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Gilmore Girls S1, E2, "The Lorelais' First Day at Chilton": Pop Culture Rewatch
Episode 2 • 19th September 2025 • Friday Night Readers: Pop Culture Rewatch of Gilmore Girls • Friday Night Readers
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Welcome to Gilmore Girls S1, E2, "The Lorelais' First Day at Chilton": Pop Culture Rewatch ! In this podcast episode, I share the books and pop culture referenced when Rory started at Chilton.

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Books, Pop Culture, and Other Mentions:

Full show notes for Gilmore Girls S1, E2, "The Lorelais' First Day at Chilton": Pop Culture Rewatch

Time Stamps:

  • 01:46 What Happened in Stars Hollow
  • 04:20 The Gilmores' World of Books
  • 08:17 Oy With the Pop Culture Already
  • 13:28 Book Tease

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About Friday Night Readers: Pop Culture Rewatch of Gilmore Girls :

Friday Night Readers: Pop Culture Rewatch of Gilmore Girls is an unofficial pop culture rewatch of Gilmore Girls hosted by Friday Night Readers. We dive deep into each episode, featuring the Gilmores’ world of books, as well as their fast talk. Oy, with the pop culture already! Learn what the Gilmores are actually talking about, so you can read and live more like them as you rewatch. Life’s short; read fast!

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Transcripts

Speaker:

Welcome to Friday Night Readers,

an unofficial pop culture

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rewatch of Gilmore Girls.

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We dive deep on each episode featuring

the Gilmore's world of books, as

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well as their fast talk or with the

pop culture already learn what the

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Gilmores are actually talking about so

you can read and live more like them.

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Life's short read and rewatch fast.

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Hi, Friday, Night readers.

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We did it, y'all.

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We passed the first episode hump.

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Before we dive into episode two of Gilmore

Girls, I'd like to take a moment to thank

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our early listeners, first, Laura from

the What to Read Next Podcast and blog

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has been so instrumental in helping me

and cheering me along in this effort.

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I recently appeared on an episode

of her podcast sharing books like

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Gilmore Girls, so I'll link to that in

the show notes for you to check out.

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Next.

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We have some early reviews from longtime

friends and followers of my work.

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Meg of the podcast, Meg's reading

room, who said, our show is quote

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better than Emily's Christmas, apple

Tarts, which was extra sweet because

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I told her on her podcast, it's the

one Gilmore food I'm dying to eat.

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I'll link that episode

in the show notes too.

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Sarah said this podcast is quote,

the best of the best and is always

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so kind and supportive of my work.

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Bookish Gina, another longtime supporter,

is looking forward to spending her Friday

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nights listening to Friday Night readers.

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If you like the show, please

subscribe, rate, and review like

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Laura, Meg, Sarah, and Gina, or

forward it to a Gilmore Loving friend.

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Your support helps me bring more

and better content like this to you.

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Okay, now let's escape to Stars Hollow.

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Here's what happened in Stars Hollow

in season one, episode two, the

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Lorelei's first Day at Chilton.

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This episode begins with the memorable

scene from the opening credits in which

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Lorelei paints Rory's toenails showing

their intimate mother-daughter connection.

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Then on Rory's first day at Chilton

Lorelai oversleep on account of a

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mishap with a fuzzy purring alarm clock.

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Rory's totally losing it

because she doesn't wanna be

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labeled the quote late girl.

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And as a fellow goody two shoes,

I totally identify with her.

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We all know what happens next.

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Lorelei's clothes are all dirty and

she's forced to drive Rory to school in

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her daisy Dukes cowboy boots, and a tie

dye top like she's going to the rodeo.

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She attempts to cover it with a

peacoat, but Emily, who shows up at

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the headmaster's office, forces her

to take it off to everyone's horror.

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Lorelai heads to Luke's where

he scolds both her appearance

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and her coffee habit, trying to

persuade her to opt for herbal tea.

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Here she says, one of her most famous

lines, this is a jumbo coffee morning.

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I need coffee in an IV I currently

own and will link in the show

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notes the cutest pillow with

the Luke's logo and this quote.

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If it's sold out, try eBay.

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Personally, I'm a jumbo coffee

in the morning and an herbal

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tea at night kind of gal.

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But how about you let me know in

our chat thread on the topic on

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Friday night, readers.substack.com

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back at Chilton in class, Rory

quickly learns she's not in Kansas.

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That is Stars Hollow anymore.

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Not only is the classwork demanding,

but so too are her classmates.

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The reigning lead of her class, Paris

Geller, played by Liza Weil originally

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considered for Rory's role is none

too pleased with her new competition.

