Rory Gilmore: Poor little rich girl?

[junienmomo]

44 minutes ago, Anela said:

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?

 As mentioned several times before, money in the girls canon is very flexible. It's there when they don't need it, it's there when they want to spend wildly, and it's not there when broke Lorelai needs someone to bail her out as a plot point. 

I always presumed that Rory's car (love that it was a Prius)  came with a gas credit card at least, and maybe it was a general credit card for all purchases provided by her grandparents.  I can't remember if her job swiping cards at the cafeteria was an actual plot point, or if it was just there to give Yale color to the story.  Also, as often as her grandfather visited her at the University, I'm sure he handed over cash regularly. 

 I can never look at the Prius without remembering that Emily wanted to give her a car to go to Chilton, which offended Lorelai enormously.  When the car served to transport Rory back and forth from Yale to see her mother, suddenly Lorelai was on board with the grandparents giving Rory a car. 

The perfect job for Rory would have been in one of the many libraries. Weird that no one thought of that. Maybe shelving books was beneath her.

Edited August 22, 2016 by junienmomo
Added part about library

[ChlcGirl]

1 hour ago, Anela said:

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?

I find it weird that she was worried about her cell phone since those are usually on a parent's plan until after school, right? 

And I always assumed the both Richard/Emily and Lorelei slipped her some cash when she was at home. In fact, I remember Lor giving her $20 on one visit home.

[clack]

Some university library jobs available for students, if Rory thought shelving beneath her: working the circulation desk, assisting in cataloging, administration, human resources, interlibrary loan, and the bindery. 

Student assistants are especially needed during school breaks -- including spring break-- because many of the regular student assistants leave the campus area during those times, and the libraries remain open. In real life, Rory would have had no problem finding a student library job at Yale during break.

Whenever I watch a TV version of college, I ask myself did any of the writers ever go to college? Scriptwriters usually do an ok job with high school, but are clueless when it comes to college.

[Viqutorious]

I don't recall the episode but one break Rory came home and Lorelai had 4 jobs for her to choose from! She shot them all down except for the book store one. it really pointed out how entitled she was.

[chessiegal]

The way I remember those various jobs Lorelai offered Rory before getting to the bookstore is that they were preposterous, so I think they were meant as a joke, that Lorelai made them up - they weren't real. She knew Rory would jump at the chance to work at the bookstore.

And as previously stated, if you try to figure out Gilmore world finances, you'll go nuts. Their financial situation was whatever the plot du jour needed.

[andromeda331]

It was  So Good Talk.

[ChlcGirl]

32 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

The way I remember those various jobs Lorelai offered Rory before getting to the bookstore is that they were preposterous, so I think they were meant as a joke, that Lorelai made them up - they weren't real. She knew Rory would jump at the chance to work at the bookstore.

And as previously stated, if you try to figure out Gilmore world finances, you'll go nuts. Their financial situation was whatever the plot du jour needed.

I also remember that though she did "work" at the bookstore (which consisted of reading books and chatting with Lane) she also chose a whole stack to buy that would take up more than her eventual paycheck.  And that Lorelei bought them all for her.

Stupid Rory.

[TimetravellingBW]

11 hours ago, junienmomo said:

I always presumed that Rory's car (love that it was a Prius)  came with a gas credit card at least, and maybe it was a general credit card for all purchases provided by her grandparents.  I can't remember if her job swiping cards at the cafeteria was an actual plot point, or if it was just there to give Yale color to the story.  Also, as often as her grandfather visited her at the University, I'm sure he handed over cash regularly. 

The perfect job for Rory would have been in one of the many libraries. Weird that no one thought of that. Maybe shelving books was beneath her.

9 hours ago, clack said:

Some university library jobs available for students, if Rory thought shelving beneath her: working the circulation desk, assisting in cataloging, administration, human resources, interlibrary loan, and the bindery. 

Student assistants are especially needed during school breaks -- including spring break-- because many of the regular student assistants leave the campus area during those times, and the libraries remain open. In real life, Rory would have had no problem finding a student library job at Yale during break.

Whenever I watch a TV version of college, I ask myself did any of the writers ever go to college? Scriptwriters usually do an ok job with high school, but are clueless when it comes to college.

Rory's source of income was ridiculous, but I figured that Richard and Emily gave her a regular allowance as part of "paying for Yale." (She was initially meant to pay them back but that kind of went out the window in later seasons, especially after Chris took over). I thought it was implied her swiping-cards was a regular job, didn't she comment she didn't want to go back to it in her sophmore year?

Having Rory work at a Yale library would be perfect. They never fleshed out Yale's world/setting as well as Chilton, largely because Rory did so little college stuff/clubs/activities/people. (She was on the paper, went to one LDB event and...that was it). Having Rory actually working in the library and interacting with people would give Yale more layers. (And they already filmed stuff in the library anyway, so the set was there). But no because work is apparently below Rory Gilmore. 

Even with Rory's cruisey book shop job, didn't she ditch it at one point to go round Europe with Emily? That also drove me crazy - Rory didn't spend a single summer working some crappy, menial job like a normal student: After high school/s3 she went backpacking round Europe with Lorelai, after freshman year/s4 she went to Europe with Emily, after her sophmore year/s5 she was living in the pool house, partying it up with Logan and his circle (and admittedly working off her Community service hours - so I guess Rory will do menial work only if it's state ordered). After her junior year/s6 there was no indication she was working/saving - she and Logan were planning to spend 6 weeks in Asia together, like oh of course Rory, you haven't spent enough summers travelling and living in luxury, it's not like you might actually need to get something done this time around. 

