Three Stooges

RORY: I promise, we can kiss secretly.

JESS: Yeah, or we can wear Three Stooges masks all the time, that way no one will know who we are.

RORY: I can be Curly.

JESS: I’ll be Moe.

The Three Stooges was an American vaudeville comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short films. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Although six actors played the Three Stooges, the classic line up was Moe Howard (played by Moses Horwitz), Larry Fine (played by Louis Feinberg), and Curly Howard (played by Jerome Horwitz). Their peak popularity was from 1934 to 1946, but television syndication made them one of the most popular comedy acts of the early 1960s.

Rory was proud to be seen with Dean, and kiss him in public. Now her relationship with Jess begins with her hiding their relationship away as if it is something shameful. It doesn’t feel as if the relationship is getting off to a very healthy start.

Social Security

JESS: For how long? … Before we’re on Social Security?

In the US, Social Security is the commonly used term for federal welfare payments to old age pensioners, widows and orphans, and the disabled, all administered by the Social Security Administration. With few exceptions, all legal residents working in the US will have a social security number.

The standard age to receive payments for old age is 67, although you may receive it at 62 by taking a lower amount, and if you work until 70, will get a higher payment. Jess humorously raises the possibility of he and Rory having to wait until their sixties before they are able to kiss in public.

Rory Won’t Allow Public Kissing

RORY: We shouldn’t flaunt it.

JESS: But I want to flaunt it.

RORY: It doesn’t feel right.

Jess had to put up with Rory and Dean “flaunting” their relationship by kissing in public, sometimes right in front of him. But any chance of getting a bit of revenge is taken away when Rory says they can’t show any PDA in case it upsets her ex-boyfriend. Even though they’ve broken up, Rory is still very concerned about not upsetting Dean. It can’t be doing Jess’ confidence much good to know Rory is already prioritising her ex’s feelings over his.

“It is for us”

JESS: It’s not the first time a couple’s broken up.

RORY: It is for us.

In fact, Rory and Dean broke up before, in “Star-Crossed Lovers and Other Strangers”. However, as they got back together again, Rory might think it doesn’t count, and was only “being on a break”. It’s interesting that she doesn’t share this detail with Jess, as if not wanting to expose the cracks and weaknesses in her prior relationship with Dean.

Cranberry Sauce

[On Thanksgiving morning, Lorelai and Rory are walking toward the market]

RORY: What’s on the list?

LORELAI: Flowers for everyone we’re visiting and cranberry sauce for the Kims.

Cranberry sauce is a relish made from cranberries. In the US, the word “cranberries” refers to Vaccinium macrocarpon, a North American species of cranberry, grown commercially for its berries. Cranberry sauce in the US is more heavily sweetened than the tarter, more astringent version common in Europe. Cranberry sauce is traditionally served with turkey at Thanksgiving, and sometimes Christmas.

Michelle Kwan

LORELAI: It’s not too much food. This is what we’ve been training for our whole lives. This is our destiny. This is our finest hour.

RORY: Or final hour.

LORELAI: No, no. Get inspired and tomorrow I guarantee you, we will be standing on the Olympic platform receiving our gold medals for eating. We are not Michelle Kwan-ing this.

Michelle Kwan (born 1980), retired figure skater. She competed at the senior level for over a decade and is the most decorated figure skater in US history. Known for her consistency and expressive artistry on ice, she is widely considered one of the greatest figure skaters of all time. For well over a decade, Kwan maintained her status not only as America’s most popular figure skater but as one of America’s most popular female athletes. She is now the ambassador to Belize.

Kwan was a breakout star at the 1998 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal. At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, which took place in February, she fell during the free skate and received the bronze medal instead of the hoped-for gold.

The Grinch and Cindy Lou Who

RORY: He actually likes it when we come for Thanksgiving. All these years and we never knew.

LORELAI: Hm, he’s the Grinch and we’re Cindy Lou Who.

Another reference to the 2000 Christmas film How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Cindy Lou Who (played by Taylor Momsen) is a little girl from the Christmas-loving town of Whoville while the Grinch is a grumpy Christmas-hater who learns to love the holiday with the help of Cindy Lou (showing that he was really good-hearted all along).

Jammed, Shanghaied

LORELAI: We got jammed. Shanghaied by my mother and what with the other things we have going . . . well, too many commitments, not enough us.

Jammed: I think Lorelai means “jammed” as in a traffic jam or a logjam – stuck, and with so many things on that they have no room to move. Please correct me if you think this is wrong!

Shanghaied [pictured]: Also known as “crimping”. The practice of kidnapping people to serve as sailors by coercive techniques such as trickery, intimidation, or violence. The name probably came about because Shanghai was a common destination for ships with abducted crews. The practice flourished in the mid-19th century, in port cities such as Liverpool in the UK, and San Francisco in the US. Although there were many attempts to crack down on it, only the widespread use of steam vessels instead of sailing ships rendered the practice unnecessary, as steamships don’t require such a large crew. Once it was made a federal crime in 1915 the practice was entirely stamped out.

Wednesday Usual

LUKE: Don’t bother, saw you coming, already ordered your Wednesday usual – the French dip, extra fries, the every-Wednesday cherry pie.

We know the Gilmore girls like their food routines, with every Wednesday being the day they have a Danish pastry and coffee for breakfast. Wednesday for dinner, which is always at the diner, they order extra fries with their dinner and French [onion] dip to have with them, and cherry pie for dessert.

Hm, cherry Danish for breakfast and cherry pie for dinner? What is it about Wednesdays and cherries with these girls??? And having a set menu on Wednesdays in general? Perhaps it’s meant to be a sort of midweek lift.