Month: September 2022

Annie Oakley

LORELAI: Well, apparently this lovely girl came home to find her husband giving the nanny a nice little bonus package … The man was shot thirty-five times. He looks like a sprinkler system.

EMILY: I can’t believe this. Shauna was always such a nice girl. She was bright, cultured, well-spoken.

LORELAI: And apparently, a big Annie Oakley fan.

Annie Oakley, sharpshooter, previously discussed.

Emily manages to get in a nice little dig at Lorelai by remarking of Shauna, “At least she had a husband to kill”.

Braised Lamb Shank

RORY: Something smells good …. Oh, braised lamb shank! I love a lamb shank when it is braised.

Lamb shanks are the leg bone of the animal, between the knee and the shoulder, eaten whole. Braising means to brown the meat at a high temperature, then simmer it in a covered pot in liquid, such as tomatoes, stock, vinegar or wine, until the meat is tender and infused with flavour. Crock pots are a popular way to cook braised lamb shanks.

Apparently braised lamb shank is one of Rory’s favourite meals that she has at her grandparents’ place. Lamb seems to be one of their most commonly served dishes.

“Your father and I were shocked and upset”

EMILY: Your father and I were shocked and upset … You didn’t give us five minutes to digest the news … You simply dumped it on us and walked out. I hardly think that’s fair.

In fact, Lorelai attempted to give them the news about Christopher briefly and undramatically. Emily insisted on dragging all the details out of Lorelai so that she and Richard could attack her, then Richard went off in a sulk. You can’t really blame Lorelai for not sticking around for any more.

It is Emily who is not being fair at this point.

Jig

RORY: So, Grandma, Grandpa is traveling again, huh? … Business must be good … That’s great. Isn’t that great, Mom?

LORELAI: A jig is forthcoming.

A lively folk dance associated with Irish and Scottish music and dance, first popular in 16th century Ireland and Britain, quickly adopted in Continental Europe.

“To do a jig”, means that the person is very happy – joyful enough to perform this bouncy dance.

Richard still needs to travel since starting his own insurance company, which is seeming less and less plausible. I’m starting to wonder if the travel thing was a complete scam right from the beginning.

The Pomeranian: An Owner’s Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet

This 1996 book by Happeth A. Jones is on the coffee table when Lorelai and Rory are talking. It is part of a series, and as its title suggests, is all about raising a happy, healthy Pomeranian dog.

The question is, why is Lorelai apparently reading it? Is she preparing to do some dog sitting for someone with a Pomeranian, or is she thinking of buying one, as she has been shown to be keen on getting a dog?

A Bolt from the Blue and Other Essays

Rory is holding this book when Lorelai comes home and they discuss Rory’s relationship with Dean.

A Bolt from the Blue and Other Essays is by Mary McCarthy, who Rory seems to be a fan of. It is a selection of her essays spanning her career from the late 1930s to the late 1970s, and includes her theatre reviews and political writings, so it is another of Rory’s books on journalism. It was edited by A.O. Scott, and published in 2002. Mary McCarthy, like Dorothy Parker – another of Rory’s favourites – was known for her bitingly witty and malicious reviews. Later, Rory will emulate these literary heroines with her own cruel review.

Rory Decides to Stay With Dean

RORY: All I did was think about what you said, that’s all. Then I analyzed the situation.

LORELAI: And then you made a pro and con list.

RORY: You’re mocking me, but yes, I did. And after all of this, I came to the conclusion that I want to make things good with Dean, and he deserves my undivided attention.

After spending the evening with her boyfriend, Rory does some hard thinking alone, and decides that she wants to stick with Dean, and give their relationship the best shot possible. The fact that she had to make a pro and con list doesn’t sound as if she’s exactly carried away with passion by this point.

The question is, would she have reached this decision without Lorelai’s input, knowing she would have earned her mother’s disapproval if she’d chosen to break up with Dean? More importantly, would she have reached this decision if Jess had still been available? My guess is, no, and hell no.

This leaves Rory’s relationship with Dean on a pretty precarious footing.

Lorelai and Luke Talk

After not speaking to each other for four months, Lorelai finally manages to get Luke to acknowledge her. Bouncing into the diner like nothing had happened didn’t work, and only made Luke colder. It was when she slipped in humbly, miserable, vulnerable, and needing Luke that he began to thaw. Although he does his best to comfort Lorelai, Luke still keeps his distance from her while they talk. Is their friendship back on track? Not quite, but it’s a beginning.