(A lot of students do take one summer off during uni to travel but they work their butts off saving the rest off the time - or take a whole gap year to earn the money and then go. Normal people don't go jetting off to Europe or Asia on someone else's money every time school's out. Rory really had no grounds to claim that she "earned" her way through Yale). 

Edited August 23, 2016 by TimetravellingBW

[ChlcGirl]

You know, whenever I start thinking about all the bullshit Rory did over the course of the show, I get irrationally filled with rage.  How sad is that?!?  But I seriously want to get the character in a room and yell at her about her faux "poor girl fighting the privileged kids" bullshit.  

[junienmomo]

I have to give Logan props for bringing the issue up to Rory a few times, like when he talked about her going back to Yale, or when she needed to be reminded that she was living with him on his dime. He was sometimes kind of dickish, but he was at least honest with her, in contrast to Mommy's sense of entitlement for Rory. Lorelai had that one moment when she was going to postpone the Dragonfly, but outside of that, it was perfectly OK for others to finance Rory's lifestyle.

[ChlcGirl]

I always liked Logan for Rory.  She and Jess may have had things in common but he never would have been a decent long-term match for her.  She was always going to be VERY comfortable in wealthy circles, and appeared to enjoy them.  Jess wasn't going to fit in there, ever.  Logan was a better "fit" for her in background, future goals and he was pretty intelligent to boot.

[Aloeonatable]

Quote

She was always going to be VERY comfortable in wealthy circles, and appeared to enjoy them.

I didn't like that Rory. Rory, post season 4 was my least favorite character.

[hippielamb]

On 8/21/2016 at 5:12 AM, TimetravellingBW said:

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. 

All the things you mention I think are more about Lorelai's happiness rather than a preference for Luke. Rory being upset in season 7 about Lor & Chris is about not wanting her relationship with her dad to suffer & she has amble evidence it will from prior events.

I don't see a preference from Rory on who Lorelai's partner should be. She doesn't continue much of a relationship with Luke after the break-ups. She avoids the diner after the first one, and takes Logan there in season 7 but that was about him experiencing the town. I don't recall any moments of just the two of them being friendly outside of the diner in season 7. She is ready to side with her mom until Lorelai tells her she doesn't want Rory to be mad at him. Even in season 6, after she reconciles with her mom there's not much of Luke and Rory having a bond outside of Lorelai. 

That whole scene bugs me so much. The Gilmores have been extremely generous to their grandchild & the thought of Rory allowing anyone to steal from them floors me. When I think back eons ago to being in my grandmother's house, I can't imagine letting any boy steal from her. It's so freaking disrespectful. I'm all for Rory making her own decisions in seasons 4&5 but the disrespect is something I can never support.

 

On 8/22/2016 at 10:30 AM, junienmomo said:

I can never look at the Prius without remembering that Emily wanted to give her a car to go to Chilton, which offended Lorelai enormously.  When the car served to transport Rory back and forth from Yale to see her mother, suddenly Lorelai was on board with the grandparents giving Rory a car. 

I think that was partially about Lorelai's need to shield Rory from Emily's influence. Not a bad idea as we later saw how entitled Rory is when she is surrounded by privilege in the Gilmore house. When she yelled about the chocolate boxes as if she paid for them, my jaw dropped.

[TimetravellingBW]

1 hour ago, hippielamb said:

All the things you mention I think are more about Lorelai's happiness rather than a preference for Luke. Rory being upset in season 7 about Lor & Chris is about not wanting her relationship with her dad to suffer & she has amble evidence it will from prior events.

I don't see a preference from Rory on who Lorelai's partner should be. She doesn't continue much of a relationship with Luke after the break-ups. She avoids the diner after the first one, and takes Logan there in season 7 but that was about him experiencing the town. I don't recall any moments of just the two of them being friendly outside of the diner in season 7. She is ready to side with her mom until Lorelai tells her she doesn't want Rory to be mad at him. Even in season 6, after she reconciles with her mom there's not much of Luke and Rory having a bond outside of Lorelai. 

I'd agree that Rory's first priority is Lorelai's happiness and she isn't as close to Luke after the L/L break up. But her overall reaction to L/L before the break up suggests that she thinks Luke is the better option for Lorelai to be happy and in that way "prefers" Luke. Not that she necessarily loves Luke more than Chris.  But agree to disagree ;) 

17 hours ago, junienmomo said:

I have to give Logan props for bringing the issue up to Rory a few times, like when he talked about her going back to Yale, or when she needed to be reminded that she was living with him on his dime. He was sometimes kind of dickish, but he was at least honest with her, in contrast to Mommy's sense of entitlement for Rory. Lorelai had that one moment when she was going to postpone the Dragonfly, but outside of that, it was perfectly OK for others to finance Rory's lifestyle.

 I liked that Logan totally owned up to the fact that he was a privileged, rich guy: He knew he had connections and money and was happy to enjoy them to their full extent, but unlike Rory there was never any pretense about it. It made him a very entertaining character who could pull her into a lot of exciting storylines and situations. And he was willing to call Rory out for her mindset that she was somehow more humble or disadvantaged than his type. (In early seasons her perspective was justifiable - she was living with Lorelai and a fish out of water at Chilton - but not by s5 when she was living off her grandparents).  

