SENATOR BOXER: Uh, Paris, do you know Republican Congressman Doug Ose from California? You don’t? Great. You two will have so much to talk about.
Douglas “Doug” Ose (born 1955), businessman and politician who served as the US representative for California’s 3rd congressional district from 1999 to 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. One of the wealthiest members of Congress, he was an enthusiastic supporter of tax cuts. Like Barbara Boxer, he is from California where Gilmore Girls was filmed, and likewise portrays himself in this episode.
PARIS: Or hey, hook up Freddie Prinze Jr. with Colin Powell …
Frederick “Freddie” Prinze Jr (born 1976), actor, television and film producer, and screenwriter. He has starred in films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), She’s All That (1999), and Scooby-Doo (2002). He had a role in sitcomFriends in 2002, and later had his own sitcom called Freddie (2005-06). He is the son of comedian and actor Freddie Prinze, and is married to actress Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Colin Powell (1937-2021) [pictured], politician, statesman, diplomat, and army officer who served as the 65th US Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African-American Secretary of State. A popular figure, Powell was sometimes considered as a potential candidate for the presidency. In later life, he turned against the Republican Party, and supported Hillary Clinton‘s and President Biden’s presidential campaigns, disavowing himself from the party completely after the attacks on the Capitol in 2021.
PARIS: I mean, why not just send Carson Daly over to the Middle East next time Cheney goes, huh?
Carson Daly (born 1973), radio and television personality. He was a VJ on MTV’s Total Request Live, and a DJ for the southern Californian radio station 106.7 KROQ-FM. In 2002, he joined NBC as the host and producer of late night talk show Last Call With Carson Daly.
Richard “Dick” Cheney (born 1941) [pictured], politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the US from 2001 to 2009 under president George W. Bush. Cheney, often cited as the most powerful vice president in American history, ended his tenure as an unpopular figure in American politics, partly due to an incident where he accidentally shot an acquaintance while hunting. In 2007, the Taliban claimed an assassination attempt on Cheney while he was visiting Afghanistan. Dick Cheney, a Yale alumnus, is currently the oldest living former US vice president.
PARIS: I mean, come on, Senator Boxer, as one of our foremost Democratic leaders, I ask you – do you really think it looks good to have the American Secretary of the Treasury traveling around with Bono? I mean, I know apparently he’s a saint, he’s going to save the world, yada, yada, yada, but my God! He never even takes the sunglasses off.
Paris refers to Paul H. O’Neill (1935-2020) economist and government official who served as the 72nd US secretary of the treasury from January 2001 to December 2002. He was known for his outspoken manner, which would eventually see him sacked in December 2002 for his public disagreements with the Bush administration.
In May 2002, O’Neill visited Africa with Irish rock star Bono (born Paul Hewson in 1960), to draw attention to its poverty. Bono is the frontman for band U2, frequently mentioned as one of Lorelai and Rory’s favourite bands. Since 1984, Bono had been involved in efforts to raise funding in aid of Africa, and in 1999 became a lobbyist in Washington DC on behalf of non-profit campaigns to raise awareness of Africa’s plight. He is known as one of the world’s best-known philanthropic performers.
Bono is known for always wearing dark glasses. In 2005, he revealed that his eyes were extremely sensitive to light, and in 2014 that the sensitivity was caused by glaucoma.
PARIS: I mean, come on, Senator Boxer, as one of our foremost Democratic leaders …
Paris is speaking to Barbara Boxer (born Barbara Levy in 1940), politician and lobbyist who served in the US Senate, representing California (where Gilmore Girls was filmed) from 1993 to 2017, as a member of the Democratic Party. She was known for having one of the most progressive voting records in Congress. Her daughter Nicole married Tony Rodham, the younger brother of Hillary Clinton in 1994, at the first White House wedding since 1971.
At 4 foot 11 inches in height, Barbara Boxer was one of the shortest members of Congress, sometimes standing on a portable platform to address the chamber – this became known as the “Boxer Box”.
Barbara Boxer portrays herself in this episode. She had previously played herself in cameo roles on Murphy Brown in 1994, and in the film Traffic in 2000. She went on to do so again in Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2007.
Jackson is referring to actress and singer Judy Garland, previously discussed and frequently mentioned, and her husband Vincente Minnelli, born Lester Minnelli (1903-1986). A director of theatre and film, he directed famous films such as Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), An American in Paris (1951), and Gigi (1958). He was married to Judy Garland from 1945 to 1951, and they are the parents of actress and singer Liza Minnelli.
