Gilmore girls: Season 1 Episode 2 The Lorelais' First Day at Chilton

Rory's first day at Chilton. 

Starting off an episode with XTC is the way to go. A lot of people don't know that band. But having grown up in Southern California with the start of the World Famous KROQ which played bands like Oingo Boingo, The Cure, the B52's, and XTC, I was well acquainted. I could appreciate the pop culture reference. Maybe I need to start a Pop Culture Section at the end of each of these.

I gotta say, I would also buy a clock because it was cute and furry, so I can't fault Lorelai for the alarm clock.

Okay, so despite the fact that they are now filming on the WB lot, they still used driving shots from the pilot. As they are driving out of town to go to Chilton, it's a shot of them leaving that town in Canada that they filmed. I am sure they just didn't want to reshoot if they didn't have to, but it is just a weird thing I noticed that kind of bugs me because I don't think we ever see that shot again of the "Gelston House" which appears to be an inn or B&B of some sort. It's odd how the shots are pieced together as if it is just at the edge of downtown Stars Hollow. 

I admire the fact that Rory makes her mom go with her into school despite how she is dressed because most kids would say "Don't you dare get out of the car looking like that." She is confident enough to not be embarrassed by her just for her.

Emily mentions Headmaster Charleston's wife, Bitty Charleston from future mentions in episodes about the DAR. But never, later on, is it mentioned that she is related to Hanlan. At least not that I have ever been able to find. I also don't believe we EVER meet Bitty. 

Rory makes a joke to the Headmaster about the debate team being missing from her resume. Which of course, she ends up on with Paris in the future episodes. Hanlan also mentions Emily's parties and the infamous "lobster puffs" but as every huge Gilmore girls fan knows, in future episodes, Emily is always obsessing about the SALMON puffs at her parties as people come to expect them.

Miss Patty's always seems to have dance classes during the day when the kids should be in school. I have never understood this. That is more popular now for serious dancers that compete and home school, but at age 5-8 I highly doubt that in a small town like this they are serious dancers being homeschooled. Lorelai has just come from dropping Rory off at school and then walks by Miss Patty's dance school and a class of young kids learning baton is happening. Totally overlooked.

The scene where Rory opens her stuck locker and bumps into Paris and Paris drops the project drives me crazy. No student would just leave the broken project in the hallway. They would pick up the broken pieces and take that into class to show that they had done the project and it got messed up. Even the proudest and stuck up of students would never just leave it in the hallway.

Here we have the first appearance of Sean Gunn as Mic prior to him becoming Kirk as a recurring character. He plays the DSL installation guy that Emily orders for Lorelai and Rory that Lorelai refuses. We see him another time or two before he takes on Kirk. This was a good choice, in my opinion. They must have liked him so much they wrote a part for him on the show. Kirk ends up becoming one of the most beloved characters on the show.

Only the second episode and they already mention Lorelai and Luke. For a character that wasn't supposed to exist originally, they make it apparent from the beginning that there is something between them. So glad they did!

Pop Culture References: (not included - references in class being taught)

XTC

Daisy Duke - Dukes of Hazzard

Rosie O'Donnell

Oprah

Christiane Amanpour

Cokie Roberts

The View

The Shining

Gilmore girls: Season 1 Episode 1 Pilot

You know when you watch a show and have all of these thoughts and questions in your head? Well, this is that. Keep in mind I have seen all episodes a minimum of 30 times so there might be spoilers. (This includes going into the Year In the Life episodes even though I haven't decided if I am going to "review" those yet or not). This post might end up being a little all over the place as I 1. determine how I am going to structure this and 2. introduce all the characters in the first episode. This isn't a synopsis or even a review. Just my thoughts.

Here we go! 

Stars Hollow looks so much busier in the pilot. I believe they filmed it in Canada in a small town outside Toronto which turns out to be pretty darn close to the lot they use for the series. And the inside of Luke's, although it changes a bit, is VERY close to the Warner Bros set. 

Here we are in Luke's in the first scene. Rory sits down and requests lipgloss. Does any other big fan think this is weird? As we move along in the series lipgloss is the LAST thing you would expect Rory to request. Although, this is the pilot and as we all know MANY things change after a pilot is picked up. 

Lorelai tells Joey (the guy passing through Stars Hollow that hits on both Lorelai and Rory at separate moments) that Rory is 16. As we know, there is an episode a handful in where she celebrates her 16th birthday. This being the beginning of the school year and her birthday being in October, we know she is actually only 15 which makes the guy hitting on her even creepier. 

Independence Inn. 

Alex Borstein enters as Drella the harpist. She was actually the original Sookie but when the show got picked up there was something else she couldn't get released from and had to be replaced. I think it was her MadTv contract. Alex is an amazing actress so I know why Amy Sherman-Palladino wanted to fit her in somewhere. She actually pops up in later episodes as Miss Celine the "fashion coordinator" as I like to call her. At the time the show started, Alex was also married to Jackson in real life (who has the actual name Jackson. Which I always wondered if Amy just called him Jackson because she liked it or if it was the character's original name). In fact, I believe they were married for the whole duration of the series, only divorcing a few years ago. As much as I love Alex (especially on the Marvelous Mrs. Masel) I cannot imagine anyone else playing Sookie other than Melissa McCarthy.

Introduction of Lane Kim. 

Odd tidbit if you didn't already know... Keiko was 27 years old when she played 16-year-old Lane. We have an Andrea Zuckerman on our hands! haha But in all seriousness, unlike Andrea/Gabriel on 90210, Keiko could actually pass for a teenager. 

Introduction of Sookie. 

