The Great Loves of Gilmore Girls: Coffee-Coffee-Coffee!

May 24, 2013 By Rich 1 Comment

coffeecoffeecoffee

If you had to choose, would you pick coffee or Gilmore Girls?  For me, Gilmore Girls is like chicken soup, it nourishes the soul and comforts and more.  I’d give up chicken soup over Gilmore Girls, if I could still have chicken.  I might even give up chicken if they’d Extra Crispy Kentucky Fry something else.

Lorelai: Oh, I can’t stop drinking the coffee. I stop drinking coffee, I stop doing the standing and walking and the words putting-into-sentence doing.
Luke: I’ll make you some coffee.
(s04e20 Luke Can See Her Face)

From the very first scene in the pilot episode, Lorelai’s coffee habit is as ever-present as her mother’s disappointment:

Lorelai: Please, Luke. Please, please, please.
Luke: How many cups have you had this morning?
Lorelai: None.
Luke: Plus?
Lorelai: Five but yours is better.
Luke: You have a problem.
Lorelai: Yes I do.
Luke [filling her mug]: Junkie.
Lorelai: Angel. You’ve got wings, baby.

And is that her own mug she’s brought to the coffee shop?  Make of that what you will, but this woman loves coffee.  For heaven’s sake, she dreams about coffee alongside being in love and pregnant with twins (s03e01 Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days…) and she’s passed her addiction onto her daughter…

When Rory visits a psychologist after a boat-related misdemeanour, her emotional breakdown comes when thinking about her boyfriend – and that pesky coffee bean.

Rory: I… I don’t think I can take running into him every day in the halls and the paper and the coffee cart. Oh my God. I’m gonna have to quit drinking coffee – and I love coffee! [Sobbing and burying her face in a fistful of tissues]  I really love coffee.

Part of Gilmore folklore of course is that Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore) was not keen on coffee and drank cola instead.

The bean-focussed article at Sprudge wryly notes that:

Lorelai takes Luke’s coffee black while she adds cream to her work coffee and her refrigerated, pre-ground home coffee: a sure sign they are destined to break up and get back together weekly for the rest of their lives.

I have a little stove-top Bialetti percolator and I savour the ritual of it, screwing the thing together, waiting for the gurgling, the aroma filling the kitchen.  But I’d have Gilmore Girls over coffee and most food groups, any day of the week.

Finally, it wouldn’t be a coffee article without Lorelai’s immortal words:

Server at Weston’s: Here we go. Three coffees.
Lorelai: Oh, no, I’m sorry. I only ordered one.
Server: You said “Coffee, coffee, coffee”.
Lorelai: Haha no see I said “coffee-coffee-coffee”.
Server: Right.
Lorelai: As in I really need coffee-coffee-coffee. You know.
Server: No.
Lorelai: Coffee-coffee-coffee is a saying, like an exaggeration. It’s a funny, desperate cry for caffeine. It’s just my thing. ‘Cos everybody knows I drink a lot of coffee, so the day can’t start until I’ve had my jolt. It’s a bit. My bit.  It’s not a particularly funny bit unless you know me, then… You know what, three coffees would be great. What do I owe you?
(s05e15 Jews and Chinese Food)

Sometimes there’s nothing better than a slice of cheesecake and a cup of joe.  Anyone out there love coffee as much as Lorelai? 

Filed Under Alexis Bledel, Discussions, Gilmore Girls, Gilmore Memories, Lorelai Gilmore, Quotes, Rory Gilmore, Trivia
Tagged With coffee, Coffee At Luke's, Gilmore Girls

Keiko Agena scores a guest spot… so what do you think Lane Kim would be doing now?

April 16, 2013 By Rich 5 Comments

So whatever happened to Rory’s best bud, Lane Kim?  In the wild and wacky world of TV-land – where Jason Ritter dates Lorelai Gilmore, then her daughter Rory – Lane has become a high school grief counsellor.

Mrs Kim would be proud! Maybe.

We’re sending some Gilmore-love and bestest wishes to Keiko Agena (Gilmore Girls’ long-suffering, hair-tousling, twin-toting bad-ass-drummer Lane Kim) who will guest spot in the upcoming ABC Family ‘mystery’ show, Twisted.  The show centres on a charismatic sixteen year guy just out from five years in juvenile detention, re-connecting with his two female best friends from childhood.  Sounds like he had a mum like Mrs Kim.

Might Lane have actually become a counsellor?  I can see her and Zack raising the twins to play rhythm guitar and keyboard and they play fusion country rock at family-friendly festivals with their loving, nutty uncles, Brian and Gil.  Freebird!

can't get hepper than this

Man, Lane and Zack’s twins, Steve and Kwan, would have just turned six years old.  But Keiko will always look 17.  We’ll have some of what she’s having, thankyouverymuch.

