Season 1, Episode 1
"Pilot"
Pop culture references and jokes explained in order of appearance! Follow along as you watch the episode (spoilers!).
The episode opens with There She Goes by The La's. The song is commonly associated with the show.
Joey, the guy hitting on Lorelai says "Just passing through on my way to Hartford" to which she replies “You’re a regular Jack Kerouac”.
Jack Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. His 1957 novel On the Road is based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States. He does not seem to get the joke!
Later, Lorelai pulls a lot of makeup out of her bag and Rory remarks “RuPaul doesn’t need this much makeup”.
RuPaul, of course, being the famous American drag queen who would later go on to produce, host and judge RuPaul's Drag Race.
Macy Gray, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. The CD they are reffering to is of the album On How Life Is (1999).
The theme song of the show is Where You Lead a song written in 1970 by Carole King with lyricist Toni Stern, introduced on King's iconic 1971 album Tapestry. The version of the song used is a duet with Carole's daughter, Louise Goffin.
The class is reading Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a novel by American author Mark Twain published in 1884. It is considered one of the Great American Novels by many.
Rory looks at the plaid skirt her mother gave her and says "I'm gonna be in a Britney Spears video?". Britney Spears wears a schoolgirl uniform in the music video of ...Baby One More Time. The outfit is considered to be one of Spears's most iconic looks as well as amongst the hallmarks of pop culture!
Small line, but Lorelai remarks "There are several chapters from a Stephen King novel I'd reenact before I'd resort to that option", the option being asking her parents for money. Stephen King, nicknamed the "King of Horror" is an American author. The genres of his novels include horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy.
When Dean is standing next to her silent, Rory exclaims "God! You're like Ruth Gordon just standing there with the tannis root. Make a noise". In their first interaction, Dean catches the reference and replies "Rosemary's Baby". Rosemary's Baby is a 1968 American psychological horror film written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on Ira Levin's 1967 novel of the same name. The actress Ruth Gordon plays Minnie Castevet.
Moby-Dick is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. Madame Bovary is a novel by French writer Gustave Flaubert, published in 1856.
Lorelai tells Rory “You’ll have to walk faster than that. You’re gonna have to turn into freaking Flo-Jo to get away from me!”
Florence Joyner also known as Flo-Jo, was an American track and field athlete and the fastest recorded woman of all time. She set world records in 1988 for the 100m and 200m. During the late 1980s, she became a popular figure due to both her record-setting athleticism and eclectic personal style.
While they’re in a fight, Lorelai jokes “Aw, you’re not gonna give me the mommy dearest treatment forever, are ya?”
The phrase "mommy dearest" is most commonly associated with the 1981 film Mommie Dearest, which is based on the 1978 autobiography of the same name written by Christina Crawford. The book and film detail Christina's difficult and allegedly abusive relationship with her mother, actress Joan Crawford. Since the film's release, the phrase "mommy dearest" has become a popular way to describe a difficult or controlling mother.
Nick at Nite (stylized as nick@nite) is an American night time programming block broadcast by the American cable channel Nickelodeon.
The episode closes with the song My Little Corner of The World sang by Kit Pongetti.
