Rory Gilmore: Poor little rich girl?

[peacheslatour]

11 minutes ago, SJC said:

Did much of anything come of that ? IIRC Rory dropped out & Paris joined.

No. They dropped the whole thing.

[SJC]

I thought so. I liked that ep. where Rory and the others were caught in the Headmaster's office.
And Lorelai's reaction was so funny, she wasn't at all agitated over Rory getting in trouble, in fact she seemed tickled pink. And Rory seemed crestfallen. Shouldn't it have been the other way around ? lol

IIRC Rory was a bit sassy to the Headmaster. 😆

Rory got busted for bell-ringing

[peacheslatour]

4 minutes ago, SJC said:

I thought so. I liked that ep. where Rory and the others were caught in the Headmaster's office.
And Lorelai's reaction was so funny, she wasn't at all agitated over Rory getting in trouble, in fact she seemed tickled pink. And Rory seemed crestfallen. Shouldn't it have been the other way around ? lol

IIRC Rory was a bit sassy to the Headmaster. 😆

Rory got busted for bell-ringing

I liked that scene. I wish we got more sassy Rory and less weak, lazy Rory.

[scarynikki12]

1 minute ago, SJC said:

And Lorelai's reaction was so funny, she wasn't at all agitated over Rory getting in trouble, in fact she seemed tickled pink. And Rory seemed crestfallen. Shouldn't it have been the other way around ? lol

That was fun. I like that Lorelai was worried at first, got more and more amused as she learned what happened, briefly went back to being serious to make sure Rory really was ok, and then returned to teasing and having fun as they went home. It was a nice encapsulation of who her character was supposed to be rather than the extreme version we got as the show went on. If Charleston hadn't taken Rory's point about trying to do what he'd insisted then Lorelai probably would have gone and talked to him but we saw that things were going to be ok so she didn't. Rory still should have faced some sort of punishment for breaking into the school no matter her reasons (do colleges care about detention as much as they do suspensions?) so that would have been nice to know but the episode in general is fun so I forgive it.

[SJC]

 

3 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I liked that scene. I wish we got more sassy Rory and less weak, lazy Rory.

 I thought that sassy Rory who was strong-minded & perseverant was inspiring.

[peacheslatour]

Just now, SJC said:

 

 I thought that sassy Rory who was strong-minded & perseverant was inspiring.

She was. She was the Rory who would have fearlessly chased news stories. That Rory had "it".

[SJC]

2 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

Lorelai was worried at first, got more and more amused as she learned what happened, briefly went back to being serious to make sure Rory really was ok, and then returned to teasing and having fun as they went home.

Exactly ! SO funny ! 
Lorelai was proud of her little girl for getting in a bit of trouble.  LOL

Just now, peacheslatour said:

She was. She was the Rory who would have fearlessly chased news stories. That Rory had "it".

Oh yes. I miss that Rory. 
She used to be so spunky & mettlesome. 

[chessiegal]

I don't think Paris joined the Puffs. They really didn't want Paris. And didn't the whole Francie/Paris rift at the paper happen after the Puffs debacle?

[chitowngirl]

Rory would have been in if she had rung the bell one more time. And yes, Paris and Francine’s rift was later.

Lorelei was also proud that Rory was the cause of the fight at the kegger party! 

[SJC]

23 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

Lorelei was also proud that Rory was the cause of the fight at the kegger party! 

Did you ever know that you're my hero...?  😂

[SJC]

She also put Rory's mug shot on the refrigerator. 😏

RORY: What are you doing?
LORELAI: Well, I’m updating the refrigerator.
[She steps back from the fridge to display Rory’s mug shot attached to the door.]
RORY: Where did you get that?
LORELAI: Oh, the nice lady at the police station e-mailed it to me. I thought it would look really nice next to your kindergarten handprint collage. I got you a copy if you’re thinking Christmas cards.
RORY: Very thoughtful.

[SJC]

Does anyone besides me wonder why Rory didn't have her own home in Stars Hollow? She had money, after all she talked to Lorelai about getting an apartment in Queens. And THAT means that she wasn't broke, busted & beggared.
AYITL had some...um...gaps.

[andromeda331]

15 hours ago, SJC said:

AYITL had some...um...gaps.

That's a nice way to put it.

[qtpye]

What do you guys think that in the end, Lorelai raised Rory to be her perfect companion, nothing more and nothing less?

Rory will be wealthy through inheritance and Lorelai is professionally successful and comfortable. This means Rory has the privilege of doing jobs that are comfortable for her without really worrying about a paycheck. Rory might choose not to work at all, which is a valid choice that is open to her.

Rory's degrees balance Lorelai's inability to finish High School and go on to college.

I am not saying this is all there is to them, but I do not see Rory ever being totally happy without Lorelai heavily in her life.

Edited October 8, 2024 by qtpye

[JustHereForFood]

8 hours ago, qtpye said:

I am not saying this is all there is to them, but I do not see Rory ever being totally happy without Lorelai heavily in her life.

I don't see that as a problem?

I think Lorelai raised Rory how she wished that she had been raised, which is probably something most people do or at least try to do.

