Gilmore Girls in the Media

[Guest]

I like Lorelai more than most here, but I figured a lot of you guys might appreciate this .... :) 

 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/natalyalobanova/oy-with-the-poodles-already?utm_term=.kq8BVoWL1#.ul3ve2PN6

 

Well, I definitely agree with parts of it.But I think Lorelai has a lot of good qualities that compensate for some of her selfishness.  

 

In general, I feel like you could do this about almost any character on any tv show - point out all their flaws to write that they're a terrible person. Alternately, you can point out only their good traits to prove your point that they are great.  The key to good writing is having their be some balance between the negative and positive. Just like real people. :)

 

(All "you" references are a general you, not directed at you specifically, asf.)

[amensisterfriend]

Oh, I agree completely, deaja! I think that's especially true on a show like GG, where most of the characters are DEEPLY flawed, like 'I enjoy them for fictional purposes but would run away from this person at full speed if I knew them in real life' flawed, often in the name of being 'quirky', humorous, interesting etc. 

[solotrek]

“Hey Sooki, I know you just gave birth, but how about you do some labour-intensive work with me to start up a catering business instead of resting?”

 

From the site, Sookie is the one who set up the catering business (without really consulting Lorelai) and it was before she gave birth to Davey.

[dustylil]

solotrek, and as I recall, Lorelai had to be talked into the catering business idea. And it was Sookie who screwed up their first gig.  A habit unfortunately she continued.

 

Also, when did Lorelai steal food from the diner? Or coffee for that matter?

[solotrek]

solotrek, and as I recall, Lorelai had to be talked into the catering business idea. And it was Sookie who screwed up their first gig.  A habit unfortunately she continued.

 

Also, when did Lorelai steal food from the diner? Or coffee for that matter?

Not only did Sookie screw up their first gig, she also made like a million broccoli tarts instead of just a couple when trying recipes for Emily's gig. She was the worst.

 

Lorelai and Rory would often times just walk out without paying for their food and drink (as well as many of the other townies). Definitely something I've noticed here or there. But I think it's been handwaved as a lot of these people just having a tab that carry over. Sometimes the meal goes on the tab, sometimes they pay. I don't quite get it, but it's the simplest explanation.

 

Liz is definitely one I remember stealing food from Luke's. She took steaks and pie for that meal she made when she brought TJ to town and wanted to cook a meal "for her guys". TJ also helped himself to free coffee and donuts in that episode his shower didn't work.

[Melancholy]

Yes, I thought Luke threw Lorelai and Rory a lot of wink-winkers of his own because they spent SO MUCH MONEY there (on top of Luke having a major case of the hots for Lorelai.) However, Lorelai was hardly stealing as she OTT yammered and joked, desperate to have Luke's undivided attention, as she grabbed a donught from his display case in broad daylight in front of everyone in the crowded diner in one of her attention-getting outfits, fabulous hair a'flippin'. 

 

I did agree with the article in terms of Loreia's relationship with her parents- but as we recently discussed, I don't think Lorelai did anything to jeopardize baby Rory's health or development by living in the shed. Based on all accounts, Lorelai provided all of the necessities for Rory even at their poorest. 

[dustylil]

Also, what did that writer mean the senior Gilmores didn't charge interest on the Chilton loan? What were those compulsory Friday Night Dinners if not vigorish?

[solotrek]

Also, what did that writer mean the senior Gilmores didn't charge interest on the Chilton loan? What were those compulsory Friday Night Dinners if not vigorish?

To be fair, I'm looking at the interest of my student loans and I'd much rather have to go to a fancy dinner every week where I could just tune out the BS if I wanted to.

[dustylil]

solotrek, you had loans for high school?

If one calculated fuel costs to and from Hartford,  foregone income from any missed shifts or overtime at the Independence Inn, the price of the required gallons of Ben and Jerry's and the outlay for a large amount  of headache medication, that loan was costing Lorelai a good piece of change.

[Guest]

The writer of the article called Rory a newborn when Lorelai left. This is not the case.

[dustylil]

Also, who dropped everything to clean Lorelai's gutters?

If I recall correctly, Jess was hired to do so and Luke did it as part of his role as self-appointed maintenance man.

