“Why don’t you want to think about this?”

RORY: Why don’t you want to think about this?
LORELAI: Because I haven’t made my mind up about the yes or no part, so I don’t want to start fantasizing about dresses and flowers or doves and tulle until I do, so please change the subject.

The fact that Lorelai needs to think about whether to say yes or no is a sure sign that she doesn’t really want to marry Max. If she did, she would be jumping at the chance, or at least coming up with ways to justify saying yes.

(You can see in the background that Lorelai has donated her yellow daisies to the entire town, and they even seem to have set up a little red wagon in the town square from which to either sell or give away the flowers to passers-by. It’s a typically big-hearted gesture by Lorelai which serves to make her more of a star and the centre of attention. It’s also practical, as she could hardly take all the daisies home).

“Any other subject in the world for 200”

RORY: Oh! You should walk down the aisle to Frank Sinatra with a huge bouquet of something that smells really good.
LORELAI: Pot roast.
RORY: And you should wear a long veil with your hair up.
LORELAI: Ugh, I’ll take any other subject in the world for 200, Alex.

Lorelai is referring to the game show Jeopardy!, previously discussed. The host is Alex Trebek, and Lorelai mimics the game play of the show, with contestants choosing a particular subject for a certain amount of money (such as $200).

Lauren Graham, who played Lorelai Gilmore, went on Jeopardy! as a contestant in a celebrity episode of the show.

Balkans

RORY: You should get married in Italy.
LORELAI: All the way from home, same topic. There’s tons of stuff going on in the world. Big stuff.
RORY: Like?
LORELAI: Balkans.
RORY: That was ages ago. Read a paper.

Lorelai is referring to the Yugoslav Wars, a series of ethnically-based wars and insurgencies that took place in the Balkans, those countries in and around the Balkan Peninsula in Eastern Europe – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovinia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Turkey.

Lorelai may be referring specifically to to the Kosovo War, which went from 1998-1999 – hence Rory saying that it was ages ago (two years ago from the time of this episode). Insurgencies in the area continued longer, and there was still armed conflict in Macedonia in 2001 when this episode aired, not ending until August, so possibly Rory has not kept up with international events either, or doesn’t think of Macedonia as part of the Balkans.

It’s interesting that Lorelai immediately mentions a war during the conversation about her marriage proposal; a possible sign of things to come. This parallels Rory mentioning the war in Lebanon just before she broke up with Dean.

I Found Love

This 1968 love song by sunshine pop group The Free Design plays during the first scene. The centre of town is covered in yellow daisies, and Lorelai and Rory are crossing the street together, showing their transition from single status to coupledom.

I Found Love is the eighth track on the band’s album You Could Be Born Again. Although The Free Design did not gain much recognition during their career, they had something of a revival in the mid-1990s and were influential on later acts – including Beck, previously discussed as one of Lane’s favourite musical artists.

We know that Season Two opens on the day after Season One ended, because Lorelai later tells Miss Patty that the proposal was the night before. We also know it’s a Saturday, because Rory isn’t in school, which means Season One ended on a Friday.

Television Referenced in Season One

Drama

Charlie’s Angels

Dawson’s Creek

General Hospital

Peyton Place

The Waltons

Comedy

All in the Family

The Dick Van Dyke Show

The Donna Reed Show

The Dukes of Hazzard

Get Smart

Happy Days

Joanie Loves Chachi

I Love Lucy

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Mystery Science Theater 3000

The Odd Couple

Saved by the Bell

Sex and the City

V.I.P.

