Season 1, Episode 6, “Rory’s Birthday Parties”: Pop Culture Rewatch

Recap of Season 1, Episode 6: “Rory’s Birthday Parties”

We begin at another Friday night dinner. Emily casually suggests Rory and Lorelai use post-its to pick out whatever in their home they want to be willed. Nothing morbid about that!

Emily refuses to cancel next Friday night dinner because of Rory’s birthday, so two Sweet 16 birthday parties it is. Now, let’s recall: back in The Deer Hunters episode, Rory drove Lorelai’s Jeep. This was definitely underage!

At Chilton, Rory is shocked to learn that her grandmother invited her classmates to her Hartford party.

This sort of happened to me once. My grandmother called a high school friend to attend a debutante ball, which I already didn’t want to attend, as my escort, without knowing, to put it delicately, that he wasn’t into dating me… or any other girls. Because we didn’t have cell phones, I had to scrounge a quarter then sneak out of class to call my mom on the pay phone, crying. So, I get you, Rory.

Emily convinces Lorelai to go shopping for a gift for Rory. Though Lorelai suggests a pink leather guitar-shaped purse, they settle on a $12 bracelet.

At Luke’s Diner, Luke jokingly quips to Lorelai, “Will you marry me?” And the tension begins to mount! This is totally one of those jokes that isn’t really a joke, and it’s a sign of all the “Will they or won’t they?” angst to come.

On October 8, 2000, at 4:03 a.m., Lorelai awakens Rory to wish her a very precise happy birthday. She recounts the story of Rory’s birth, and it’s very touching.

Rory then heads to Luke’s with Lane before school, where another sweet exchange occurs:

Luke: “Hey, wrong table.”
Rory: “Since when is there a right table?”
Luke: “Since the coffee cake I baked for you and the stupid balloons I blew up are at that table, over there.”
Rory: “You blew up balloons for me?”
Luke: “Yep.”
Rory: “Oh, Luke, you old softie.”

This dialogue perfectly captures how Luke’s grumpiness blends with his tenderness, and it also shows that he has a soft spot for Rory.

Dean walks in, and Rory perks up. He whispers, “Happy birthday,” as he leaves, and oh, my teenage heart gets butterflies. No matter what you think of Dean’s character arc, this is one simple moment of first love bliss.

Emily gets ready for party #1, and Rory does her best to oblige, but it quickly gets stuffy and awkward, especially when Lorelai gets insulted about her teen pregnancy, and Rory sees her frenemies, Paris and Tristin.

Rory crashes out, and Emily learns that Rory’s not a perfect little princess, after all.
She hides in Lorelai’s old bedroom, where we see Lorelai’s beloved dollhouse, which kind of reminds me of Lorelai’s own house–just bigger.

Lorelai cheers her up, but Emily refuses to accept Rory’s apology. This is really a battle between duty and authenticity, a common theme in the show. Emily’s savage burn in this episode follows:

“Here, I’ll find you a pen, so you can write down your insults, so that you won’t forget them.”

Rory heads to the college fair, where Rory learns that Paris is also interested in Harvard. Though they spat, there’s a hint that Paris is softening up to Rory, especially after Rory reveals she isn’t interested in Tristin.

Rory’s Stars Hollow party begins, and this particular scene makes this a top 5 episode for so many fans.

Now, this party looks fun. It’s casual, it’s warm, and it’s quirky. There’s a “Rory cake” by Sookie, chatter by Miss Patty and Babette, a toast by Lorelai… and Rory’s in a feather boa and birthday crown. All the feels!

Lorelai gifts Rory a turquoise blue Apple iBook, and I’ve got to tell you, this was the hottest thing in tech at the time. I couldn’t dream of getting one. As Rory says, they were so expensive!

Richard and Emily decide to show up after all, and I give Emily credit for swallowing her pride. Like Luke, she has a soft spot for Rory.

Emily is impressed by Sookie’s cooking and Luke’s chemistry with Lorleai. Meanwhile, like any good insurance executive, Richard inspects the house while everyone else relaxes. That is, until Rory convinces him to read a magazine. He takes a quiz and learns, as we fans all know:

“I…am an Autumn.”

They leave, and Emily realizes she doesn’t really know her daughter at all. Here, we see my second favorite part of Emily, after her sage burns– her vulnerability.

After the party, Dean shows up and gives Rory a bracelet, which Lorelai happens to witness through the window, in utter shock. So begins her daughter’s love life!

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.

• Cinderella by Charles Perrault
• Edith Wharton
• Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers

First, Lorelai suggests to Rory,

“Maybe we should really embrace the whole tulle thing. Go totally modern Cinderella. What do you think? It’s your birthday.”

Since you probably already know she’s referring to this character’s ball gown, let’s just dive into a fun fact or two.

Cinderella is a classic fairy tale that dates back to Ancient Greece but was popularized by Charles Perrault in 1697, who added the fairy godmother and glass slipper, and was later adapted by the Brothers Grimm in the 19th century. Of course, many of us also know and love the Disney version.

Lorelai then says, “Edith Wharton would be proud” of Emily’s party. She’s referring to the American author known for portraying the American upper class during the early 20th century.

She’s probably referring to The Age of Innocence, which portrays upper-class New York society in the 1870s. There, lawyer Newland Archer must choose between duty to his fiancée, May Welland, and passion for the Countess Ellen Olenska. I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. It felt slow to me. I think I would have liked it more if I also watched the movie version.

Lorelai says that Rory freaking out at Emily felt like Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers. This book is about 13-year-old Annabel Andrews, who magically switches bodies with her mother for a day. The experience forces each to live the other’s life, and Annabel learns how difficult (and underappreciated) her mother’s responsibilities are.

