Category: S1Ep6: Rory’s Birthday Parties

Bong

EMILY: Yes, but I want to get her something special, something she wants, something …that you would get her.
LORELAI: Oh, OK, fine. You can get her the bong then.

A bong is a water pipe used to smoke marijuana, and more rarely, other substances. They have been used since prehistoric times, and known in China, Laos, Thailand, and Africa for centuries – the word comes from the Thai language.

In the US you can buy a bong, and I think you could have done so in 2000, but oddly they don’t like you to use the word in the store, preferring that you ask for a glass pipe or water pipe (or just point).

Apple

Lorelai eats an apple while she waits for the pizza to arrive. Much later in the series it is established that Lorelai doesn’t like apples, and only craved them when she was pregnant with Rory. Despite this supposed dislike of fruit, there is always a bowl of fresh fruit on the Gilmores’ kitchen table, including apples. Maybe it’s for Rory.

Justin and Britney

(Sees Rory on the phone)
LORELAI: “And Justin is just so dreamy. He can’t marry Britney, I’ll just cry and cry and cry.”

Lorelai mockingly supplies imaginary dialogue for Rory, based on a stereotype of what teenage girls talk about on the phone. She is referring to singers Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, who began dating in 1999, and who were frequently rumoured to be engaged. They broke up in 2002 and eventually married other people.

Rory is actually talking to the pizza delivery service.

Lucy, I’m home!

LORELAI (to Rory): Lucy, I’m home!

A catchphrase from the classic 1950s sitcom I Love Lucy, starring real-life husband and wife Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. In the show, Ricky would call this out to his wife on returning home.

I Love Lucy was often mentioned on Gilmore Girls, and as one of the first female-centred TV comedies must have served as an inspiration to Amy Sherman-Palladino. Perhaps a little of Lucy’s warm-hearted, wrong-headed wackiness is even part of Lorelai’s character.

The Fly

LORELAI: You didn’t build one of those machines like in The Fly did you? We’re not going to find you wandering the streets wearing a raspberry head crying, “Eat me!”

The Fly is a 1958 sci-fi horror film directed by Kurt Neuman, based on the short story of the same name by George Langlaan. In the film, a scientist mutates into a human fly after accidentally mixing his atoms with that of a fly which flew into his matter transportation machine. At one point, he can be heard crying, “Save me!”.

The film was a commercial success, and is now regarded as a superior example of a 1950s B-Grade sci-fi film. Sadly, the director died a few weeks after the film’s premiere, never realising he had made the hit of his career.

Cumquat

JACKSON: For some time now I’ve been toying with cross-pollination. Finally I’ve got it. I figured out a way to cross a raspberry with a cumquat.

A cumquat is a small cold-hardy citrus fruit native to south Asia and the Asia-Pacific. They were introduced to Europe and North America from China in the 19th century.

In reality, it is not possible to cross a cumquat with a raspberry. It’s clearly just a joke by the scriptwriter, but if you were determined to make this a semi-believable situation, yellow raspberries do exist, and Jackson might have bred one with an especially sharp, citrus-y flavour, making him over-excitedly believe that he had somehow crossed a raspberry with a cumquat.

Vulcan death grip

SOOKIE: Too bad you couldn’t get your mom to relinquish Friday night.
LORELAI: No, she has her Vulcan death grip on that one.

In the sci-fi TV series Star Trek, Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) would employ a Vulcan nerve pinch to render others unconscious. It seemed to work by pinching a particular pressure point in the neck.

In the episode “The Enterprise Incident”, Spock administered a supposed “Vulcan death grip” to Captain Kirk (William Shatner) to convince some aliens that Kirk had been killed. In fact, Spock had simply used an extremely powerful Vulcan nerve pinch to put him into a state of deep unconsciousness. Unlike the nerve pinch, the “death grip” was administered by a hand over Kirk’s face.

As any Star Trek fan will tell you, there is no such thing as a Vulcan death grip. It is unclear whether Lorelai realises this.

Sookie’s Party Food

Sookie makes mini orange biscuits with honey-mustard ham and Cheddar cheese. In North American, the word biscuit refers to a small quick-bread, raised with baking soda rather than yeast. They are similar to scones and bannocks.

She also makes angel wings. Although angel wings can refer to a variety of foods, including a type of European fried pastry, I’m pretty sure Sookie means stuffed crumbed chicken wings, which are often served with spicy or Asian-style dipping sauces, and make suitable finger food for a party.

Elvis and Jim Morrison

Lorelai jokes that Elvis and Jim Morrison will attend Rory’s birthday party and bring chips.

Elvis Presley (1935-1977) was an American singer and actor. One of the great icons of the twentieth century, he is often referred to as The King of Rock and Roll or The King. Elvis’ first single, Heartbreak Hotel, came out in 1956 and went straight to #1. Later that year he made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Successful in rock, pop, blues, and gospel, Elvis is one of the biggest-selling musical artists in history. He won three Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achivement Award, and has been inducted into numerous musical halls of fame.

James “Jim” Morrison (1943-1971) [pictured] was an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He was the lead singer of The Doors, an influential rock band founded in 1965 that also included Ray Manzarek, Robbie Krieger, and John Densmore. The band shot to fame in 1967 when their song Light My Fire went to #1. Since his death, Morrison has remained famous, and is regarded as as the archetypal sexy, rebellious rock star. He, along with the other members of The Doors, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.