Despite Vincente being married to three other women during his life, and having affairs with women, for years there was speculation that he was gay or bisexual. His biographer, Emanuel Levy, claims that Vincente Minnelli was openly gay in New York, according to stories from people such as Dorothy Parker. However, if so, he seems to have gone back in the closet when he went to Hollywood.
One of the subplots of this episode is Sookie suddenly deciding that her house is too “feminine” for a man to live in now that she is married – even though Jackson was already living with her before their wedding, and has said again and again that he likes the house the way it is. Also, Sookie’s house is warm, cosy, and practical, rather than fussy and frilly.
The same thing happened during the wedding planning, when Sookie unilaterally decided that pink wedding decorations were some sort of hostile message to Jackson that his opinions weren’t important. (We only see a bit of the wedding decorations, but there seems to be some pink, among many other colours, so I’m not sure if she changed her mind or not).
Sookie and Jackson were a very cute couple for most of their courtship, but, as happened many other times in Gilmore Girls, they became almost instantly annoying once they got married. This is the first of several tiresome marital issues (or non-issues?) that they have.
Note that once again, a man liking curtains is linked to him being considered “unmanly” – Luke refused to get curtains for the diner because they were too feminine, but when Lorelai went to his apartment, she is amused to discover he had picked out floral curtains for himself. Oddly enough, the diner already has checked curtains …?
PARIS: [sleep talking] I did not have sexual relations with that woman.
Paris refers to the Clinton-Lewinsky sex scandal, involving then-President Bill Clinton (born William Blythe III in 1946) and 24-year-old White House intern Monica Lewinsky (born 1973), which took place in 1998. Their sexual relationship lasted between 1995 and 1997.
Clinton ended a televised speech in late January 1998 with the statement that he “did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky”. Further investigation led to charges of perjury and to the impeachment of Bill Clinton in 1998 by the US House of Representatives. He was subsequently acquitted on all impeachment charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in a US. Senate trial.
Harry Thomason worked as an image consultant during the scandal, ending up testifying before the Lewinsky Grand Jury. This seems to be why Paris mentions him during her dream argument – she appears to be having an argument about the Lewinsky scandal, although whether she is supporting either party in the case is unclear.
RORY: We have a breakfast mixer with members of Congress and the Senate.
LORELAI: Cool. See if you can steal me something off of Tom Daschle’s fruit plate.
Thomas “Tom” Daschle (born 1947), politician and lobbyist, a US Senator from South Dakota from 1987 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he became U.S. Senate Minority Leader in 1995 and later the Majority Leader in 2001.
One small thing: Rory refers to their organised event as a “breakfast mixer”, but later on the sign at the event calls it a “brunch”.
PARIS: [sleep talking in background] Woodward . . . Bernstein . . . Harry Thomason. LORELAI: Is that Paris?
RORY: Yeah, she talks in her sleep . . . long in-depth arguments.
Paris references Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, previously mentioned, the journalists who broke the story of Richard Nixon and Watergate.
Harry Thomason (born 1940) [pictured], film and television director and producer, best known for the sitcom Designing Women (1986-1993). Thomason and his wife, Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, are close friends with former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, the former Secretary of State, playing a major role in President Clinton’s election campaign. He produced a glowing biographical film called The Man From Hope, the centrepiece of the 1992 Democratic National Convention. Thomason served as co-chairman of the 1992 Presidential Inauguration Committee.
It is not completely clear whether Paris is arguing with Woodward, Bernstein, and Thomason in her dreams, or if she is quoting them in support of her dream arguments. I think the second?
LORELAI: You’re gone and the house is quiet and Bill Maher’s canceled. The name of the show was Politically Incorrect for God’s sake. Didn’t anybody read the title? He was supposed to say those things, dammit!
William “Bill” Maher (born 1956), comedian, actor, political commentator, and television host. He is known for his political satire and sociopolitical commentary, and his activism in support of animal rights and the legalisation of cannabis.
He hosted the award-winning late-night political talk show Politically Incorrect from 1993 to 2002; it was cancelled in June, with the final episode airing on July 5th. Many traced the show’s demise to comments Maher had made about the 9/11 attacks, where he disputed President George W. Bush’s claim that the attackers were cowards. Maher suggested that it was rather US policymakers who were the cowards. After this the show struggled to gain sponsorship. The show was replaced with Live! With Jimmy Kimmel.
In February 2003, Bill Maher began hosting a similar late-night show called Real Time with Bill Maher, which is still ongoing, so Lorelai only has six months before she can start watching this show instead.
The Annotated Gilmore Girls 