One is the Loneliest Number: Unpopular GG Opinions

[dustylil]

Taryn I heartily agree with you concerning Mrs. Kim. If she was so harsh and authoritarian, why on earth would she allow her daughter to spend so much time with Lorelai and Rory - and in their home - when their way of life represented pretty much all that Mrs. Kim disliked? To say nothing of allowing Lane to become a high school cheerleader of all things?

In her own home, she held fast to her religious and cultural beliefs, but she did allow Lane to have exposure to  a more modern, secular lifestyle.

Unfortunately, Lane seemed incapable of recognizing this or respecting her parents' home.

[readster]

 That's the thing, Mrs. Kim did let Lane go to and do things that completely went against how she wanted Lane to be when under her own roof. My problem was then how she treated people in her store and then how much she wanted Lane to go to the school she wanted Lane to go to, ect. Then loses it when she sees the CDs and everything and even more when we find out her mother was like that to her and she hid her life from Grandma Kim. It was like a slap in the face to Lane because of Mrs. Kim's speech: "Children shouldn't make the rules." Then look at what Mrs. Kim had lied about for over 20 years to her own mother. Going as far as staging a traditional Korean Marriage to keep up the act and make her mother happy. Both of them never wanted to see their mother's side of things and even after Mrs. Kim magically accepted Lane's life style, even booking the band gigs with churches and so forth. It seem she was still happy she kicked Lane out of her house. Instead of: "I over reacted, I'm sorry and I guess it was the best for both of us in the long run."

[txhorns79]

If she was so harsh and authoritarian, why on earth would she allow her daughter to spend so much time with Lorelai and Rory - and in their home - when their way of life represented pretty much all that Mrs. Kim disliked? To say nothing of allowing Lane to become a high school cheerleader of all things?

In her own home, she held fast to her religious and cultural beliefs, but she did allow Lane to have exposure to  a more modern, secular lifestyle.

 

That sounds like it is setting the bar pretty damn low in suggesting Mrs. Kim was more permissive than she seemed.   

 

 

Then loses it when she sees the CDs and everything and even more when we find out her mother was like that to her and she hid her life from Grandma Kim.

 

In fairness, she only reacted that way after she woke up and found Lane was missing.  That would pretty much send any parent over the edge, particularly when everything Lane had hidden was revealed.   

[dustylil]

I never had a problem with how Mrs. Kim treated people in her store (especially when it was Emily Gilmore!) or thought it unusual.Some people - for reasons that escape me -  seem to enjoy a  brusque manner in shopkeepers, especially those in speciality shops. Her manner plus her apparent expertise and the large stock of items could make  Kim's Antiques an interesting shopping experience.

[readster]

I never had a problem with how Mrs. Kim treated people in her store (especially when it was Emily Gilmore!) or thought it unusual.Some people - for reasons that escape me -  seem to enjoy a  brusque manner in shopkeepers, especially those in speciality shops. Her manner plus her apparent expertise and the large stock of items could make  Kim's Antiques an interesting shopping experience.

 

 I wish I could agree but we had a few like that in the small down I grew up in. They lasted in business about 2 years due to customers not wanting to be yelled at or felt the shopkeeper was going to cut them when they walked in. Killed their business.

[dustylil]

If Mrs. Kim's client base was the population of Stars Hollow, I would agree with you readster. I know I certainly don't frequent shops in my neighbourhood (or my city, for that matter) where the proprietor and staff are rude.

However, this wasn't a regular retail emporium where the normal expectations of business etiquette would apply. Kim's Antiques was a specialty store with unusual if not unique  products.  Townies did not make up a significant element of its customers.   In addition to visiting tourists who were a large part of Stars Hollow's economic base,  its clients were from all over Connecticut if not the rest of New England who were seeking out the distinct items. Dealing with eccentric shopkeepers is often part of the experience in this specialized type of shopping.

