Jess writes some of the lyrics to this song by English punk rock band The Clash on a notepad for Rory, who correctly identifies it – thus passing one of Jess’ “tests” to see if she’s worthy.
“Guns of Brixton” is from the 1979 album, London Calling. It was written and sung by the band’s bassist, Paul Simonon, who grew up in Brixton in South London, and has a strong reggae influence, reflecting the culture of the area. It predates the race riots which took place in Brixton in the 1980s, but depicts the discontent of the area due to economic factors and heavy-handed policing against black youth.
The lyrics begin:
When they kick at your front door How you gonna come? With your hands on your head Or on the trigger of your gun?
When the law break in How you gonna go? Shot down on the pavement Or waiting on death row?
After this point, the phrase “guns of Brixton” becomes used so often that it would be immediately apparent which song it is, so I presume Jess showed Rory the first stanza or the first two stanzas. It looks as if he has written the first two stanzas on the notepad, but I can’t see it very clearly.
RORY: Listen, just in case, and I don’t think he will, but if Dean calls, will you tell him I’m with Lane? ….
LORELAI: How come I have to lie to Dean?
Lorelai balks at lying to Dean, and suggests to Rory that if she feels as if she needs to lie to Dean about tutoring Jess, then maybe she shouldn’t be tutoring him. Yet when Rory lost her bracelet, Lorelai encouraged her to lie to Dean. Has she realised the error of her ways, or is she simply being sulky and stubborn, and trying to stop Rory spending the evening alone with Jess?
Lorelai says that if Rory needs to lie about Jess, maybe she shouldn’t tutor him. She never considers saying that if Rory is too frightened to be honest with Dean, then maybe she shouldn’t be with him.
RORY: Oh yeah, that’s Marty. He’s subbing for Dean while he’s out of town.
Dean is suddenly visiting his grandmother out of town in this episode – doesn’t he have to attend school? Considering how upset Dean was at the end of the last episode, it’s possible he has gone to stay with his grandmother to have a break from Stars Hollow and Rory, or to think things through.
[Lorelai pulls up to the house and finds Dean sitting on her front porch]
LORELAI: Dean.
DEAN: She likes Jess, doesn’t she?
Dean has done what Lorelai suggested, and only sent Rory one pager message in two days – presumably the one she gets as they drive into Stars Hollow is to ask how the Business Fair went, and he is considerate enough to wait until Rory is likely back from her grandparents’ place.
Lorelai suggests that Rory should call Dean back, as a tacit reward for his “good behaviour”, but Rory says she’ll call him the next day. She’s heading over to spend time with Lane, and they might even sneak out to Luke’s. Mrs Kim is away at an antiques fair, and Lane’s grandmother, who must be Mrs Kim senior, her father’s mother, is babysitting, but conveniently goes to bed at 6 pm – this might explain other times Lane has mysteriously been able to go out late at night, such as Madeline’s party.
Lorelai returns home alone to find Dean sitting on their porch, waiting for Rory. (So much for not turning up uninvited any more!). Seeing that Rory isn’t with her mother, a depressed Dean gives voice to his worst fears as he says, “She likes Jess, doesn’t she?”.
He understands what Rory has not given herself permission to feel. And yet, despite knowing that Rory’s affections are now otherwise engaged, he continues to try to hold onto her, in exactly the same way that Lorelai told him he shouldn’t.
MICHEL: Now she knows I’ve been hiding something from her. Suddenly she’s asking questions. Why did I leave France at eighteen? Where do I go at night? Who are my friends? What do they do? Where do they live? Why have I chosen this career? On and on and on and on – it never ends! I can’t stand it, she’s a complete pain. She won’t stop. I took a six hour bath last night just to escape the incessant nagging. You did this to me! You turned my Giselle into a mother, and I hate you for it! I hate you very, very much! [leaves]
SOOKIE: So, feel better now?
LORELAI: Yeah, I do, thanks.
Lorelai is jealous of Michel and Giselle’s relationship as both a daughter, unable to spend time with Emily as Michel does with his mother, but more importantly, jealous and possessive as a parent. She has to ruin things for Michel because only Lorelai and Rory can have the “perfect” mother-and-child-yet-best-friends relationship. Sookie’s question suggests that she understands Lorelai’s feelings (although perhaps doesn’t approve of them), and has seen this coming.
MADELINE: Okay, well, first we go for the obvious – magazines.
LOUISE: You know, Teen, Young Miss, Seventeen.
MADELINE: Spin and Rolling Stone, especially to hit the guys.
RICHARD: I hear that Jane magazine also has a young, hip following.
Teen, a lifestyle magazine for teenage, published from 1954 to 2009. The magazine included articles on technology, celebrity role models, advice, quizzes, beauty and fashion, and personal essays by readers.