 

It would be interesting to know how many episodes of the series the Buzzfeed writer actually watched.

[solotrek]

solotrek, you had loans for high school?

If one calculated fuel costs to and from Hartford,  foregone income from any missed shifts or overtime at the Independence Inn, the price of the required gallons of Ben and Jerry's and the outlay for a large amount  of headache medication, that loan was costing Lorelai a good piece of change.

God no. I have enough to deal with from undergrad and grad. I did have friends that went to Philips Exeter Academy and Andover for boarding and their families had to take out private loans for that. Though we ended up at similar places in the end, so I hope it was worth it for them?

 

Just calculating the average interest for a typical undergrad student loan ~4.5% and assuming Chilton cost ~$10000/year that's about $450/year interest (I'm basing that on the $5000 enrollment fee for Rory's first semester, so the actual tuition cost might be higher). That's not taking into account the fact that to get a loan for high school, it'd have to be a private loan and wouldn't be your typical student loan (correct me if I'm wrong; I do see something for k-12 education loan and it's about the same rate as a private loan). The interest for that according to google is 9-12%. That's about $900-$1200/year interest.

 

The 1999 Jeep Wrangler (and also the 2000) is usually around 20 mpg/highway. Stars Hollow is about 30 minutes from Hartford so the roundtrip makes it ~60min and we can assume Lorelai drives 60mph on average (makes math easier). That means each trip will be 3 gallons of gas. The average gas price from 2000-2003 was ~1.45, but we'll make it $1.50. That'd be $4.50 to fill the tank for each trip and $234 for the entire year. But Richard and Emily often went away (Europe, Martha's Vineyard, etc...) so they didn't go to FND for all 52 weeks meaning that number is high anyways.

 

You can get a 500pill bottle of Ibuprofen for $15.79 from CVS. The Ben and Jerry's could just easily be canceled out with the Friday night meal they'd inevitable end up buying. Lorelai seems to be explicitly the day shift manager so there wouldn't be missed shifts. And in terms of necessary overtime (if there's a function at the inn) there seems to be no indication they'd force her to be there, after all she was able to go to NYC with Billy Burke's character and that's not even work.

 

So she's running a deficit of about $250/year as opposed to between $900-$1200.

 

I assume we can continue this in the All Episodes talk thread or the mods head will explode.

[lulu1960]

Just finished watching Grease Live. They filmed on the WB lot. Awesome to see "Stars Hollow"

[nolieblue]

Ausiello interview with ASP - Part 1! http://tvline.com/2016/02/01/gilmore-girls-revival-spoilers-amy-sherman-palladino-interview

[amensisterfriend]

Article from Vulture that answers a few readers' questions about GG...and, no, I am NOT the person who wrote in to confess that she prefers S7 to S6, though you know I've expressed the same opinion :) 

 

http://www.vulture.com/2016/02/stay-tuned-gilmore-girls.html

[amensisterfriend]

Interesting article comparing GG to Bunheads---written by someone who really loved Bunheads :) I recall not liking Bunheads much, but this kind of makes me want to give it another chance:

 

http://www.avclub.com/article/bunheads-was-first-gilmore-girls-revival-added-dan-231404

Interesting article comparing GG to Bunheads---written by someone who really loved Bunheads :) I recall not liking Bunheads much, but this kind of makes me want to give it another chance:

 

http://www.avclub.com/article/bunheads-was-first-gilmore-girls-revival-added-dan-231404

[Minneapple]

The second season of Bunheads was really good. Once they figured out a better balance between the younger girls and the older women, it improved by a thousand percent. The girls who played the teen ballet dancers were charming and fun and their relationship with Michelle became the centerpiece of the show. The dance numbers were well-executed.

 

And the last episode of the show was as good as anything Amy wrote for Gilmore Girls. The final scene was like a punch in the stomach, it reminded me in a way of Raincoats and Recipes. 

[amensisterfriend]

This is weirdly harsh and has some unpopular ideas, but some might find it interesting reading...?! Warning to those who are staunchly pro-Luke and anti-Christopher: The writer doesn't advocate for Christopher ending up with Lorelai, which we all know is a ship that's sailed, but (like me!) he likes Christopher more than most do and likes Luke less than most do, so if that kind of thing annoys you, you might not want to click on this link! 