[txhorns79]

However, this wasn't a regular retail emporium where the normal expectations of business etiquette would apply. Kim's Antiques was a specialty store with unusual if not unique  products.

 

It was an antiques/junk store.  That's not a particularly novel business trade.  Unless she was regularly selling extremely expensive and/or rare pieces to a dedicated client base (which I don't think was mentioned during the show), I honestly have no idea why one would think the usual rules of business do not apply.  I just guessed that Mrs. Kim was another of Stars Hollow's eccentric characters who would never be able to function outside the Stars Hollow bubble.             

[readster]

It was an antiques/junk store.  That's not a particularly novel business trade.  Unless she was regularly selling extremely expensive and/or rare pieces to a dedicated client base (which I don't think was mentioned during the show), I honestly have no idea why one would think the usual rules of business do not apply.  I just guessed that Mrs. Kim was another of Stars Hollow's eccentric characters who would never be able to function outside the Stars Hollow bubble.             

 

 Very true of course the main businesses in town that were constantly showing business were Luke's, Mrs. Patty's Dance Studio, the Independance Inn later the Dragonfly, of course Taylor's Soda and Ice Cream shop later on too. All were places of business that were needed and despite Luke and Taylor at times, they made their customers want to come into their stores and not yell at them if they didn't order fast enough or something. I do agree, Mrs. Kim would not thrive outside the SH Bubble at all.  

[dustylil]

The discerning Emily Gilmore shopped at Kim's Antiques and was impressed by her stock. Other than the occasional salad at Luke's, I don't think she patronized many other Stars Hollow businesses.

Edited February 14, 2015 by dustylil

[amensisterfriend]

From a different thread:

 

Does anyone else share my feeling that Lorelai had a clinically diagnosable problem with alcohol by about season 6?

 

 

 

I don't, but I do have some issues with how alcohol was used on this show---most notably how Lorelai would always drive immediately after drinking at FNDs (Admittedly, I have a 'thing' about drinking and driving, even if the person had just 2-3 drinks, like Lorelai seemed to at FNDs) I also think the 'drunk' scenes on this show happened to be poorly acted and really unfunny, ranging from SP's overacting in Nag Hammadi to JP's even more egregious overacting in Chicken or Beef to the cringe-inducing embarrassment that is Rory "sobbing" on the bathroom floor in Diorama :) I do find it unintentionally amusing how Lorelai and Luke were generally able to bear exchanging more than a chaste peck only after they'd been drinking that evening (Written in the Stars, Blame Booze and Melville---and, as Taylor even points out, in New and Improved Lorelai!) 

[junienmomo]

Some kind person named Denise made a catalog of L/L kisses in the Youtube video http://youtu.be/nssZMG8PC00

Gives a pretty fair picture of their kisses. 

 

As an avowed javajunkie, I will now slink off into my corner where I can replay my rant about the showrunners who deliberately kept L/L separate. :)

[amensisterfriend]

Heh---Junie, I added 'generally' because I'm sure there are exceptions :) It's interesting, though, that the few times L/L were shown having just gone any further than a kiss, it was usually preceded by a lot of drinking (WitS. BBAM, NAIL, etc!) 

[txhorns79]

The discerning Emily Gilmore shopped at Kim's Antiques and was impressed by her stock.

 

She went there once, and had never heard of the place until Rory told her it existed.  That doesn't really say much for its reputation.       

 

 

All were places of business that were needed and despite Luke and Taylor at times, they made their customers want to come into their stores and not yell at them if they didn't order fast enough or something

 

Very true.  I never understood how Michel kept his job at the Inn or the Dragonfly.  Maybe he was a really spectacular concierge, but I can't imagine that would have made up for how generally unpleasant he seemed to be. 

[amensisterfriend]

Gypsy wasn't exactly one to provide 'service with a smile' either...it's interesting that so many of the characters in the business of providing direct customer service (Luke, Michel, Gypsy, Taylor, Mama Kim) were all among the rudest and most blatantly unpleasant characters on the show! 