What was your favourite Lane Kim moment?  What do you think she’s up to now?

Pics c/o Chris Keiko Agena and hepalien

Filed Under Gilmore Memories, Guest Stars, Keiko Agena, Lane Kim, Other Shows, TV Shows
Tagged With hep alien, Keiko Agena, Keiko Agena (Lane Kim on Gilmore Girls), Lane Kim, television shows, zack

A Gilmore Girls Guide to Dating: What Makes a Good First Date?

April 9, 2013 By Rich Leave a Comment

A Gilmore Guide to Dating: The First Date

Good news first: In the Gilmore world, dating can be fun and inventive and you can enjoy the hell out of it. Especially if it’s snowing.

Lorelai’s official first date with Rory’s English teacher Max Medina is brought on by snow, Lorelai’s magical snow. His car chooses to break down in Stars Hollow while Rory is stranded at Richard and Emily’s, giving them a chance to get to know each other a little better, mooching around town and dicing with spicy Fiesta burgers which they take to the Black & White & Read movie night. They chat, smooch a little and he cajoles himself into the house, where unfortunately (for the grown-ups), Lane interrupts, waiting for Rory.

max coffee coffee

Dates are stressful on a number of levels. You’re with a stranger, often doing some activity to keep your mind off having to talk – when really the whole date is about getting more familiar and having to, y’know… talk. Lorelai and Max had a good time because they have a little banter, they’re a good match and it’s all the more charming because it was unexpected and natural. But Lorelai’s realistic about it:

Rory: Do you love him?
Lorelai: I uh… We had one date. It was a great date, World Series level… but it was just a date.
(s01e08 Love and War and Snow)

Lorelai’s first date with Jason ‘Digger’ Stiles is a good demonstration of the importance of finding the right activity. Do something you’re both comfortable with. A private room at a posh restaurant sounds nice, but isn’t fun enough for her tastes; the Taco Barn drive-thru is too exotic for him. Find common ground and if you’re confident enough, pare it right back, say, to plastic furniture outside a grocery store with a small can of Pringles and Sno Balls (ah, Sno Balls, you’ll be missed). The more quirky the activity, the better the stories you’ll be able to tell the grandkids (hey, I’m an optimist).

Likewise, Alex identifies a common interest, inviting her along for a coffee tasting recce. Less stressful than a formal dinner and very conducive for chatting, between sharing opinions on the brews, they’re people watching, getting a caffeine buzz and in all probability, mercilessly mocking the other clientele. Fishing as a second date though, not so hot.

If you’re courageous, make it personal. Take your date somewhere that means something special to you. Say, Sniffy’s Tavern with Luke and his wallet full of horoscope. As a couple, Luke and Lorelai had been building for a while before their official first date, so he was able to expose his sensitive side straight away:

[Luke tells the story of the first time they met, when Lorelai wrote over his horoscope and told him to hold onto it, to keep it in his wallet. That it would bring him luck.]
Lorelai: Uhm I can’t believe you kept this.. You kept this in your wallet? You kept this in your wallet.
Luke: Eight years.
Lorelai: Eight years.
Luke: Lorelai. This thing we’re doing here, me – you. I just want you to know I’m in. I am all in. Does that uh – are you… scared?
[Lorelai shies away, then glances up at him, smiling. She doesn’t look scared.]
(s05e03 Written In The Stars)

There’s some anti-April sentiment (Luke’s daughter he never knew he had, not the month) on the discussion boards, which I think is largely a reaction to this moment. When things between Luke and Lorelai become muddy and Luke becomes confused about his paternal priorities, he effectively takes back the touching moment at Sniffy’s. But it’s not April’s fault.

Rory has her fair share of first dates too, especially after she starts college. Although it’s not all good:

Rory: I feel like I was locked in to a pointless societal ritual. There has to be another way.
Lorelai: Luke and I were debating that. Luke thinks it’s all about gut instinct. You know instantly if a person’s right for you. I think you have to go through a lot to find a contender. You’ve been very lucky with boys before, they were just sort of there. But, I think for the most part a girl’s gotta hunt a little.
Rory: And go through a lot of non-contenders.
Lorelai: Yes but then your non-contenders become your fun bad date anecdotes.
(s04e05 The Fundamental Things Apply)

Which leads me onto… Bad Dates in the Gilmore Girls (A Necessary Evil)

Halfway through a disastrous first date at Yale, Rory calls home for advice while Clark-Kent-a-like Trevor is in the bathroom. Luke’s there too, Lorelai’s captive Casablanca guinea pig:

Rory: I’ve already forgotten everything he said to me, the name of his brother and sister and best friend and we’re sitting on the same side of the table, we keep bumping menus and my neck already hurts from trying to turn and look at him when he talks. Can I tell him to sit on the other side?
Lorelai: Honey, you just have to relax. ‘Cos it’s just a date and sometimes dates don’t go well.
Luke: Dating’s the worst.
Lorelai: Don’t worry about the conversation. Just talk and if the talk doesn’t flow, it doesn’t. And stay away from urine-related topics.

