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One is the Loneliest Number: Unpopular GG Opinions


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timimouse, to the best of my recollection, Lorelai and Rory moved to their house when Rory was about eleven.

Lorelai may not have ever learned to cook as such but I believe she was acquainted with a microwave oven and likely frozen foods.  Certainly in the early episodes we did see them eat at home. Heaven's to Betsy, I even recall seeing Lorelai eat a salad !

Edited by dustylil
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There's NO WAY they could afford to buy every meal if they were as poor as they claimed to be...

 

One of the other commenters summed it up nicely.  They said Lorelai and Rory have a money tree that will only give them money for fun things, but not for anything they actually need, so we occasionally see Lorelai panicking when she needs a lot of money quickly. 

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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.

No need to say sorry, this is UO, if I'm alone, I appreciate the perspective of the other side to challenge my ideas.

Timimouse, I did want to ask you about the "more for humor" comment. Did you really see those comments from Lorelai as jokes for Luke and her parents (as opposed to a joke for the TV audience)? I always took such comments seriously, especially in at least this case, since her mother gave her a double martini.

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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've constantly wondered that, I mean there is being a bad cook and not being able to make mac and cheese. I can see in the early years in the shed with using food from the kitchen at the hotel. I was in food service for years and several times they asked if anyone wanted to bring leftovers home or put together a small pack. It happens and I can see Lorelai doing that with Rory but then after they got to Stars Hollow. There is no way you can eat out all the time unless you never buy groceries and have no outstanding bills outside of the mortgage. Its small things like that irk me about TV, I get its fiction but come on. These people are still human.

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I agree it's unrealistic that they could eat such junkie foods (and turn their noses up at exercising) and still have wonderful figures. But the idea of them being junk foodies only half bothers me.

On the one hand, I liked that they weren't characters who constantly went around saying things like, "Oh no, I can't. That'll go straight to my thighs," or "Guess I'll spend an extra half hour at the gym!" or otherwise make it seem like a woman always has to care that her body is perfect.

On the other hand, it does a bit of a disservice to most of us who can't eat/live like that and still have a rockin' bod.

Regarding the money aspect of their eating habits, why couldn't Lorelai still bring home inn leftovers after they moved out of the potting shed?

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Regarding the money aspect of their eating habits, why couldn't Lorelai still bring home inn leftovers after they moved out of the potting shed?

 

But then they'd have no reason to go to Luke's for almost every meal, and we'd be forced into some hellscape where Rory and Lorelai spend all their time alone, staring at each other across the dinner table, making quips, but never actually having a conversation!  Or maybe she thought that it didn't seem right for someone in her position, who is presumably making decent pay, to be taking home food from the Inn all the time. 

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No need to say sorry, this is UO, if I'm alone, I appreciate the perspective of the other side to challenge my ideas.

Timimouse, I did want to ask you about the "more for humor" comment. Did you really see those comments from Lorelai as jokes for Luke and her parents (as opposed to a joke for the TV audience)? I always took such comments seriously, especially in at least this case, since her mother gave her a double martini.

 

The way I see it, that's her way of trying to prepare him for a night with them. It's not that she meant it literally, but with her personality, I don't see her sitting him down and having a serious conversation about how to deal with Emily and Richard. She'd just make light of it, even though the message behind it is serious. Hence the "hey, you need to be hammered to make it through tonight" kind of jokes. But I do see it as a joke because she would know that having Luke drunk at a FND with her parents would be disastrous. 

Also, I wouldn't give the double Martini too much weight. This is coming from a personal standpoint so I may be wrong. But I drink socially. I'm not an alcoholic in that I don't get drunk... there's no stumbling or any memory loss or embarrassing acts of any kind. But I do go out a lot and there is a fair bit of alcohol consumption. Which means my tolerance is quite high, even for a 110lb woman. And in the past couple years, my drinks have become doubles. What that means is sometimes I would hold on to a drink longer and pace myself accordingly. I say this to say maybe that would be her only drink for the night....?