 

http://junkee.com/six-things-the-gilmore-girls-revial-can-do-to-fix-the-shows-horrible-mistakes/73460

[Guest]

I like Christopher more than anyone else on this board.  But I couldn't make it to that point in the article because I was rolling my eyes too hard over the writer referring to Sookie's first two kids as accidental pregnancies. They were doing timed intercourse for Martha! There's nothing accidental about it! And with Davey, it seemed like they were not trying but not preventing.  Get your facts straight! ;)

 

But after reading the whole thing, I agree that I'd like more closure to the Chris issue. 

[amensisterfriend]

I like Christopher more than anyone else on this board

 

Come sit at my table :) 

 

Ha---yeah, the writer wasn't really a stickler for the facts. He would be eviscerated on our 'nitpick' thread! 

[shron17]

Despite being staunchly pro-Luke and moderately anti-Christopher I quite like the idea of fixing Christopher's story line by marooning him on an island with toddlers he has to raise while waiting for rescue.  It would be satisfying to see Chris deal with raising kids without the benefit of millions.  The addition of wealthy game hunters hunting Chris for sport seems a bit extreme, but I'm sure some would love it.  Most of the rest I disagree with, but yeah, the writer definitely needs a rewatch.

[Guest]

I also took issue with the writer portraying Zach as a deadbeat. I'm not the biggest Zach fan, but he was a reasonably responsible guy.  When he wanted to marry Lane, he brought recommendations from his job for Mrs. Kim. He worked in her place at the diner when he needed to in Season 7 (and by "he needed to" I mean "plot contrivance required it."). Overall, he and Lane seemed to be a good team.

 

And how would she reunite with her band if he were at home with the twins. He was the lead singer!

 

This article's errors are bothering me far more than is reasonable. 

[photo fox]

I like Christopher, but I can't agree with any article that sees Sookie physically forcing her husband to have a vasectomy as "retaining ownership over her own fertility".  No, that would be owning Jackson's fertility.  She could own her own fertility by having a procedure on her own body.

 

I get that a vasectomy is generally less invasive, quicker to heal, easier to reverse, etc., but that doesn't give her the right to force it on him.

 

(That said, lying to her about it when he knew she didn't want to get pregnant again was super shitty.)

[dustylil]

I was more than a little puzzled by that article. Zach - an employed and devoted father - is described as a deadbeat, yet Christopher is not?

And Christopher inherited considerably more than "a few millions"  from his grandfather in Season 6. He now had so much money he was actually willing to give some to his elder daughter.

[amensisterfriend]

Yup, as we said, there are a lot of disputable characterizations and some indisputable inaccuracies. He does, however, earn a few points for me for lamenting the lack of African Americans, wanting Michel (or some other character, because surely not everyone in SH is straight!) to come out of the closet, and for capturing some of my feelings about Luke: 

 

He annoys me. I find him to be a giant baby. I hate baseball caps. But I actually love him in the show. Perhaps he annoys me because he’s such a buzzkill and I recognise that in myself.

 

...except that I don't always love him on the show. And I rather like baseball caps :) 

 

I also appreciate that the writer is pretty much the only GG viewer outside of a few people on this thread who describes Christopher as anything less than wholly villainous, acknowleding he certainly has flaws but also noting that 

 

but he’s everything that Luke isn’t. He’s fun, he communicates, he understands Lorelei. Sure, he’s sometimes massively over-sensitive like every other man on Gilmore Girls. But when he does something bad, he gets over it. He looks like a puppy that just got caught eating a block of chocolate, but then he actually understands and moves on.

 

Heh---I agree with that, including the very unpopular part about how he "understands Lorelai" to a degree that Luke and her other boyfriends don't. I am, however, sufficiently horrified by the fact that the writer misspelled Lorelai's name. I think those of us who are more obsessive---er, admirably meticulous and dedicated---should be writing these articles instead :) 

[ZuluQueenOfDwarves]

This is incidental at best but yesterday on Twitter, Laura Jane Grace (lead singer of Against Me!, a band Jess would love) mentioned she's a descendant of a Daughter of the American Revolution.

