice. Needing to project, emoting more with vocal cords, etc... Ie: when my husband and I speak to each other privately, our voices tend to be pitched lower than when we speak to our friends or have to give presentations etc... I kind of noticed that with most my friends and family as well. In fact, listening to Fresh Air interviews, it seems like most people in those interviews (who are in movies/tv etc...) sound different (usually lower pitched) from when they're speaking in movies or shows.

 

I think during the ATX reunion either the panel or one of the myriad of interviews, at some point someone (ASP) mentioned that the writers early on saw specifically what Alexis was good at (since she was so new to show business) and shifted their writing for her to better suit that. So any shift that happened in season 1 (and what you saw in S2) was probably due to that.

[junienmomo]

Don't forget the possibility, however slim, of character development for Rory. 

Rory started the show as a 15 or 16 year old, which brings with it a passel of emotional changes driven by the fact that the human brain at that age is rewiring itself from a baby-like dependent state into an independent adult state. 

Add being the new kid at a difficult high school, the first boyfriend, and a mother who nearly marries a teacher, and there's no doubt in my mind that Rory SHOULD be changing personality-wise. I would even have understood if she'd gone wacko. That's a lot of change.

[solotrek]

I would even have understood if she'd gone wacko. That's a lot of change.

 

With all the shit Paris put her through just at Chilton, I would have understood (but not condoned) her becoming a murderer. What an interesting twist for the show that would have been.

[Taryn74]

LOL just when you thought dropping out of school and stealing a yacht was bad.....

[dustylil]

In addition to Rory not appearing to go through much in the way of character development, there was little change in how those closest to her treated her over the seven years of the series. When she went from being a girl of fifteen to a young woman of twenty-two. I am not thinking of the big issues - the adulterous affair, the dubious circle of friends, the yacht theft, the dropping out of Yale, the shabby leave-taking  from the grandparents' home - but of smaller life events in Rory's world.

 

One incident that always struck me as peculiar was Lorelai's fulsome praise of Rory after the death of Trix in The Reigning Lorelai. Lorelai   called Rory to inform her of the passing of her great-grandmother. After expressing her shock and asking after her grandfather, she told her mother that she felt bad that she wasn't able - at least as yet - to feel sorrow. Lorelai then proceeded to tell Rory she was an amazing kid and that Trix had been lucky to have her as a great-granddaughter.

 

I recall thinking at the time - "Geez, lady, Rory didn't offer to go to the funeral parlour to dress the corpse. Or to spend the next several days with the distraught Richard. She had simply told her mother of her thoughts and feelings concerning the passing of a relative she had met  only a few times." It seemed to me the sort of thing a parent would say to a child of nine learning about death for the first time, not someone of nineteen years of age.

Edited August 9, 2015 by dustylil

[Taryn74]

LOL that scene always stood out to me too, dusty.  I remember the recapper saying something along the lines of "Yes, let's all take a moment in this time of sorrow to reflect on how lucky we are to know Rory Gilmore."  Heh.

[junienmomo]

While browsing adorably useless pictures on Tumblr, I ran across this one showing how Rory responded to boys who said they loved her.

Rory's love response

What was that all about?  This is a person who is daily told repeatedly how much her mother loves her, how much the town loves her, how much her grandparents love her even if they don't seem to love her mother. 

Yet she seems to not have any sensible response to these major gestures on the boys' parts.  Sure, some of it must be attributed to her being a teenager, but still, I don't really get it.  It makes me wonder if she is capable of responding to someone that she might love, much in the same way that her mother did when she recognized that she loved Luke enough to propose. 

 But if she's not capable, why?  No one in the history of TV was ever loved and worshiped more. 

[RoyRogersMcFreely]

Context definitely matters here. You have to take into account where each relationship (or lack thereof) is at the time. Tristan is a jerkboy 97% of the time she's around him and they were never really anything.  She has only been dating Dean for a handful of months. Jess skipped town for a year, without telling her he was leaving, then sprang his "I love you" on her. Logan, she hadn't spoken to in about 2 months, during which time she thought they might have still been together until Honor called and told her they broke up. I'm glad she didn't melt when the douchnozzles said it. Declarations of love don't absolve past behavior. The only one she could have handled better in the moment is maybe Dean, but she was super young and he goes so batcrap crazy about it that he loses my sympathy.

