NEW SERIES! Since our eyes always flash and a smile spreads when a movie is referenced on a tv show we're watching, we've decided to make it a habit to share these cross-platform romances with you. Whenever we see one worth discussing, we'll share it. Here's Manuel on "Gilmore Girls."
There’s an entire series to be written about every single pop culture reference made in Amy Sherman-Palladino’s beloved mother/daughter TV show. It wouldn’t surprise me if there weren’t an entire Tumblr account devoted to it (there is!) and while I’ve been enjoying its availability on Netflix (I’m currently on a much needed rewatch), the recent news about its acquisition by UPtv had me thinking it’d make a great entry into TFE’s newest series.
As luck would have it, I didn’t even have to look hard to find a specific moment to talk about. Here are our pop culture junkies at the start of "A Deep Fried Thanksgiving" (S3:E9):
I like these women.
I love these women.
Lorelai and her daughter Lorelai (“Rory”) are talking about perhaps one of the most iconic mother/daughter pairings ever put on screen who, like them, also share a name: Edith "Big Edie" Ewing Bouvier Beale and Edith "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale, the subjects of Albert and David Maysles’s 1975 documentary, Grey Gardens.
Poor Edie!
Which Edie?
Little Edie! She’s just trying to sing and her mom won’t stop talking!
The scene, for those familiar with the chatty Gilmore gals (the show is known for its rat-at-tat quick-witted banter), is amusingly self-reflective. As they enjoy the Maysles’ documentary (a must-watch for any cinephile; I recommend making it a double feature with the HBO Jessica Lange/Drew Barrymore film of the same name), it dawns on mother and daughter that, those women on screen, so often accused of being crazy, are, in fact, beautiful. That, of course, is the greatest accomplishment of Albert and David Maysles, whose empathetic camera lovingly captures the allure of the recluse mother/daughter pair. But the big elephant in the room, and the obvious punchline to this cold open comes as these Stars Hollow residents realize why they find the Edies so familiar:
Something beautiful about them, though! They’re cool, they’re free.
Yea and they’re memorable. Most people are very forgettable. And they’re happy.
They had their cats.
And their raccoons.
And their pretty house.
And each other.
Add a few years and they’re us!
Yea…
I love seeing the change in their reactions as what they're saying sinks in. Most of the time, Lorelai and Rory throw pop culture references off-handedly underscoring their shared language which is inscrutable to everyone around them, but I love that every once in a while it actually informs their character. Plus, any TV show that spends an entire scene on Grey Gardens deserves all of our love.