Season 1, Episode 4, “The Deer Hunters”: Pop Culture Rewatch

Recap: What Happened in Stars Hollow in Season 1, Episode 4: “The Deer Hunters”

Let’s get the bad news out of the way. This episode is the first not to feature my personal favorite characters, Emily and Richard Gilmore. This is especially sad to me because I recently decided to add a mini segment called “Emily’s Savage Burns” to this podcast. So, you’ll have to tune in next time for that.

Rory and Lorelai go school supply shopping, and really, is there anything better than new school supplies? They reek of possibilities. My personal favorites are notebooks, gel pens, and of course, new planners. New planner day is one of my favorite days of the year, and for the coming year, I have already purchased Happy Planner’s Gilmore Girls-themed one!

Rory heads to Chilton on the bus with a massive amount of backpacks, which I think is something to which all high school students relate: from gym day to after-school activities, I hated schlepping around multiple bags. These days, my high school doesn’t even allow it! You need to go to your locker between classes. Kids these days will never know what it was like to walk up and down four flights of stairs with these massive weights.

Mr. Medina hands back graded papers, and Rory’s earnest smile quickly turns upside down when she learns she got a D! A “D!” I’ve never gotten one, have you? I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty sure my goodie-two-shoes self would have reacted the same as Rory, probably even worse. And how did Rory crawl her way back to the top of the class after this, anyway? Is this a plot hole? I kind of think it is.

Next is the dreaded Shakespeare test, and if it wasn’t scary to begin with, our dear Rory is now shaking in her saddle shoes–er boots. Paris mocks her, and Tristin continues his “Mary” bit.

At the Independence Inn, Lorelai discovers food critic Lucien Mills’ glowing review of Sookie’s culinary creations. The catch? His phrase “the much-lauded risotto was perfectly fine.” Perfectly fine, you say?! To Sookie, that is basically as bad as Rory’s D. She spirals, and this begs the question: Was she overreacting? I asked my Instagram followers, and 65% said this was a good review.

Rory studiously studies, while Lorelai attempts to distract her.

Then, Rory meets up with Lane at Kim’s Antiques, and Lane shares that the “new guy,” a/k/a Dean, has been asking for her at Stars Hollow High.

Back at the Inn, Lorelai and Jackson try to cheer Sookie up about the critic’s review of her “magic risotto.”

Next, at the parent-teacher meeting, Mr. Medina informs the parents that they will focus on Elizabethan authors for the upcoming AP (Advanced Placement) exam. Now, I’ve taken the AP English exam, and it’s always at the end of the year, so you can prepare all year long leading up to it. Another slight plot hole! And, yes, I did pass the exam.

Lorelai wants to attend the exam to see the excitement for herself, and this reminds me of a core memory from the time I took the entrance exam into my own prep school, when my aunt brought me balloons. It’s the little things, right?!

Yet again, Lorelai shows up late, dressed only a few steps above her last Chilton fashion disaster, when she dressed like a cowgirl in S1 E2 “The Lorelais’ First Day at Chilton.” This time, she covers her graphic B-52s tee with a buttoned-up blazer and grabs a coffee. Now, as odd as it was at the time of the show, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dressed business on top and casual on the bottom since the Zoom days began. Don’t pretend you haven’t done it, too!

Lorelai connects with Mr. Medina and learns that Rory got a D. She consoles a humiliated Rory, but Paris continues to taunt her.

Sookie continues to test risotto, and by now, my mouth is watering. This is one of two Gilmore foods I most want to try. It’s described as magic! (The other is in an episode shortly to come, and hint: it’s served at Christmas.) There’s actually a blogger that recreates Gilmore Girls foods, Eating Gilmore, and I found her iteration of the magic risotto recipe for you. You can also find it in the Official Gilmore Girls Cookbook.

Lorelai helps Rory study, and this reminds me of all the countless nights my own mother made the same sacrifice for my education. My mom was really big on acronyms and giving things weird names, like in The Office, when Michael remembers people by nicknames like “beardy” and “pepperoni Tony.” Whatever works!

Our Gilmore Girls sleep through their alarms, and Rory absolutely “crashes out,” as the kids these days would say. Now, this is more akin to the way I would have reacted to getting a D.

Lorelai gives Rory the keys to the Jeep to rush to school, and this may be one of Lorelai’s first most questionable parenting moments. Just trying to help her daughter succeed, or a lawsuit waiting to happen? You be the judge. I asked my Instagram followers, and a whopping 84% said she was just helping.

Now, Rory pulls up to the stop sign. Yes, the stop sign, where one of the most memorable show moments occurs. And, take note, because the stop sign is facing the wrong way as she pulls up. Plot hole #3! So, maybe this isn’t Rory’s fault after all.