[TimetravellingBW]

On 8/07/2015 at 3:59 AM, amensisterfriend said:

Here's a question for those (relatively few?!) of us who love Rory even as we can readily and mercilessly snark about her flaws and the way she was written through much of S5-S7: What are your very favorite Rory scenes/episodes, the ones in which you find yourself liking, relating to, or even just being entertained by her the most...? 

I actually loved Rory S1-4 and preferred her to Lorelai.

• Rory bringing a book with her to the Chilton dance - I'm also someone who takes a book with me everywhere.
• In The Deer Hunters Rory believing she is capable of handling Chilton and refusing Lorelai's offer to return to SHH. She's so quietly determined and it's such a turn around from later seasons.
• In Nick & Nora/Sid & Nancy, Rory turning the tables on Paris when she's given a terrible news story and writing a brilliant piece.
• Rory telling her Grandparents about Lorelai's graduation, done in a sensitive, diplomatic - and adorably dorky - way.
• Rory and her huge, over-sized, book-crammed backpack.
• Rory comforting Paris after she didn't get into Harvard - even after Paris humiliated her on live TV.
• Rory bailing on her first college party to read a book. (I feel you Rory).
• Rory's awkwardness over the whole Spring Break experience and concluding that maybe she and Paris just didn't fit that lifestyle - and that being ok.
• And yep I second Rory ditching to go to NY, her whole situation with the Puff's and how disinterested she was in the whole clique, her being nice to Paris in S1 and S2 even when Paris was bullying her, her going to her grandparents about the Yale loan. And I absolutely love the "It wasn't his fault/I know" exchange with Luke in Help Wanted: Yes it was about Jess and how they were the only two who really knew the truth about him and believed in him, but it was also a beautiful bonding moment for the two of them. Lorelai had treated Luke horribly, but he didn't for a second hold it against Rory and invited her in for a doughnut - meanwhile Rory was so sweet and quietly soothing his worries about her injuries or being angry too. It really established they had a relationship independent of Lorelai.

Looking back, what made me love Rory in early seasons was the fact she was dorky and genuinely selfless/kind even when people manipulated or bullied her. The problem came in later seasons when she lost her geekiness and no longer nice or sweet, but people acted like she still was.

On 8/07/2015 at 4:54 AM, HeySandyStrange said:

I think the other party almost perfectly captured how well liked/loved Rory was by her close circle of Star's Hollow friends. It was  much more natural then the Perfect Rory syndrome that the show later fell into. The select group of townies sitting around and reminiscing about their favorite young Rory stories was great, and the fairy circle will never not be adorable.

 

On 8/08/2015 at 6:21 PM, dustylil said:

In addition to Rory not appearing to go through much in the way of character development, there was little change in how those closest to her treated her over the seven years of the series. When she went from being a girl of fifteen to a young woman of twenty-two. I am not thinking of the big issues - the adulterous affair, the dubious circle of friends, the yacht theft, the dropping out of Yale, the shabby leave-taking  from the grandparents' home - but of smaller life events in Rory's world.

How other people treated Rory was as big a problem as Rory herself in later seasons. In early seasons yes people praised her: Lorelai, her grandparents, Luke, Dean and many of the townspeople. But the praise actually made sense in context most of the time: Like sharing cute memories of little Rory at her party or Richard being thrilled she loved reading. And just as many criticized or made life difficult for her: Paris, Headmaster Charleston, Madeline & Louise, Tristan, Francie. She was the underdog at Chilton and it's easy to root for the underdog.

In later seasons Rory lost that opposition and was adored by everyone. Logan and his LDB friends immediately embraced her, she ended up as the super-successful Yale Editor after dropping out and Lorelai/grandparents/the town continued to praise her as a literal angel, even though she'd become pretty selfish and spoiled by then. The only example of someone criticizing her - Mitchum - had him portrayed as a terrible, bad guy who later revealed he only attacked her to test her. It was the incongruity between Rory's actual behaviour and how people treated her that was the problem.

