Footnotes to the TV series
LORELAI: If I had a thumbtack, I could make a Scud missile.
Scud missile, one of a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was exported widely to both Second and Third World countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name attached to the missile by Western intelligence agencies. In use since the 1970s, they became familiar to the public in the West during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
DEBBIE: Fend them off, change the subject!
LORELAI: I tried, Debbie, but they kept coming at me like I was Poland and they were Nazis.
Lorelai refers to the 1939 invasion of Poland by Germany, previously discussed.
Lorelai always calls anyone who stands in her way a Nazi or a Fascist – first Taylor and Headmaster Charleston, now it’s actual children. Lorelai has a disturbing tendency to verbally attack or insult teenagers, as if she was one of them.
This book is on Luke’s book shelf. Forty Days is a 1992 non-fiction book by Bob Simon, an award-winning veteran journalist for CBS News. The book describes the forty days he spent being imprisoned and tortured by the Iraqis after being captured, along with four of his crew, during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.
It’s not clear whether Luke or Jess is reading the book – but like Lorelai and Rory, there is a good chance that they share books anyway. If it’s Luke’s book, it shows that, like Jess, he has an interest in journalism. (It feels as if everyone is interested in journalism on Gilmore Girls!).
CAROL: If you were to tell either of my siblings that there was another life choice outside of the Ivy League, I think their khakis would wrinkle.
Khakis, another name for chinos, trousers made from a cotton twill (see Cotton Dockers). Developed in the mid-19th century for British and French military uniforms, it has since migrated into civilian wear. Trousers of such a fabric gained popularity in the US when Spanish–American War veterans returned from the Philippines with their twill military trousers. The fabric was originally made in khaki, and this is still the most popular colour.
DARREN: What about the year of Germany’s victory in the Franco-Prussian War?
The Franco-Prussian War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, lasted from 19 July 1870 to 28 January 1871. Germany won after besieging Paris for more than four months, and one of the main consequences of the war was the unification of Germany, leading to the formation of the modern German state, which became the dominant world power in Europe.
[Painting is Battle of Mars-le-Tour, August 16 1870 by Emil Hünten, 1870]
JESS: Two weeks ago there was a run on snow cones. Machine broke, people went crazy, Taylor tried to call in the National Guard, but –
The National Guard is a state-based military force that is part of the reserve component of the US Army and Air Force when activated for federal missions – what would be called the Army Reserve in other countries. The idea of a local militia in the US goes back to the earliest English colonisation of the Americas, the first one formed in 1636. The title National Guard has been used nationally since 1903, and there are currently more than 400 000 people serving in the National Guard.
The National Guard may be activated in times of emergency, such as hurricanes, wildfires, riots, or terrorist attacks. Jess jokingly likens the snow cone machine breaking down to such disasters. This comment from Jess sounds as if he is beginning to fit in with the town better – the crack about Taylor and the snow cones sounds like something Luke would say, or even Lorelai. His summer in Stars Hollow, and perhaps dating a girl from the town, is helping him to feel more at home there.
PARIS: You want the first stand I make against the faculty to involve a fashion choice? It would be my ‘gays in the military.’
Paris refers to the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in regard to allowing gay people to serve in the US military. Bill Clinton had campaigned in 1992 on the promise of allowing all citizens to serve in the military, regardless of sexual orientation. However, on being elected to the presidency, he had to settle with a compromise solution, called the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue” policy, popularly known by its first four words.
Essentially the policy allowed gay people to serve in the military, provided they remained in the closet, while openly gay military personnel could be dishonourably discharged if they “told” anyone they were gay. It was an offence to ask anyone about their sexual orientation, or to pursue an investigation into anyone who didn’t “tell” (remained closeted). Later they added a “Don’t Harass” to the title, to mean the military would not allow harassment or violence against anyone. The policy was repealed in 2010 under the Obama administration, allowing openly gay personnel to serve in the US military. Former president Clinton welcomed the repeal.
Paris is saying that if the first thing she brings in as president is shorter hemlines, it would look like she was starting out by giving in to Francine straight away, like Clinton gave in to Congress.
MRS. KIM: This was Sherman’s shaving table … General Sherman, famous man, burned Atlanta, liked a close shave.
General William Tecumseh Sherman, previously mentioned. A general in the Union Army during the Civil War, he invaded Georgia with three armies in the spring of 1864. His campaign against Atlanta ended successfully in September of that year with the capturing of the city, and he gave orders that all civilians were to evacuate the city before giving instructions that all military and government buildings were to be burned, although many private homes and businesses were too. This victory made him a household name, and ensured the re-election of President Abraham Lincoln in November that year.
In fact General Sherman had a slightly scruffy beard, rather than being close-shaven. This seems to be another hint that Mrs Kim is not always honest about her antiques.
Flowers
$25 savings bond
Youth Hostel card
What Color is Your Parachute?, by Richard Nelson Bolles (a classic guide for job-seekers)
The Graduate on DVD, the 1967 film starring Dustin Hoffman
The Portable Nietzsche, by Friedrich Nietzsche, translated by Walter Kauffman
Application to join the army
Disposable camera
Pearl necklace in a velvet box
They are all traditional graduation gifts, and/or joke gifts. The camera actually ends up becoming an essential item. Lorelai never seems to consider how Sherry would feel about her boyfriend sending another woman flowers and jewellery.
EMILY: I scaled back a lot. I cut two appetizers, I canceled the champagne fountain, and I reduced the catering staff to six servers, not counting the pointman.
Technically a pointman is the head of a military patrol, or in the US, the word is used to mean the person who is at the forefront of a particular endeavour. I think Emily just means the pointman is the person who is coordinating the party and giving the servers instructions, solving any little problem that might come up.
The Annotated Gilmore Girls 