Edited February 14, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[BC Mama]

One of my more unpopular opinions is I hate, hate, hate Lorelai's First Day at Yale. It is probably one of my top 10 least favorite episodes (assuming I can count all of Season 7 as one episode). Lorelai is probably at her absolute worst in this episode. Lies to Luke and completely takes advantage of him, lies to the Yale tour lady, wastes money on tons of food, and act like Rory has to have absolutely everything she could possibly want.

.

Count me as another who dislikes this episode! In general, I thnk GG was at its worst when the action was removed from Stars Hollow (at least until the townies transitioned from cute and quirky into cartoonish pests). Another aspect of the episode I disliked was Lorelai pretty much buying Rory popularity! I would have been mortified if my mother spent the night and threw a party my first night of university, no matter how cool she was.

Want to sit at my table?! I'll bring the snacks...and the giant mugs of coffee :)

Your post awesomely captures my issue with that S7 Chris/Lorelai arc---it seemed like things were LEGITIMATELY going really well until the writers were issued a reminder that Luke is supposed to be the 'end game', at which point they hastily and sloppily made Christopher regress in ways totally and completely inconsistent with who he'd been shown to be that season. I get that we weren't supposed to see it that way---we were supposed to believe that deep down Lorelai was never happy with Christopher and always felt her heart was still with Luke---but IMO that really failed to come across in the acting and the writing. As you said, Christopher/Lorelai actually had a pretty healthy marriage, at least in my very UO, coming across as a whole lot happier and more connected and compatible than Luke and Lorelai ever were while dating.

I could have gotten behind the whole 'Chris was part of who she was as a teen---Luke is the one for the woman she is NOW!' theme, if IMO they hadn't (no doubt unintentionally) shown us that she and Christopher DID still connect very well as adults and that Lorelai and Luke seemed so devoid of chemistry and joy. The pacing was just so off, the writing was whiplash-inducing, and IMO someone should have told LG and David Sutcliffe to act a lot less in love if we were going to be asked to believe what they tossed our way a few episodes later. (By the way, I actually hadn't wanted Christopher and Lorelai to date in S7---but, once they did, I was totally taken by their connection and chemistry. It's the reverse of Luke/Lorelai, who I DID want to see date, only to soon realize that i should have been careful what i wished for :)

May I join your table? Edited February 14, 2015 by BC Mama

[amensisterfriend]

So I'm masochistic enough to have rewatched most of A Vineyard Valentine today, in (dis?!)honor of the holiday. 

 

My UOs:

 

As confessed in an above post, I actually don't think this episode is that bad...at least by S6 standards :) The Rory/Logan scenes are actually pretty wonderful, and the shots of Martha's Vineyard are gorgeous. Those two things alone elevate it above most of S6 and large parts of S5 for me! 

 

Luke is indeed awful in this episode, but my very UO here is that I actually don't think he's any more tiresomely negative, bitter and boorish than he is in many of the series' episodes. I found myself wishing Lorelai had left his depressing, ungracious, killjoy self home. And Luke being all determinedly anti-Valentine's Day to the point where he didn't make plans for them or even get a gift actually felt pretty in character for me. I remember all this outrage about that from L/L fans, but IMUO that's actually really consistent with who Luke is. Outside of fanfic, he's not exactly a sentimental, romantic, "woo hoo---let's celebrate the holidays in as special a way as possible!" kind of guy...to say the least! Even a lot of people far less cranky than Luke are anti-Valentine's Day----in fact, it's something that Luke and I have in common, though I'd probably be a lot more pleasant if my significant other took me to a gorgeous place on the vineyard :) 

 

I just can't ever buy Rory as a convincing editor-in-chief of the Yale Daily News. I (usually!) love Rory and think Alexis Bledel is generally underrated in the role, but every time she tries to play the tough 'large and in charge' editor and fearless leader, ordering around her adoring underlings, I find myself cringing through those scenes.  