(I just rewatched Bridesmaids Revisited in S6 when Lorelai and Chris go to watch Rory speak at a journalistic panel, and spend several minutes gushing about how out of this world brilliant she is, how she used words they didn't even understand and that she totally wiped the floor with all the other speakers. And it's just a complete overkill, especially given this is the same season she's acted like a total brat. Celebrating her becoming Valedictorian was the culmination of years of effort, this was a one-off that she didn't earn).

Edited August 14, 2016 by TimetravellingBW

[Anela]

I'd forgotten that I'd commented here. :) Last month, my dad finally bought me a backpack, because I got some funny looks (and heard a couple of comments) about all of the books I was carrying around the hospital. I had a pile of them, so that I could choose what to read, depending on how I was feeling. Two were fiction, one non-fiction, and then there was my large notebook. Whenever I'm carrying both the backpack and my regular bag, that quote from Lorelai, "Behold! The thing that reads a lot!" pops into my head. 

[TimetravellingBW]

I'm exactly the same. I often end up having to take two bags with me to uni because I have extra books on top of everything else I actually need for the day. And my handbag is always super heavy because I carry a book everywhere. 

[hippielamb]

My favourite Rory moments are when she gets a little snarky. I love that scene in The Deer Hunters when she snaps at both Paris and Tristan. It makes me cheer everytime I see it. Also, her sarcasm with Tristan when she's buying the tickets to the dance. She's so snippy with him and I love it.

Her bratty behaviour with Lorelai in season two when they fight about Max is great. Lorelai is constantly making witty references but Rory was not in the mood. Telling her mom off for sleeping with Chris right after the break-up with Luke. Her relationship with her dad is in a good place & she doesn't want it to change. 

Rory's heartbreaking scene when she yells at Christopher at Friday night dinner. Her attitude with Emily in season 6. Rory is supposed to like everybody and be a good kid but it's nice to see her get a little assertive once in awhile. Part of why I like the Yale years is we see her independent of Lorelai and Stars Hollow. She makes mistakes but they are from her own choices. 

Rory's scene with Max as she recounts going to the circus with Lorelai and admitting she wanted him to be her stepfather. It's a sad scene that gives us insight into Rory's opinion of Max and the break-up. The scene where she's ready to wallow in season 1 is heartbreaking. 

On the flip side, her moments with Richard are golden. I love the scene where she fixes his tie before Trix's funeral and offers to do the eulogy for him. They have such a sweet relationship. I almost tear up in the finale when she and Lorelai are getting ready to leave the house for the last time. I love that she tells Lorelai, you've given me everything I need. 
 

[elang4]

5 minutes ago, hippielamb said:

My favourite Rory moments are when she gets a little snarky. I love that scene in The Deer Hunters when she snaps at both Paris and Tristan. It makes me cheer everytime I see it. Also, her sarcasm with Tristan when she's buying the tickets to the dance. She's so snippy with him and I love it.

Her bratty behaviour with Lorelai in season two when they fight about Max is great. Lorelai is constantly making witty references but Rory was not in the mood. Telling her mom off for sleeping with Chris right after the break-up with Luke. Her relationship with her dad is in a good place & she doesn't want it to change. 

Rory's heartbreaking scene when she yells at Christopher at Friday night dinner. Her attitude with Emily in season 6. Rory is supposed to like everybody and be a good kid but it's nice to see her get a little assertive once in awhile. Part of why I like the Yale years is we see her independent of Lorelai and Stars Hollow. She makes mistakes but they are from her own choices. 

Rory's scene with Max as she recounts going to the circus with Lorelai and admitting she wanted him to be her stepfather. It's a sad scene that gives us insight into Rory's opinion of Max and the break-up. The scene where she's ready to wallow in season 1 is heartbreaking. 

On the flip side, her moments with Richard are golden. I love the scene where she fixes his tie before Trix's funeral and offers to do the eulogy for him. They have such a sweet relationship. I almost tear up in the finale when she and Lorelai are getting ready to leave the house for the last time. I love that she tells Lorelai, you've given me everything I need. 
 

