Tag: Relationship Insight

Out of Africa

LORELAI: Okay, last week we were talking about Meryl Streep and the whole accent thing, and Rachel said that she loved Out of Africa, but she’d never read the book, remember?
LUKE: Nope.
LORELAI: Okay, so I was like, “Are you crazy? Isak Dinesen is amazing, I love her.” Which is kind of crap because I’d never read the book either, but Rory told me it was amazing, so I felt pretty confident in my recommendation of Out of Africa.

Out of Africa is a 1937 memoir by Isak Dinesen, the pen name of Danish author Karen Blixen. It describes the seventeen years that Blixen spent in Kenya, then called British East Africa. It is a meditation on her life on her coffee plantation, and some of the people she encountered there.

The book is non-chronological in structure, and is notable for its melancholic, poetic style that is above all a tribute to the Africa she knew, and a world that had changed irretrievably. That she helped change it did not seem to make a strong impression on her, although her notes on the African people are understanding and accepting, and they admired her as wise and trustworthy.

It seems appropriate that Rory would enjoy Out of Africa. We know that she admires women writers, books on travel, memoir and autobiography, and works with a certain lyrical sadness to them – she likes things that make her feel “gloomy”.

Out of Africa was adapted into film in 1985, directed by Sydney Pollack, and starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford in the lead roles. The film has several differences from the book, and focuses on Karen Blixen’s love affair with a hunter named Denys Finch Hatton (an Englishman, although Robert Redford plays him with an American accent). Meryl Streep spent a lot of time listening to tapes of Karen Blixen speaking, and chose an old-fashioned, aristocratic accent for her character, which Sydney Pollack thought excessive; Streep is well known for her mastery of different accents.

Out of Africa was the #5 film of 1985 and won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and Best Director. Despite this, it received mixed reviews from critics.

The fact that Luke can’t remember a word of a conversation with Rachel doesn’t seem very promising for their relationship. As Out of Africa is in part about a doomed love affair, it is possible that Rachel may read something into the gift that Luke has “chosen” for her.

Lane and Dean

When she was with Rory, Lane told her that she had to meet her science partner to work on an assignment; now we learn that Dean is her science partner. They are studying spores, moulds, and fungi, which suggests a Biology class.

It is notable that Lane is able to work with Dean, and is reasonably polite and even friendly with him. She doesn’t treat Dean badly because he broke up with Rory, as others have done, or seem to have any problem with him.

From her observations of both, she may have decided it is quite likely that Rory and Dean will eventually get back together and she prudently doesn’t want to be the person who made an enemy of her best friend’s boyfriend. (She even raises the possibility with Dean, suggesting it is something she has thought about).

Another possibility is that Rory has told her, or at least hinted to her, that it isn’t entirely Dean’s fault that they broke up, and that he didn’t dump her on a whim, or do anything horribly cruel to her. Lane does seem to understand that Dean is not a monster, and perhaps knows that Rory has trouble with commitment.

Rory walks in on Lane and Dean studying together, and having a conversation about her behind her back. She didn’t know that it was Dean who was Lane’s science partner, and doesn’t cope well when she finds out this way.

Wild Kingdom

LORELAI: Ooh, hey, make a gorilla sound.
MAX: Why?
LORELAI: I want to play Wild Kingdom.

Lorelai is referring to the television program, previously discussed. It’s interesting that Lorelai links sex with Wild Kingdom, because last time this work was referenced, it was in connection with Luke (hypothetically) having sex with her. Becoming sexually aroused seems to have subconsciously reminded her of Luke.

“You look tired”

LORELAI: You look tired.
RORY: I just haven’t been sleeping very well lately.
LORELAI: How come?
RORY: Just have a lot on my mind.

It’s a few weeks since Rory and Dean ended their relationship, and she seemed to be coping pretty well. But perhaps that was just because she had a few distractions, such as a surprise visit from her great-grandmother, a group project to work on, spending an afternoon with her grandmother, and getting her own bedroom at her grandparents’ house.