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And ladies man, Tristin Dugay played

by Chad Michael Murray mocks Rory by

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calling her Mary like the virgin mother.

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Emily then sends Mick a DSL installer

to Lorelei's house without permission

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to try to have her way in setting

Rory up for academic success.

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He's played by none other than Sean Gunn,

who later plays the recurring character.

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Kirk wanna know what's

up with his name change.

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I'll get to that in a later episode.

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So stay tuned.

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By the end of the day, Lorelei

picks Rory up at Chilton with

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coffee in a more appropriate outfit.

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And the two commiserate about their bad

first day, the Gilmore's world of books.

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Let's break down this episode's most

iconic literary references for those

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taking the Rory Gilmore Reading

Challenge with us on Friday night.

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Readers dot substack.com

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where we read from the list of books

mentioned on Gilmore Girls First, when

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Lorelai looks for a hunchback in Chilton's

Bell Tower, she's referring to the

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Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo.

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This story follows Quasimodo,

the deformed Bell Ringer of

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Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral.

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Whose devotion to the Gypsy

Esmeralda offers themes of love,

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fate, and social injustice.

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It was also a popular Oscar nominated

:

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Rory quickly learns about the classics,

Leo Tolstoy's, war and Peace, anna

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karenina and Charles Dickens's.

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David Copperfield.

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Great Expectations, A Tale of

Two Cities and Little Dorrit.

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Dickens' influence on Tolstoy

is heavily discussed at Chilton.

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Now that's a lot of books, so I'm just

going to focus on a few important notes.

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First, while I've never read David

Copperfield, I absolutely loved

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Barbara Kingsolver's Adaptation Demon

Copperhead, which retells the story

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of a boy growing up impoverished

in modern Appalachia in America.

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It's an all time favorite.

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But don't just take my word for it.

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It won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction

and the Women's prize for fiction,

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and it was an Oprah's book club

Pick an instant bestseller and a

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New York Times reader's pick for the

top 100 books of the 21st century.

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This is absolutely a Rory book

and would pair so well with a

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reading of David Copperfield.

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Now we simply must talk about Anna

Karenina, a book we will see and hear more

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about throughout Gilmore Girls, as it's

considered to be Rory's favorite book.

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This 800 page Russian behemoth follows

the love affair between the aristocratic

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Anna and the Officer Vronsky set

against the Rigid 19th Century Society.

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The parallel story of landowner

Levin, explores themes of family,

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faith, and the search for meaning.

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Offering a counterpoint to Anna's story.

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This classic book is long and hard, but

worth it from its famous opening line.

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Its intense family drama and the ill faded

love story at its core, raise the state

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for the classic reader a few reading tips.

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First try the Oprah's Book club

edition, which won the pen book

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of the month, translation prize.

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Read it slowly and alongside a

guide I use SparkNotes, which really

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helped me understand how Russian

history intersected with the plot.

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Watch an adaptation like the Keira

Knightley version, which I thought was

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very good, for read a modern retelling.

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I recommend Anna K by Jenny Lee,

which has gossip girl vibes.

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I'll link my full Anna Karenina

review in the show notes for you.

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Next.

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Ms.

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Patty tells her students that the

new Harry Potter is on their heads.

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You better believe I figured

this one out for you.

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The episode aired on October 12th,

:

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of Fire by JK Rowling was published just

th,:

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It's the fourth book in the Harry

Potter series in which Harry is

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unexpectedly chosen to compete

in the Triwizard Tournament.

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This for me, is when the Harry

Potter series, both the books and the

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movies begins to take a darker turn.

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Curious about every single book

mentioned in this Gilmore Girls episode?

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Even the obscure references most

people miss, like Lorelei's quote

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off with their heads and the many

other authors referenced at Chilton.

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Head to this episode's page at

Friday night, readers.substack.com.

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When you upgrade to a paid membership,

you'll get full printable episode

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guides for every Gilmore Girls episode.

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And the printable Gilmore Girls inspired

reading Journal perfect for tracking

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your own Rory inspired reading journey.

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Oi with the pop culture already.

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Now, because I want you to understand

even more of the Gilmore Girls fast talk.

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Here's what some of this episode's best

pop culture references mean fashion.

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This episode gives us the

most recognizable Lorelei

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Gilmore outfit, Daisy Duke.

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Jean Shorts.

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Cowboy boots and a pink tie dyed

shirt covered by a long black coat.

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Every fall, I post my ideas for this

particular Lorelai Gilmore costume, which

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I will link in the show notes, and every

year it's a bestseller, particularly

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the Luke's Disposable Coffee Cups.