Great post! Agree with everything you've said. Her and Richard's relationship was one of my faves as well. So sweet! :) And I think that scene with her and Max is one of the underrated ones of the series. I was so glad they got a chance to talk after everything as I did like the bond they had formed. I love her and Luke but her and Max were a close second for me. :)

[hippielamb]

On 8/14/2016 at 9:20 PM, elang4 said:

Great post! Agree with everything you've said. Her and Richard's relationship was one of my faves as well. So sweet! :) And I think that scene with her and Max is one of the underrated ones of the series. I was so glad they got a chance to talk after everything as I did like the bond they had formed. I love her and Luke but her and Max were a close second for me. :)

Rory's relationships with Richard and Max are enjoyable to me because they share some of the same interests. Both are intellectual men whom she can discuss literature with and they understand why she loves it so much.

I think the show portrayed the doting grandparent with grandchild dynamic very well. From their first real episode of bonding at the country club, to seeing how proud Richard was at her Yale graduation party, I love them. One of my favourite hints at their closeness is when it's his birthday in season 3. Rory asks him flat out what he wants and he tells her, (because of course he would). She gets him the Chuck Berry record and also manages to get a gift from Lorelai that she knows Grandpa Gilmore will love. :) Rory and Richard's bond is my second favourite relationship of the show, only Lorelai and Rory is more loved. 
 

[elang4]

4 minutes ago, hippielamb said:

Rory's relationships with Richard and Max are enjoyable to me because they share some of the same interests. Both are intellectual men whom she can discuss literature with and they understand why she loves it so much.

I think the show portrayed the doting grandparent with grandchild dynamic very well. From their first real episode of bonding at the country club, to seeing how proud Richard was at her Yale graduation party, I love them. One of my favourite hints at their closeness is when it's his birthday in season 3. Rory asks him flat out what he wants and he tells her, (because of course he would). She gets him the Chuck Berry record and also manages to get a gift from Lorelai that she knows Grandpa Gilmore will love. :) Rory and Richard's bond is my second favourite relationship of the show, only Lorelai and Rory is more loved. 
 

Yeah I agree with everything you've said. Although I do love Luke and Rory's bond. Just because they're so opposite but they both care about each other so much. I always like it when Rory shows that she's appreciated Luke being there for her. I loved during her 21st when she proudly introduced him as her stepfather to be. His face was so sweet. :) And also that moment when she told Luke the car crash wasn't Jess' fault and they have that mutual agreement. 

[Viqutorious]

Am I the only one that doesn't see a true bond with Rory and Luke? It varies according to whatever storyline is current and doesn't feel genuine or well defined to me.

[Smad]

1 hour ago, CheeseBurgh said:

Am I the only one that doesn't see a true bond with Rory and Luke? It varies according to whatever storyline is current and doesn't feel genuine or well defined to me.

Like with so much on the show, things change depending on the story. Sadly that also includes past relationships. In S1 they seem to barely have a relationship and didn't know each other before Rory was at least 11 (since Lorelai didn't know about Rachel and just moved into the CP when Rory was 11). Then in S5 he made her mashed potatoes when she had the chicken pox and came to her caterpillar's funeral (since Rory was supposedly an adult as a small child no way would Rory have a funeral past age 5 or so). Then of course in S7 where a life long list of presents is listed. It's hard to get a read on their relationship due to the changing backstories.

[hippielamb]

On 8/16/2016 at 2:26 PM, CheeseBurgh said:

Am I the only one that doesn't see a true bond with Rory and Luke? It varies according to whatever storyline is current and doesn't feel genuine or well defined to me.

Nope, I don't see it either. It annoyed me in season 5 when the show kinda rewrote what their relationship was. I like that he was a family friend but don't buy the surrogate father angle they tried to push later on. It's not true to their interactions in the earlier seasons. 

[Aloeonatable]

Quote

 I like that he was a family friend but don't buy the surrogate father angle they tried to push later on. It's not true to their interactions in the earlier seasons. 