I had a mental picture of Emily Gilmore having a DAR luncheon with a 6'2", radical, transgender, feminist punk icon and could not stop giggling.

[JayInChicago]

I would squee so hard it'd be heard from Toledo to Denver if somehow Laura Jane fucking Grace had a cameo on the reviv as the first trans DAR member. Not that Amy would go there.

The junkee article was interesting. I've gone back and forth on Christopher. Right now I'm pro Luke and anti Chris but it changes. I do fault the article for pulling that "season 7 was sooo bad!" When really season 6 is at least as bad--as we've discussed here many times. I seriously judge people who think season 7 is worse than 6, or at least think the show was somehow completely hunky dory until 7-1.

[GreenScreenFX]

Season 6 is by FAR the worst season. sorry Amy got butt hurt, but season 7 tried to save a show that Amy tanked.

[amensisterfriend]

http://zap2it.com/2016/02/gilmore-girls-5-ways-rory-lorelai-need-change/

[dustylil]

Interesting article, asf.

However I don't recall "retarded" being used incorrectly and on a regular basis. I have long despised the word being used in a pejorative or unkind manner. And I think I would have remembered this happening on one of my favourite shows.

[clack]

That zap article seems to assume that every TV setting must have the same demographics, even if those demographics don't represent reality. Why should a show set in small-town Connecticut (95-97% white in reality) have as many black characters as a show set in Brooklyn, say, or Martha's Vineyard, or as many Hispanic characters as a show set in SoCal?

On the other hand, gays do seem underrepresented in SH. Those small NE tourist towns frequently , in my experience, have middle-aged gay couples, refugees from the big city, running small businesses -- B&Bs, small inns, antique stores, restaurants. If GG were being made today, I think Taylor at least would have been characterized as being gay.

[amensisterfriend]

I have long despised the word being used in a pejorative or unkind manner. And I think I would have remembered this happening on one of my favourite shows.

 

Same here, Dusty. It's a HUGE hot button issue for me, so I, too, was racking my mind for instances where it was used that way. Maybe I just blocked them out for my own sanity :)

 

 

 

 

 

If GG were being made today, I think Taylor at least would have been characterized as being gay.

 

And dating Michel! Oh, wait, that's just the crack ship that exists in my head rather than in any sort of reality... 

Edited February 28, 2016 by amensisterfriend

[Sara2009]

When Rory was freaking out about her extra-curriculars, she said " I need to find a retarded kid and teach him how to play softball" or something like that. That's the only instance I can recall, though.

[tennisgurl]

I never had a huge problem with Stars Hallow being majority white. There are plenty of small towns that are like that, especially in Connecticut. What I did always find puzzling, however, was how white Yale was. Now, its been awhile since I watched the Yale years, but from what I remember, all of the supporting characters, as well as the minor characters and one off guest stars, all tended to be white. According to the internet, Yale right now is 47% white, which leaves a lot of non white people that I guess Rory never ran into. I do not know the stats for how Yale was back then, but I assume it was not that different. 

 

Interesting article though. I will be disappointed if there is no LGBTQ representation on the show, and while I do not remember there being a lot of gay jokes, it wouldn't really surprise me.  

[KFC]

I won't be shocked if there's no LGBTQ representation on the new series, if only because, quite frankly, I suspect ASP has a rather homophobic streak in her. I've been rewatching a lot of episodes on Netflix, and there's actually quite a few "gay" jokes over the course of the show, and it's always from the perspective of "being gay, ewwww how weird!"

 

Her jokes always seem to equate homosexuality with cooties, so I'd be kinda surprised if she actually introduced an LGBTQ character as anything other than a punchline.

[dustylil]

from what I remember, all of the supporting characters, as well as the minor characters and one off guest stars, all tended to be white

 

Not quite. The one professor who appeared in several episodes in the later seasons was African American. It was in his class that Logan and his cronies performed their little sketch to get Rory's attention. Blech.