 

I just can never see Mitchum as the eeevil villain that the show wants me to. 

 

Another sign that I need a longer break from this show: The strummy "la la...la la...laaaaa laaaas....." boost my mood when I'm loving the show but grate on me beyond reason when I'm not! 

Edited February 14, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[txhorns79]

I just can't ever buy Rory as a convincing editor-in-chief of the Yale Daily News. I (usually!) love Rory and think Alexis Bledel is generally underrated in the role, but every time she tries to play the tough 'large and in charge' editor and fearless leader, ordering around her adoring underlings, I find myself cringing through those scenes.

 

I think it would have been better had we seen her earn the position, instead of just getting it because Paris went insane and no one else wanted the job. 

[dustylil]

I had no problem with Ernest T. Bass (er, Luke) not buying Lorelai any kind of  gift for Valentine's Day. It was not his style. After all, this was a man who  had never bought flowers for a woman until the opening of the Dragonfly Inn. (Gee. he must have been a swell boyfriend to Nicole, Rachel and Anna but I digress). It was him pretending that he and Logan had gone out to buy those expensive baubles  for Lorelai and Rory that bothered  me. It was just another act of deceit that he wasn't called on.

I wonder if he ever paid Logan for that necklace.

[Kohola3]

I had no problem with Ernest T. Bass (er, Luke) not buying Lorelai any kind of  gift for Valentine's Day. It was not his style.

 

Except that he first bought earrings from Liz for Lorelai and then a matching necklace.  And he gave Rory his Mom's pearl necklace for her 21st birthday.  He wasn't quite that obtuse about gifts.

[JayInChicago]

The strummy "la la...la la...laaaaa laaaas....."

Yeah to me they are best when you just kind of notice them. like, it shouldn't take you out of the episode. when they do, i know i'm not enjoying my obsessive and strange gilmore girls rewatching. 

 

i actually like the downbeat la las more now

[dustylil]

I wasn't suggesting that Luke didn't give gifts. He just didn't give presents for the sake of some arbitrary, consumer society driven directive. Like Valentine's Day. And offering a diamond necklace from a commercial jeweler was considerably different - and to my mind wildly out of character - from  handcrafted items from Liz or the lovely strand of pearls that had belonged to his mother.

[readster]

Gypsy wasn't exactly one to provide 'service with a smile' either...it's interesting that so many of the characters in the business of providing direct customer service (Luke, Michel, Gypsy, Taylor, Mama Kim) were all among the rudest and most blatantly unpleasant characters on the show! 

 

Gypsy had to be one of the worse customer service people outside of Mama Kim and Michel. I mean she would open up a car and then tell people: "There's my trip to Florida to this winter." or "My mortgage is paid off now." Her explanations about Taylor's control over Stars Hollow or how people like Babette get their own way were always backhanded comments. I loved Michel but so many times I would dread going to the Independence or later the Dragonfly if he was the man in charge. In a way it was a joke that: "French people are rude." that ASP was going for and the fact he was French Canadian but in seasons 5-7 Michel went so overboard with his comments. Yet in the Bubble that was Stars Hollow that if you were yelled at, called a moron, buy something or I'll cut you. You just smiled, did it and went about your life.

[txhorns79]

And offering a diamond necklace from a commercial jeweler was considerably different - and to my mind wildly out of character - from  handcrafted items from Liz or the lovely strand of pearls that had belonged to his mother.

 

I never realized Luke had such strong feelings about the origins of the jewelry he had given as gifts.  In fact, I don't recall his ever expressing an opinion on the topic.   

 

 

I loved Michel but so many times I would dread going to the Independence or later the Dragonfly if he was the man in charge. In a way it was a joke that: "French people are rude." that ASP was going for and the fact he was French Canadian but in seasons 5-7 Michel went so overboard with his comments.

 

It did seem kind of weird that he was almost openly hostile to customers at the Independence or Dragonfly, and no one really ever seemed to mind. 