But Lorelai has the experience to know that bad dates can have good sides. And she should know…

rune

Sookie and Jackson are on their first date, Lorelai is helping out by double-dating Jackson’s flat-cap-toting cousin, Rune – an unintentionally funny little man, disgusted by Lorelai’s height and size 9 feet. They leave the stuffy French restaurant in favour of Luke’s and after Jackson and Sookie start to relax and get rid of Rune (“Bye Loon!”), they can properly talk – leaving Lorelai and Luke to play a little poker over the counter where Luke first raises the suggestion of Lorelai going out sometime.

Lorelai: God that’s nice. The whole first date beginning of the relationship glow, everything’s new and exciting.
Luke: Every joke is hilarious.
Lorelai: Every little touch is incredible. That is a good feeling.
Luke: It is at that.
(s01e12 Double Date)

In the same episode, Rory and Dean are double-dating for Lane Kim and airhead Todd, which comes to a head when ultra-strict Mrs Kim finds out. The confession by Rory about how she lied to Lorelai to prevent Lorelai having to lie to Mrs Kim throws out one of my favourite lines:

Lorelai: I have to know where you are at all times, especially when you have my shoes on.

Some final pearls from Luke and Lorelai:

Luke: I mean dating, it’s a horror.
Lorelai: It’s the only cure for the singleness thing barring ordering a spouse off the internet.
…
Lorelai: But dating is how you get to know your potential partner. It’s the only way.
Luke: There’s the gut. I can tell if I’m comfortable with someone within seconds of meeting them.

Which camp are you in, Luke or Lorelai’s? Ever had Luke’s gut feeling? Or is dating the only way?
What’s your worst date ever?
Which is your favourite Gilmore first date?

Pics c/o the WB

Filed Under Characters, Gilmore Girls, Gilmore Memories, Jess Mariano, Lane Kim, Lorelai Gilmore, Lorelai's Love Life, Luke Danes, Quotes, Rory's Love Life, Sookie St. James, Stars Hollow
Tagged With coffee, Gilmore Girls Guide to Dating, jackson douglas, jason stiles, lorelai & max, luke & lorelai, Luke Danes

What’s worth watching? (besides Gilmore Girls re-runs)

April 2, 2013 By Rich 8 Comments

I’ve never watched Veronica Mars and from the comments in the KickStarter post making it sound like Buffy meets The Rockford Files, I’m set to wondering: Was there ever anything like Gilmore Girls?

I remember looking forward to the early episodes of Dawson’s Creek, 24 and Heroes.  I was absorbed by The Wire and got to the Firefly party late, as I did with Sports Night and Gilmore Girls, only catching them after all episodes were in the can.  But it was only Gilmore Girls and one other show that, for me, ever stood up to re-watching.  What’s the other show? Here’s a clue:

Luke and Lorelai's first date was at Mrs Landingham's. Fact.

Maisy Fortner, co-owner of Sniffy’s Tavern (“Luke has a Luke’s!”) is memorably played by Kathryn Joosten, better known to many as Mrs Landingham, the personal assistant to Jed Bartlet in… The West Wing.

For anyone who enjoys Gilmore Girls, my top recommendation would be The West Wing. It’s got the same rapid delivery rate of conversation, engaging characters and laugh out loud moments. For the uninitiated, it’s a show about smart people trying to do good, a family of sorts e.g. the grumpy uncle who’s funny because he’s so grumpy; and the initially clutzy father figure (he rides into a tree) who also happens to be the President.  Although it’s set in the White House, it’s not all serious politics and watching legislation dry – it’s about how these people react to situations, their personal stories and strength and their humour.  Admittedly, their dramas are often on a larger scale, so whereas a Stars Hollow disaster might have a bad smell pervading the town, The West Wing might see an assassination attempt… but it might also see the President calling the Butterball hotline to catch them out on how to cook a turkey; or the staffers dealing with ‘Big Block of Cheese’ day where CJ learns that all the maps in the world are wrong; or where the top staffers smoke out the Mural Room trying to start a fire in a fireplace that doesn’t work.

I think the character’s repartee is similar, as is the optimistic attitude to television as a medium that can deliver some hope along with the entertainment.  I stumbled across the YouTube video ‘Star Inside – Behind the scenes of Gilmore Girls (part 2)’ recently, it’s a special feature where the cast talks about Stars Hollow.  Lauren Graham (GG’s Lorelai Gilmore) mentions that:

Lauren: It’s what TV can do… life a little better.