10 hours ago, ChlcGirl said:

I always liked Logan for Rory.  She and Jess may have had things in common but he never would have been a decent long-term match for her.  She was always going to be VERY comfortable in wealthy circles, and appeared to enjoy them.  Jess wasn't going to fit in there, ever.  Logan was a better "fit" for her in background, future goals and he was pretty intelligent to boot.

That's funny because I always had the opposite reaction. I was like @Aloeonatable disliking post-S4 Rory, and that was because she became so entitled and spoiled in Logan's wealthy circles. She lost her sweeter, down to earth nature and I really loved Rory for the first four seasons. (Who appreciated aspects of her  grandparent's world, but it ultimately wasn't who she was).  So I didn't want her to end up with Logan because she'd just go on living a privileged, materialistic existence and become a totally different person. I'd much rather see her end up with Jess, and hang out in his quirky, intellectual writer/publishing circles instead, and find a balance between small-town Stars Hollow and wealthy Gilmore/Huntzberger society. (Or if the show had gone on longer found another guy who was a balance, but now it feels too late to introduce a new love interest in the revival). 

Edited August 23, 2016 by TimetravellingBW

[ChlcGirl]

Oh!  I'm sorry!  I didn't realize that it didn't come through in my post - I REALLY disliked Rory once we really hit the Yale years.  I found her outrageously annoying.  With the Logan/Rory post I just meant that of her 3 boyfriends, I felt that Logan would be her best fit.  I never had the feeling that Logan looked down on the Stars Hollow stuff when he was there and he was genuinely gracious to Luke and Lorelei when they got together (even when Luke was being a complete asshat).

Rory was never going to be that sweet, small town girl after her "sabbatical" from Yale and then living with Logan in New Haven and New York.  She would undoubtedly get a lot of moolah from her father AND Trix AND Richard/Emily AND Lorelei (because let's face it - Lor was destined to be at least a moderate success).  Chica was SET.  I think Logan was the only one who would have been comfortable with that part of her.  Also, I always loved his eye rolls when she started her hard luck stories.

[scarynikki12]

I think that both of Lorelai's reactions to the car offers make sense for where the characters are at those points in the series.  The first offer came in the second ever episode, mere days after the Gilmores agreed to pay for Chilton.  At this point, Lorelai was used to them not being a regular part of their lives, and this was by design because (as we saw in the pilot) she felt attacked and belittled when they were around each other.  Richard's comments may not have intended to insult Lorelai but they had that effect and Emily then went for blood during the confrontation in the kitchen.  Then, during this episode, we see Emily constantly trying to undermine Lorelai at the parent.  She shows up for the pre-school meeting with Charleston*, she pays for the DSL line and tells the workers to break into the Crap Shack to install it, and the only reason she even tells Lorelai about the car is because she called her to ask for Rory's clothing size.  If she already knew Rory's size, then I expect that a large box of Chilton clothes would have shown up at the porch by a delivery man who also drove the new car over.  Lorelai put a stop to the excess uniforms and the car because, honestly, Rory didn't need them.  She also knew that Emily meant it when she said that she was for sure buying the coat (and probably agreed that it was a good idea), so she let that one go.

When the graduation car is mentioned at the end of season three things are different.  The relationship between Lorelai and the Gilmores isn't exactly better but she's used to having them in their lives on a regular basis, she agreed that Rory would benefit from having a car at school, and, this is the most important point for me, Emily and Richard asked her before they did anything.  I think Lorelai would have accepted the reality of the situation if they'd just sprung it on Rory after the ceremony but them calling to ask her (and demonstrating that they were not going to undermine her this time) no doubt meant a lot to her and left her more open to the gift.

*A meeting I still get annoyed by because Lorelai would already have met him and I cannot imagine this would happen in real life.  Due to starting after the start of the semester, I can see Rory doing all the paperwork first thing, so if she needed to be early for that, fine, but the idea that Lorelai HAS TO meet the Headmaster before school?  A school that, presumably, starts at 8 am like most in the US?  Did they assume that Lorelai didn't work?  Was it school policy for this meeting to take place before school and not after?  Shouldn't someone have reminded Lorelai of this apparently mandatory meeting when Rory was accepted?  I get that the point was for Lorelai to show up in her laundry day clothes, embarrass herself and Rory, and give Emily more ammo to use against her but COME ON!

With regard to the revival, all I really want from Rory is for her to own a Kindle.  Books are great but they turn to lead in bags so some kind of tablet with books downloaded is perfect for the devoted reader on the go.  Rory should have one.

[JaggedLilPill]

One Has Class was on UP last night (and here I thought going back to TWC would be a bad move. Turns out I'm getting more channels) and Rory was so damn obnoxious to Shane. Rory, STFU. Shane didn't take Jess from you. You kissed him, didn't contact him for an entire summer, and then have the gall to get pissy when he's with someone and to treat that someone like shit. Of course they purposely tried to make Shane look shallow and certainly not as bright as Rory, but she came out looking a whole lot nicer in that situation than Rory. 

Rory didn't really have the best relationship with other females on the show. Yeah, she had Lane and Lorelai and Emily, but her relationship with Paris was on/off. Not that I think Paris is the easiest person to get along with and she brought her own issues to the table in that friendship. And while Paris was an academic rival, she doesn't get the vitriol that more "romantic" rivals get (Shane, Lindsay) from Rory. I wonder why. Is it because both Shane and Lindsay are having sex with guys Rory is interested in at the time while she's still inexperienced? Because neither of them deserved that treatment. Clearly Rory screwed Lindsay over more than she did Shane, but "Well, I'm sure for you how ice is made is probably fascinating"? Ew, Rory. Then again, this is the same Rory who tried to justify sleeping with Dean by claiming Lindsay wasn't good for Dean, she let him work himself to death, etc. 