[readster]

I never realized Luke had such strong feelings about the origins of the jewelry he had given as gifts.  In fact, I don't recall his ever expressing an opinion on the topic.   

 

It did seem kind of weird that he was almost openly hostile to customers at the Independence or Dragonfly, and no one really ever seemed to mind. 

 

 It was just how openly hostile he was, when something went wrong for him and my best example was him winning the RV on the Price its Right he just had to tell everyone how much things going wrong for him sucked. I'm talking way to the T, Lorelai and Sookie at least told each other in private, Michel would shout from the rooftops when he was angry at something or something didn't turn out the way he wanted to. But like I said with Mrs. Kim or Gypsy, people just smiled, did what they were asked: "Pay and get out" and no one ever mentioned it again. IRL these type of people would have been out of business or out of jobs in less than a year. 

[txhorns79]

IRL these type of people would have been out of business or out of jobs in less than a year.

 

Indeed, I think people will tolerate your eccentricities in proportion to how good you are at your job.  If you are a Van Gogh, they will be fine with you cutting off your body parts.  Otherwise, not so much. 

Edited February 15, 2015 by txhorns79

[dustylil]

Readster, with respect, the actor portraying Michel may have been French Canadian, but the character Michel was supposed to have been from France.

[readster]

Readster, with respect, the actor portraying Michel may have been French Canadian, but the character Michel was supposed to have been from France.

 

 Right on both points.

[dustylil]

Briefly getting back to the use (overuse) of alcohol on the show. I was more concerned with Rory and alcohol. In early season 5 she didn't know the colours of various liquors, yet within a year she was drinking in bars when she was unhappy. Although I fully recognizing that college age people  do consume alcohol and sometimes to excess, it did seem quite the leap. I wondered at the time, if the showrunners were going to do something with this. Unfortunately, like most everything else related to the Great Rift, nothing further came of it.

And let the slamming begin.

[GreenScreenFX]

What seemed like a leap? A college student who recently turned 21 goes to a bar?

Edited February 16, 2015 by GreenScreenFX

[txhorns79]

What seemed like a leap? A college student who recently turned 21 goes to a bar?

 

Yeah, I don't get that particular complaint.  Maybe dusty is trying to say she didn't understand how Rory went from being inexperienced with alcohol to knowing a good drink could take the edge off if you are feeling blue, but I mean, that seems like it would be fairly easy to pick up while in college.     

[readster]

Yeah, I don't get that particular complaint.  Maybe dusty is trying to say she didn't understand how Rory went from being inexperienced with alcohol to knowing a good drink could take the edge off if you are feeling blue, but I mean, that seems like it would be fairly easy to pick up while in college.     

 

 I could see that but really, I've known and seen plenty of people turning 21 and off to the bar they go and seem to know more about drinks than you would. I knew about 7 by the time I turned 21 and discovered 5 the first night I went to a bar at 21. 

[txhorns79]

I could see that but really, I've known and seen plenty of people turning 21 and off to the bar they go and seem to know more about drinks than you would. I knew about 7 by the time I turned 21 and discovered 5 the first night I went to a bar at 21.

 

Oh, I agree with you.  I just had no idea what dusty was talking about, and was trying to imagine what she may be thinking. 

[Kohola3]

My UO is that I loved Mrs. Kim, Gypsy, and Michel.  Would I patronize their businesses in the real world?  Hell, no. But in Stars Hollowland they always made me laugh.

[dustylil]

GreenScreen,  a minor point but Rory was not yet 21  in the period I was referring to. But since she was already a felon, I guess the powers-that-be determined that was of no significance :)

 

The point I was making  was that she wasn't out with friends, socializing and having a drink. She was drinking in a bar when she was unhappy. I am not intimating she was an alcoholic but that kind of behaviour can  suggest a problem. I thought it worrisome because I have known a few young people with substance abuse issues  who dealt with personal unhappiness in a similar manner after a fairly brief acquaintanceship with alcohol.  I wondered at the time whether the show was going to go down that  route given how prevalent liquor consumption was among the Gilmores.