The West Wing was frequently and unapologetically sentimental, made more stark by its setting.  Like Gilmore Girls creator and writer Amy Sherman-Palladino,  her West Wing counterpart Aaron Sorkin can write. He writes art, at once moving and beautiful and I’ve been about to cry when he makes me laugh and I end up covered in both kinds of snot. He’s now back to writing movies – Moneyball and The Social Network were good, but the dialogue in The West Wing was better because you can get away with talking a-mile-a-minute on TV, whereas you can’t on the big screen. He’s also writing The Newsroom but like Amy Sherman-Palladino’s Bunheads, it kind of leaves you wanting the original.

In the same TV special, Yanic Truesdale (GG’s Michel Gerard) shares a similar perspective:

Yanic: It’s like life – you can have a dramatic moment or it can be funny but you don’t dwell on it, it’s not like you’re making a 10 minute scene out of what could be a 2 minute scene.

Again, the same could be said of  The West Wing.  After the drama or the funny plays out, the President asks: “What’s next?”

What The West Wing didn’t have was a Lorelai.  A single central character we couldn’t take our eyes off.  The West Wing was an ensemble piece and President Bartlet was not even initially intended to be a main character.  In the same way Luke was meant to be a woman, I like how some of the best bits seem to grow organically – because you can’t plan for lightning in a bottle.

Both shows ran for seven series and both make use of the walk-and-talk to help pack in all that dialogue.  Both shows’ creators departed prior to the series ending, with a telling degradation in quality – Amy Sherman-Palladino wasn’t there for the final year and Aaron Sorkin wasn’t there for the last three.

Tying this up, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was my introduction to Aaron Sorkin.  This was his follow-up show to The West Wing and was cancelled as it neared the end of its first season. I felt like it suffered from some heavy handed intervention from the powers that be, steering it in odd directions trying to raise viewing figures when it would have done better just left with the one man to steer it.  Nevertheless, it had an amusing cameo from Lauren Graham, riffing between head writer Matt Albie (her real life pal Matthew Perry) and producer Danny Tripp (Bradley Whitford).

calico gals

Matt: You were in a number of wonderful sketches tonight including a hilarious send up of your character on Calico Gals.
Lauren: Gilmore Girls.
Danny: I wrote it down for you…
Matt: This is my number if you ever feel like coffee or a basketball game or something. And would you give a copy of this to the girl who plays your kid on the show? [He's joking]
[Lauren raises an eyebrow at Matt and his piece of paper, walking past him to the door... then turns back and takes his number]
Lauren: This is humiliating.

Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip S01E06 The Wrap Party

For you, has anything been comparable to Gilmore Girls? What else have you enjoyed?  Heck, what else is on?

Filed Under Amy Sherman-Palladino, Discussions, Lauren Graham, Lorelai Gilmore, Other Shows, Stars Hollow, TV Shows
Tagged With gilmore, Gilmore Girls, television shows, yanic truesdale

A Gilmore Girls’ Guide to Dating: Part Two – The Pre-Date

March 19, 2013 By Rich 3 Comments

In the Gilmore world, how do you get from being interested to actually dating?  

Pop Quiz: Who’s this, asking Lorelai out?

?: We’ve known each other for a good amount of time and our paths have crossed, professionally and socially a number of times all with relatively pleasant results and, well, I was just wondering if you would like to have dinner with me.
Lorelai: Oh.
?: In two weeks.
Lorelai: Two weeks?
?: I heard you have a cold, I think two weeks is enough to ensure the virus is out of your system.

Answer at the end.

all in

So, there’s this potential guy or girl, you’ve watched her from afar, say, sitting under trees reading books or in band practice and you really want to touch his hair (do NOT touch his hair). What next?

Well friends, it’s Part 2 of the (really just an excuse to re-live some of the warm and fuzzies) Gilmore Guide to Dating.

II: The Pre-Date

What’s a pre-date? I’ll hand over to the expert, Rory’s high school teacher Mr. Max Medina. He’d only met Lorelai a couple of times and the second time was to tell her that Rory couldn’t sit the test that they’d revised for all week until they overslept at the kitchen table. So now it’s the Chilton school bake sale and he pulls Lorelai aside and asks if they could meet up some time.

Max: Ok, ok, um how about coffee? Do you like coffee?
Lorelai: Only with my oxygen.
Max: Can we drink some together? (Lorelai sighs) A sort of a pre-date – very casual, no strings, no obligations. We’ll just see if it’s even worth going down the road of including food in the deal (she shrugs, makes mischievous eyes) Just coffee? (sucks her breath through a smile) Decaf? Oh, there’s nothing safer than decaf (defeated huff).
Lorelai: I’m gonna be in town tomorrow because I take a class at Hartford State and there’s a coffee shop across the street that I sometimes – almost all the time – go to around 4:00, usually exactly 4:12. I could not stop a person from entering said establishment at around that time, nor would I avoid them if I knew them, if… they did.
s01e05 Cinnamon’s Wake