I try to keep my opinions unbiased, so I hope this doesn't come across as biased based on my experiences. I'm trying to look at the whole picture. It's safe to say that the Gilmores are all social drinkers as 1) When they come over for friday night dinners, the first thing Richard does is offer them drinks. 2) they all have wine with dinner 3) there have been talks of after dinner drinks 4) we've seen them drinking at parties and other social events. Taking all of this into account, this is why I don't see them as having alcohol problems.

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I try to keep my opinions unbiased, so I hope this doesn't come across as biased based on my experiences. I'm trying to look at the whole picture. It's safe to say that the Gilmores are all social drinkers as 1) When they come over for friday night dinners, the first thing Richard does is offer them drinks. 2) they all have wine with dinner 3) there have been talks of after dinner drinks 4) we've seen them drinking at parties and other social events. Taking all of this into account, this is why I don't see them as having alcohol problems.

 

To add to this, I think we're supposed to see Emily and Richard as appreciative of fine dining. Which makes sense, given their social events and the kind of entertaining Emily is used to doing. Choosing a wine is a pretty important part of eating at a dinner party, and cocktails would be part of the "schmoozing" we're supposed to believe Richard spent his career doing. Not the most important part - but omitting mixed drinks and wine for a lifestyle like Richard and Emily's would require an explanation, even if it's the vague "health reasons" or something like pregnancy. And one of Emily's not-so-subtle reasons for requiring Friday night dinners was to expose Rory to that kind of life.  Obviously, there are lots of other class snobbery aspects to it - Luke's preference for beer over liquor, for one - but even in social arenas outside college or the Gilmores' upper class lifestyle, not drinking, for whatever reason, could raise an eyebrow. 

Edited by moonb
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I seem to remember someone cheekily calling the 5:00 cocktail hour the equivalent of the "WASP sacrament".  That's how it's used in Gilmore Girls.  Rigorously observed by the traditionalist generation and especially observed by the old "upper crust".  This is AS-P writing from an excellent talent for observation, in my book.  I've been around that particular set from time to time (although they are aging out) and for them not to have a drink in their hand at 5:05 P.M. would be the equivalent of the sun failing to rise in the morning.    

 

Also, for the sake of learning something new...does anyone know a gracious way to suggest that some people would be happier if they just lightened up a little?  Because I don't know one and, as I tend to be on the "spiky" side, I'm making an effort to learn how to say what I'm thinking without offending too many people.  Perhaps I should just suggest they could use a drink. ;)       

Edited by CheersEnthusiast
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Some of their junk food is microwavable crap from the market. I assume Rory grew up on cheap microwavable mac & cheese, burritos, frozen pizza, pizza bagels, pop tarts, etc. until Lorelai started making enough money to upgrade to restaurants and take-out.

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The way I see it, that's her way of trying to prepare him for a night with them. It's not that she meant it literally, but with her personality, I don't see her sitting him down and having a serious conversation about how to deal with Emily and Richard. She'd just make light of it, even though the message behind it is serious. Hence the "hey, you need to be hammered to make it through tonight" kind of jokes. But I do see it as a joke because she would know that having Luke drunk at a FND with her parents would be disastrous. 

 

I see your point. Now I have a whole new reason to rewatch - try to figure out when I'm taking a joke too seriously. LOL

Now I have to wonder if Lorelai was ever serious with anyone except for Rory. That's all that came to mind, except for Christopher's proposal in Christopher Returns. OK, slowly more examples are rolling into my brain.

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Well, Emily did get a DUI. She wasn't falling down drunk. I think there were many times if Lorelai had been pulled over for speeding or an expired tag, a cop could've smelled alcohol on her breath and pulled out a breathalyzer.

Blowing over a .08 doesn't take that much. And even if someone has a high tolerance, that doesn't mean their BAC is zero.

I also found it unrealistic that Rory wasn't required to have no alcohol during her probation since wasn't that supposed to be one of her defenses? She was drinking and things got out of hand? But, there she is with Logan having mimosas, turning down a ride home. Hopefully she walked.

I don't think everyone on the show is an alcoholic. But, obviously, a few characters drank with regularity and driving afterward was sometimes involved.

This is the way for many people outside of the show. But, it is interesting for a show where I think some younger teens watched. I don't have a huge problem with it, but I do notice it. And, if I was watching with a daughter, I'd have a conversation about what was being depicted.