Science Fiction

Star Trek

Wonder Woman/The New Adventures of Wonder Woman

News

CNN News

Talk Shows

Live With Regis

The Oprah Winfrey Show

The Rosie O’Donnell Show

The View

Variety Shows

Hee Haw

Game Shows

Jeopardy

The Price is Right

Wheel of Fortune

Educational

Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom

Seasame Street

Music

Soul Train

Practical

Iron Chef

Martha Stewart Living

Style With Elsa Klensch

This Old House

Reality

The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

Animation

Daria

Looney Tunes

The Yogi Bear Show

You’re in Love, Charlie Brown

Music Referenced in Season One

ALBUMS

Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles

The Best of Blondie â€“ Blondie

Pink Moon â€“ Nick Drake

Music from a Sparkling Planet â€“ Juan García Esquivel

Frampton Comes Alive! II â€“ Peter Frampton

End Hits – Fugazi

The Sophtware Slump â€“ Grandaddy

On How Life Is â€“ Macy Gray

Autobahn – Kraftwerk

Let’s Spend the Night Together â€“ Claudine Longet

Up on the Sun â€“ Meat Puppets

1999 – Prince

The Love Symbol Album â€“ Prince

The Transformed Man â€“ William Shatner

Timeless: Live in Concert â€“ Barbra Streisand

Woodstock ’99 – Various Artists

The Velvet Underground & Nico â€“ The Velvet Underground

Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2) â€“ XTC

Colossal Youth â€“ Young Marble Giants

SONGS

All Out of Love – Air Supply

Happy Birthday – Altered Images

A Kiss to Build a Dream On – Louis Armstrong

What a Wonderful World â€“ Louis Armstrong

Eternal Flame – The Bangles

Here Takes a Fall – The Bangles

Walk Like an Egyptian – The Bangles

PS I Love You – The Beatles

Mixed Bizness – Beck

Where It’s At – Beck

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town – Tony Bennett

My Ding-a-Ling â€“ Chuck Berry

Thirteen – Big Star

Child Psychology – Black Box Recorder

Iron Man – Black Sabbath

From Red to Blue – Billy Bragg

This Ole House – The Brian Setzer Orchestra

Teach Me Tonight, written by Sammy Cahn and Gene De Paul

Folsom Prison Blues â€“ Johnny Cash

Everyday I Write the Book – Elvis Costello and The Attractions

Zombie – The Cranberries

Pictures of You – The Cure

Stop and Smell the Roses – Mac Davis

Smoke on the Water – Deep Purple

Pink Moon – Nick Drake

Flower Girl of Bordeaux – Esquivel

Johnny Angel – Shelley Fabares

Everlong – Foo Fighters

Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off – George and Ira Gershwin (from Shall We Dance?)

Suppertime, written by Clark Gesner (from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown)

The Crystal Lake – Grandaddy

The Cabbage Patch – Gucci Crew II

Happy Birthday to You, written by Patty and Mildred Hall

One Line – P.J. Harvey

I’m Gonna Make You Love Me – The Jayhawks

Sometimes Always – The Jesus & Mary Chain

Happy Xmas (War is Over) â€“ John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with The Harlem Community Choir

Someone to Watch Over Me – Rickie Lee Jones

Money, Money, written by John Kander and Fred Ebb (from Cabaret)

Where You Lead – Carole King

There She Goes – The La’s

Oh My Love – John Lennon

God Only Knows – Claudine Longet

Convoy – C.W. McCall

Like a Virgin – Madonna

Livin’ la Vida Loca – Ricky Martin

Shake Your Bon-Bon – Ricky Martin

Fade Into You – Mazzy Star

I Thought About You, written by Johnny Mercer and Jimmy Van Heusen

Ms Jackson – Outkast

Beautiful Dreamers – Grant Lee Phillips

Everybody Needs a Little Sanctuary – Grant Lee Phillips

Heavenly – Grant Lee Phillips

Honey, Don’t Think – Grant Lee Phillips

It’s the Life – Grant Lee Phillips

Mockingbirds – Grant Lee Phillips

Sadness Soot – Grant Lee Phillips

Sunday Best – Grant Lee Phillips

Truly, Truly – Grant Lee Phillips

Holding Onto the Earth – Sam Phillips

I Don’t Know How to Say Goodbye to You – Sam Phillips

What Do I Do – Sam Phillips

Where the Colors Don’t Go – Sam Phillips

La Casa – Graham Preskett and Mauricio Venegas-Astorga

Time Bomb – Rancid

I’m Too Sexy – Right Said Fred

Jumpin’ Jack Flash â€“ The Rolling Stones

Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds – William Shatner

Tambourine Man – William Shatner

It’s a Small World After All, written by Richard and Robert Sherman

Sister Suffragette, written by Richard and Robert Sherman (from Mary Poppins)

