SHERRY: Mm hmm. Well, you were very poised up there, very sure of yourself, just like your dad. CHRISTOPHER: And your mom. LORELAI: Aw shucks, Pa.
Aw, shucks is an informal American exclamation, expressing self-deprecation or a pleased embarrassment at being praised by another, as if modestly declining the compliment. It is considered to be unsophisticated, folksy, and probably rather dated.
Lorelai’s comment sounds very much like a reference to The Andy Griffith Show, previously discussed. In the show, Opie Taylor (played by Ron Howard), is the young son of the town sheriff, Andy Taylor (played by Andy Griffith), who Opie called “Pa”. Many of their interactions ended with Opie saying, “Aw shucks, Pa”.
Rory refers to Marcel Proust, previously discussed, the author of In Search of Lost Time, a novel in seven volumes.
I’m not sure which part of Proust Rory is paraphrasing from. There are so many times that the author reflects on sacrifices made for other people, and for the benefit of society that it is difficult to choose. However, this sentence from The Guermantes Way, Vol 3 of the novel, stood out for me as possibly reflecting Rory’s feelings:
The same familiar spirit represented to Mme. de Guermantes the social duties of duchesses, of the foremost among them, that was, who like herself were multi-millionaires, the sacrifice to boring tea, dinner and evening parties of hours in which she might have read interesting books, as unpleasant necessities like rain, which Mme. de Guermantes accepted, letting play on them her biting humour, but without seeking in any way to justify her acceptance of them.
Rory also submits to social duties she finds boring, in a way Lorelai doesn’t, but like Mme. de Guermantes, she would probably prefer to be reading “interesting books”, and uses her sense of humour as a coping mechanism to get through them.
That does sound a lot like Rory’s attitude, and if so, suggests she thinks of entertaining her father and his girlfriend as a boring necessity. A big change from the previous season, when she was so thrilled to see Christopher in Stars Hollow. Is it just Sherry making the difference, or is some of the gilt coming off Christopher already?
If this is the source, it means Rory has read at least the first three volumes of In Search of Lost Time.
This really seems to be confirmation that Lorelai and Rory aren’t that greedy. Halloween was four months ago, and they haven’t even eaten all their candy yet. They do have a real problem throwing food out, though. Old candy doesn’t sound nice-tasting or safe to eat.
RORY: We must have something. LORELAI: Not unless Divine Providence has placed a miracle brie and cracker plate in the fridge.
In theology, Divine Providence, or simply Providence, is God’s intervention in the world. There is both the “general Providence” of God maintaining the existence and order of the Universe, and “special Providence” of making some extraordinary intervention in people’s lives, such as a miracle. It would definitely be a minor miracle to find a Brie cheese and cracker plate has appeared in your fridge!
RORY: What about the upstairs? LORELAI: I’ll body block the fool who tries to go upstairs.
A possible reference to the action adventure television series, The A-Team, broadcast from 1983 to 1987. It featured a team of four men from a commando unit, who were sent to a military prison for crimes they did not commit, but escaped to LA in order to work as soldiers of fortune while trying to clear their names.
The A-Team rated well when it was was first shown, and has achieved cult status through syndication. It helped sell a range of merchandise, and was made into a film in 2010.
The team’s strong man and mechanic is Sergeant Bosco “B.A.” Baracus, played by Mr T. The B.A. nickname stood for “Bad Attitude”, a euphemism for “Bad Ass”, which couldn’t be said on TV back then. (Mr T, a devout Christian, thought of it as “Born Again”).
Baracus tended to call people “fool”, or refer to them as “the fool”, and body blocking someone trying to get upstairs would be an easy feat for him.
RORY: Where else can we invite them? LORELAI: Al’s Pancake World. RORY: No, it’s Friday. He does his prix fixe menu on Fridays.
Prix fixe is French for “fixed price” – a chef’s menu where there are only a few items, charged at a fixed total price to make an entire meal. It is also known as table d’hôte, literally “the host’s table”.
Apparently the prix fixe menu at Al’s isn’t good, or isn’t worth it.
CHRISTOPHER: I hear you’re the greatest chef after Alain Ducasse. SOOKIE: After Alain Ducasse? Who – who said after?
Alain Ducasse (born 1956), French-born chef from Monaco. He operates a number of restaurants, including Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, in London. In 2000 he opened the Alain Ducasse restaurant at the Essex Hotel in New York City. He was the first chef to have three restaurants that had been awarded three Michelin stars in three cities (London, Paris, New York). In 2012, he held 21 Michelin stars, making him the second-highest ranked chef in the world. In 2013 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award from Restaurant magazine.
LORELAI: I recognized you from your Christmas card. CHRISTOPHER: Which I’m sure you mocked mercilessly. LORELAI: Did not. Others, yes, but not yours. You guys were cute, and the puppy was cute.
Lorelai didn’t mock their card nearly as much as others, although she did say that Sherry looked like Tammy Faye Bakker. She so clearly doesn’t resemble Tammy Faye that I wonder if they had even cast an actress for the role at that point? Perhaps Sherry had a make-over for the photo shoot with a touch of Tammy Faye glamour to it.
The puppy is never seen or referred to again. Did they even have a puppy? Maybe they rented one for the photo shoot. Hopefully they didn’t get a puppy for Christmas and give it away in the New Year.
CHRISTOPHER: This is Sherry. Sherry, this is Rory. SHERRY: Oh, finally, finally, finally. I am so beyond thrilled, I can’t tell you. All he does is talk about you. I couldn’t wait to meet this amazing person.
The Annotated Gilmore Girls 