So Max had an uphill struggle ahead of him, not only having to support his apparent shunning of Rory’s efforts, but then finessing a date out of Lorelai. He laid the groundwork by leaving an answerphone message that let Lorelai know he was thinking of her and looked forward to their next meeting. Max has a few things on his side: he’s charming and confident and not unhandsome – although I have trouble figuring out what girls find attractive… I always thought Dawson was more handsome than Pacey, mostly because he had more chin but apparently not?

maaaaax medina

Mostly it’s Max’s confidence that gets him through the conversation, breaking down her arguments because he knows that really she’d like to spend time with him and vice versa. He’s got a good feel for the situation and isn’t afraid of being rejected. What’s the worst that could happen? He’s said he likes her and is just asking if she might like him back.  And is she sure?

Max: If there’s something in your gut that you know you feel is right, you’ve gotta go after it, no matter what. What do you say?

It’s a smooth sleight of hand on his part, both physical and verbal and Lorelai’s responses are worth a thousand words, but what we’re really looking at here is The Chase. The period that begins with realising you like someone and that they might like you and ending with one of you asking the other one out. This could go on for years (Luke) or a few days (Alex) and it can be nerve-wracking or sometimes more fun than the eventual relationship.

I’m looking at a few of Lorelai’s beaus here: Max, Alex, Jason and Luke – I don’t think we ever saw the girls having to do the chasing but correct me if I’m wrong… possibly Lorelai’s karaoke?

I think every argument we see between Sookie and Jackson is pre-dating. Maybe even counts as foreplay.

Alex, the coffee shop guy calls Lorelai at home after his friend accidentally asks her friend (Sookie) on a date. Under the guise of asking for some company with his testing different coffee shops for research on his own coffee shop…

Alex: So I was wondering what you were doing this Saturday.
Lorelai: You know, it’s funny you should ask me this, because I just happen to be one of the world’s foremost coffee experts.
Alex: Really?
Lorelai: Oh, yeah, it’s basically just me and this guy named Chuckles in Brazil.
Alex: Sounds like fate. So, what do you say?
Lorelai: Sure.
Alex: Great. Just to be on the safe side, you do know this is a date, right?
Lorelai: Oh, yeah, I got that.
s03e11 I Solemnly Swear

It’s a dazzling first date plan. It’s safe, because there’s something to do, something to talk about, in venues that they’ll actually be able to talk in and hear what the other person is saying. Not like the cinema where you a) have to sit side by side; b) not look at each other; and c) not talk to each other.  Coffee crawl – great plan, Alex.  Fishing as a second date, not so much.

Of course in Stars Hollow once a year you can always buy a date, by being highest bidder on someone’s picnic basket. With it being Stars Hollow, the dafter the rule, the more strictly it’s followed. It’s the perfect solution for Jess, the master of non-conversation, to spend time with Rory without it seeming like prostitution, which is basically what it is.

Jason ‘Digger’ Stiles is the master of The Chase. In their first meeting (which we recounted last week) Lorelai is only there to attack him for pulling the rug out from under her and her mother – and he still nearly wins a date out of it.

scooper

He returns a few episodes later and first talks himself into dinner, masterfully manipulating Emily’s social graces by threatening to go for a cheeseburger. Then under the cover of asking Emily for restaurant recommendations, he asks about cuisines and romantic places, all the while quite openly gauging Lorelai’s tastes. She’s impressed by his tenacity and interest and he’s in her head. He leaves answerphone messages and sends flowers, she finally calls back, refusing his date on the grounds that he’s in business with Richard her father and he’s from that world she has always tried to keep away from.

Jason: How’s the new inn?
Lorelai: Coming along, we’re gonna have horses
Jason: Talking horses?
Lorelai: No, just the regular ones.
s04e08 Die, Jerk

But he says he’ll keep his Saturday reservation at the sought after China Garden open, in case she changes her mind. At the annual Harvard / Yale football game, Richard’s annual lunches with Pennilyn Lott surface and Emily unreasonably blames Lorelai. Frustrated, hurt and knowing how mad it will make Emily, Lorelai calls Jason and finally takes him up on his offer.

With Luke, the pre-dating starts properly after the self-help tape where Luke Can See Her Face:

Self-help audio tape: Whose phone calls or visits are never unwanted or too long? Can you see her face? Who would you most like to have in your life, to ward off moments of loneliness? Do you see her face? When you travel, who would make your travels more enjoyable? Do you see her face? When you’re in pain, who would you most like to comfort you? Do you see her face? When something wonderful happens in your life – a promotion at work, a successful refinancing – who do you want to share the news with? Do you see her face? Whose face appears to you my friend? Whose face?
Luke: Whoa.
s04e20 Luke Can See Her Face

now that i've worn out the world

They slow dance at Liz and TJ’s renaissance wedding, to Sam Phillips’ lilting Reflecting Light and their pre-dating session comes to a close after eight years of banter, coffee and friendship culminating in this, on the porch of the newly renovated Dragonfly Inn:

