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Following along in our discussions based on insights from The Gilmore Girls Companion, I wanted to talk about Luke’s Hat. As the author notes, Lorelai later reveals that she believes the hat to be a barometer of Luke’s feelings about her. When he wore it, he was into her. When he didn’t, things were in trouble.
Do you think the writers intentionally wrote this small detail into the series at this point? Or did it become an opportunistic object to imbue with significance later in the series?
[...] Arieanna over at GilmoreNews.com discusses the significance that Lorelai places on Luke finally wearing the cap she bought him back in Season 1 in the episode 7.20 “Lorelai? Lorelai?” As noted in The Gilmore Girls Companion, it becomes to her a barometer for how she thinks he’s feeling toward her after their extremely awkward split. [...]
Well clearly when Luke started wearing his old blue cap after their talk in the car shopping trip in S7 it was a sigh he was ready to forgive Lorelai and move on but thing is its the only time this has happened. In S2 when they fought over the Jess crash with incident with Rory he didn’t stop wearing the cap, same in S5 with their first break up.
I understand the break up in the S6 final was their darkest hour and biggest set back but I kinda wished they had used the cap more as a ‘barometer of Luke’s feelings’ during the series.
The episode in question was 7.20 (“Lorelai? Lorelai?”), and though it’s been a while since I’ve seen that one, I want to say that we discover the reason he was wearing the hat she bought him all those years ago was because he misplaced the one he usually wears. Still, I agree with Craig — it would’ve been a nice little running gag had they used it a little more throughout the series.
i think details like this made it so great. my mother an me were so happy, when he took the blue cap in S7 again ;)
I actually think this is a little bit of a misconception. As the above poster points out this tactic us only used once in the series. Plus in the episode of season 7 where he dons the blue hat it is shown that his black one was missing. So while wearing the hat does show he’s passed most of his pain, it’s not common in the show.
However, I would like to point out the episode where Lorelai gives him the hat seems to be when he becomes a more realistic romance option for her.
The short of it is while it may be a sign it’s not very important or utilized much, at least most of the time.
this is just a message to arieanna.
would it be possible for you to make a table of contents, or archive the titles of all the posts under discussions or lorelai’s love life? cos sometimes i just want to read all about luke and lorelai. just so it’s easy to find the articles. i don’t know if that would be hard or impossible just let me know.
thank you very much. :)
Interesting point that must be taken into account beyond the facts or even the appearances. Life is always an expression of oneself in one way or another. Some of our attitudes take the mold of our feeling and thinking in general. Dressing (it) in a way, or another, even with tiny details such as a cap, is the expression of a mood. As every sensation any kind of mood is inevitably associated with some kind of behaviors or another.
Now, just consider the story itself. Luke may feel his relationship with Lorelai as somehow dangerous. She’s marvelous, but very complex too, sometimes non understandable, someone really disturbing for a practical man as Luke that loves stability. A relationship with Lorelai means always a challenge of everything, even of her feelings. The cap could be just a mean to protect himself. While his head is protected, his brain is protected too, so he can affront the ever turmoil: Lorelai.
When he doesn’t wear his hat, he may feel more vulnerable, more prone to lose his temper in a way or another too, to free some inner real Luke that doesn’t always suit Lorelai expectations. Which pront her to see the hat as a kind of barometer of Luke feeling about her.
That’s said, considering the picture, the weather and the fact that Luke is realist, the cap may be simply considered as a protection against the cold, here and in general in Connecticut.