Recap of Season 1, Episode 3: “Kill Me Now”
Rory golfs and bonds with Richard, while Lorelai fears their bond and plans a double twin wedding at the Inn.
The episode begins with Emily cataloging all of the maids she’s gone through. Her latest, who she calls Mira, is actually Sarah.
Richard then refers to the first Lorelai, his mother, in the past tense, but it’s hard to say if this is truly a plot hole. Luckily for the writers, it can also be interpreted as meaning that she was accomplished not before her death, but rather “in her day.”
Rory has to pick a team sport to play at Chilton, and Emily suggests she learn golf with Richard at the club, with which Lorelai disagrees. Emily boasts that Lorelai is just nervous she’ll actually like the club, and, to be honest, she’s probably not wrong.
Emily utters what I deem to be her second most savage burn of the series:
“You can use her old golf clubs. They’re upstairs gathering dust along with the rest of her potential.”
Ouch. What do you think– did Emily cross the line here?!
At the Independence Inn, Lorelai plans a double wedding for snooty blonde twins and their moody mother, whose demands force her to beg, “coffee, coffee, coffee.” By the way, did I mention the twins are marrying twins?!
Back at the Gilmores, Richard is not too thrilled about his golf outing with Rory, but obliges.
On the golf course, we learn that Richard is the executive vice president of the Gehrman-Driscoll Insurance Company. We also learn that Rory and Lorelai plan to backpack in Europe after her high school graduation.
Kirk (who is still, technically, Mick) delivers swans to the Inn, which Michel hates on account of once being attacked by a band of them.
Lorelai and Rory reconvene at Luke’s, and Lorelai is surprised to learn Rory had a good day.
Then, Richard calls Rory about loaning Mencken’s Chrestomathy from him, which makes her excited for Friday night dinner, to Lorelai’s dismay. This, ladies and gentleman, unofficially solidifies their newly formed bond– and causes Lorelai to pick a fight with Rory over who has the bigger chest.
Is all well that ends well? Lorelai pulls off the double wedding and makes up with Rory. They attend Friday night dinner, and Richard shares both Mencken’s Chrestomathy and his memoirs, to Rory’s delight.
Books and Authors Referenced
Let’s break down the Gilmores’ world of books– this episode’s most iconic literary references for those taking the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge with us on Fridaynightreaders.substack.com, where we read from the list of books mentioned on Gilmore Girls.
- Peyton Place by Grace Metalious
- A Mencken Chrestomathy by H.L. Mencken
- The Days Trilogy, including Happy Days, Newspaper Days, and Heathen Days by H.L. Mencken
First, at the club, Rory shares with Richard all the salacious tales she learned from the women in the steam room, and Richard says, “It’s Peyton Place.”
Peyton Place may be best known as an American prime-time soap opera in the 1960s, or even as a 1957 film, but it was first a book by Grace Metalious. And, it has the absolute best plot description:
Switch off those TVs, kill your mobiles and settle down with the most controversial book ever written. Once denounced as ‘wicked’, ‘sordid’, ‘cheap’ ‘moral filth’, PEYTON PLACE was the top read of its time and sold millions of copies worldwide. Way before TWIN PEAKS, SURVIVOR or BIG BROTHER, the curtains were twitching in the mythical New England town of Peyton Place, and this soapy story exposed the dirty secrets of 1950s small-town America: incest, abortion, adultery, repression and lust.
I don’t know about you, but I’m adding this to the very top of my “to be read” list immediately. Talk about juicy!
Next, of course, this episode is very much about Richard’s and Rory’s sharing of H.L. Mencken’s A Mencken Chrestomathy and his memoirs.
I’ve got to admit to you– this is one Gilmore Girls reference I am clueless about! But, in a weird way, this just amplifies for me how special Rory’s and Richard’s literary connection is.
My research tells me that H. L. Mencken was one of the most influential American journalists, critics, and cultural commentators of the early 20th century. He was known for his satirical critiques of American life, politics, religion, and cultural trends. So, it does make sense that our aspiring journalist, Rory, and her newspaper-reading grandfather, Richard, both like his work.
The Days Trilogy, including Happy Days, Newspaper Days, and Heathen Days, is the collection of books considered “his memoirs,” covering his childhood, early career in journalism, and his life in American intellectual circles.
One more fun fact: Rory’s line, “[Golf is] a good walk spoiled,” is often attributed to American author Mark Twain, but there’s no confirmation of this fact. I’ve looked many times over the years!
Curious about every single book mentioned in this Gilmore Girls episode—even the obscure references most people miss, like the very subtle, blink and you might miss it, quote from a must-read children’s classic? Head to this episode’s page at Fridaynightreaders.substack.com. When you upgrade to a paid membership, you’ll get printable episode guides for every Gilmore Girls episode—perfect for tracking your own Rory-inspired reading journey.
Up Next
Lastly, the time has come for me to be what Jess called Rory—a book tease. Tune in next week, when we dive into episode 1.4, “The Deer Hunters,” and books like Who’s Who and What’s What in Shakespeare , as well as a reading of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 by Paris.