It's interesting to think about how Rory relates to other women despite her best-friend relationship with Lorelai. Not that Rory is like that with every other woman on GG, but it speaks volumes how the claws come out when she feels threatened and/or intimidated by other women.

[RoyRogersMcFreely]

Lorelai raised her to be entitled. She feels like she should be the center of the universe to anyone she cares for, because that's how she was raised. Everything was for Rory, Rory, Rory. That's what love looks like to her. She wasn't raised to think others happiness matters if Rory's not happy. Lorelai put her first to a fault, I think.

Most prefer her in the earliest of seasons but I don't. She was born and raised in a fairytale. She was nothing but strawman strength and sense of self. She was always going to be broken by the world because you can't stay attached at the hip to mommy forever. I know a lot hate who she became in later seasons but her trajectory makes sense.

Edited August 24, 2016 by RoyRogersMcFreely

[patchwork]

2 hours ago, RoyRogersMcFreely said:

Lorelai raised her to be entitled. She feels like she should be the center of the universe to anyone she cares for, because that's how she was raised. Everything was for Rory, Rory, Rory. That's what love looks like to her. She wasn't raised to think others happiness matters if Rory's not happy. Lorelai put her first to a fault, I think.

Most prefer her in the earliest of seasons but I don't. She was born and raised in a fairytale. She was nothing but strawman strength and sense of self. She was always going to be broken by the world because you can't stay attached at the hip to mommy forever. I know a lot hate who she became in later seasons but her trajectory makes sense.

I agree that it made sense, in the later season we were constantly almost addressing Rory's core issues but then the show would swerve in a different direction.

Without her support system Rory is struggling to make friends and keep on top of her workload. She turns to her old boyfriend, who is comfortable and safe but unfortunately now married to someone else. Interesting growing up story focusing on Rory's sense of entitlement dropped in favour of the Life and Death Brigade. Sleeping with Dean and the very public fallout should have at least caused some nasty backlash from the other Stars Hallow residents but there's nothing and Rory remains the town's perfect angel. 

Somewhere along the way she lost her illusions about her father and seems to realise that her parents' relationship toxic so tells him point blank to leave her mother alone because Lorelai is happy with Luke but then it becomes all about Lorelai and Chris's bond. Although Rory's relationship with Chris being overlooked in order to keep him a viable love interest for Lorelai is the norm it particularly annoyed me in this instance but not nearly as much as the resolution to the Yale/Lorelai rift. 

Rory left college because someone criticised her and there's no introspection about that she just drifted along for a while until Jess gives her a pep talk of sorts and suddenly it's over. 

[DisneyBoy]

On 23/08/2016 at 10:01 AM, Aloeonatable said:

I didn't like that Rory. Rory, post season 4 was my least favorite character.

Ditto! Hated AB's performance, voice and attitude. Rory was gone.

[Kohola3]

Quote

Ditto! Hated AB's performance, voice and attitude. Rory was gone.

I don't imagine she could control the attitude because that was the choice of the writers and director.  But, oy, that voice!  It was like fingernails on a blackboard!  

And the acting was like something in a grade school play.  Wait, that's an insult to the little actors in Fiddler on the Roof (Kirk excluded, of course).  They were way better than AB in the latter seasons.  That scene in the nursing home where she was doing community service make absolutely unwatchable.

[junienmomo]

While I very largely agree with the sentiments expressed above, I do want to give AB props for her performance in The Party's Over. 

It's delicately written and she plays it with subtlety. First, she's listening to Dean at their Doose's dinner, and clearly realizes that he's not interested or capable of caring about her work more than superficially. She's disappointed, and is sad, but not really surprised when Dean breaks up with her later. It must have been a confusing evening from the start, with her grandparents' meat market filled with guys who'd done it many times and knew how to play it. Say the right words in front of the parents/grandparents, then they'll leave you alone for a couple of hours.

While AB's actual crying over Dean isn't the best of acting, she did an otherwise good job with the emotions. Seeing the not-fun obligation of participating in the meat market was an important part of her transition into the society world. 

[tennisgurl]

I was bored today so I decided to throw on a random GG episode, and I had Die Jerk already up, so I decided to watch. Its still a good episode (Richard running around on his laptop after Jason hooked up their wireless is hilarious), but it really shines a light on a big problem with Rory's character, that just become more and more apparent as the show went on...journalism might not be the best field for Rory to go into. She clearly cannot handle criticism, and immediately crumbles under any kind of conflict, and just in general comes off as someone who can give criticism, but cant take it. But there are a few interesting scenes here that will become REALLY ironic later on in the series. First, there is the scene where, after Rory is feeling bad about the ballerina she wrote her review on having her feelings hurt, and Richard tells her that its good that she told the ballerina that she sucked at her chosen major, and that now she can find something else to study.  Mitchum basically does the same thing to Rory (and was honestly nicer about his criticism than Rory was to the dancer), but, in that case, he is clearly supposed to be the villain. And there is also the lesson that Rory is supposed to learn at the end of the episode (at least, the lesson I took from it). The lesson seems to be that, if Rory is serious about journalism, she needs to get tougher. Maybe she could be a bit less quippy in her criticism, but she needs thick skin if she wants to make it. And...she never gets thicker skin. If anything, she comes off as even more sheltered and pampered, wilting like a delicate little flower when someone does not worship at the altar of Saint Rory. 