[txhorns79]

I wondered at the time whether the show was going to go down that  route given how prevalent liquor consumption was among the Gilmores.

 

This seems to imply that liquor played a much bigger role in the Gilmores' life than I think it actually did.  I think we saw Emily and Richard have before dinner drinks and wine during dinner.  I don't remember every episode entirely, but I would say Lorelai, for the most part, was not a big drinker.  More to the point, it wasn't like any of them were drinking at every turn, or were even drinking to excess most of the time.  So I'm not really following the idea that the Gilmores were such heavy drinkers we were supposed to get the idea that Rory may have a drinking problem.    

Edited February 17, 2015 by txhorns79

[moonb]

I always saw alcohol as a sign of the "Hartford world," if you will. I may be misremembering, but we rarely saw Lorelai drinking in Stars Hollow - not that she would have with her high school age daughter. Dates with men or hanging out with Luke or Sookie involved coffee, sweets or the ever-present junk food.  Lorelai DID drink as a teenager in her parents' house, but I took it as a symbol of her unhappiness and teen rebellion. The pre-Friday night dinner martini or white wine was a sign of being in Hartford, back with her parents but as an adult, not a child. (Granted, alcohol as a sign of adulthood is kind of tenuous.)  But I found with Emily, Richard, and Lorelai it was used a little comically, as in the cliche "I need a drink to be around my family." 

In Rory's case, her drinking at bars was a sign she'd moved to that world a little more. Remember at first at Yale she didn't even want to go to that freshman party, being still awkward "Stars Hollow" Rory. That changed a lot as she got more comfortable and met Logan.  And of course, Rory's drinking out of unhappiness is a parallel to Lorelai and their changing parent-child boundaries.  They were "best friends" during their off-screen trip to Atlantic City, but the rest of the time, drinking was a sign of Rory moving out of Lorelai's sphere of influence. The famous drunken crying on the bathroom floor over Logan, anyone?

Edited February 16, 2015 by moonb

[BC Mama]

GreenScreen,  a minor point but Rory was not yet 21  in the period I was referring to. But since she was already a felon, I guess the powers-that-be determined that was of no significance :)

 

The point I was making  was that she wasn't out with friends, socializing and having a drink. She was drinking in a bar when she was unhappy. I am not intimating she was an alcoholic but that kind of behaviour can  suggest a problem. I thought it worrisome because I have known a few young people with substance abuse issues  who dealt with personal unhappiness in a similar manner after a fairly brief acquaintanceship with alcohol.  I wondered at the time whether the show was going to go down that  route given how prevalent liquor consumption was among the Gilmores.

I agree. I think that drinking in university with friends is almost a rite of passage. I did my share... Okay... Much more than my share. By the end of high school I knew far more about alcohol than university aged Rory. But, I never sat at a bar by myself drowning my sorrows.

[moonb]

And Lorelai and Rory were both rather self-pitying when drunk - I'm thinking of season 5 Rory and season 6 Lorelai at Lane's wedding. Whereas Emily was quite the extroverted chatty drinker, even when she was covering up unhappiness (The Reigning Lorelai). 

[timimouse]

And Lorelai and Rory were both rather self-pitying when drunk - I'm thinking of season 5 Rory and season 6 Lorelai at Lane's wedding. Whereas Emily was quite the extroverted chatty drinker, even when she was covering up unhappiness (The Reigning Lorelai). 

 

Alcohol has various effects on different people. And it depends on your mood at the time. I don't think somebody drinking when they're down makes them an alcoholic. Sometimes, you just wanna let go and forget and alcohol helps people do that. If they do that ALL the time, then i think it's time to worry. 

I cannot say I noticed any alcohol abuse on GG.

