Footnotes to the TV series
RORY: I have never entertained kids – how do I do that?
LORELAI: Uh, take your socks off and do a puppet show.
RORY: You’ve clearly never entertained kids either.
Lorelai entertained Rory as a child, and is supposed to be famous for her amazing children’s parties … doesn’t Rory remember any of that? The sock puppet show idea is actually a success, against all expectations.
RORY: I’ve gotta head to school.
LORELAI: Hey, why go anymore? You’re in college. Let’s go truffle hunting or something.
Truffle, the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus Tuber. Some truffle species are highly prized as food, and are considered a delicacy.
Truffles are cultivated and harvested in natural environments, usually growing close to tree roots. Because truffles are subterranean, they are often located with the help of an animal possessing a refined sense of smell. Traditionally, pigs have been used to extract truffles, but dogs can be used instead. Although dogs must be trained to hunt truffles, unlike pigs, they don’t have any interest in eating the truffles once they find them.
Truffle hunting is sometimes offered by truffle cultivators as a fairly expensive experience for people to enjoy and pay for. Such tours are most commonly offered in the Pacific North West of the US – in Oregon and Washington.
RORY: Where is everybody?
LANE: There was a monster truck show in Woodbury tonight, pulls a lot of the same demographic.
Monster trucks, previously discussed as a popular activity in the Stars Hollow area.
Woodbury, previously discussed. In real life, Woodbury doesn’t have hold monster truck shows – it’s too small, and doesn’t have the zoning permission.
LORELAI: Charo?
EMILY: No.
Charo, previously discussed.
The Spanish-American music star moved to Hawaii in the 1980s, where she produced and starred in the variety show Tropical Heat at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort in Waikiki. For ten years, it was the most successful show in Hawaii. She moved back to Beverley Hills in the 1990s.
RORY: My point is in ninety tries, there wasn’t one other picture that was good for the group and didn’t have me looking like I’m in Cirque du Soleil?
Cirque du Soleil, previously discussed. The circus show was covered in a 2002 reality TV series called Cirque du Soleil: Fire Within, and the production Alegría was broadcast on TV in 2002. The chances are very high that Rory and Lorelai watched them, considering their fascination with circuses.
It is clear from this exchange that Paris is still angry at Rory, and they are still in a fight. Rory refused to talk about Jamie with Madeline and Louise, in order not to further aggravate Paris, so she seems to be trying to improve the situation.
LORELAI: Jackson brought pea tendrils instead of Brussels sprouts.
MICHEL: Well, aren’t we Evel Knievel?
Robert “Evel” Knievel (1938-2007), stunt performer and entertainer, who was especially popular in the 1970s. Over the course of his career, he attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps. Knievel was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.
As a point of interest, a biographical TV series called Evel starring Milo Ventigmiglia as Evel Knievel is currently searching for a TV network.
FRANCIE: Hey, no one is denying Gidget a chance to snag Moondoggie for the clambake, but the rest of us have things to accomplish.
A reference to the film Gidget, previously discussed. In the film, Moondoggie (played by James Darren) was Gidget’s love interest and eventual boyfriend. They didn’t really attend a clambake, but a luau. Presumably Francie thinks a clambake is the closest thing to a luau in New England.
RICHARD: Let’s get this show on the road.
Let’s get this show on the road, an American idiom meaning “let’s get started, let’s get going”. It’s from show business, especially travelling theatre companies, vaudeville troupes, and circuses. It dates to around 1910, but the first citation of it is in the 1951 novel From Here to Eternity, by James Jones.
TAYLOR: Have you ever levitated a rottweiler? … Not easy. But in a cape with a wand and a shiny black top hat . . .
Rottweiler, a large powerful breed of dog which is one of the oldest surviving dog breeds in the world, going back to ancient Roman times. The name comes from the German city of Rottweil, where the original breed interbred with native dogs to produce the modern breed we know today.
Rottweilers are highly territorial and protective, meaning that they can sometimes be aggressive towards strangers if they are not properly trained and socialised.
As Rory predicted, Taylor begins talking about his dream of becoming a stage magician in the final hour of the marathon.
EMILY: She was sitting at the table giving all the peas voices.
LORELAI: With a little encouragement, I could’ve been the Senor Wences of the vegetable set.
Wenceslao Centeno, known professionally as Señor Wences (1896-1999), Spanish ventriloquist and comedian. His popularity grew with his frequent television appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show during the 1950s and 1960s. Later, he became popular with another generation of fans on The Muppet Show.
The Annotated Gilmore Girls 