Call Me Al – Paul Simon

We Are Family – Sister Sledge

… One More Time – Britney Spears

Cleopatra, Queen of Denial – Pam Tillis

The First Noel, traditional

Why Does It Always Rain On Me? – Travis

Man! I Feel Like a Woman – Shania Twain

PS I Love You â€“ Rudy Valee

Christmas Wrapping – The Waitresses

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, written by Charles Wesley and Felix Mendelssohn

My Darling – Wilco

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, written by Meredith Wilson

Thanks for Christmas â€“ The Three Wise Men (XTC)

Earn Enough for Us – XTC

I’m the Man Who Murdered Love – XTC

We’re All Light – XTC

My Little Corner of the World – Yo La Tengo

CLASSICAL & ORCHESTRAL

The Four Seasons, written by Antonio Vivaldi

The Stars and Stripes Forever, written by John Philip Sousa

Swan Lake, written by Pyotr Tchaikovsky

MUSICAL ARTISTS & COMPOSERS

98°

Aerosmith

B-52s

The Backstreet Boys

Samuel Barber

The Bee Gees

Pat Benatar

The Blue Man Group

Blur

Bon Jovi

Boston

Bush

John Cage

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

Dixie Chicks

The Doors

Duran Duran

Echo & The Bunnymen

Eminem

Philip Glass

Hanson

Hole

Michael Jackson

Rick James

Joy Division

Kraftwerk

Jennifer Lopez

Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch

Metallica

Thelonious Monk

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

NSYNC

The Offspring

Charlie Parker

Liz Phair

Elvis Presley

Prince

Tito Puente

Queen

Lou Reed

RuPaul

Artie Shaw

Frank Sinatra

Siouxsie and the Banshees

Britney Spears

Steely Dan

The Sugarplastic

U2

Tom Waits

The Wallflowers

Films Referenced in Season One

Films

2001: A Space Odyssey

9 1/2 Weeks

An Affair to Remember

Alive

The Amityville Horror

Anywhere But Here

Attack of the 50 Foot Woman

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

Bambi

Beethoven

Boogie Nights

Bright Eyes

Cabaret (1972)

Carrie (1976)

Casablanca

The Champ

Child’s Play

Christine

Cinderella (1950)

Citizen Kane

The Crucible

The Deer Hunter

Dick Tracy

Double Indemnity

Everest (1998)

Fiddler on the Roof

Flashdance

The Fly (1958)

Footloose

Forrest Gump

Frankenstein (1931)

Freaky Friday (1976)

Fried Green Tomatoes

Funny Girl

Gaslight (1944)

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

G.I. Jane

Glengarry Glen Ross

The Godfather

The Goonies

The Great Santini

Grease (1978)

Heathers

House of Horrors

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Ice Castles (1978)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Ishtar

Kiss and Tell

Lady and the Tramp

The Little Rascals

The Lost Weekend

Love Story

Lovers and Other Strangers

Magnolia

The Man With the X-Ray Eyes

Mary Poppins

Mask

The Matrix

Midnight Express

The Miracle Worker (1962)

Misery

Miss Congeniality

Mommie Dearest

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

The Music Man

Old Yeller

The Omen (1976)

Out of Africa

The Outsiders

Paris is Burning

Patton

Pinocchio

Psycho (1960)

Pure Country

Queen of Outer Space

Rebecca (1940)

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Return of the Jedi

Saving Private Ryan

Schindler’s List

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Shaft (1971)

Shall We Dance? (1937)

The Shining

The Silence of the Lambs

Sixteen Candles

The Sixth Sense

Sleeping Beauty

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Stalag 17

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

The Thing from Another World

Valley of the Dolls

West Side Story

What’s Up, Doc? (1972)