Yes, he was a family friend, until he became more to Lorelai, thus becoming more to Rory. Very natural transition IMO. I also think that Lorelai never let anyone, man or woman, including Chris's fiancee Sherry, become a parent to Rory. 

[shron17]

On 8/16/2016 at 4:31 PM, Smad said:

In S1 they seem to barely have a relationship

Although their relationship leaves a lot to the imagination, I wouldn't go that far.  There are quite a few small moments sprinkled throughout the background in season 1 to tell us Luke has a consistent role in Rory's life by making sure she's fed, nagging about what she eats, recognizing her birthday, etc.  I don't see him as a surrogate father either, but there were times even in earlier seasons when it felt like the three of them had a surrogate family relationship.

 

32 minutes ago, Aloeonatable said:

I also think that Lorelai never let anyone, man or woman, including Chris's fiancee Sherry, become a parent to Rory. 

I think it was wise not to want anyone she or Chris dated act like a parent to Rory, especially given Rory was 16.  Even if either got married, becoming a step-parent to a 16-year-old is more like being a friend than actual parenting.    

Edited August 19, 2016 by shron17

[TimetravellingBW]

8 hours ago, shron17 said:

Although their relationship leaves a lot to the imagination, I wouldn't go that far.  There are quite a few small moments sprinkled throughout the background in season 1 to tell us Luke has a consistent role in Rory's life by making sure she's fed, nagging about what she eats, recognizing her birthday, etc.  I don't see him as a surrogate father either, but there were times even in earlier seasons when it felt like the three of them had a surrogate family relationship.

 

I think it was wise not to want anyone she or Chris dated act like a parent to Rory, especially given Rory was 16.  Even if either got married, becoming a step-parent to a 16-year-old is more like being a friend than actual parenting.    

Luke and Rory clearly had a relationship of some sort from before the show began and grew closer as the series continued, although it was inconsistent at times. But Luke was one of the most reliable adult figures in Rory's life and way more of presence than Chris ever was. (Which is why honestly I found him calling out Chris at the vow renewal pretty satisfying: Luke wasn't an all-out father figure but he was a bigger support/everyday fixture when she was growing up than her actual father and it was good someone finally called Chris out on how much he flaked out on his daughter).

It's also interesting that by S5 Rory openly preferred and supported Luke as Lorelai's partner/boyfriend over Chris, with how she outright told Chris to stay away from Lorelai because she was happy, and said that Luke was always there while Chris bailed. It's a development from early on in S1 and S2 when she was far more optimistic and hopeful about Chris sticking around and Chris/Lorelai getting back together. Chris leaving them for Sherry at the end of S2 seems to have been a turning point in Rory's view of Chris and giving up on that dream of being a reunited "proper" family. And while Rory preferring Luke as Lorelai's romantic option doesn't mean she see's him as her father, it does say that Luke is the one she wants to become a permanent part of Lorelai's future and if there's any kind of family set up developing she wants it to be with him.

But the show definitely played around with Rory wanting those male parental figures in her life. Luke, her grandfather (she seems to attach onto him more than Emily, though that's helped by the two of them having similar personalities and interests), Max (with the heartbreaking "I really wanted you to be my stepfather" exchange). There is an underlying sense that Rory would like like a male father-ish figure around and she looks outside of Chris to find it. 

Edited August 19, 2016 by TimetravellingBW

[Viqutorious]

I am a step parent and I really disliked Luke feeling entitled to tell Christopher off at the vow renewal.  Rule number one, *you just shut up, he is her father like it or not. It wasn't Luke's business. Rory was also in college which made it more creepy, and it felt contrived.

luke did not afford Lorelai any access or consideration to his child.

I felt the entire relationship was written unevenly and forced at times.

*I never would confront my stepsons mother about her parenting. I might say something to my husband to let off steam, but NEVER to her or around the boys.

Edited August 19, 2016 by CheeseBurgh

[shron17]

11 hours ago, CheeseBurgh said:

I am a step parent and I really disliked Luke feeling entitled to tell Christopher off at the vow renewal.  Rule number one, *you just shut up, he is her father like it or not. It wasn't Luke's business. Rory was also in college which made it more creepy, and it felt contrived.