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I also found it unrealistic that Rory wasn't required to have no alcohol during her probation since wasn't that supposed to be one of her defenses? She was drinking and things got out of hand?

 

No, there was no mention of alcohol use by Rory at her trial either by the defense or the prosecution. Of course, she was underage at the time of the incident so "drinking and things got out of hand" probably wouldn't have made much of a defense. And with that particular judge, her sentence would likely have been even sterner ;)

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No, there was no mention of alcohol use by Rory at her trial either by the defense or the prosecution. Of course, she was underage at the time of the incident so "drinking and things got out of hand" probably wouldn't have made much of a defense. And with that particular judge, her sentence would likely have been even sterner ;)

Ok. Thanks. That makes me feel better! I totally agree with you about how it would have turned out.

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I agree it's unrealistic that they could eat such junkie foods (and turn their noses up at exercising) and still have wonderful figures. But the idea of them being junk foodies only half bothers me.

On the one hand, I liked that they weren't characters who constantly went around saying things like, "Oh no, I can't. That'll go straight to my thighs," or "Guess I'll spend an extra half hour at the gym!" or otherwise make it seem like a woman always has to care that her body is perfect.

On the other hand, it does a bit of a disservice to most of us who can't eat/live like that and still have a rockin' bod.

Regarding the money aspect of their eating habits, why couldn't Lorelai still bring home inn leftovers after they moved out of the potting shed?

Given their junk food habits and "perfect" bodies, I wish the show had left out the fat jokes that they defaulted to on certain occasions.

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Given their junk food habits and "perfect" bodies, I wish the show had left out the fat jokes that they defaulted to on certain occasions.

Especially when Sookie is bigger and supposed to be Lorelai's very good friend. And, while it was "just" behind Sookie's back on the show, Melissa McCarthy and other people in the world hear it loud and clear.

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Especially when Sookie is bigger and supposed to be Lorelai's very good friend. And, while it was "just" behind Sookie's back on the show, Melissa McCarthy and other people in the world hear it loud and clear.

 

I have a feeling Melissa McCarthy is strong enough not to be bothered by comments the characters say on Gilmore Girls.   

 

I'm still trying to figure out why nobody called CPS about Rory living in a shed. Aren't teachers mandatory reporters? 

 

What would be reported?  Rory wasn't being neglected or abused.  It's an unorthodox living situation for certain, but otherwise, there doesn't seem to be an issue. 

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I'm still trying to figure out why nobody called CPS about Rory living in a shed. Aren't teachers mandatory reporters?

 

It WAS a shed, it had been renovated into a small apartment.  What's there to report?

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I agree with other posters regarding Rory's living conditions.

Also, I am not sure how the system works in Connecticut, Do teachers make home visits? If not, then if Rory's home address was given as the Independence Inn, how would any teacher know the precise domestic arrangements of Lorelai and Rory?

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If not, then if Rory's home address was given as the Independence Inn, how would any teacher know the precise domestic arrangements of Lorelai and Rory?

 

It doesn't seem like all that big a stretch to imagine Rory may have mentioned it during conversation, or a teacher may have asked.  It didn't appear to be a secret.  After all, we saw on the show that Rory didn't see an issue with living in the shed until Emily reacted negatively after seeing it. 

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I'm still trying to figure out why nobody called CPS about Rory living in a shed. Aren't teachers mandatory reporters?

 

Please forgive the bluntness Mulva:

 

Because good people have enough character not to rat on aquaintances?  Or in a free society people mind their own business and don't stick their nose into others affairs especially when there's been no harm?  Either of those options would be a morally legitimate, if not currently culturally favored, reason.

 

"Treat others as you would want to be treated." 

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I'm still trying to figure out why nobody called CPS about Rory living in a shed. Aren't teachers mandatory reporters?

 

Maybe because there are children in much, much worse situations then living in a converted shed with all there needs being met by pretty much everyone in town? With a loving, hard-working, clean living mom? I mean, I think it is safe to assume that even in fairytale Gilmore Girls land that there might have been others who had it worse-Jess and Paris both had pretty messed up families, for instance.  I'd take growing up in a shed with Lorelai to putting up with screwy, irresponsible Liz any day of the week.