Now that it’s back to normal life with nothing much happening, Rory is having trouble sleeping. When she sees Dean walk past the diner as she and Lorelai play a “who would you marry?” game with passers-by, Rory looks miserable.

Rachel’s Coffee

(They both take sips of coffee at the diner)
RORY: Huh. Does it taste different to you?
LORELAI: Yeah. It does.

Lorelai has convinced Luke to commit to Rachel, and now she is staying in Stars Hollow. Unfortunately, Lorelai and Rory notice that the coffee tastes different now that Rachel is making it. Uh oh – they need that special coffee as made by Luke!

Viewers can tell that Rachel probably won’t be staying around very long, because no way can the Gilmore girls go without their favourite coffee. It also suggests that, as Luke and Rachel are using the same coffee beans in the same machine, there is nothing particularly “special” about Luke’s coffee, and that what Lorelai and Rory really love is Luke himself.

Queen of Outer Space

This is the film that Lorelai and Rory go to see together, and which Luke and Rachel also attend on a date (another clue that Lorelai and Luke share an interest in vintage science fiction cinema). In the first shot showing the audience filing into the Black-White-Read Bookstore, you can see Todd is one of them; maybe he got a taste for vintage sci-fi at the film he went to with Lane (or is stalking Rory’s hot mother).

Queen of Outer Space is a 1958 science fiction film directed by Edward Bernds. It is about a group of astronauts who crash land on the planet Venus, and find it is run by a cruel Queen Yllana (Laurie Mitchell), who has banished men from the planet in disgust at their wars and violence. Zsa Zsa Gabor plays her courtier Talleah, a scientist who helps the astronauts, as the beautiful women of Venus wish the queen to be overthrown so they can enjoy the love of men as they did before.

Queen of Outer Space received very poor reviews, but is enjoyed as a campy, so-bad-that-it’s-good, fun B-Grade film.

“Some other reason?”

LORELAI: So here it is, right in front of you. Just take it. Take the plunge. She [Rachel] could be ready. Just jump in and believe her. Unless, you know, there’s some other reason you don’t want to [commit].
LUKE: Like what?
LORELAI: Like I … I don’t know.
LUKE: There’s no other reason.
LORELAI: Okay, well, fine. Then there’s no other reason.

Lorelai is giving Luke an opportunity to tell her, in private and on his own turf, that the reason he doesn’t want to commit to Rachel is because he has feelings for Lorelai. He fails to take this fairly generous hint, so they are left as friends.

It is unclear whether Lorelai is pushing Luke to commit to Rachel so he can recognise his true feelings for her, or because she wants him safely in a relationship so she can stop thinking about him, or whether, as his friend, she truly wants him to be happy. Maybe all three, although she thinks it’s the last one.

Rachel Shows Lorelai Luke’s Apartment

As a counterpart to Rory showing her grandmother the potting shed, Rachel shows Lorelai Luke’s apartment when she comes over. Like the potting shed, it was never designed to be used as living quarters (it was Luke’s father’s office for the hardware store), and is impractical for a couple to live in together. This shows an affinity between Luke and Lorelai – both will settle for a cheap, uncomfortable living space if they need to save money; both are willing to wait in order to reach long-term goals. (And how they wait!)

Lorelai is amused to discover that the supposedly curtain-hating Luke picked out some floral curtains for his own apartment. She is clearly very intrigued to see where Luke lives.

Working Girl

LORELAI (to Emily): I can’t picture you at Teriyaki Joe’s . . . or in jogging shoes. What’s up, working girl?

A possible reference to the 1988 romantic comedy-drama film Working Girl, directed by Mike Nichols and starring Melanie Griffiths in the lead role. The film is about a secretary who aspires be a Wall Street executive, and steps into her female boss’ role after having her ideas stolen. The film received excellent reviews, and won the Academy Award for Best Song (Let the River Run, sung by Carly Simon).

Maybe Lorelai is referring to Emily (literally) stepping into Lorelai’s shoes in order to bond with Rory. As usual, Lorelai dislikes the idea of her parents getting close to Rory – it must have annoyed her that this outing was all Rory’s idea, with Rory inviting her grandmother to spend the afternoon in Stars Hollow with her.