I agree with your rule, but there are two exceptions in this case.  Christopher never ever played a parental role in Rory's life--through his own choice he spoke to her on the phone maybe once a week and saw her 1-2 times a year throughout nearly all of her childhood.  For this reason I don't think he's owed the same respect as someone who is consistently and actively involved in their child's life.  Also, Luke spoke up only in response to Chris's claim that whatever went on with Rory was none of Luke's business.  I think Chris was way out of line saying that, especially since his daughter asked him only months before to stay out of her mom's relationship.  Luke was out of line with his response but never should have had to defend why he was there and cared about what was going on with Rory.  I always wish Lorelai could have somehow stepped in and stopped the conversation as she was the only one with any right to have an opinion on Rory's behavior.  

Edited August 19, 2016 by shron17

[clack]

Luke didn't even meet Lorelai until Rory was 11 or 12. It's unclear how quickly afterwards they became actual friends, but Luke has probably known Rory mostly as a teenager, not as a child.

[TimetravellingBW]

Luke didn't have a right to claim any role as a father concerning Rory or to elevate himself as somehow equal to Lorelai, but I feel he was justified in pushing back against Christopher. Especially as Chris outright put himself level with Lorelai with the whole "Rory is my daughter, and Lorelai’s daughter, and that’s it" as if he somehow had as much say as Lorelai. Because it was never that Chris was a Dad who took Rory for weekends or holidays or even regular visits, there was no shared custody system - it was that he turned up twice a year at best and didn't even visit her home until she was 16. And even then the new & improved Chris called once a week and missed most major events in her teenage life. And that was reliable Chris.

Plus I found it near-impossible to side with Chris claiming he cared about Rory given he was at that very moment trying to break up Luke and Lorelai, after Rory had pleaded with him to leave them alone because he always damaged Lorelai's relationships and she was finally happy with a reliable guy. How he could pretend to even give a toss about Rory in that situation was unbelievably hypocritical.  

So while Luke calling Chris out then wasn't the appropriate time and said for the wrong reasons, imo everything said about him not being there for Rory was justified.  Plus most of the things Luke mentioned about him supporting Rory (her high school graduation, taking her stuff to college) was from Rory's teenage years not her childhood, so it wasn't totally rewriting history.  Also contextually Richard, Emily and Chris had been treating Luke like crap all night so I was so just glad to see Luke fighting back and pointing out his significance in Lorelai and Rory's lives. But it would have been nice if Lorelai and Rory were more proactive in that whole exchange rather it being all about Luke and Chris yelling at each other. It would have been better if they were the ones who had the speech about Chris never being around rather than Luke. 

Edited August 19, 2016 by TimetravellingBW

[elang4]

I think Luke was right in telling Chris what he did. He was the one who had been there for Rory, not Chris. Maybe it wasn't the best time to do it but I feel it was definitely justified. And tbh Rory proved exactly what Luke said by asking Lorelai about Luke after the incident and worrying about how mad he was. She didn't even ask about her dad. She was more concerned about Luke than her dad.

[hippielamb]

On 8/19/2016 at 7:18 AM, TimetravellingBW said:

It's also interesting that by S5 Rory openly preferred and supported Luke as Lorelai's partner/boyfriend over Chris, with how she outright told Chris to stay away from Lorelai because she was happy, and said that Luke was always there while Chris bailed. It's a development from early on in S1 and S2 when she was far more optimistic and hopeful about Chris sticking around and Chris/Lorelai getting back together. Chris leaving them for Sherry at the end of S2 seems to have been a turning point in Rory's view of Chris and giving up on that dream of being a reunited "proper" family. And while Rory preferring Luke as Lorelai's romantic option doesn't mean she see's him as her father, it does say that Luke is the one she wants to become a permanent part of Lorelai's future and if there's any kind of family set up developing she wants it to be with him.

 

I'm not so sure about this. I think Rory is on board for whatever relationship makes Lorelai happy. She was supportive of Luke while Lorelai was happy but once she wasn't, we saw Rory be more critical. Same with Chris. She had reservations about them getting back together but her Lorelai's happy so she supports it. When it hits the rocks, Rory is team mom. It makes sense and I love her for it. 

