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."
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