I just cannot see Rory being the kind of journalist that she seems to want to be. The kind that runs into war zones or asks the tough questions to important people, or even does reviews or think pieces about art or controversial issues. She just seems too soft and easily offended, and too quick to fall apart under pressure. I feel like modern journalist Rory would take the comment section of every article she writes REALLY seriously. And thats not really all her fault. As others have said, Rory has been sheltered in her quaint happy little town where everyone loves her and thinks she can do no wrong, and even as she left that bubble, she still continued to be told how wonderful she was (the only person who was ever really allowed to be critical of Rory and not be a total villain was Headmaster Charleston, which is one of the reasons I like the later high schools years) by her mom and grandparents and most other people in her life. If someone did not care for something Rory did, Lor was quick to tell Rory that it was their fault, and not hers. No matter what, she always won people over, and came out on top. Then, when Mitchum gave his speech to her, she had no idea how to deal with real criticism. The kind of criticism that real journalists get all the time. The stuff you hear famous people talk about after they get successful while they do graduation speeches. But Rory just immediately crumbled, because her whole sheltered life she had been told that she was always perfect and right (with a few exceptions here and there, but not many), and things had always gone her way. 

And what really gets me is, this could have been a really interesting arc, if the writers had really examined this. Instead of making Mitchum the bad guy, show Rory actually wondering if he has a point. Should a person who hates conflict and prefers quietly reading to parties be going into such a take no prisoners field? She could have actually taken some time to reevaluate, and either decide that journalism isn't for her, or she could buckle down and prove that she has the tough stuff. But none of that happens. Mitchum is a Big Mean Jerk Face who cant appreciate perfect Rory, who manages to graduate on time with honors after screwing around as a college drop out for a good chunk of time, and gets a dream job covering the campaign trail of the freaking future president of the United States immediately after graduation. Of course. I honestly feel like the writers wanted to give Rory a "hip, exciting" career, instead of becoming a researcher, or something else that more suited her more passive, reserved personality, but was less exciting sounding. I am really interested in seeing where her career has gone in the new season. 

Edited August 27, 2016 by tennisgurl

[clack]

The idea that Rory could have a career like Christiane  Amanpour's was laughable. She would need Paris's personality to do so, for one thing : driven, aggressive, ruthless. And it's not as if there are a lot of TV foreign correspondent jobs to go around in the first place -- five maybe?

Rory was like a role player on a mediocre high school basketball team whose ambition is to play in the NBA. The show never did come to terms on just how delusional her career goals were.

[Viqutorious]

Did ASP write Rory as the complex out of place character we (some of us) see, or did she write her as Lorelai and the town saw her?

[katha]

With the development journalism has taken in this age of social media, I'm not sure Rory was a good fit for the field at all. Even as an opinion writer or reviewer there'd be constant harsh feedback via online comments and steady jobs are thin on the ground. It's freelance work, mostly, and everyone has to hustle for the next assignment. Rory with her craving for security would have been at sea there IMO, and if she freaked out so much about the ballerina and Mitchum, how was she going to deal with hundreds of online comments per article?

She'd have done fine in research, management, administration, something like that. I don't think teaching or academia, also suggested from time to time, would have been easy for her either. The scrutiny and vicious criticism in both those fields isn't any less intense than in journalism, from students, parents, colleagues, bosses. And in academia you have the cut-throat competition for grants and tenure as well. Publishing has had the same fate as journalism, not as many steady and well-paying jobs to go around because the internet has changed everything.

[junienmomo]

6 hours ago, CheeseBurgh said:

Did ASP write Rory as the complex out of place character we (some of us) see, or did she write her as Lorelai and the town saw her?

My guess is, based on the fact that they were always chasing a contract for another couple of seasons, that the Palladinos planned the golden child persona, the wanted journalism career, the first sex, the struggles at Chilton and Yale, but not a whole lot more. Clearly Rory needed boyfriend(s) at Yale, but for Logan to be potential end game so strong that he lasts 3 seasons? I suspect not.

I can see Mitchum's feedback being planned when they did the whole season 5 planning, but not earlier. 

The stuff that bugs me about the journalism career is the stuff mentioned in other posts, plus that the writers didn't plan for her growth to include a different career. It's almost like they figured she'd magically get the golden child journalism award and a job at the NYT.

[clack]

My guess is that AS-P just thought that Christiane Amanpour was a fine, feminist role model for a young girl to have without giving much thought to what an unrealistic career goal it was to have Rory want to be a TV foreign correspondent reporting from war zones.

On the other hand, I can more easily see Rory doing gentle, quirky pieces for NPR.

[HeySandyStrange]

19 hours ago, clack said:

The idea that Rory could have a career like Christiane  Amanpour's was laughable. She would need Paris's personality to do so, for one thing : driven, aggressive, ruthless. And it's not as if there are a lot of TV foreign correspondent jobs to go around in the first place -- five maybe?

On top of being ruthless and driven, she'd have to be extremely tough, emotionally and mentally. War/foreign correspondents have to witness death, murder, genocide, be threatened with bodily harm, torture, and sexual assault...I'm not even sure Rory could handle a camping trip, much less all that. Amanpour or Marie Colvin (a complete badass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Colvin)  she ain't. I'll have to agree with the speculation that ASP put little thought or research into what foreign correspondents do, outside of it sounding like a cool career for golden girl Rory.