[txhorns79]

Whereas Emily was quite the extroverted chatty drinker, even when she was covering up unhappiness (The Reigning Lorelai).

 

That's my favorite Emily moment.  Also, I love Lorelai's comment about how apparently they were a "robe" family now. 

[moonb]

Alcohol has various effects on different people. And it depends on your mood at the time. I don't think somebody drinking when they're down makes them an alcoholic. Sometimes, you just wanna let go and forget and alcohol helps people do that. If they do that ALL the time, then i think it's time to worry.

I cannot say I noticed any alcohol abuse on GG.

 

Oh, I agree with you there. The apparently constant eating of junk food on GG was a much bigger deal to me - though I think it was just a personality quirk and nothing more than that. 

I can't fault Lorelai for a couple of tequila nights - lots of people do that. And in Rory's case, drinking seemed like more of a sign of her becoming a different sort of person than dependent on alcohol itself.

Edited February 17, 2015 by moonb

[txhorns79]

Oh, I agree with you there. The apparently constant eating of junk food on GG was a much bigger deal to me - though I think it was just a personality quirk and nothing more than that.

 

Seriously.  The way those two ate junk food, it should have taken a crane to get them out of their beds in the morning. 

[Kohola3]

Seriously.  The way those two ate junk food, it should have taken a crane to get them out of their beds in the morning.

 

Brings to mind one of my favorite Luke lines:  "How do you not weigh 500 pounds"?

[Aloeonatable]

 

I cannot say I noticed any alcohol abuse on GG.

 

I know college kids drink, but I think that Logan's use of alcohol to avoid his responsibilities was self abuse. I wouldn't go so far as to call him an alcoholic, but he did use it frequently and as a means of escape. 

[junienmomo]

Greenscreen, in response to your question for examples of Lorelai drinking to the point of it being a problem:

The Karaoke was probably more Dutch courage than problem drinking.

Also, the celebration for the magazine is completely understandable for anyone to drink too much.

Even too many Margaritas at home with her graduation  = OK in my book

But beyond those examples, I recall

• She did drink wine at the dinner with Max to the point of inhibition which resulted in her rude visit to her mother.
• Then we have to add all the FND. Did we ever see that Rory drove home on those nights? I would presume that she did, but Lorelai drank pretty much every week to excess, going even further overboard in Christopher Returns. Two martinis and two glasses of wine seemed to be common, plus she wanted to leave as soon as possible, so that put her knowingly behind the wheel within probably 3 hours
• Lane's wedding is the event that made me think about it being a problem for Lorelai. It was wildly inappropriate to air her dirty laundry, embarrassing her daughter's friend.

It bugged me because she used alcohol for years to avoid responsibility right in front of her daughter. I always felt that Rory's first college years without drinking was a reaction to that experience, but the influence of Logan's friends enabled her to jump into the drinking high society scene easily.

 

Nota bene: I should also acknowledge that the Lane's wedding event happened during Pod Lorelai time, when for me pretty much all transgressions can be forgiven, except the Palladino transgression of defining the story arcs. I missed S1 Lorelai so much during those later seasons.

Edited February 17, 2015 by junienmomo

[txhorns79]

Then we have to add all the FND. Did we ever see that Rory drove home on those nights? I would presume that she did, but Lorelai drank pretty much every week to excess, going even further overboard in Christopher Returns. Two martinis and two glasses of wine seemed to be common, plus she wanted to leave as soon as possible, so that put her knowingly behind the wheel within probably 3 hours

 

I'd have to disagree.  I don't recall Lorelai drinking to excess every time she was at a FND, or that we were supposed to take away the idea she was too drunk to drive after leaving the FNDs. 

