Category: S3Ep3: Application Anxiety

The Beatles at Shea Stadium

PARIS: I was working with the losers in the AV club to project it on a giant video screen. And all Mr. Hunter said was, “Paris, this isn’t The Beatles at Shea Stadium.” Nice anachronism, huh? Like they had video screens in ’63. His references are as topical as his suits.

The Beatles at Shea Stadium, previously discussed.

The Beatles actually performed there in 1965, not 1963. They must have realised that they made a mistake, because on Netflix, there is re-recorded audio correcting the error to 1965 instead.

Charlie Rose

RORY: The panelists are up there. We sit across from them and ask questions. What’s the problem?

PARIS: It’s boring and predictable and done to death. I wanted Charlie Rose.

RORY: To ask the questions?

PARIS: His style. I wanted us sitting at a round table with black backdrops.

Charlie Rose, previously discussed. Apparently Paris is a fan of his show, as well as Lorelai. This now the third time Charlie Rose has been mentioned in Gilmore Girls.

“Fast runner”

[Rory exits the diner and runs to catch her bus as Luke walks over to the table]

LUKE: Fast runner.

DEAN: It’s the coffee.

LUKE: Not your face?

Luke is very resentful of Dean for standing in the way of Jess being with Rory, which is what Luke wants for him. (That may suggest he’s not as thrilled about Jess being with Shane). Here he gets a dig into Dean, implying that Rory should be running away from him. I don’t think he ever really forgave Dean for breaking up with Rory early in their relationship.

Hillary Clinton and C-SPAN

RORY: It’s not due for weeks, and I already have my essay topic picked out … Hillary Clinton … She’s so smart and tough and nobody thought she could win New York but she did and she’s doing amazing, and have you heard her speak?

DEAN: Only when you’ve played me the thousands of hours of C-SPAN footage you taped.

RORY: She’s a great speaker, strong and persuasive, with a wonderful presence, and even those suits of hers are getting better.

Hillary Clinton, previously discussed. We now discover Rory is a complete fangirl of hers.

C-SPAN, Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network. Cable and satellite television network created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the US federal government, as well as other public affairs programs.

Note that Dean has to watch hours of C-SPAN footage taped by Rory, but she wouldn’t watch BattleBots with him until he went to her debutante ball as her escort. Maybe she also pays him back in some way (or she considers just going out with Dean enough of a big favour?).

“You’re not free”

RORY: I thought we could see a movie or something.

DEAN: You’re not free.

RORY: How do you know?

DEAN: ‘Cause you’ll be working on your application all weekend.

Dean is now experienced enough to know that when Rory says she’s free to spend time with him, that means, unless she has unexpected homework to do. Or a test to study for. Or Paris wants her to do extra work for the newspaper. Or she suddenly discovers she’s got to do volunteer work all summer. He can even anticipate it coming before she can. Instead of fighting with her over it, he’s learned to just accept it.

John-Boy

RORY: So, what are you doing Saturday?

DEAN: Just my usual chores.

RORY: Your usual chores, John-boy?

Rory refers to The Waltons, previously discussed (and mentioned as using the same set as the Dragonfly inn). John “John-boy” Walton, played by Richard Thomas, was the eldest son of the family, and the protagonist of the series.

Rory seems to think the word “chores” sounds very rural and folksy. Unlike Dean, Rory doesn’t have regular chores – as it’s just she and Lorelai (and they both have work/school), she takes an almost equal share of the household tasks. It’s never made clear how Lorelai and Rory divide up jobs around the house, but they’re rarely shown arguing about it or even discussing it, and they have a relaxed approach in any case.

Lattes and Cappuccinos

LUKE: Do they let kids drink coffee before school?

RORY: Why, do you think it might lead to harder stuff? Lattes, cappuccinos . . .

Latte [pictured]: Caffè latte, shortened to latte in English. Coffee style from Italy made with espresso and steamed milk; the Italian word literally means “coffee and milk”. Part of European cuisine since the 17th century, the word caffè e latte was first used in English by American writer William Dean Howells in 1867, after a visit to Italy. The “latte” as an American-style coffee drink is said to have been “invented” in Berkeley in the 1950s and popularised in Seattle in the 1980s.

Cappuccino: Previously mentioned as a favourite of Rory and Lorelai. Espresso-based coffee drink prepared with steamed milk foam; typically smaller than a latte with a thicker layer of foam. The name comes from the Capuchin friars of the Catholic church – their habits are the colour of cappuccinos. The drink appears to be Viennese in origin, dating to the 18th century, and spreading through Europe from the port city of Trieste. It doesn’t seem to have been taken up in Italy until the 1930s, but it was through Italian-American neighbourhoods that it was spread in the US. It only seems to have become popularised there in the 1990s.

I Wanna Be Sedated

This is the song Lane puts on to help her make “deep cuts” to her rock band advertisement.

“I Wanna Be Sedated” is a song by punk rock band the Ramones, from their 1978 album Road to Ruin. It was released in the UK as the B-side to “She’s the One” the same year, then released as a single in the Netherlands in 1979, before being released as a single in the US in 1980. Written by Joey Ramone, previously mentioned, the song is about the rigours of being a touring band on the road. It is considered one of the best rock songs of all time.