“Solidarity, sister” “Ya ya!”

RORY: Eventually, maybe, but for now – solidarity, sister.

LORELAI: Ya ya!

RORY: You’ve been waiting for six weeks to do that, haven’t you?

A reference to Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. The 1996 novel by Rebecca Wells has already been discussed as one that Rory (probably) read, but the comedy-drama film came out in June 2002, and it is undoubtedly this version which Lorelai has recently seen and refers to.

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is directed by Callie Khouri, and stars Sandra Bullock and Ellen Burstyn as the daughter and mother in conflict. The film was a commercial success, but received mixed reviews, with critics feeling it was overly melodramatic and unoriginal.

Rory indicates that she hasn’t spoken to her father all summer, and for a while at least, she is going to continue ignoring Christopher to support Lorelai.

Bauhaus

RORY: What else did you take?

LORELAI: Nothing. Your comforter came into my room by itself . . . and brought your Bauhaus T-shirt with it.

Bauhaus, English rock band, formed in 1978. The group consists of Daniel Ash (guitar, saxophone), Peter Murphy (vocals), Kevin Haskins (drums) and David J (bass). The band is named after the German art school, Bauhaus. One of the pioneers of gothic rock, Bauhaus were known for their dark image and gloomy sound, although they mixed many genres, including dub, glam rock, psychedelia, and funk.

Their 1979 debut single, “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” is considered one of the harbingers of gothic rock music and has been influential on contemporary goth culture. Their debut album, In the Flat Field, is regarded as one of the first gothic rock records. Bauhaus went on to achieve mainstream success in the UK with their third album, The Sky’s Gone Out, which peaked at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart in 1982. That same year, they also reached No. 15 on the Singles Chart with a standalone cover of David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust”, earning them an appearance on Top of the Pops. They broke up in 1983.

This is another indication that Rory likes gothic rock, and dark, gloomy music in general.

Ottoman and Napoleon Complex

RORY: Hello living room.

LORELAI: Hello Rory, we missed you. Not the ottoman, of course, but everyone knows he’s a snob. Napoleon complex, he only really likes the magazine rack.

An ottoman is a small padded seat without a back or arms that can be used as a table, stool, or footstool. They are also known as tuffets, hassocks, or pouffes. The name comes from the Ottoman Empire from where it originated, the seat introduced to Europe in the 18th century.

A Napoleon complex is an imaginary syndrome attributed to people of short stature, where the short person (usually a man), overcompensates for their size by being too aggressive or domineering. In psychology, it is regarded as a derogatory social stereotype and a piece of mysandry. It comes from the idea put about by the British in the 19th century that Napoleon Bonaparte’s short temper was caused by him being of short size. In fact, Napoleon was 5 foot 7, average height for his era.

Presumably the ottoman only likes the magazine rack because it’s the one thing smaller than it is!

Peaches and Herb

LORELAI: And, by the way, I got you out of dinner with the Gilmores tonight. I thought you and Dean might enjoy a little Peaches and Herb time together.

Peaches and Herb, vocal duo created in 1966. Herb Fame (born Herbert Feemster in 1942) is the “Herb”, and seven different women have filled the role of “Peaches”. The most famous ones are the first Peaches, Francina “Peaches” Barker (1947-2005), and the third one, Linda Greene, who appeared on their biggest hits, “Shake Your Groove Thing” (1978) and “Reunited” (1979).

It is the song “Reunited” that Lorelai is referring to, with its line Reunited, and it feels so good. The song went to #1 in the US, and was popular around the world. It is unlikely that Rory is quite as excited about her reunion with Dean as Lorelai seems to want her to be.

Gummy Bears

LORELAI: Oh, but I got here early and there was nothing to do except feed gummy bears to the bomb dogs which, apparently, the United States government frowns upon.

Gummy bears are small fruit gum candy, like a jelly baby, but in the shape of a bear. The candy originated in Germany, when Hans Riegel Sr, a confectioner from Bonn who founded the Haribo candy company, invented the candy in 1922. They have always been extremely popular in Germany, and are sold in the US.

Leon Troutsky

LORELAI: Sookie, Jackson loves you. You’re not seriously telling me the future of your marriage depends on Leon Troutsky over there.

Lorelai makes a pun on the name Leon Trotsky (born Lev Bronstein,1879-1940), Russian-Ukrainian Marxist revolutionary, political theorist and politician. Ideologically a communist, he developed a variant of Marxism which has become known as Trotskyism. After the death of Lenin and the rise of Joseph Stalin, Trotsky gradually lost favour, and he was expelled from the Soviet Union in 1929. He spent the rest of his life in exile and was assassinated in Mexico City in 1940 by an agent of the Soviets.

Ralph Lauren

SOOKIE: It’s an antique stuffed and mounted trout, and I think it’s manly … It is! It’s very Ralph Lauren.

Ralph Lauren, fashion brand founded in 1967 by designer Ralph Lauren (born Ralph Lifshitz in 1939). The company has headquarters in New York City, and makes products from the mid-range to the luxury, originally selling men’s fashions. The label’s logo is a man playing polo, and their first full line of menswear was named Polo in 1968.

Nell

SOOKIE: So how are you planning on telling [your parents about Christopher]?

LORELAI: I thought I’d do it like Nell. You know, chicka chicka chickabee.

Lorelai refers to the 1994 drama film Nell, directed by British director Michael Apted, and starring Jodie Foster as Nell Kellty, a young woman who has to face people for the first time after being raised by her mother in an isolated cabin. It is based on the play Idioglossia by Mark Handler, inspired by his experiences living in the Cascade Mountains in the Pacific Northwest, and by identical twins Grace and Virginia Kennedy (born 1970), who invented their own language. Their story is told in the 1980 documentary Poto and Cabengo (the twins’ own names for themselves).

In the film, Nell likewise speaks her own language in a strange and unique accent. She says “Chicka chicka chickabee”, which is her way of saying “dear one, beloved” (a variation on chickadee and chickabiddy, both used as endearments in some regions of the US).

Nell was a commercial success and received mixed reviews, with Foster’s performance being warmly praised.

General Sherman

MRS. KIM: This was Sherman’s shaving table … General Sherman, famous man, burned Atlanta, liked a close shave.

General William Tecumseh Sherman, previously mentioned. A general in the Union Army during the Civil War, he invaded Georgia with three armies in the spring of 1864. His campaign against Atlanta ended successfully in September of that year with the capturing of the city, and he gave orders that all civilians were to evacuate the city before giving instructions that all military and government buildings were to be burned, although many private homes and businesses were too. This victory made him a household name, and ensured the re-election of President Abraham Lincoln in November that year.

In fact General Sherman had a slightly scruffy beard, rather than being close-shaven. This seems to be another hint that Mrs Kim is not always honest about her antiques.