Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls was a television series that focused on the life of a single mother raising her teenage daughter. Lorelai, the mother and Rory, the daughter spoke rapidly and frequently would give an allusion that members of the audience may or may not pick up on.

The series first started with what is now referred to as a “Gilmore-ism” in the first scene. Lorelai is getting hit on by a young man who says he is just passing through town. Her response is, “You’re a regular Jack Kerouac”. Her response has a double meaning, the first being that if the young man did not know to what Lorelai was referring to, he did not stand a chance with her. Another meaning would be that the young man said that he was just passing through town and Jack Kerouac is best known for his novel On the Road; a novel which is based on Kerouac’s travels across the United States.

Later in the same episode, Lorelai dumps out her purse which is filled with an enormous amount of make up. In response to the hefty amount of make up that her mother carries with her, Rory says, “God! RuPaul doesn’t need this much makeup!” RuPaul is a drag queen from the 1990s, he was later hired my MAC cosmetics and became the first drag supermodel. Rory is saying that even a model for a cosmetic company does not need as much makeup as Lorelai.

In season six, Sookie, who is the best friend of Lorelai’s and works as a chef, says, “Needs more garlic. Come on. Godfather it up for me”. She is referring to the movie the Godfather. The Godfather is about an Italian mob family, who is of Italian heritage. Italian food usually has a lot of garlic which brings us back to Sookie wanting more garlic added to the dish that she is preparing.

Later in the sixth season, Lorelai is having a fight with her boyfriend Luke. During the fight she says, “Oh my God! Enjoy Wisteria Lane, you major drama queen!” She is referring to the nighttime television show “Desperate Housewives”. The women on this show are famous for being dramatic women who bicker about various different issues that are of no importance. Lorelai is telling Luke that he is trying to fight with her about issues of little importance.

In the last episode of the series, Rory and her best friend, Lane are reminiscing about how much the two of them have accomplished in the years they have been friends. Rory says to her friend, “We’ve come a long way baby”. This is a reference to the Virginia Slims cigarette ads from the 1960s to the 1980s. The cigarettes were marketed during a feminist era where women were accomplishing great strides in the world. Rory is saying to Lane that the two of them have accomplished great things in the lifetime of their friendship.

Gilmore Girls was a show that had the viewers constantly on their toes. With the swift dialogue and the many references to pop culture and other random things, it made the viewer constantly searching in the stores of his or her memory for what the characters are referring to. Each episode can be watched multiple times while looking for the allusions that are lurking underneath the conversation.