Category: S1Ep1: Pilot

Chilton Preparatory Academy

The exclusive co-ed private school in Hartford to which Rory gains a late acceptance, kicking off the events of the entire Gilmore Girls series. It is loosely based on Choate Rosemary Hall, a private boarding school in the town of Wallingford, Connecticut.

The name Chilton may have been inspired (in universe) by Mary Chilton (1607-1679), a Pilgrim who came to America from England on the Mayflower, giving the name a historical connection; Mary Chilton was an ancestor of George Bush and George Bush Jr. According to legend, Mary was the first passenger to step ashore at Plymouth in 1620, excitedly jumping out of the boat and wading out to Plymouth Rock. It seems like a name suitable for daring young girls willing to leap into a new world.

For the 2017-18 academic year, Choate’s tuition fees for a day (non-boarding) student were $44 400. However, they have a generous financial aid package which would mean that someone in Lorelai’s situation would have their tuition fees heavily subsidised. You can also pay by the month with no interest, and unlike Chilton, there is only a small enrolment fee.

It is unclear why Chilton never offered any similar financial aid to Rory – perhaps because she was a late acceptance. For the purpose of the plot it was necessary for Lorelai to be desperate for money, or Gilmore Girls could never have happened. So Chilton had to be a price-gouging school with massive enrolment fees, no financial aid, no payment plans, and no up-front information about their fees for parents (Lorelai is apparently disconcerted to learn Chilton costs anything at all).

Exterior scenes at Chilton were filmed at Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, California; this 1920s Tudor-style mansion is in a public park owned by the City of Beverly Hills, and is a popular place for film and TV locations.

Mrs. Kim (Emily Kuroda)

MRS. KIM: So, how was school? None of the girls get pregnant, drop out?

A none-too-subtle dig at Rory, whose own mother did exactly that. It’s clear that Mrs. Kim is uncomfortable and a bit nervous about Lane being best friends with Rory, the daughter of a young single mother. The fact that she allows Lane to maintain the friendship anyway speaks volumes about how much she loves Lane, and doesn’t want her to be friendless and alone. It’s our first clue that she’s not as strict as she might appear at first.

Although Lane Kim is based on the Palladinos’ friend Helen Pai, and her childhood experiences of growing up in a Seventh Day Adventist Korean-American family, Helen’s mother is described as a mild, sweet lady. Mrs Kim isn’t based on her – she’s an entirely fictional character.

“Some day when we open our own inn …”

Lorelai and Sookie

LORELAI: Some day when we open our own inn, diabetics will line up to eat this sauce.
SOOKIE: Won’t that be great?
LORELAI: Yeah. But the key to someday achieving that dream is for you to stay alive long enough so we can actually open an inn, you understand?

From the very first episode we learn that Lorelai and Sookie are not content to remain at their jobs at the Independence – their ambition is to manage their own inn.

Radish rose

LORELAI: When did you get stitches?
SOOKIE: Friday night. Radish roses.

A radish rose is a radish cut into a rose shape to use as a garnish or plate decoration. They can be very simply done, or be elaborate – Sookie’s are surely very elegant.

It is notable that Sookie’s constant clumsiness was quietly phased out on the show.

Slam book

Slam Book

A group of Rory’s classmates notice her writing during in English class, and wonder what she is doing. One speculates that it may be a slam book.

A slam book is a notebook passed around a group of children or teens where people can write their thoughts and opinions on a particular topic. Usually gossipy in nature, slam books can be used to bully people.

Of course Rory is just working on her assignment.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The novel that Rory’s English class at Stars Hollow High School is studying. Written by Mark Twain (the pen name of Samuel Clemens) and first published in 1884, it is regarded as one of the Great American Novels, and the most commonly taught work in US public schools.

Mark Twain lived in Hartford for 17 years, and wrote many of his novels there, including Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, giving it a particular connection to the Gilmores’ part of the world. In fact it was Mark Twain who helped inspire Gilmore Girls – Amy Sherman-Palladino originally travelled to Connecticut to look at his wallpaper. Without Mark Twain, there would be no show!

Like On the Road, Huckleberry Finn is another book about travel through America, this time on a raft down the Mississippi River.

Hayride

Lane’s parents arrange for her to attend a local hayride with a Korean-American teenage boy as her date. A hayride is a North American traditional activity where (as the name suggests) people travel in a wagon filled with hay for fun. They are a form of celebrating the harvest season, and may involve other activities associated with the fall.

Rory does not attend the teen hayride, not seeing anything about it she would enjoy (from what we see, the hayride does look pretty lame and boring, as it just goes around the main square in town, rather than through fields). However, in later episodes we learn that Taylor will not allow Rory to skip any town entertainments or functions, not even accepting illness as an excuse.

At this point, Taylor wasn’t a character in the show, although his name is mentioned later in this episode. It is possible that originally Rory was intended to be considerably more detached from the events of the town than she ended up being.

Rory missing the hayride does point to a disdain for teenage activities that seems in keeping with her character – perhaps because they would have meant having a life separate from her mother. This might be why Rory never seems to be popular with her peers, although adored by adults.

Eminem

LANE: Rory, if my parents still get upset over the obscene portion size of American food, I seriously doubt I’m gonna make any inroads with Eminem.

Eminem (born Marshal Mathers III in 1972) is an American rapper who was the best-selling musical artist of the 2000s. His first album was released in 1996, and he gained mainstream success with The Slim Shady LP in May 2000.

Mr. Kim

RORY: When are you going to let your parents know that you listen to the evil rock music? You’re an American teenager, for God’s sake.

Lane has two parents, but her father is never seen during the course of the original show, even at major family events. It is never explained where he is, and Keiko Agena, who played Lane, never asked Amy Sherman-Palladino where Mr. Kim was. Keiko herself felt that he had to travel a lot, and that it might have something to do his religion, such as missionary work of some kind. Perhaps he was always out buying new stock for the antique store. A Year in the Life provides a brief glimpse of Mr. Kim, confirming once and for all that he does exist.