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Because good people have enough character not to rat on acquaintances?  Or in a free society people mind their own business and don't stick their nose into others affairs especially when there's been no harm?  Either of those options would be a morally legitimate, if not currently culturally favored, reason.

 

I think that's a little over the top.  It's not "ratting" someone out if you have legitimate concerns about them or their living situation.  In Rory's situation there wasn't harm, but if you told me a young student was living in a shed with her mother, that would probably raise alarm bells for me.  

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well, also, cuz it's a TV show.

I do think if Lorelai was under the age of 18 (which I believe she was), in a real life situation Mia should have returned her to her parents. If she was a day over 18, then naw. She had Rory when she was 16, rory was over a year old but maybe not quite 2 when Lorelai left...I dunno, I'm sure someone else can do the math better than I can. Then again iirc I think people have figured out that Lorelai was probably 15 when she got pregnant, so the dates probably don't all add up anyway. I suppose 15 sounds way worse than 16.

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on the fat jokes, i always thought it was weird that they'd have Michel complain directly to Sookie about his 1600 calorie a day limit or whatever. Then again she forced cookies on him, so who knows.

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We don't know how old Lorelai was when she and Rory left the senior Gilmores' home and moved to Stars Hollow. Based on admittedly scant information, many have assumed that she  was about seventeen and a half and Rory about a year old when she arrived at the Independence Inn.  If they began living in the potting shed within months of her starting work as a maid, she would have been close to eighteen and after that,  legally an adult. A gainfully employed adult. So the timeframe of her being "underage" was fairly small.

Nor was it ever made clear that she was actually considered a  "runaway". Certainly she and Rory had left her parents' home in Hartford without their knowledge, but we were never told if they had been reported missing or if the police were involved in a search for the two of them. Or for that matter, if  Lorelai had not kept Richard and Emily informed as to their whereabouts. We do know  the senior Gilmores visited with them at the  Inn when Rory was a baby.  

The potting shed - fixed up as it was with running water and electricity and made homey through Lorelai's sewing skills - may well have been a peculiar fantasy of a Southern Californian native. But from what we viewers saw of it even years after the two had moved to their own house, it seemed tiny, comfortable and cozy. I am not sure with what the authorities would find fault.

 

JayInChicago, Lorelai was indeed fifteen when she got pregnant and had Rory at sixteen.

Edited by dustylil
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Ok so how big is Stars Hollow exactly? There were maybe 100 people at the town meetings, I assume the rest of the town didn't give a FF. Or most likely, the popular kids wouldn't let them in they play house, so they gave up. I imagine our main characters to be the "mean girl/ bullies" with Taylor as their puppet.

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JayInChicago, Lorelai was indeed fifteen when she got pregnant and had Rory at sixteen.

 

I think Jay had that right, and I don't think that was ever actually established what age she was.  The show was vague on the details.   

 

 

I do think if Lorelai was under the age of 18 (which I believe she was), in a real life situation Mia should have returned her to her parents. If she was a day over 18, then naw.

 

I think in real life, Mia would have immediately contacted her parents and sent her home, if the parents were willing to have her.  I mean, come on.  Lorelai essentially showed up at Mia's door as a homeless teenager with a baby.  Even the most benevolent person in the world isn't going to take that on without any real reason to do so.  Honestly, what were Lorelai's big complaints with her parents?  That they didn't understand her, and made her feel bad?  That they made her feel stifled?  Boo hoo.  Spoiled teenager hates her parents.  News at 11.          

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junienmomo, I believe that Stars Hollow population sign was in the pilot. When Stars Hollow was still in Canada, just north of Toronto :)

 

I would like to clarify my position concerning involving the authorities on matters to do with children. Given what we knew of the life of Liz and Jess with her substance abuse issues, I would not have hesitated to suggest CPS take a look at their circumstances. Lorelai's parental "sins", on the other hand, seem to have been that she was young and poor.

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population.png


Regarding ages, if you match up their birthdays and comments from various episodes, I believe it was established that Lorelai was 15 when she got pregnant, 16 when she had Rory, and 17 when they moved out.