Edited August 28, 2016 by HeySandyStrange

[Taryn74]

53 minutes ago, HeySandyStrange said:

I'm not even sure Rory could handle a camping trip, much less all that. 

 

Pretty sure that made me laugh way harder than was necessary.

[Kohola3]

Especially since her camping trip with the LADB included formals and champagne.

[moonb]

Rory's desire to travel and see what's beyond Stars Hollow is pretty relatable, imo, especially for an introverted bookworm. The thing is, there are other careers besides journalism that allow for this, and that require good organizational and analytical skills.  Why it had to be the two extremes of  "foreign correspondent" or "life in Stars Hollow" is a mystery.  Other than yes, foreign correspondent is a brainy, glamorous -seeming career if you don't think about the cons too much. And it's not like she's lacking opportunities or funds for traveling between her grandparents and Christopher's support. But besides the fact that the story is served by Rory staying close to Hartford/Stars Hollow, it seems like college-era Rory doesn't really want to leave Lorelai or her safe world as much as she thinks. 

I think Rory would have done well in a specialty niche of librarianship, even though those jobs are hard to find too. Or, even though university-level academia might be a challenge for her, becoming a Max Medina-type high school English teacher. Too lacking in prestige? 

[clack]

I could believe that Rory, age 12 or 13, might've wanted to grow up to be Christine Amanpour, just as she might have earlier wanted to be a ballerina or an astronaut. But as a serious aspiration to carry into young adulthood? Introverted, bookish, Russian-classics reading Rory? Not credible.

Maybe a career like Joan Didion would be something she would be more likely to aspire to. High-minded, erudite literary journalism. But there's nothing intellectual or literary about being a reporter for a cable network. And have we ever seen Rory show a deep interest in international affairs -- famines, civil wars, coups, etc.?

[txhorns79]

Quote

I could believe that Rory, age 12 or 13, might've wanted to grow up to be Christiane Amanpour, just as she might have earlier wanted to be a ballerina or an astronaut. But as a serious aspiration to carry into young adulthood? Introverted, bookish, Russian-classics reading Rory? Not credible.

It was strange.  It was like they wanted Rory to seem like a serious person, so that was the reporter they picked for her to want to emulate.  However, there was nothing in what we saw from Rory that she had the temperament or even desire to do what Amanpour does. 

[Sweet Tee]

Quote

Maybe a career like Joan Didion would be something she would be more likely to aspire to

That definitely seems more like something Rory would excel at and seems to fit her interests more.

[JaggedLilPill]

It's funny since I always pictured myself like Rory in regards to a career. I wanted to be a journalist, like Rory. I love books and reading, like Rory. I was on my high school newspaper, like Rory. I ended up going in a different direction entirely and am now trying to switch careers, and it's taken me a while to realize why I didn't become a journalist. Don't get me wrong. I love writing, but I don't have the drive to go out there and get the stories and I feel that's what Rory would end up realizing. I think when it's in front of her, like with me, we can tell a good, even great, story. But to go out there and chase it, it's not something I feel comfortable doing.

Who knows though. Maybe Rory is more tenacious than I am. Maybe I am hiding behind my fears and even being slightly lazy. Perhaps she is doing great out there in the journalism world. But I do wonder why she never considered an alternative. She didn't have to quit journalism altogether. I think she would be good at editing. Or a book reviewer. She never appeared interested in publishing outside of journalism. She could have been a good literary agent or book scout. Rory had a lot of options available. 

Edited August 28, 2016 by JaggedLilPill

[tennisgurl]

43 minutes ago, clack said:

And have we ever seen Rory show a deep interest in international affairs -- famines, civil wars, coups, etc.?

I was thinking about that too. I mean, I know this aint exactly the show to have deep discussions about civil wars, genocides, and international politics, but, honestly, what does Rory actually think about the stuff she wants to devote her life to? Do we even know if shes registered to vote? Have we seen her think about or discus political issues or world events? Does she have an interest in anything other than classic literature, obscure movies, or pop culture? We see in the Sookie christenng episode that she knows pretty much nothing about Christianity, and while people dont have to learn about religion and faith in their day to day lives if they dont want to, shouldnt a person who wants to go into forign affairs and reporting know at least the basics of the worlds major religions? Isnt that kind of a...thing? Does she hold any political beliefs?  Does she speak any languages other than English? She took French in high school, but we never saw her follow up on that. Is she really interested in other cultures and nations and how they work? We know she backpacked with Lor through Europe, doing touristy stuff, and she did rich people stuff with Emily, but did she ever feel connected with another culture, so much that she would want to learn more about it and report on it? I mean, other than their classic Lit, of course. Has she ever really spent time with people who are not born Americans, besides Michel and Mrs. Kim (who have both seemingly lived in the US for awhile, and I figure have American citizenship)? Or even Americans not from the east coast? And, as someone else said, Rory is on record thinking camping is basically gross. CAMPING. How does she expect to be covering war zones in jungles if she cant even pitch a tent in a tourist camp in Connecticut? She also hates sports and seems to find their existence mystifying, she has shown a decent amount of contempt for modern music and culture (despite knowing all about everything), and, again, has never shown interest in any culture outside her own (again, unless its a weird movie or something from a book). Maybe I am being a little harsh, but you have to be a really specific kind of person to be a foreign corespondent, and, I would assume, you would have to be REALLY passionate about what you are doing to put yourself into that kind of danger on a daily basis.  