Sounds pretty good, right? Wrong. This is one book that I, and other readers taking the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge, have consistently disliked over the years. It just does not date well, from its outdated gender roles to its stereotypical language and preachy tone.

But there is good news. The 1976 film adaptation starring Jodie Foster and the 2003 film adaptation starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are well-received. I think Lorelai and Rory would love the latter, even though it was released after this episode first aired.

Movies and TV

• Star Trek
• I Love Lucy
• The Waltons

Lorelai says Emily’s “got her Vulcan death grip on that one,” meaning Rory’s official birthday. This is a reference to the sci-fi outer space show Star Trek. Vulcans on the show have a “Vulcan nerve pinch” (in other words, a “death grip”) that can instantly knock someone out. I’m not a sci-fi gal and was never into this show or its many spinoffs, which were constantly rerun on TV, but it was very popular.

Then, upon entering the house, Lorelai calls out, “Lucy, I’m home!” This is a famous line from I Love Lucy, a hilarious 1950s sitcom. In the show, Cuban musician Ricky Ricardo would come home to find his real-life wife and co-star, Lucille Ball, having gotten herself into comedic situations. He was the serious one, and her comedy was very slapstick and over-the-top.

My parents loved to watch these reruns, and some of the best episodes, both in my opinion and generally, are when Lucy worked in a chaotic assembly line at a chocolate factory, and when she drank way too much Vitameatavegamin during a commercial shoot.

By the way, Lorelai is a big fan. Later in this season, in episode 15 (“Christopher Returns”), she wears I Love Lucy pajamas.

And when Lorelai tells Rory about her birth, she says, “I wonder if The Waltons ever did this.” This is another old show I’m oddly familiar with. It’s an American family drama TV series that aired from 1972 to 1981. Set during the Great Depression and World War II in rural Virginia, the story focused on a large, close-knit family navigating the everyday struggles of life at the time, as narrated by the eldest son, John-Boy.

While it wasn’t my personal favorite, it’s another old classic my parents loved to watch, and I most recall it for the phrase, “Goodnight, John-Boy,” which my dad said to me at night.

Famous People

• Henny Youngman
• Barbara Streisand 
• Elvis
• Jim Morrison
• Justin Timberlake
• Britney Spears
• Farrah Fawcett
• Barbara Hutton
• Shirley Temple

Emily calls Lorelai, “My daughter, Henny Youngman,” who, Lorelai explains, is a Jewish comedian.

Then, about Rory’s Hartford party, Lorelai says,

“The government will close that day. Flags will fly at half-mast. Barbara Streisand will give her final concert… again. Now, the Pope has previous plans, but he’s trying to get out of them. However, Elvis and Jim Morrison are coming, and they’re bringing chips.”

You all know who these very famous musicians are, right?! Tell me you do.

Then, she mocks Rory, who’s talking on the phone, with this quip,

“And Justin is just so dreamy. Hе just can’t marry Britney. I’ll just cry and cry and cry.”

This, friends, is none other than Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, the hottest celebrity couple of the time, especially amongst teens. Let me tell you, Lorelai isn’t wrong. This is exactly what I would have been talking on the phone about at the time. Every teen girl wanted to be Britney and date Justin.

But their young love wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Britney pulled the curtain back and made shocking allegations, like his cheating and her abortion, in her recent memoir, The Woman in Me.

For even more about boy band star Justin Timberlake, including that time I took his picture at a 1999 concert after party, listen to the episode of this podcast about “Kill Me Now.”

Next, while shopping, Emily mentions how Lorelai picked a “t-shirt with the Farrah Fawcett face,” who Lorelai calls, “A hero to many who aspire to the perfect feather flip.” Farrah Fawcett was an American actress and model who became a household name in the 1970s through her role in the TV show Charlie’s Angels and her famous red swimsuit poster. Her long, feathered layers, which flipped back at the end, became a hairstyle just as popular as she was.

Now, here’s a reference I had to look up. To Emily, Lorelai says, “I’m shopping for Rory. You’re shopping for your imaginary granddaughter, Barbara Hutton.” My research tells me she was a rich, lavish American heiress.

At Rory’s birthday party, Lorelai hands Rory a Shirley Temple drink and says she’s having a “Shirley Temple Black,” adding, “I got your Good Ship Lollipop right here, mister.” Shirley Temple was a person and is a drink! She was a very famous child actress in the 1930s, known for her curly hair, dimples, singing, and dancing. “Good Ship Lollipop” was her signature song.

A Shirley Temple drink is a non-alcoholic cocktail made with ginger ale or lemon-lime soda, grenadine, and a maraschino cherry. We loved to order these as kids. It’s basically sugar in a cup. On the other hand, a “Shirley Temple Black” is a play on the actress’s married name. For adults, add dark rum!

These two drinks perfectly represent Lorelai and Rory, don’t they? One child, one adult–both sugar fiends.

Music

• “Like A Virgin” by Madonna
• “Happy Birthday” by Altered Images

Lorelai says she “did get her [mother] to agree to make the string quartet learn ‘Like A Virgin'” at Rory’s Hartford party.

This was a very popular and very controversial 1984 song by pop superstar Madonna. Her public performances of this very sexualized song, especially at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards in a wedding dress, drew years of backlash, especially from religious groups.

So, Lorelai’s joke blends Emily’s music style with her own.

And “Happy Birthday” by Altered Images plays when Rory finds out Emily has sent birthday invitations to her Chilton classmates.

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 1.7, “Kiss and Tell,” and books like The Crucible by Arthur Miller, which Lorelai thinks Luke would look good dressed like. You’ll learn why the movie is better than the book in this case!

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