[random chance]

I won't be shocked if there's no LGBTQ representation on the new series, if only because, quite frankly, I suspect ASP has a rather homophobic streak in her. I've been rewatching a lot of episodes on Netflix, and there's actually quite a few "gay" jokes over the course of the show, and it's always from the perspective of "being gay, ewwww how weird!"

 

Her jokes always seem to equate homosexuality with cooties, so I'd be kinda surprised if she actually introduced an LGBTQ character as anything other than a punchline.

Possibly that's just the times, not ASP specifically. Plenty of shows did the same "eww cooties" jokes - I've noticed it watching older stuff on Netflix. At one time, it was perfectly acceptable to react with comic horror about being mistaken for gay, or seeming gay, or appearing to be in a gay relationship. Same deal with words like retarded, mental, and so on.

[JayInChicago]

I think gay jokes are different based on who says them and why. Like, there's a gay joke that's pretty mean between Madeline and Louise about going to a seven sisters type school and "falling into some big mama's loving arms." But, they are immature teen girls so, waves it away. But Lorelai made frequent gay jokes and she was in her 30s and in the hospitality industry. She really should have known better.

[txhorns79]

Possibly that's just the times, not ASP specifically. Plenty of shows did the same "eww cooties" jokes - I've noticed it watching older stuff on Netflix. At one time, it was perfectly acceptable to react with comic horror about being mistaken for gay, or seeming gay, or appearing to be in a gay relationship. Same deal with words like retarded, mental, and so on.

 

I agree with this.  Some of the jokes are inappropriate now, but obviously weren't considered beyond reproach when the show was airing.  Now if the same jokes are still being made in the revival, that's a different issue.   

[tennisgurl]

I really hope it was just the times. Over the Summer, my friend and I watched a lot of Friends, and were were shocked by the amount of gay jokes and stereotypes. It got a bit uncomfortable a few times. Lots of "oh so you like theater? What are you GAY?!" kind of humor.  But at least Friends had some actual gay people as supporting characters, even if some of them were pretty stereotypical. I do not think a gay person ever appeared on Gilmore Girls. But I will wait to judge the new episodes.  

Edited February 28, 2016 by tennisgurl

[amensisterfriend]

A fun look back at the aspect of GG that REALLY matters---the characters' hairstyles ;) 

 

http://www.bustle.com/articles/143620-21-gilmore-girls-hair-moments-so-memorable-you-might-want-to-recreate-them-all-photos

[brightside]

I agree with this.  Some of the jokes are inappropriate now, but obviously weren't considered beyond reproach when the show was airing.  Now if the same jokes are still being made in the revival, that's a different issue.   

 

I hope this is true, but Bunheads had some of the same issues and Amy was writing that in 2012. Granted, they weren't the same issues GG had. There have also been a lot of articles and talk about the diversity of the show in the years since it went off the air, so hopefully it's something Amy is more aware of now. Fingers crossed.

[takalotti]

This was kinda fun :)

http://www.bustle.com/articles/143072-i-dressed-like-lorelai-gilmore-for-a-week-heres-what-happened

[Eyes High]

This was kinda fun :)

http://www.bustle.com/articles/143072-i-dressed-like-lorelai-gilmore-for-a-week-heres-what-happened

 

The author's accurate observation that Lorelai wore almost exclusively DVF wrap dresses in Season 6 and 7 got a laugh out of me. The DVF wrap dress look has aged the best of all of Lorelai's fashion choices, IMO. Those hats, on the other hand...

[33kaitykaity]

MSNBC's crawl is promoting Carole King to appear on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews today at 7PM EST/4PM PST.  

 

She's a really firm, committed Hillary supporter, so that's what they'll probably mostly talk about, but maybe, hopefully, Matthews will let her plug the GG revival.  (I figured more people would be interested in the interview here than in the MSNBC thread.)  

[nolieblue]

Has the EW cover story on GG gone out in the mail yet? I haven't received mine yet. grrr.

[lulu1960]

Nolie, I received mine in Friday's mail.

[nolieblue]

Thanks Lulu. I will contact EW directly! The only issue I've ever actually waited excitedly for and it goes missing...

[Ms Blue Jay]

I'm excited for mine too!  I hope it's in the mail tonight.  I'm in Canada.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Got mine in the mail today!