(Gilmore Girls fan site)The plot originates with a teen mom; we know how that usually ends up, and it doesn’t look like Lorelai’s life. Lorelai’s happy ending is the exception, but even accepting that, we join the ride only once the hard part is over; we see Lorelai’s happy ending: perfect daughter, fulfilling job, nice home, warm support network. We “missed” the beginning: runaway teen mom with no safety net, working as a hotel maid and at the same time dealing with a baby, living in a potting shed: What we see is the sanitized TV version.
My other teeny weeny criticism is that I’m surprised that Rory’s admission into Chilton isn’t somehow the work of Emily and Richard scheming behind the scenes. It would make perfect sense to me if Lorelai had attended Chilton and somehow, through some legacy policy, Rory was eligible to attend too IF she could come up with tuition. This would’ve been a good lead-in, no?
The other point you make about Rory getting into Chilton… Yeah, I can see how Emily would want to interfere in any way she can. And in fact, she does so, on Rory’s first day of school. “This gave me a chance to make sure that Hanlin here takes good care of Rory. Hanlin’s wife and I are on the symphony fundraising committee together.” And then, “I’m allowed to pay for it, but I can’t actually set foot on the premises. I just want to get the rules straight.”
Of course, this is why Lorelai excluded her parents from every aspect of her and Rory’s life for 15 years. I imagine she did a pretty good job of it if Emily didn’t pull strings to get Rory into Chilton. From what we can tell, Emily and Richard didn’t even know Rory was even applying to Chilton until after she had been accepted.
-TimK
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Lorelai Pregnant at 16
Hi, merez. Yeah, I’ve noticed it, though not in the same way. When I first saw the pilot and the first episodes, I was dismayed that Lorelai refused to marry Christopher. I mean, here she was pregnant and 16, but at least her family was willing to get them started on the right foot. My wife was not pregnant when we got married, but my family was supportive and made sure we got us started on the right foot. I always felt that was valuable and meaningful. And I was put off that Lorelai our heroine would defend having refused that help.
But that was before I met Christopher or got to know the elder Gilmores. By the time of “Dear Emily and Richard,” I understood perfectly where Lorelai was coming from. That’s still one of my favorite episodes, BTW, for the cinematography as much as for the writing and everything else.
And those early years showed through sometimes, too. For example, in “Secrets and Loans,” when the girls have a termite problem and they don’t know how they’re going to pay for it. And Lorelai tells Rory they’re not going to Richard and Emily. She did that for Rory’s school, but that was an exception. And at Friday night dinner, Rory tells Emily about their termite troubles. So later, Lorelai yells at Rory, and they have a huge fight. Finally Rory apologizes, and Lorelai explains:
So, yeah, we see the “after” picture. But I don’t think I’d call it the “sanitized TV version.” And I don’t believe Amy Sherman-Palladino would “self-sanitize,” either, considering her work on Roseanne and her upcoming work on The Return of Jezebel James. Those are both unsanitary shows. Family shows, perhaps, but unsanitary nonetheless.