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I don't know what it is about these cups,

but they are my number one bestseller.

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Every Halloween Lorelei's laundry snafu

got me thinking about outfit mishaps.

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I asked my social media followers if

they ever had such a Lorelai moment,

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and I heard tales of completely

mismatched sandals looking homeless in

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front of a quote, hot doctor wearing

a cheer uniform under your workwear.

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I've had to do that too as a teen,

and even wearing full blown cocktail

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attire to a company event that was as

casual as sweatpants for everyone else.

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Personally, my mom loves to tell the story

of when I told her as a first grader that

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Wednesday was a quote half day, but I

had a lisp, so she thought I said, quote

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hat day, HAT, and sent me to my little

Catholic school in a giant sombrero.

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Thanks, mom.

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TV and movies outfitted in her rodeo.

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Getup.

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Lorelai says quote, I look like

that chick from the Dukes of Hazard.

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The Dukes of Hazard is an

American action comedy TV series

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that aired from 1979 to 1985.

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It's set in the fictional Hazard

County Georgia, and follows cousins

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Bo and Luke Duke, who drive their

iconic orange Dodge Charger.

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The General Lee, while clashing

with the Corrupt County Commissioner

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and the Bumbling Sheriff lorelei's

reference is to Daisy duke.

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Bo and Luke's cousin known for

her iconic cutoff denim shorts.

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Yes.

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This is where the term

Daisy Dukes comes from.

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A few years later, Jessica

Simpson, an absolutely massive

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star at the time, famously played

her in the movie adaptation.

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Rory then tells Headmaster Charleston.

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She watched the movie Schindler's List.

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This was a seven time Oscar winner and one

of the most popular movies of the time,

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famously directed by Steven Spielberg.

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I'm Rory's age and we were required

to watch it in my high school.

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But you should also know it was based

on a book by Thomas Keneally, in case

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you prefer to read like Rory to Emily.

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Lorelei says their lives will be,

quote, all work and no play like

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the Jack Nicholson line in the

movie Adaptation of The Shining,

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initially written by Stephen King.

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This atmospheric horror story set

a haunted Snowed in Hotel was a

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number one New York Times bestseller,

and one of time magazine's.

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100 best mystery and thriller books of

all time reception to the movie was mixed,

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but it's now considered a horror classic.

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Okay.

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Famous people.

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Rory tells Headmaster Charleston.

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She wants to study political science and

journalism to be like Christiane Amanpour,

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who will hear a lot about, and

even see as a guest later in the

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series, and many rewatches later.

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I just realized Rory and

I chose the same ages.

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It all makes sense now.

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Anyway, headmaster

Charleston questions her.

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Why not Cokie Roberts, Oprah Winfrey,

Rosie O'Donnell, or the Women of

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the View at the time, Gilmore Girls

aired Christiane Amanpour was CNN's

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chief international correspondent.

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It was common to see her fearlessly

reporting on the ground from conflict

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zones such as the Gulf War, the Bosnia,

war, Rwanda, and many other global crises.

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The remaining women on the other hand.

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We're the most famous and popular female

network TV journalist of the time known

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more for pop culture than breaking news.

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Remember, the internet was

in its early days, so TV was

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where we retreated to escape.

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Their shows seemed to be always

on, kind of like background noise.

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Both Rosie's and Oprah shows were my

3:00 PM and 4:00 PM routine after school.

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I also want to draw attention to

Drella, who's featured playing the harp.

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In this episode, she's played by Alex

Borstein, who was the original Sookie St.

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James before Melissa McCarthy

was cast and later also appears

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as Emily's stylist, miss Celine?

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Yes.

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Really?

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She also won two Emmys for playing

Susie in the Marvelous Mrs.

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Maisel, another one of

Amy Sherman Palladino's.

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Brilliant creation.

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I absolutely adored that

show and highly recommend it.

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Last but not least, Borstein was

married to Jackson Douglas, who

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plays Jackson on Gilmore Girls.

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She's simply full of fun facts,

music as Lorelai and Rory

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Drive through Stars Hollow.

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I don't know how to say goodbye

to you by Sam Phillips Plays.

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As a reminder, Phillips is the

voice of the la la sounds in Gilmore

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Girls and her songs play repeatedly

throughout the Gilmore Girls soundtrack.

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Book tease.

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Lastly, the time has come for me to be

what Jess called Rory, a book tease.

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Tune in next week when

we dive into episode 1.3

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and books like Peyton Place

and a Mencken Chrestomathy.

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We'll start to see the shared love

of books between Richard and Rory.

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