Next, as you all know, a deer hits Rory. And we Gilmore Girls fans will say it no other way. Here’s the exchange, as Rory talks on the phone with Lane in her secret music closet:

Rory: Oh my God, I just got hit by a deer!

Lane: You hit a deer?

Rory: No, I got hit by a deer!

Lane: How do you get hit by a deer?

Rory: I was at a stop sign and it hit me.

I actually think Rory’s phrasing speaks to her knack for journalism. While I was never a traditional journalist, I learned very quickly in my early lawyering days to state the facts as they are, not as we interpret them: Rory was stopped. The deer hit her. So take that, Mitchum Huntzberger!

Rory arrives for her test late, and Mr. Medina won’t let her take it. Cue: Rory’s “crash out” #2 of the morning. He also questions, “You hit a deer?” Oh, Mr. Medina! Off to Headmaster Charleston’s office she goes. Lorelai arrives and is the first not to react with, “You hit a deer?” She gets it.

Lorelai then calls Headmaster Charleston, “Your Honor,” which I find amusing because, as a prior lawyer, I almost called his office “chambers.” It looks exactly like that.

So, should the test rule be broken for Rory? I asked my Instagram followers, and 66% would let her take the test late. But, I’m not so sure. I can personally see both sides of this one. In a real-world prep school, though, I think Lorelai and Rory would win. They would just wear the school down and, after all, they’re paying customers.

Sookie finally discovers the problem with the risotto wasn’t the risotto but the wine. Note to self: Don’t ever pair magic risotto with Riesling. She sneaks another plate and a glass to the critic, and I’m utterly desperate to know her recommended wine pairing. I’m thinking Chardonnay because it’s creamy and buttery like traditional risotto. And, my research suggests the same!

Lorelai and Rory head home and look for the deer on the way. They chat about Rory’s lifelong dream of attending Harvard, and Lorelai offers her “I love you no matter what” form of motherly support.

Upon arriving home, Lorelai hears a voice message from Max Medina, in which he offers Rory extra credit and compliments Lorelai. Once again, all is well that ends well in the land of Stars Hollow.

The Gilmores’ World of Books

Let’s break down 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.

This episode is all about William Shakespeare, or as Lorelai calls him, “the bard with the beard.” And I love this focus, because Shakespeare is likely all Rory can think about this episode–that is, besides that dang deer.

Since you’re likely aware of who William Shakespeare, arguably the most iconic and influential writer of all time, is, let’s just talk about some fun facts:

1. Shakespeare wrote at least 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and two long narrative poems.
2. His works span tragedies, comedies, and histories, and his play Hamlet was influenced by the death of his own son, Hamnet. You can read Maggie O’Farrell’s exceptional historical account of this in her book, Hamnet. I totally think Rory would read this book and very highly recommend it to readers like her as one of my all-time favorites. It’s so poetic and emotional.
3. He invented or popularized over 1,700 English words, like bedazzled, lonely, and swagger. I personally love the phrase, “there’s the rub,” which is the title of a later Gilmore Girls episode.
4. No one knows the exact cause of his death, and he left a famously odd will, giving his wife Anne Hathaway his “second-best bed.”

Rory unpacks The Oxford Complete Works of William Shakespeare at Lane’s, and I’ve had my chance at scoring a book like this. I frequently attend library sales and have seen old, leather-bound copies. They are usually somewhat pricy, though, and I question buying it, as I just know I’m not going to sit down and read this way. I personally love the No Fear editions of Shakespeare that explain the text page by page.

Next, Paris quotes Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare in bullying Rory:

“Let me not to the marriage of true minds / Admit impediments. Love is not love / Which alters when it alteration finds, / Or bends with the remover to remove: / O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark, / That looks on tempests and is never shaken; / It is the star to every wandering bark, / Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.”

But, for the record, the Sonnet continues:

“Love’s not time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks / Within his bending sickle’s compass come. / Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, / But bears it out even to the edge of doom: / If this be error and upon me proved, / I never writ, nor no man ever loved.”

And, guess what?! You JUST crossed a Shakespeare Sonnet off your list!

Next, I’ll let Rory and Lorelai do the teaching, based on their study session. The Comedy of Errors was written in 1590 and published in 1623. The Sonnets are 154 poems of 14 lines, except 126, which was 12 lines. They’re written in iambic pentameter, except 145, which is written in tetrameter.

(Iambic pentameter consists of five iambs. This means two syllable pairs that emphasize the second syllable. Tetrameter just means four iams instead of five.)

Rory can’t remember the dates for Richard III, so I’ll tell you myself: It was written between 1592-1594, and it was first published in 1597.

You may have also noticed Who’s Who and What’s What in Shakespeare by Evangeline M. O’Connor on the arm of the Gilmores’ couch. This is a rare, but real book, and guess what?! A member of our book club once sent me a copy! It’s one of my most prized possessions on my “Rory bookshelf.”