[Harvey]

I think we all agree that Lorelai screwed up by being her daughter's friend instead of her daughter's parent. But then again, that's the inevitable consequence of raising a child alone, at 16, without any adults around you. She's a badass, no question about it. But she saw Rory as a friend who happens to be her daughter, rather than someone she needed to guide.

All parents, no matter how good they are, see their kids as an extension of themselves to a certain extent. But Lorelai fights with her daughter like one would fight with their best friend. And that's very harmful when kids are at their formative years. Rory was acting like a normal 20 yo at that point, but Lorelai couldn't wrap her head around it because she sees Rory as her friend who's supposed to act like her 36yo self.

We all talk about how spoiled Rory is, but Lorelai was as well up until she was 16 years of age and got pregnant. She may not have liked the rich life, but whether we care to admit it or not, she had everything given to her so she didn't know struggle until she had a kid to feed.

So she AND Rory were learning that together, which leads both of them to think that they are the same in everything. But while Rory gets to be immature at 20, Lorelai needed to be an adult. Meaning you can't cut your kid out of your life for being lost, meaning you can't talk to your kid like she did in this clip like she's your bestie and she hurt you because she went to live with her grandparents.

Rory faces a lot of criticism, but the truth is, throughout the series she's looking for guidance from an ADULT, because Lorelai wasn't mature enough and Christopher's a douchebag who was barely even there. And please don't take this to mean I'm shitting on Lorelai, she did the best she could.

However, she's not without her faults. Being a parent means you take care of your kid beyond just providing shelter, food, and clothes. Means you understand she's not gonna be perfect and mature all the time. And when she isn't, YOU have to be. But this is something she does not do and blames Emily when she does.

[JustHereForFood]

Honestly, I think that Lorelai got very lucky - well, it's a TV show and if she didn't, it would be a very different kind of TV show, so some suspension of disbelief is necessary. But if you think about it in terms of real life - she ran away from home at 16 and pregnant. Many teenagers sadly do, but usually because of much bigger problems. Nobody was abusing her, nobody got her pregnant against her will, which is often why girls her age run away from homes. Hell, nobody was forcing her to terminate her pregnancy (or the opposite). Yes, the adults were making some plans about her and Christopher's lives behind their backs, but that was pretty understandable, IMO, all things considered. Her running away with no contact (I don't remember all details, but do we know how long it was before she even contacted her parents to let them know she is ok?) was an overreaction. And she was really lucky, there's no other way around it. Girls who run away as teenagers often end up on the streets and/or doing sex work. Plus, she had to take care not just of herself but also her child - somebody she is supposed to put first once she decides to go along with the pregnancy. I know that she probably thought that keeping her from that horrible kind of life (I say this with a massive eyeroll) was the most important thing at the time, but actually the most important part is making sure her child has all material needs, including the roof above her head.

I rarely side with Emily against Lorelai, but I understand how she was still upset about this all those years later: that for Lorelai, the possibility of ending up on the street was less terrible than living with her parents. They were not shown to be the kind of parents to justify this decision.

[chessiegal]

22 minutes ago, JustHereForFood said:

she ran away from home at 16 and pregnant.

Lorelai had already had the baby when she left home. Different episodes give different hints of how old Rory was when she left.

[JustHereForFood]

2 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Lorelai had already had the baby when she left home. Different episodes give different hints of how old Rory was when she left.

I thought she left just after giving birth (should have written with a new baby instead of pregnant, yes). Still, little difference.

[andromeda331]

I always wanted to know what the final straw was. I assume it was between Emily and Lorelai because they butted heads a lot. From the few times Lorelai mentioned it really sounds like she took off after a fight. She didn't have a job or anything lined up she just marched up to Mia at the Indepence Inn with Rory and demanded a job. Anyone else probably would have said no given her age and assertiveness. The other time when Rory's mad and won't speak to Emily, Lorelai mentions the first time she got an invitation Christmas partyh from her parents'and wonders what would have happened if she had gone. If things would have been different. Again it sounds like she was still mad. Although at some point Lorelai and Rory did start going to the Christmas party, the guests at the one in season one all seem to know Lorelai and her love for the apple tarts. And they started having holidays together. 

Two things I do like is Lorelai through Rory's relationship with her grandparents does start to rethink things. She tries to heal things when Emily, Richard and Rory were all mad at each other. In season one she explains to Rory why Richard went off on Dean. She doesn't want Rory to end up with the same relationship she had with her parents. 

The second thing is Lorelai always trying to help Lane and Mrs. Kim keeping from ending up the way she and Emily did.

[chessiegal]

At one point, Lorelai says she left because she felt she was an embarrassment to Emily. In the pilot episode when Lorelai shows up at her parents unannounced to ask for money for Chilton, both Emily and Richard say is it Christmas and Easter already, we don't see you unless it's a day the banks are closed. So, from the beginning we have Lorelai visiting on holidays.

In the flashback episode, Richard and Emily are leaving for a function and Emily remarks that Rory's stroller isn't blocking the stairs like Lorelai usually does and she finds Lorelai's note that she's left. It didn't seem like it was a fight, just that Lorelai decided it was time to be on her own.

[chessiegal]

Thank you, Google. In the flashback, when Emily mentions Rory's stroller blocking the stairs, Emily says it's the first time in a year that Lorelai hasn't left it there.