[Guest]

 That's the thing, Mrs. Kim did let Lane go to and do things that completely went against how she wanted Lane to be when under her own roof. My problem was then how she treated people in her store and then how much she wanted Lane to go to the school she wanted Lane to go to, ect. Then loses it when she sees the CDs and everything and even more when we find out her mother was like that to her and she hid her life from Grandma Kim. It was like a slap in the face to Lane because of Mrs. Kim's speech: "Children shouldn't make the rules." Then look at what Mrs. Kim had lied about for over 20 years to her own mother. Going as far as staging a traditional Korean Marriage to keep up the act and make her mother happy. Both of them never wanted to see their mother's side of things and even after Mrs. Kim magically accepted Lane's life style, even booking the band gigs with churches and so forth. It seem she was still happy she kicked Lane out of her house. Instead of: "I over reacted, I'm sorry and I guess it was the best for both of us in the long run."

I'm sorry, but I can't get behind a comparison of Mrs. Kim moving out as an adult and choosing her own life and Lane expecting the benefits of living at her parents' (mom's?) house while not respecting their traditions.

 

And Mrs. Kim did not "lose it" when she found the CDs and stuff. She told Lane she had to choose- remain home under her rules or move out.  Lane chose moving out.  

[txhorns79]

And Mrs. Kim did not "lose it" when she found the CDs and stuff. She told Lane she had to choose- remain home under her rules or move out.

 

I think Mrs. Kim lost it a little bit.  I mean, she did tear apart Lane's room looking for all her secret (and not secret at all) hiding spots after she found the first one.  I do agree though that Lane did not have the right to make the rules in that house, and it was okay to ask her to move out.   

[junienmomo]

I'd have to disagree.  I don't recall Lorelai drinking to excess every time she was at a FND, or that we were supposed to take away the idea she was too drunk to drive after leaving the FNDs. 

 

I agree that we weren't supposed to take away that she was too drunk to drive, I just did the math of one drink per hour and Lorelai's desire to keep the evening short to come up with the notion that she was likely to be too legally drunk to drive. I don't recall her appearing drunk after a FND ever.

She did encourage Luke to ride the pink elephant as the way to survive his dinner with Emily in You Jump, I Jump.

Lots of mixed messages for me, but it doesn't seem to have been a plot point that she drank too much except on occasion.

 

For me, that all adds up to a drinking problem.

Edited February 17, 2015 by junienmomo

[timimouse]

Seriously.  The way those two ate junk food, it should have taken a crane to get them out of their beds in the morning. 

 

Funny enough, in my re-watching, that REALLY bugs me now. It's overly unrealistic. They emphasize the fact that Lorelai doesn't cook. At all. So how did she feed Rory growing up? Let's say, for argument's sake, that whilst she lived in the shed at the inn and worked there that they got all their meals from the kitchen at the inn. But they moved to Stars Hollow when Rory was about 9(?) or there about.. What happened then? There's NO WAY they could afford to buy every meal if they were as poor as they claimed to be...

 

I know college kids drink, but I think that Logan's use of alcohol to avoid his responsibilities was self abuse. I wouldn't go so far as to call him an alcoholic, but he did use it frequently and as a means of escape. 

 

I forgot about Logan! I do think he overdid it at times, however I think he was representative of the average college boy to be honest. Not that I excuse them, but again, I wouldn't go as far as calling him an alcoholic either. I do see your point with him though :)

 

I agree that we weren't supposed to take away that she was too drunk to drive, I just did the math of one drink per hour and Lorelai's desire to keep the evening short to come up with the notion that she was likely to be too legally drunk to drive. I don't recall her appearing drunk after a FND ever.

She did encourage Luke to ride the pink elephant as the way to survive his dinner with Emily in You Jump, I Jump.

Lots of mixed messages for me, but it doesn't seem to have been a plot point that she drank too much except on occasion.

 

For me, that all adds up to a drinking problem.

 

I'm sorry, but I still don't see it. I think the telling Luke to "ride the pink elephant" was more for humour than anything else and honestly, one drink an hour isn't really that much alcohol for someone who drinks socially and has a higher tolerance than someone who doesn't. That's just my opinion.