Luke: Aw, I don’t want to calm down! I did everything right! I did exactly what the book said!
Lorelai: The book?!
Luke: I thought we were on track, and now you’re standing there looking at me like I’m crazy.
Lorelai: I’m not looking at you like you’re crazy!
Luke: You know the last time I bought flowers for someone? Never! That’s when! Very easy stat to remember!
Lorelai: I loved the flowers!
Luke: And then when I walked you home after the wedding, there was a moment. I thought there was a moment.
Lorelai: There was! There was a moment. [A beat. He leans into her.]
Lorelai: What are you doing?
Luke: Will you just stand still?
[He pulls her close, they kiss, then separate. Breathtaken, Lorelai moves toward him.]
Luke: What are you doing?
Lorelai: Will you just stand still?
[She takes his face in her hands and kisses him back. Another beat.]
Kirk: AAAaagGHHH! AAaaghHH! AAAaargGHHH!
s04e22 Raincoats and Recipes

Finally.

The teaser quote was Kirk, who demonstrates as well as any of the other guys, that in the words of Thomas Jefferson, ‘”If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” Also, like Max and Jason (but not Luke), when he gets rebuffed, he gently questions it, but then accepts politely.

At the end of that episode, Lorelai also demonstrates a  gracious way to let someone down:

Kirk: You don’t need any other information?
Lorelai: No I don’t.
Kirk: Because I could have my mother call you.
Lorelai: Totally unneccessary.
Kirk: OK well then go ahead.
Lorelai: I just got out of a really weird relationship and I know that sounds like a line but it isn’t. I’m just not fully over the shock of it yet and I never want to hurt you because you’re my friend and I like you. So I have to say no. I’m sorry.
Kirk: Was the tuna inquiry too personal?
Lorelai: Oh no I thought it was very thoughtful.
Kirk: You’re sure you won’t feel like it any time soon?
Lorelai: Yeah, I’m sure.
Kirk: Well at least I asked. Good night Lorelai.
s03e02 Haunted Leg

Who was your favourite? Am I really the only person in the world who liked Jason best?

Pics c/o the WB

Filed Under Emily Gilmore, Gilmore Girls, Gilmore Memories, Jess Mariano, Kirk Gleason, Lauren Graham, Lorelai Gilmore, Lorelai's Love Life, Luke Danes, Richard Gilmore, Rory Gilmore, Rory's Love Life, Sookie St. James, Stars Hollow
Tagged With Gilmore Girls Guide to Dating, jason stiles, Kirk Gleason, lorelai & max, Lorelai Gilmore, luke & lorelai, max medina

A Gilmore Girls’ Guide to Dating: Part One – How to Find the Right Person… And Then What to Say

March 12, 2013 By Rich 3 Comments

A Gilmore Girls’ Guide to Dating

We loved the banter, the hijinks and the serious family dysfunction, but the first thing that comes to mind when recollecting Gilmore Girls is the relationships: Lorelai and Luke, Rory and Logan, Lorelai and Max, Rory and Jess, Kirk and Miss Patty… the list goes on – although that last one may have been a cheese-induced hallucination. So walk with me won’t you, as I take a lighthearted look back down Lover’s Lane – possibly by way of Lane’s lovers – ladies and gentlemen, for your delectation… Part One.

i'm all in

I: How to Find the Right Person… And Then What to Say
If you’re a Gilmore Girl, the number one spot to pick up guys is easy: School. Obvious perhaps for school-age Rory, but Lorelai also nearly picks up a single dad as soon as she walks through the Chilton gates and not long after that she meets Max Medina, Rory’s teacher. As if cruising for Dishy Dads wasn’t enough, through her adult education classes and seminars, she meets both Alex – the guy setting up a coffee house – and Paul, the young looking fella from her business class who turns up at Luke’s with his parents. Plus of course she got extra-curricular with Chris, finishing high school summa cum Rory.

The number two spot? Any place serving coffee, from Luke’s to a Harvard coffee cart.

Introductions through friends or family can work out well – or not. Emily springs Chase Bradford (‘Connecticut Ken’) on Lorelai, an unwanted blind date  so awful that Richard helps her escape from the bedroom window. But it can work out better, like Jason ‘Digger’ Stiles who, while not her type, showed that it can be worth venturing outside your comfort zone. For Rory too, Jess and Logan were both friends of the family and you should always check  outside your dorm room corridor for someone like Marty, passed out and naked.

