Tag: Character Insight

Lorelai Gives Emily Advice

LORELAI: You need to develop a defense mechanism for dealing with Grandma.

EMILY: What are you talking about?

LORELAI: You just need a system, a new mindset.

Faced with Emily’s mounting hysteria at the prospect of Trix seeing Lorelai’s house and workplace, Lorelai gives Emily some advice in dealing with Trix. Instead of feeling hurt and upset by Trix’s criticisms and putdowns, she should find amusement in them – perhaps even encourage them. Lorelai is frank about the fact that it is how she copes with Emily’s criticism and hurtful comments. Although taken aback, Emily does actually take Lorelai’s advice on board, and puts it into practice that very night.

Victor Hugo

RICHARD: Wonderfully. They’re spoiling me rotten. [takes Emily’s hand] Emily got me the most beautiful humidor. It’s from 1917, and was owned by a lieutenant in World War I.

TRIX: You know, your father had a humidor that was owned by Victor Hugo. I still have it if you’d like it.

RICHARD: Well, I’d love it [drops Emily’s hand]

Victor-Marie Hugo (1802-1885), French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career spanning more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the greatest French writers of all time. His most famous works are The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831) and Les Misérables (1862).

Victor Hugo was a keen smoker, even saying that “Tobacco … converts thoughts into dreams”. I presume he smoked cigars, although it seems pertinent to mention that Victor Hugo is a famous brand of cigars. Is it possible that Richard’s father actually owned a humidor that was made by the company, I wonder? It seems much more likely.

Richard always seems to choose his mother over Emily. Even after he tries to show Trix what a thoughtful gift Emily has chosen for him, he drops her hand and says he’d prefer to have his father’s humidor instead. He can be very hurtful to Emily, and shows her no loyalty when it comes to Trix.

The Return of Trix

Richard’s mother Trix unexpectedly arrives on Richard’s birthday, both to visit her son and take care of some business. Emily is horrified and begins having a meltdown, but Lorelai decides to support her mother through this crisis. Previously she took a slightly malicious pleasure in watching her grandmother torture her mother – on the last visit, which took place in “The Third Lorelai”, Trix also ended up disgusted with Lorelai, so it seems that she now sees her mother’s point of view a little better.

“Slow and steady wins the race”

DEAN: Let’s take this one day at a time.

RORY: Slow and steady wins the race.

“Slow and steady wins the race” is a proverb from “The Tortoise and the Hare”, a story from Aesop’s Fables – a collection of tales from ancient Greece, attributed to a legendary slave named Aesop.

In the fable, the tortoise challenges the hare to a race, but the arrogant hare takes a nap midway through the race, sure that he has plenty of time to do so and still win the race. He wakes to find the tortoise has already crossed the finish line.

The moral of the story is that flashy overconfidence may be overtaken by conscientious plodding. In the same way, Dean hopes to win Rory back with his steady, reliable ways, while the “flashy” Jess misses out.

Dean Asks Rory to be Friends

DEAN: I don’t know, Rory. Maybe . . . maybe, um . . . is there a way we could be friends? … If you want to.

RORY: Oh, I want to. I really want to. But –

DEAN: Don’t ask me how I’m gonna deal with him. I have no idea.

Although Rory was initially reluctant to have coffee with Dean, and refused to eat anything, by the end of this scene they are chatting easily, and she is smiling and sharing his custard pie. When Dean asks if they can be friends, she says she really wants to, with Jess being relegated to a “But – “.

Rory was friends with Jess, which gradually damaged her relationship with Dean until they broke up (again). Now she agrees to be friends with Dean while going out with Jess – what could go wrong? Of course, Dean is very much wanting it to go wrong, in order to cause Jess the same sort of problems he believes Jess caused him.

It does feel typically unfair that just as Rory is starting to feel more relaxed and confident with Jess, Dean worms his way back into the picture. Because drama.

Dean Asks Rory for Coffee

DEAN: Hey, you wanna get a cup of coffee? … Maybe talk a little? Of course, if you prefer, we can both just head over to Weston’s and randomly bump into each other.

RORY: No, uh, that’s okay. I can get coffee.

While Rory is browsing in the window of Stars Hollow Books, she runs into Dean. Apparently, they have been “randomly” bumping into each other for some time now. And if you believe that, then I’ve got a mighty nice bridge for sale!

The upshot of all this creepy stalking (I mean innocent random encounters) is that Dean asks Rory to have coffee with him at Weston’s Bakery – Luke’s Diner being out of the question for obvious reasons.

Jess Refuses to Go to the Winter Carnival

RORY: Come on, let’s go to the carnival.

JESS: I don’t go to these stupid town things. [puts an arm around her]

RORY: You went to the Bid-A-Basket festival. You went to the dance marathon.

JESS: That was when I was trying to get you. I now have you. That means I don’t have to go anymore.

Well, here’s a chance to do something together besides kissing: Rory asks Jess to attend the Winter Carnival with her. However, it turns out he is quite resistant to the idea, saying that he doesn’t go to “stupid town things”.

When Rory points out that he went to the Bid-on-a-Basket festival and the dance marathon, he says: “That was when I was trying to get you. I now have you”. It’s honest and blunt, but also rather chilling. It makes it sound as if Jess was never really interested in Rory, except as a prize to be won. And being told only two months into a relationship that the other person no longer feels like they have to make an effort for you is pretty harsh.

Jess hasn’t had the best relationship models, so you can understand why he might not be the most romantic boyfriend in the world, but this can’t be what Rory was hoping to hear.