Hector’s

LORELAI: Anyhow, I looked through it and it just so happens that one of the best taco places on the East Coast is ten minutes from campus … [reads] “You haven’t had a taco until you’ve spent some time at Hector’s, crisp and meaty … not greasy”.

There isn’t a taco place called Hector’s in New Haven, but there’s a popular Mexican restaurant called El Carpintero run by a guy named Hector in Burbank, Los Angeles – across the street from Warners Bros and much frequented by people who work there. This seems so suspiciously similar that I think it must be the inspiration for the fictional Hector’s in New Haven.

Luke’s Dating Rules

When Rory is in the apartment, the door has to remain open

Rory and Jess are only allowed in the middle part of the apartment (the living area), not the end parts (the sleeping areas)

They must sit on separate seats, they cannot share the sofa

On weekdays, Rory must be home by 9 pm. On weekends, home by 11 pm.

Any evidence of cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs, and they will only be allowed to see each other with an adult present

Shrapnel

LUKE: What was going on up here?

JESS: Nothing.

LUKE: Nothing? I walk in here and the two of you are like shrapnel.

Shrapnel, the common term for fragments of an artillery explosion (technically not quite correct, but good enough for our purposes). Luke means that Rory and Jess sprung apart when he came in like a bomb exploding in several directions at once.

Luke was so keen to see Jess and Rory together, but the minute he actually finds them just about to kiss, he freaks out. What did he think two eighteen-year-olds were going to do alone together?

Rory Goes Up to the Apartment

RORY: Yup, here we are. Wow, I haven’t seen it since you guys redid it … It’s bigger.

JESS: Ripping a wall down can have that effect on a room.

As you may recall, Luke renovated the apartment back in March, after buying the flower shop next door. They knocked down the wall between the apartment and the upper floor of the flower shop. It feels as if that should have made the apartment twice as big, but it only looks slightly more roomy than before. For some reason, Jess still doesn’t have his own room, which was supposed to be the initial reason for the renovation. The whole renovation (which is of course quite fictional, they didn’t renovate the set) thus seems like a lot of wasted opportunity and money on Luke’s part.

This seems to be Rory and Jess’ first opportunity to be alone together since the dance, more than a week ago. They haven’t rushed into this, and are naturally extremely nervous with one another.

Spastic Colon

KIRK: I need your help. I don’t know what to do. I’m shaking like a spastic colon.

A spastic colon, or colon spasm, describes the situation when the muscles around the small and large intestines spontaneously and suddenly contract, causing pain, cramping, bloating, and an urgent need to use the toilet.

This common condition is strongly associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is sometimes known as spastic colon, even though not everyone with IBS gets colon spasms, and not everyone with colon spasms has IBS. It is not always clear what causes it, although a change of diet, more exercise, managing stress, and sometimes medications may be offered as part of a treatment plan.

Kirk’s phrasing may suggest that he suffers from IBS himself.

The Puppet Master

LORELAI: Mm, let me see. . . manipulate, evil plan, no free will, pearls – no, I think you about covered it. Oh, wait – did you call my father the Puppet Master?

Puppet Master, a figurative term for someone who controls other people and events, “pulling the strings” in the background, like a puppeteer.

As a fan of the band Metallica, it seems almost impossible that Lorelai would not be thinking of their 1986 song “Master of Puppets”, from the album of the same name. It is one of their most popular and well-known songs.

New Haven

RORY: I’m sure you and I can figure out a fun thing to do while they’re off at dinner, some cool road trip thing.

LORELAI: In New Haven? … Sweetie, have you ever been to New Haven? … Take a look at the coffee pot tomorrow before I clean it, that’s New Haven.

New Haven is a city in Connecticut on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound, and is part of the New York City greater metropolitan area. With a population of around 130 000, it is the third-largest city in Connecticut. One of the first planned cities in America, founded by Puritans in 1638, it is the home of Yale University, New Haven’s biggest employer and taxpapyer, and an integral part of the city’s economy. It bills itself as the “Cultural Capital of Connecticut”, and is also known as “The Elm City” because of the trees planted during the first public tree planting program in America.

Lorelai’s view that New Haven is a complete dump is one shared by quite a few people. The city has the fastest growing income inequality in the US, so there’s a lot of poverty, a high crime rate, and apparently it has a problem with littering and dumping trash illegally. Another view is that it is a cool, diverse city that’s far more interesting than most of Connecticut.