The thing is, after you leave school and start working, opportunities to meet new people decline dramatically and going up to strangers and asking if they want to be your friend can be unsettling for everyone involved or at worst, become grounds for a restraining order. In this situation, follow Lorelai’s lead so that when an opportunity does present itself, you can make the most of it:

1) Be yourself. Is Lorelai ever not herself? Admittedly, few of us are blessed with her gifts for word vomit, quick wit or a gorgeousness that could launch a thousand ships – but being yourself is paramount. If you’re not being yourself, you lose two ways. First, if your potential mate likes the you you’re pretending to be, they’re not liking you; and second, if you do end up together, you’ll constantly have to be someone else. If your potential mate doesn’t like you, being yourself, you can do better.

(A sidenote – I did read somewhere that in applying effort to ‘be yourself’, you’re actually not being yourself, you’re being the version of you that you want to be. I’m not sure there’s much you can do about that, but just saying.)

2) Follow your own path. In following her own interests, Lorelai puts herself in the path of opportunity, both work-wise and romantically. Until she meets Max, Lorelai has kept Rory front and centre, never bringing a guy home or allowing her two worlds to collide. It’s only when Rory begins Chilton that Lorelai can start to relax. With Rory firmly on the right track, we see that Lorelai starts to encounter people in similar situations and with similar priorities and is able to act on them. For example, Max Medina, a Proust-friendly bachelor nimble enough to skip around desks when keeping polite distance but man enough to throw them over should the need arise.

3) Above all, be open to opportunities. Sometimes the most obvious candidate can be staring you right in the face, serving you coffee from behind a counter or watching you moodily from the bleachers. Your greatest admirer might be someone who just loves being around you being you.

… So then, what to say?

Lorelai and Paul

In order not to lose it like Rory’s first encounter with Dean, take a look at Lorelai and Paul as a case study. He’s the guy from Lorelai’s business class who was younger than he looked. You know, this guy:

i always wanted a little brother

Yes, he’s a trifle obscure but indulge me… he asks to borrow her notes and they bond over a vending machine burrito. He opens cannily, at once both engaging and provocative – in the sense that his opener invites a response and respond, she does:

Paul: Once again ladies and gentlemen, she takes the last burrito.
Lorelai: And hello to you too.
Paul: Week after week, how do you do it?
Lorelai: I told you, correct change. You go in for that dollar bill nonsense, you’ll be standing there for ten minutes watching it. Ehhh. Eh eh eh.
(so2e09 Run Away, Little Boy)

No doubt here, she’s being herself and when she finally takes his digits, she opens herself up to both companionship and a truckload of gentle town ridicule.

(Regarding his continued borrowing of her notes, there’s some psych that suggests people like you more if you ask them for favours, rather than if you do favours for them. The so-called Ben Franklin effect works because we don’t like our thoughts to contradict our actions, so when we help someone out, we subconsciously want to continue helping. Sure, you could easily go overboard and cause the opposite reaction but don’t say we never tried to teach you anything here.)

Lorelai and Max

Lorelai arrives late to Max’ curriculum meeting with the pupils’ parents. She’s herself, clumsy and caffeinated.  He’s charming, romantic and demonstrates himself to be kind and attentive, without going overboard. Of course he’s smitten with her, who wouldn’t be? Good first impressions all round.

what in the world

Lorelai [retrying the school coffee]: It… it just keeps getting worse.
Max: Well you know not drinking it is always an option.
Lorelai: Not in my world.
Max: I’m Max Medina.
Lorelai: Nice to meet you.
(s01e04 The Deer Hunters)

And later on, after Rory gets hit by a deer and misses the test, he leaves an answerphone message saying she can make up the credit, thoughtfully including a message for Lorelai:

Max: And if your mother is listening, Lorelai, it was a pleasure encountering you. I hope it happens again.

Note to self: Never answer the phone when Max Medina calls because you’ll be able to live off the warmth of his adorable answerphone messages for ever.

Lorelai and Alex

Sookie and Lorelai go to a business seminar to be seminarred about business and bump into Sookie’s old chef friend Joe and his (business) partner, Alex. Heaven forbid Lorelai be out-conversationed by Sookie and Joe and she makes up her own ol’ buddy history, strong-arming Alex into playing along:

Lorelai: Hey, remember the time you and Fat Sal got locked in the freezer overnight?
Alex: Fat Sal?
Lorelai: Work with me here.
Alex: Oh, Fat Sal, yes, right.
 - Sookie: Then Feldman got into a fight with the bride’s mother.
 - Joe: That’s right! He went after the whole bridal party.
Lorelai: And you remember how me and the Bruiser –
Alex: Never liked that guy.
Lorelai: We found you and Fat Sal in the morning and you were frozen together like bacon.
Alex: Yeah. You know, I still can’t eat bacon.
(s03e11 I Solemnly Swear)

With new people, Lorelai is like-it-or-lump-it: This is how I am. She’s like a Tasmanian Devil and you can’t help but get caught up at the edges of her, like a force of nature.

Sure, Alex was never a serious contender and didn’t have the strongest of starts but he’s a good date, which we’ll see later on.