Finally, on a TV show/Movie, the chef is actually keeping their hair back! As someone that went to culinary school, this has always bothered me. So many shows where they have their hair down. The health department would be dinging them big time! (They do this in current culinary competition shows, too, especially baking, and it drives me nuts). This is also the first time that Lorelai and Sookie having a plan to open their own inn is mentioned. 

Introduction of Mrs. Kim. 

Clearly, this was a reshoot as the outdoor shots of Rory and Lane walking into Kim's antiques were definitely shot in the WB lot. Although, as they walk in and the camera is inside you see another sign that says "The Glass Chimney: Kim's Art & Antiques." It appears that they reshot the outdoor scenes and left the indoor scenes from the original shooting. The inside of Kim's antiques looks different so I think I cracked it. Mrs. Kim has many fantastic one-liners across the series but one of my favorite Mrs. Kim lines of the series happens in this scene. "Boys don't like funny girls." 

Back in the inn kitchen. 

Sookie accidentally hits a sous chef with what appears to be a cast-iron skillet. They just ignore it and he gets up all disoriented. Cracks me up. "Rory's going to Chilton. Rory's going to Chilton." Cue stove fire. Oh, Sookie.

Michel. 

One of my favorite quotes of his of all time. "People are particularly stupid today, I cannot talk to any more of them." I actually have quoted this many times in my life.

I still wonder if Lorelai and Rory's house in the pilot is the same as the WB lot set. It is SO close to the house on the inside (and the outdoor scene is definitely from the WB lot house). But did they do construction to the set after the indoor scenes of the pilot or were some of the scenes shot elsewhere? There are some areas of the entry and living room that don't seem to fit the house later in the series. Has anyone else noticed this or is it just me?

Intro: the Grandparents. 

Definitely not the same house that they use later on. Were there any better choices for Emily and Richard? I think not. They picked the perfect actors. Edward Herrmann is also one of my favorites.

Introduction to Dean. 

When she first meets him he knows movies and reads. Somehow, as the series progresses, he seems to get stupider. Not as much as the older brother on Boy Meets World (man did that character lose brain cells over the years), but they intro him as a lot smarter in the pilot and episodes moving forward at the beginning. This role was also originally played by someone else. It was an actor I am not familiar with, Nathan Wetherington. Again, I think this was a fantastic change. Jared Padalecki was the right change to make.

Lorelai and Rory's fight about Dean. "Does he have a motorcycle? Because if you are going to throw your life away, he better have a motorcycle." Very important to remember this quote from Lorelai as the episodes go on.****

Dinner with the Grandparents. 

This is the first time Christopher is mentioned. Richard mentions Christopher is in California with an internet startup. I don't recall him ever mentioning an internet startup even though I believe he mentions California. Maybe this will be confirmed as I move forward. These scenes with Richard crack me up. First, he hands over a newspaper to Rory as silence in the room takes over, and then as Emily and Lorelai fight, he falls asleep at the table. But I never understood why he took that dig at Lorelai's intelligence. They always talk about how smart she is and how she could have done more but yet he tells Rory he takes after her father because he's so smart. I understand there needed to be conflict but I was always confused as to why it was a dig at her intelligence because they are mad she did things on her own. This is more attributed to Lorelai's stubbornness and independence, not intelligence. In fact, Emily even mentions Lorelai's "brains and talent" during their fight.

Back at Luke's. 

The first inclination that Lorelai and Luke might like each other. Originally Luke wasn't a character at all and the diner owner was a woman. Curious to know how the series would have gone without Luke. I think the dynamic between these two characters was the extra the show needed. The "will they or won't they." 

As someone that was born to a woman who was a teenager (my mother was only a couple of years older than Lorelai when she had me), I can relate so much to this show. It became a show my Mom and I could watch together. We have always been very close, freakishly close as we have gotten older. She's my best friend. Just like Lorelai and Rory.

Although I LOVE the Carol King and her daughter singing "Where You Lead," this episode ends with the perfect song. "My Little Corner of the World."

Quarantine: Why not try something new?

As most of you are probably doing (at least I hope), I am self-isolating for hopes of preservation. Like most of you doing the same, work has been terribly slow (although, thankful to still have a job.... for now) and I have been going nuts trying to keep myself busy. These are weird times for us all and I know I have been trying to do and watch things that keep me in a happy mood. With my anxiety at an all-time high, I wanted to find something to help occupy my time and keep my mind off the craziness of the world.

For a long time (years probably) I have been wanting to do something different here. I haven't blogged in over 2 years, but I have had this project in my brain since before that. Today I decided why shouldn't I start it while I have the time? What is the project you ask? Well, it involves two of my obsessions. TV and Gilmore girls. (And yes, girls is in lower case).

For any huge Gilmore girls fan, you have watched every episode at least a dozen times. Well, I have seen each episode over 30 times at least. I have noticed weird things, inconsistencies if you will. I have learned pop culture references I did not know about. I have seen famous faces before they were famous. So, I have decided to go episode by episode and blog about each one, pointing out all the things that I notice.

Now, this might not be something for someone watching the show for the first time. There will for sure be some spoilers as I compare things from earlier episodes to later episodes. This is also not done out of negativity; it is done out of love. Gilmore girls is my absolute favorite show of all time. As a huge fan (I have even competed in trivia events on the subject) that has seen the episodes over and over and over, I have noticed some weird things and I just want to share. Many huge fans will have noticed the same things, I am sure. 

My love for this show and time on my hands have led me here. I hope you enjoy it! I don't know how often I plan on posting. Hopefully, at least once a week maybe more. I am really looking forward to this journey and I hope you are, too!