Young Miss, a magazine for girls which began in 1932 and ended in 2004; it was the oldest girl’s magazine in the US during its run. It began as two magazines in the 1930s called Compact (for older teens), and Calling All Girls (for younger girls). They merged into Young Miss in the 1960s, then the name changed to Young & Modern in the 1980s, before becoming Your Magazine in 2000, although known as YM in all these cases. For some reason, Louise refers to it by its 1960s title, possibly because Your Magazine might be confusing for viewers.
Seventeen, bimonthly teen magazine aimed at 13-19 year old females, published in New York City since 1944. At first providing girls with working-woman models, and information about self-development, it gained more focus on fashion and romance, but still attempts to instil self-confidence in girls. Sylvia Plath had her first short story published in Seventeen in 1950. The magazine’s cover that month featured a story on Chad Michael Murray, who had played Tristan on Gilmore Girls.
Spin, music magazine published from 1985 to 2012. It had a focus on college rock, grunge, indie rock, and hip-hop, providing an alternative to the more establishment Rolling Stone magazine. It provided extensive coverage of punk, new wave, world music, electronica, experimental jazz, and the underground scene, as well as non-mainstream cultural phenomena such as manga, monster trucks, Twin Peaks, the AIDS crisis, and outsider art. It continues to be published online.
Rolling Stone, monthly magazine focusing on music, politics, and popular culture, founded in San Francisco in 1967, but moving to New York City in 1977. From the beginning, it identified with the hippie counterculture, but distanced itself from the more radical elements and aimed for a more conventional journalism than the underground music press of the time. Hunter S. Thompson was one of its early journalists, and they covered major stories, such as the Patricia Hearst abduction, Charles Manson murders, and NASA space program.
Jane, previously discussed. This is now the third mention of the magazine. Even Richard has heard of it, slightly unbelievably! Perhaps it was research for the Business Fair project.
Rory is amazed that when she and the other students arrive at the Gilmore home in Hartford, Paris is already there, and greeting them as if it is her house. She and Richard clearly hit it off, and she seems to easily fit in with his plans and expectations, taking a prominent role as if she has indeed usurped Rory’s position as both group leader and granddaughter – although Richard is quick to remind everyone of Rory’s status.
This is an early hint that Paris has an affinity with older men – something which will become apparent later.
Rory says that the meeting takes place soon after 3.10 pm, but the school day doesn’t finish until 4.05 pm. This suggests that they are working during class time, even though they are meeting at Richard’s house. I’m not sure how they got permission for that, or if they even bothered to get permission. Maybe Emily fixed it up, since she is friends with Headmaster Charleston’s wife, Bitty.
GISELLE: I am. I will miss him so much when I go home, but thank goodness, he will have an extra five pounds to remember me by after eating all my pasta today, that dirty thieving boy.
LORELAI: Michel ate pasta?
GISELLE: Well, yes. Michel loves pasta, he eats it all the time.
LORELAI: Not around us. Here it’s all no-carb, low-cal, let me see if I can eat less than the lab rats do.
Michel and his mother Giselle are having a wonderful time together treating themselves to luxurious meals, and there must surely be some malice involved when Lorelai decides to “out” Michel as a fad dieter to his mother (it feels like a subtitute for a different kind of “outing”, and just as much of a betrayal).
When Michel and his mother leave together laughing and joking over coffee, Lorelai looks utterly disgusted by them, and mutters, “That is so wrong”. It seems that it’s wrong for any other mother to befriend her child and joke with them while pigging out and drinking coffee!
Louise – a lipstick tracking device (rejected as not unisex enough)
Madeline – locker robot to help with homework and carry stuff (rejected as too complex)
Paris – flashy locker first aid kits
Richard says that he loves Paris’ idea, and Rory, as group leader, immediately accepts it as the product they are running with. We never get to hear Brad and Chip’s ideas, which seems rather unfair. Neither of them protest though. Probably because they’re too frightened of Paris.
In this episode we meet Michel’s mother, Giselle, who is visiting from Paris. She and Michel adore each other, and are “best friends” mother and son, who love to tease and joke with each other, using a banter that sounds like something out of a Noel Coward play.
This makes them seem quite similar to Lorelai and Rory, who are also self-proclaimed “best friends” with a comic patter between them. Janet Hubert is only fourteen years older than Yanic Truesale, suggesting she is supposed to be a very young glamorous mother like Lorelai.
Michel addresses his mother by her first name at one point, and you can hear the French pronunciation of it – ZEE-ZEHL. Giselle may have possibly been named with the French ballet Giselle in mind, one of the world’s most popular classical ballets.
The Annotated Gilmore Girls 