On 8/19/2016 at 7:41 AM, CheeseBurgh said:

I am a step parent and I really disliked Luke feeling entitled to tell Christopher off at the vow renewal.  Rule number one, *you just shut up, he is her father like it or not. It wasn't Luke's business. Rory was also in college which made it more creepy, and it felt contrived.

luke did not afford Lorelai any access or consideration to his child.

I felt the entire relationship was written unevenly and forced at times.

*I never would confront my stepsons mother about her parenting. I might say something to my husband to let off steam, but NEVER to her or around the boys.

I absolutely agree. The only persons who had a right to criticize Christopher's presence in Rory's life are Lorelai and Rory, which both have done. Maybe Emily and Richard maybe but that's pushing it. If any guy I was dating criticized the father of my children I would tell him to butt out, which Lorelai did in a meeker tone than I would have preferred but she was trying to calm down everyone.

Anyway, having just watched yacht-gate and Logan comes to dinner episodes, Rory's annoying over-passivity comes out. It's hard to watch her just sit there after Logan has stolen something from her grandparents home. I find it very disrespectful to the Gilmores, who have done so much for her.

[TimetravellingBW]

19 hours ago, hippielamb said:

I'm not so sure about this. I think Rory is on board for whatever relationship makes Lorelai happy. She was supportive of Luke while Lorelai was happy but once she wasn't, we saw Rory be more critical. Same with Chris. She had reservations about them getting back together but her Lorelai's happy so she supports it. When it hits the rocks, Rory is team mom. It makes sense and I love her for it. 

Anyway, having just watched yacht-gate and Logan comes to dinner episodes, Rory's annoying over-passivity comes out. It's hard to watch her just sit there after Logan has stolen something from her grandparents home. I find it very disrespectful to the Gilmores, who have done so much for her.

I'd say that Rory deliberately going to her dad to tell him to stay away from Lorelai because she was happy with Luke, freezing Chris out for weeks just because he and Lorelai met up for lunch (which I found way too harsh), as @elang4 said worrying far more about Luke than Chris after the vow renewal, turning on Emily for breaking up Luke/Lorelai and her anger at Lorelai at the beginning of S7 for sleeping with Chris indicated that she firmly preferred Luke. Yes she comforted Lorelai after her first break up with Luke because she was unhappy and didn't continually oppose Chris and Lorelai once they got together in S7 because that would have meant another big, ongoing fight with her mom. But while the bottom line was she wanted Lorelai to be happy, Rory still held her own opinion and preference. (The show has quite a few occasions where characters support each others relationship choices while personally disagreeing. A good comparison imo is Lorelai supporting Logan/Rory, including giving him permission to propose even though she wasn't totally sold on them).

And ugh, that whole scene with Logan over for dinner puts both Logan and Rory in the worst light - Logan showing zero regard for the poor, innocent maid and Rory too spineless to make him act and letting him steal from two people she cares deeply about. Rory really lost her backbone after S4. 

Edited August 21, 2016 by TimetravellingBW

[ChlcGirl]

I'm new to the thread but I thought I'd weigh in on two earlier discussions.

Episode I liked Rory the Most: Girls In Bikinis, Boys Doing the Twist.  I loved Rory and Paris attempting spring break but remaining true to who they are: dressing like bubbes on the beach and watching The Power of Myth while others party.  Awesome.

Rory and the poor-little-rich-girl idea:  I loved it when Logan called Rory out for her "yanked myself up by my bootstraps" bullshit and I saw her nonsense most sharply in the season Lorelei is building the Dragonfly.  Several times throughout the season we see Lor trying to save money and Rory bitching about off-brand detergent and chiding her for cutting coupons.  For a girl brought up in a potting shed that should be old hat.  Rory acts scandalized.

[Anela]

I was wondering where Rory got her money from, when she was suddenly worried about her cell phone bill, and needing a job (but also complaining about the quality of jobs available at Yale - I can understand it, since I wouldn't want to do certain things, but her mother cleaned rooms at the Inn to make a living). Was that money part of the tuition, paid by her grandparents? Like an allowance?