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

A Wild Hare

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Working Girl

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown

Television Movies

The Boy in the Plastic Bubble

Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows 

Tears and Laughter: The Joan and Melissa Rivers Story

Actors

Antonio Banderas

Maurice Chevalier

George Clooney

Billy Crudup

James Dean

Johnny Depp

Errol Flynn

Hugh Grant

Gene Hackman

Charlton Heston

Angelina Jolie

Jennifer Lopez

The Marx Brothers

Sean Penn

Michelle Pfeiffer

Brad Pitt

Billy Bob Thornton

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Books, Periodicals, and Comics Referenced in Season One

Novels

Emma by Jane Austen

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Timeline by Michael Chrichton

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Little Dorrit Charles Dickens

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce

Ulysses by James Joyce

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

The Witch Tree Symbol by Carolyn Keene

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Group by Mary McCarthy

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Chikara!: A Sweeping Novel of Japan and America by Robert Skimin

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Short Stories

Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson

Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm

Poetry

Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes

Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect by Robert Burns

Complete Poems by Emily Dickinson

An Essay on Criticism by Alexander Pope

Shakespeare’s Sonnets by William Shakespeare

New Poems of Emily Dickinson edited by William Shurr et al

Drama

Love for Love by William Congreve

The Mourning Bride by William Congreve

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare

Richard III by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

Non-Fiction

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

Mommie Dearest by Christina Crawford

Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen

Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man by Susan Faludi

The Art of Eating by M.F. K. Fisher

James Joyce’s Ulysses by Stuart Gilbert

The Walter Hagen Story by Walter Hagen

Partial Portraits by Henry James

The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath edited by Karen V. Kukil

To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation by Martin Luther

John Adams by David McCullough

The Days of H.L. Mencken by H.L. Mencken

A Mencken Chrestomathy by H.L. Mencken

The Total Woman by Marabel Morgan

Who’s Who and What’s What in Shakespeare by Evangeline M. O’Connor

The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker

The Republic by Plato

Etiquette by Emily Post

Everybody’s Autobiography by Gertrude Stein

Hell’s Angels by Hunter S. Thompson

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette by Judith Thurman

A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

Reference

The Bible

The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary

The Oxford Shakespeare

Webster’s Dictionary

Newspapers

Barron’s

The Financial Times

The Hartford Courant

The New York Times 

The Wall Street Journal

Magazines

CosmoGirl

Cosmopolitan

Glamour

GQ

Highlights for Children

InStyle

Ms.

The New Yorker

Playboy

Comics

Archie

Mister Miracle

Superman

Authors

Francis Bacon

Honore de Balzac

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Judy Blume

Charlotte Bronte

Colette

Dante

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Sigmund Freud

Václav Havel

Homer

Ben Jonson

Stephen King

Christopher Marlowe

John Muir

Friedrich Nietzsche

Edna O’Brien

George Sand

Jean-Paul Sartre

John Webster

Edith Wharton

Walt Whitman

My Little Corner of the World

This 1997 song by Yo La Tengo plays at the very end of the episode, as Lorelai and Rory run towards each other from opposite sides of the street. It creates a “bookends effect”, as this was the song that played at the end of the first episode of the season, and we are now watching the final moments of the last episode of the season.

It repeats the theme of safety and security, as Stars Hollow itself becomes a sanctuary. The final thing we see is the gazebo in the town square, the heart of the town and a sacred place dedicated to love. Its twinkle lights echo the stars above who gave their name to the town, and lead lovers back into each others’ arms.

Mother and Daughter’s Dating Lives Intersect

Lorelai and Rory run towards each other, like parallel lines which finally cross at some point due to the curvature of the earth. They excitedly jump up and down, both with wonderful news to share. Rory has got back with Dean! Lorelai has had a proposal from Max! Their dating lives converge while both are at their peak, and all is joy, all is light, all is love. The promise of Stars Hollow is fulfilled, and lovers are reunited at last.

This is an oddly complete resolution to a season, which ties everything up into a neat package and gives a fairy tale happy ending to both our protagonists. The reason is that they were not sure if Gilmore Girls would be renewed for another season, and if if this was to be last episode ever, they needed it to also be a possible finale of the show. Of course the show was renewed, and from then on season finales tended to end on cliffhangers, leaving many questions unanswered.