There are things Rory would be good at. Maybe a librarian or an archivist, or a researcher, or restoring rare books. Or, as others have said, go into a more academic side of journalism, or even write book or movie reviews. She could work abroad or travel to do all of that, go to famous libraries and museums around the world, or meet with famous authors and academics. Granted, those jobs are hard to find, but it makes a whole lot more sense than jumpy, sheltered little Rory running through world politics. 

[moonb]

One of the reasons I liked reading the Virtual Gilmore Girls imagining of seasons 8 to 10 was that it did have Rory examining her career and travel dreams, and while she ends up staying in journalism at a small paper writing more mundane profiles and news stories than season 1 Rory would have wanted, older Rory realizes that she's not suited to anything involving international affairs, and that she doesn't even like traveling the way she thought she would. I don't think her reassessing her original goals and adjusting them and even staying somewhat near Lorelai because she feels like it's right for her is necessarily unhealthy. Providing she's not doing it in the middle of a meltdown. 

[clack]

There's a hard truth about Rory that I hope the Netflix revival will touch upon, and it this : while Rory might have been a star in Stars Hollow and in Chilton, she's a relative mediocrity at Yale.

She is one of thousands of students graduating from the Ivies every year, every one of whom will be at least as smart and capable as she is. There were a thousand Rorys entering the workforce the year before she graduated, and there will be a thousand more the year after.

Downsizing her career expectations might make for compelling drama. She can still have a fulfilling, successful career and life without becoming world-famous.

[tennisgurl]

Also, it just struck me. If Rory wants to become a foreign corespondent, why did we never see her consider studying abroad? I mean, I guess she couldn't actually leave for a semester, because I doubt they want to shoot a season of "Rory in Barcelona", but its something you would think she would be interested in, if she wants to travel and report on foreign countries for a career. Maybe actually get to know another country and its people? Something? Or, if she cant do that, she could have joined Model UN, the International Club, or any number of student organizations based around learning about other cultures and countries, and how they work, and what problems they are facing. Or join Habitat for Humanity, or some kind of volunteer organization, where she could learn about how to deal with people in need of help, or see how she could do in a hands on situation. Oh wait. She spent one episode, having realized that, oh yeah, you need to have something other than good grades to get into the Ivy League,  building a house in high school. She hated it, and we never saw her be interested in anything remotely humanitarian ever again. 

[junienmomo]

3 hours ago, JaggedLilPill said:

It's funny since I always pictured myself like Rory in regards to a career. I wanted to be a journalist, like Rory. I love books and reading, like Rory. I was on my high school newspaper, like Rory. I ended up going in a different direction entirely and am now trying to switch careers, and it's taken me a while to realize why I didn't become a journalist. Don't get me wrong. I love writing, but I don't have the drive to go out there and get the stories and I feel that's what Rory would end up realizing. I think when it's in front of her, like with me, we can tell a good, even great, story. But to go out there and chase it, it's not something I feel comfortable doing.

Who knows though. Maybe Rory is more tenacious than I am. Maybe I am hiding behind my fears and even being slightly lazy. Perhaps she is doing great out there in the journalism world. But I do wonder why she never considered an alternative. She didn't have to quit journalism altogether. I think she would be good at editing. Or a book reviewer. She never appeared interested in publishing outside of journalism. She could have been a good literary agent or book scout. Rory had a lot of options available. 

Your 'chasing the story' notion brought me right to Logan. He was a natural at the newspaper business, comfortable in difficult situations, and thrived on chaos. While I can't imagine him being a foreign correspondent long-term, it would have been so great for him if he and his father had guided him to try out the many different aspects of journalism before taking over the helm of the family business. That would also help Rory understand the actual life of a correspondent. 

[Viqutorious]

I always thought the lack of foreign language regarding Rory was really strange too Tennisgurl. Her Grandmother spoke Italian when they were in Europe and her Grandfather spoke French at the Christmas party, Rory was able to utter a basic year one level response in French.

Considering the actress speaks fluent Spanish it never made sense to me why they didn't incorporate that into her story.

[cuddlingcrowley]

Quote

RORY: I know French, a bit of Spanish, but my Italian -- not so good.

 

LORELAI: Being trilingual is plenty for a young lady.

So, there you go. The show sort of adresses it and I recall Rory having a (very basic) conversation in Spanish with Esperanza, Emily's maid during her stay with the Gilmores in S6.

 

Quote

 

Do we even know if shes registered to vote?

 

Rory also loved to vote, according to Lorelai. That was part of her freak out when Rory was arrested, whether she'd be able to vote.

 

Quote

Maybe I am being a little harsh, but you have to be a really specific kind of person to be a foreign corespondent, and, I would assume, you would have to be REALLY passionate about what you are doing to put yourself into that kind of danger on a daily basis.  

There are things Rory would be good at. Maybe a librarian or an archivist, or a researcher, or restoring rare books. 

Yeah, I'll be real here and say most of the criticism presented on this thread over Rory not being the complete foreign correspondent package at 21/22 is kinda baffling me. But especifically don't see how someone who genuinely has been show as being interested in travelling and crave excitement would be happy/fullfilled as a librarian or archivist, but that's just me.  