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Honestly, what were Lorelai's big complaints with her parents? That they didn't understand her, and made her feel bad? That they made her feel stifled? Boo hoo. Spoiled teenager hates her parents. News at 11.

They wanted her to attend a big party in her honor! They wanted her to graduate from a top university and date high-achieving men! The bastards!

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I think that's a little over the top.  It's not "ratting" someone out if you have legitimate concerns about them or their living situation.  In Rory's situation there wasn't harm, but if you told me a young student was living in a shed with her mother, that would probably raise alarm bells for me.  

 

NM, other than I disagree.

Edited by CheersEnthusiast
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Bringing it from the Nitpick thread, the mollycoddling of Rory was nauseating to watch. In The Reigning Lorelai, Lorelai tells Rory of Gran's death and then tells her that she (gran) is sooooo lucky to have Rory as a great grand daughter, huh? Why? It also annoys me when Emily says something to that effect in the finale. It just annoys me that the Gilmores see Rory like this perfect being. No wonder Rory had such a huge sense of entitlement, particularly post season-3 Rory.

 

My other UO, their funeral anecdotes are just too precious, they border on cloyingly annoying. I.e. Dead Uncles and Veg, when Patty and Babbette blab on about Louie and his escapades and in the aforesaid episode, when Marlyn talks about her dead cousin, the stories are cringe worthy. And speaking of Babette, she has some weird hand gestures while talking, I cannot stop noticing it and it drives me batty.

 

While I am at it, might as well get it off my chest that Lorelai drives me mad when she channels her inner Dharma:-) I swear I think Lauren and Jenna Elfman are twins and on her worst days, Lorelai gets as crazy and ditzy as Dharma!

 

P.S: That parody is spot on! The resemblance to Lauren is uncanny!!!

Edited by Minu49
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My other UO, their funeral anecdotes are just too precious, they border on cloyingly annoying. I.e. Dead Uncles and Veg, when Patty and Babbette blab on about Louie and his escapades and in the aforesaid episode, when Marlyn talks about her dead cousin, the stories are cringe worthy. And speaking of Babette, she has some weird hand gestures while talking, I cannot stop noticing it and it drives me batty.

 

 

 I know, death was treated very badly on this show. I think the best reactions were Richard when Trix died and Christopher when Straube died. They were actually taken with a sense of realism. Everyone else I wanted to go: "Really?" I mean I went to a funeral where the departed was a HUGE Star Wars fan and he wanted to be buried in one of his favorite Star Wars Tshirts with a lightsabre. That was it and it was in very good taste where you went: "I am really going to miss him." The rest it was: "Are any of you people, you know have brains or aware of the crap you say?"

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They wanted her to attend a big party in her honor! They wanted her to graduate from a top university and date high-achieving men! The bastards!

They were also (imho) cold, critical, narrow-minded, unaffectionate, and controlling. Does that make Emily and Richard horrible parents or people? No. Did Lorelai exaggerate how terrible they were? Yup. But I can see why Lorelai might have really felt suffocated by the two.

 

As for dating high-achieving men...I don't know about that. They did everything to get Lorelai with Christopher, based more on his background then his actual "success" in life. Yet Luke, who had his own business and seemingly plenty of money to loan out, wasn't good enough.  Em&Rich were nothing if not all about the appearances of something rather then the actual content.

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They were also (imho) cold, critical, narrow-minded, unaffectionate, and controlling. Does that make Emily and Richard horrible parents or people? No. Did Lorelai exaggerate how terrible they were? Yup. But I can see why Lorelai might have really felt suffocated by the two.

 

Aren't parents of teenagers supposed to be somewhat controlling?  I mean, there are definitely things that my kids will and will not be allowed to do.  I don't just give them carte blanche.  As to narrow-minded, all I could say is that the apple didn't fall far from the tree on that score. 

 

 

Lorelai tells Rory of Gran's death and then tells her that she (gran) is sooooo lucky to have Rory as a great grand daughter, huh?

 

In fairness, I think Lorelai was really just trying to make Rory feel better given Rory's uncertainty at how to feel given she didn't know Gran well.

Edited by txhorns79
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