Last but not least, Lorelai reads Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. There’s a lot to unpack here. First, this rawly written memoir of a food critic’s life in New York contrasts sharply with Rory’s studies of Shakespeare. I also love how it parallels the food critic plot in this episode.

You should also know that it catapulted Anthony Bourdain to fame, eventually earning him his TV shows, which are known for his edgy commentary and captivating storytelling. I’ve read the book and watched most, if not all, of his shows, and I’m here to tell you, this is one book that works best on audio. He narrates it, and nothing pairs better with his words than his voice. He is so uniquely “him” that you just can’t consume this memoir any other way.

Curious about every single book mentioned in this Gilmore Girls episode—even the obscure references most people miss, like the Elizabethan authors Max Medina teaches the Chilton students and an essay he quotes? 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.

Oy With the Pop Culture Already!

Now, because I want you to understand even more of the Gilmore Girls’ fast talk, here’s what some of this episode’s best pop culture references mean.

Fashion

Did anyone besides me notice that Rory wears a fair isle sweater that Lane wears just a few episodes later? Fair isle knit is one of my personal favorites, and it’s very New England as well. It’s a traditional Scottish technique that uses two colors per row to create intricate, repeating patterns, often with geometric shapes.

Next, Lorelai talks about a “plaid scrunchie motion” at Chilton. Now, I have and always will be a scrunchie girl, and I will die on this hill. I have worn a scrunchie on my wrist or in my hair since middle school. That may or may not be the most preppy thing about me.

As you know, Lorelai wore a B-52s graphic tee, and all I’ve got to say about this is that band tees were really in at the time. Even when I look at them now, I see it as a style that copies the early 2000s, which, in turn, borrowed from the styles of music and music lovers from earlier decades. For example, I hear that Nirvana gear is really “in” with today’s teens.

Lastly, Lorelai laments her “gauchos” era, and this one really cracked me up, because at the time of the show, my law school friends and I also debated them. Gauchos are wide-legged, cropped women’s pants that flare out from the waist and typically hit mid-calf. They’re not super attractive, but, man are they comfortable! There’s the rub, as Shakespeare would say!

Besides gauchos, Lorelai also laments her Flashdance phase. This 1983 musical drama follows a young woman working as a welder by day and an aspiring dancer by night. And I think Lorelai’s referring to the lead’s signature look: a sweatshirt with a large hole cut for your neck, lending to an off-the-shoulder style. I personally don’t see anything wrong with this style, but it does scream 1980s.

Movies & TV

First, this episode’s title refers to the 1978 movie The Deer Hunter. It follows a group of Pennsylvania steelworkers whose lives are forever changed by the Vietnam War, so there’s no real connection beyond the fact that this pop culture reference just works.

Lorelai also quips to her humiliated, D-student daughter:

“Oh, honey, you once told me that you loved Saved by the Bell. What could be more humiliating than that?”

And, I for one, think Lorelai’s got this all wrong. I can’t even guesstimate the number of times I watched this early ’90s high school teen sitcom. It had it all, from love to friendship and lots of pranks. Anyone else remember when the gang got locked in the mall? It even spawned spinoffs and movies. Nothing wrong with that, if you ask me.

Famous People

Lorelai remarks that the Independence Inn’s coffee is, “Fresh in my first lifetime as Joan of Arc.” In other words, it’s not very fresh. Joan of Arc is a 1400s French heroine and saint who, claiming divine guidance, led French forces to several victories during the Hundred Years’ War before being captured and executed by the English.

Lorelai also adds a dose of humor to her conversation with Headmaster Charleston, calling him “Il Duce.” She’s referring to Benito Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943, who ruled with authoritarian control and aligned Italy with Nazi Germany during World War II. That’s some pretty risky name-calling, don’t you think?!

Music

At the Inn, Drella plays “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath on her harp to Lorelai’s dismay. Why? It’s a heavy metal band led by none other than Ozzie Osbourne. Lorelai prefers the classical musician Mozart for her guests.

Then, Drella calls herself “the Artie Shaw of harpists,” and I admittedly had no idea what she’s talking about. Chat GPT tells me this means she sees herself as a virtuoso and standout performer on the harp, like Artie Shaw was with the clarinet.

Next, as you know, Max asks if Lorelai likes the B-52s. She’s wearing their shirt, after all! The B-52s are an American new wave band known for their quirky style, upbeat party anthems, and signature vocal harmonies. The campy 1989 music video for “Love Shack” remained popular through the 90s, and the song remains a celebratory classic, as well as a great karaoke song.

Book Tease

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 1.5, “Cinammon’s Wake,” and books like the title’s reference, Finnegan’s Wake, and a book I discussed here, Hamlet. We’re really starting to get deep into the Max Medina episodes.

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