Lorelai and Jason

Lorelai meets Jason ‘Digger’ Stiles, Pacino-style, a full three episodes after his initial introduction as Richard’s new business partner. It’s a re-introduction since they knew each other at summer camp and their reunion as grown-ups sees her demanding a pound of flesh for his arranging a client trip to Atlantic City, over Emily’s cocktail party.

Jason: Well, I had no idea how much chaos my little weekend was causing.
Lorelai: No, you didn’t, because you didn’t think. You never thought. Back in summer camp, you never thought. “Hey, if I stand up in this canoe, maybe it’ll tip over.” That was the extent of your thought process.
Jason: You’re still mad about that.
Lorelai: I was fully dressed.
Jason: I remember – green T-shirt, no bra.
Lorelai: What?
Jason: Trust me, I was the hero of cabin five for the rest of the summer.
(s04e06 An Affair to Remember)

During the same argument, he asks her out on a date and she only says no because she’s mad and she very nearly says yes because of how much Emily would hate it.  This is why he’s my favourite, he’s not her type yet he gets this close to talking himself onto a date with her.

Lorelai and Luke

While we don’t get to see their first encounter, Luke recalls it on their first date.  We’ll get to the date itself in due course, but here’s his recollection, in all its glory.

Luke: It was at Luke’s, it was at lunch, it was a very busy day, the place was packed, and this person -
Lorelai: Ooh, is it me? Is it me?
Luke: This person comes tearing into the place in a caffeine frenzy.
Lorelai: Ooh, it’s me.
Luke: I was with a customer. She interrupts me, wild-eyed, begging for coffee, so I tell her to wait her turn. Then she starts following me around, talking a mile a minute, saying God knows what. So finally I turn to her and I tell her she’s being annoying – sit down, shut up, I’ll get to her when I get to her.
Lorelai: Y’know, I bet she took that very well, ’cause she sounds just delightful.
Luke: She asked me what my birthday was. I wouldn’t tell her. She wouldn’t stop talking. I gave in. I told her my birthday. Then she opened up the newspaper to the horoscope page, wrote something down, tore it out, handed it to me.
Lorelai: God, seriously. You wrote the menu, didn’t you?
Luke: So I’m looking at this piece of paper in my hand, and under “Scorpio,” she had written, “you will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she’ll go away.” I gave her coffee.
Lorelai: [grinning] But she didn’t go away.
Luke: She told me to hold on to that horoscope, put it in my wallet, and carry it around with me – [pulls a small scrap of paper from his wallet and holds it out to Lorelai] one day it would bring me luck.
s05e03 Written In The Stars

It is actually killing me to not include the next lines after that. Once again, you get the feeling she knows there’s nothing to lose by losing yourself in the moment.

Next week, Part Two: The Pre-Date, something Kirk could teach everyone a thing or two about.

sweater to crumb ratio

 All pictures courtesy of the WB

Filed Under Characters, Gilmore Memories, Kirk Gleason, Lorelai Gilmore, Lorelai's Love Life, Luke Danes, Quotes
Tagged With jason stiles, Kirk Gleason, lorelai & max, luke & lorelai, max medina

Alexis Bledel joins Friends and Family, Rory Gilmore goes into therapy

March 3, 2013 By Rich 6 Comments

sobThere’s a shrink somewhere rubbing his hands with glee. Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls’ Rory Gilmore) joins the pilot cast of Friends and Family, the US adaptation of cult Britcom Gavin and Stacey.

Alexis will star as Stacey, a sweet and strong girl who travels from Pennsylvania to New York for a first in-person date with co-worker Gavin. So far, so normal but here’s where it gets weird. Gavin will be played by Jason Ritter, who we last bumped into as Lauren Graham’s (Gilmore Girls’ Lorelai Gilmore and Rory’s MOTHER) romantic interest in Parenthood. Like, blech.

Thank heaven this plotline never played out in the Gilmore universe, although I wouldn’t put it past Kirk to ask Rory out, a few years down the line. Too weird. Reminds me of last time Rory was at shrink after getting out of jail, after stealing a boat with Logan:

Rory: I stole a boat with him! I never stole a boat with Dean!
Dr Shapiro: Who’s Dean?
Rory: My married ex-boyfriend who I lost my virginity to.
Dr Shapiro: Wow…
Rory: Yeah, I’m a treat.

(s06e11 The Perfect Dress)

The pilot brings its British production staff and writing talent, so fingers crossed for Alexis and the series – who knows what the American television production process will do to mangle the cult show. Another The Office – or another Red Dwarf?

Filed Under Alexis Bledel, Dean Forester, Gilmore Girls, Logan Huntzberger, Other Shows, Rory Gilmore, TV Shows, Where Are They Now
Tagged With Alexis Bledel, logan & rory, Rory and Dean, tv series
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