Yes, she's sheltered and, boy, does she need a thicker skin like you wouldn't believe but no one can say the girl isn't driven and disciplined and in my world that counts for A LOT as for achieving your goals. 

Last, but not least, despite how obnoxiously perfect she was at times, the later seasons showed me that, at the very least, Rory would be quite at home as a newspaper editor, so I don't really see why journalism was so completely wrong for her, like most seem to.  

And that was a pro-Rory Gilmore, post. I did not plan this.

[HeySandyStrange]

1 hour ago, cuddlingcrowley said:

Yeah, I'll be real here and say most of the criticism presented on this thread over Rory not being the complete foreign correspondent package at 21/22 is kinda baffling me. But especifically don't see how someone who genuinely has been show as being interested in travelling and crave excitement would be happy/fullfilled as a librarian or archivist, but that's just me.

I think most are criticizing the idea of Rory wanting to be a Christiane Amanpour type journalist, as in hard-boiled, willing to get your hands dirty, putting your life and sanity at risk to get the story journalist. Now, I could see Rory being a book/music critic, writing for the arts section, being a travel writer or entertainment reporter. It is just impossible (for me) to see her as a hard line, uber serious journalist. It just doesn't seem to jive with the interests/personality traits she had displayed during the course of the show. I'd be perfectly fine if we find out in the revival that she stayed in the journalism field but is working in a different (but still exciting and fulfilling) area of it then the serious journalist model she followed in the beginning of the show.

[RachelKM]

9 hours ago, HeySandyStrange said:

I think most are criticizing the idea of Rory wanting to be a Christiane Amanpour type journalist, as in hard-boiled, willing to get your hands dirty, putting your life and sanity at risk to get the story journalist. Now, I could see Rory being a book/music critic, writing for the arts section, being a travel writer or entertainment reporter. It is just impossible (for me) to see her as a hard line, uber serious journalist. It just doesn't seem to jive with the interests/personality traits she had displayed during the course of the show. I'd be perfectly fine if we find out in the revival that she stayed in the journalism field but is working in a different (but still exciting and fulfilling) area of it then the serious journalist model she followed in the beginning of the show.

 I agree that Rory was not well suited for foreign correspondent in the vein of Christiane Amanpour. However, I think the finale job of campaign journalist was a good fit.  So I don't think she would have only been suited to art and culture sections.  

That said, I don't think it is all that unrealistic that Rory would idolize Amanpour and then later find her own niche in journalism to which she was more suited in both talent and temperament. 

Edited August 29, 2016 by RachelKM

[TimetravellingBW]

On 8/29/2016 at 3:54 PM, cuddlingcrowley said:

Yeah, I'll be real here and say most of the criticism presented on this thread over Rory not being the complete foreign correspondent package at 21/22 is kinda baffling me. But especifically don't see how someone who genuinely has been show as being interested in travelling and crave excitement would be happy/fullfilled as a librarian or archivist, but that's just me.  

On 8/29/2016 at 5:12 PM, HeySandyStrange said:

I think most are criticizing the idea of Rory wanting to be a Christiane Amanpour type journalist, as in hard-boiled, willing to get your hands dirty, putting your life and sanity at risk to get the story journalist. Now, I could see Rory being a book/music critic, writing for the arts section, being a travel writer or entertainment reporter. It is just impossible (for me) to see her as a hard line, uber serious journalist. It just doesn't seem to jive with the interests/personality traits she had displayed during the course of the show. 

Certainly for me the problem is they clung so tightly to the "Rory as a future Christine Amanpour" idea all the way through. It felt more like celebrity worship than an actual job goal, but the show treated it like that was the perfect, viable career option for Rory. Yes, while she clearly enjoyed travelling and was interested in international affairs/politics, she was more passionate about reading, music and popular culture. And her love of travel seemed pretty typical: She liked history and tourist attractions, rather than being desperate to fully experience different cultures. I agree with @moonb that it's not surprising she wanted to travel since she grew up in such a small town, her "I want to see the something" seemed to be linked to the bigger theme of Rory wanting more than just Stars Hollow, rather than her career. And while it's not like she should have been heading off to cover wars up close at the age of 21, her natural personality didn't lend itself to foreign correspondence. 

Rory wanting to be an archivist/librarian/scholar wouldn't be nearly as interesting for the story, but they could have at least explored other areas of journalism: In just a day this thread has suggested half a dozen news areas she'd be better suited for. It would have been a nice realistic touch that sometimes career plans change and the day-job reality of your dream career doesn't line up. They already had Rory reassess her dreams in shifting from Harvard to Yale, so her considering whether journalism or specifically foreign correspondence was right for her - and finding an area that she does love - would be a good carry through. They laid the foundations for that exploration as early as Season 2, with her conversation with Jess when he questions if that lifestyle would be too rough for her. Also, another issue is that since the show aired, journalism has become a much smaller and more competitive field, so Rory's timidity and passiveness stands out as a bigger problem. 

Edited August 30, 2016 by TimetravellingBW

[Melancholy]

So, I'm calling for opinions. Who do you think was the more significant father-figure for Rory? Luke, Richard, or Christopher?

[Viqutorious]

Richard, Christopher then Luke in that order.

[Melancholy]

I'd put the order as Richard-Luke-Christopher.

[Taryn74]

Richard is the only one who really seemed a "father figure" to me.  (With the caveat of age 16 and up, of course.)

Christopher was her pal.  Luke was more like an older brother than a father figure IMO.