Coffee at Luke's: An Unauthorized Gilmore Girls Gabfest (Smart Pop Series) (12 page)

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Authors: Jennifer Crusie,Leah Wilson

Tags: #Humor & Entertainment, #Television, #History & Criticism

BOOK: Coffee at Luke's: An Unauthorized Gilmore Girls Gabfest (Smart Pop Series)
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Then on to the one who controls her trust fund, the man who at times helps make her current life possible, the shrewd businessman who wants to pass on everything he knows . . . her grandfather and teacher, Richard Gilmore.
 
 
Rory got some of her value for education from Richard. They delight in what they have in common, in their interest in current events and politics, and their passion for books and learning. Almost their entire relationship is based around their intellectual connection, so much so that Richard can list her accomplishments off the top of his head (but might be hard-pressed to name her favorite food). When Richard had his heart attack, Rory sat with him and read to him from the
Wall Street Journal
and the
Financial Times
. Subsequently, Richard was the one who influenced Rory to go to Yale. Richard went to Yale and wanted Rory to follow in his footsteps, to become like him. He didn’t just suggest this. He started campaigning for it, even tricking Rory into touring the campus, making it clear how important it was to him. And Rory was Richard’s choice of “best man” when he renewed his wedding vows with Emily.
 
Richard looks to Rory to be the daughter he feels he was robbed of when Lorelai left home. It appears that he thinks it wasn’t just the pregnancy that took Lorelai away from him; it was her refusal to marry Christopher. In Richard’s mind, Christopher could have stayed in Hartford, married Lorelai, and joined Richard’s firm. It was Lorelai who made the decision to go against the plan, sending Christopher off to pursue his education and then herself leaving shortly after, going to Stars Hollow on her own and depriving him also of the chance to watch his granddaughter grow up. This was Lorelai’s greatest rejection of her father, and he has never really gotten over it or forgiven her for it.
 
Richard became Rory’s father in an even more real sense when she moved in after dropping out of Yale. With Rory living at his house, he began to concern himself with the everyday details of her life. Through a series of encounters with Logan, including a conversation that Logan mistook as being about his “intentions” toward Rory, Richard began to inquire deeper into Rory’s personal life. It makes sense that Logan took this so seriously. Since Logan had almost no contact with Christopher or Luke, as far as he was concerned, Richard was the father he had to worry about and avoid. When Richard became aware that Logan and Rory thought he was asking if they were to be married, he was surprised. It never occurred to him that Rory would consider marrying Logan. Richard was certainly opposed to the idea, regardless of the fact that he and Emily had married at that age. To Richard, it was different because Rory had things to do— things that, apparently, Emily did not at the same point in her life. It is clear that he has bigger expectations for Rory than he does for Lorelai or Emily, a fact that Emily found insulting. As Richard learned more about Rory’s day-to-day life, he came to fear for her virginity. As he refused to be robbed of another daughter, he enlisted Emily to take measures to interfere. Later, Emily even accidentally referred to Richard as Rory’s father in trying to ground her, threatening her with the typical “When your father gets home” (“Let Your Balalaikas Ringing Out,” 6-8).
 
He also was finally swayed to Lorelai’s side and played a large part in driving Rory back towards Yale. When confronted by Mitchum Huntzberger, he finally learned the truth about Rory leaving Huntzberger’s paper and, shortly after, Yale. Mitchum told Richard that Rory wasn’t talented and that he had told Rory his opinion as well. Richard was shocked that Mitchum would “crush” Rory’s ambitions. Richard felt, as any good father would feel, that Mitchum was crazy to think that Rory wasn’t talented. The idea, and Mitchum’s insult, angered him and finally galvanized him into action. He went by himself to talk to Lorelai about getting Rory back into Yale, offering to team up with Lorelai in a pseudo-parental unit.
 
Lorelai, however, consistently rejects Richard’s attempts to be a father to Rory. The relationship between Lorelai and Richard is so damaged, and has been for so long, that she cannot accept his actions at face value. She is always looking for an ulterior motive that involves him using Rory to get back at her. In her mind, nothing comes free from Richard Gilmore. This distrust often interferes with Rory’s relationship with him, putting Rory in the middle. They function almost as if Lorelai and Richard were Rory’s divorced parents.
 
And then onto the natural father, out of reach, somewhat out of touch—the absentee father who loves her and wants to be a better father than he is but doesn’t know how, passing through town only sporadically . . . Christopher Hayden.
 
 
Christopher flits in and out of Rory’s life, having a relatively superficial relationship with her. He first appeared two-thirds of the way through the first season, randomly and casually dropping back into their lives. He’d never been to Stars Hollow; he’d clearly had little to do with Rory’s life up to that point. He showed up claiming that he needed to tie up loose ends, indicating one of those loose ends was his relationship with Rory. From that point on, it was clear that he wanted to be around, and he always tried to make his brief appearances seamless, but was rarely successful.
 
Although he was the one who wanted to get married when Lorelai got pregnant (Lorelai sent him on his way to realize his career goals, which never really panned out), he doesn’t seem to have made much of an effort to stay in close contact with Rory. This suggests that Lorelai’s instincts were right: their relationship wouldn’t have lasted. What attracted Lorelai to him as a teen—the irresponsible, sexy, bad boy persona—is what would have made it difficult for the adult Lorelai to stay with him and raise their child. She has been very careful to instill better values in Rory, while successfully managing not to force them on her. It’s debatable how successful Lorelai was with this, however, seeing as the most serious of Rory’s relationships are fraught with problems. She slept with Dean while he was married, she dated the emotionally unavailable Jess, and she moved in with Logan, who has gotten her into trouble numerous times (even getting her arrested), not to mention cheated on her. When he met Christopher they hit it off instantly, indicating that Logan is too similar to Christopher to be trusted.
 
When Rory’s grandmother persuaded her to be a debutante in the second season, Rory was vexed once she discovered her father was supposed to present her at the ball. She asked Christopher if he would come, and he agreed, but she was not counting on him actually showing up. This was the first time we saw Christopher fully acting out traditional fatherly duties: helping to prepare for the ball, showing Dean how to tie a bowtie, and escorting Rory during the actual event.
 
Christopher’s appearances in Stars Hollow tend to shake things up, always dredging up Lorelai’s residual feelings for him. And Rory learns something very important from him, even though it’s through his absence that she learns it. He teaches her the importance of responsibility and reliability, having suffered most of her life due to his lack of both.
 
When Christopher showed up once again seeming like he’d really changed this time, right before Sookie’s wedding, he was newly single. He and Lorelai connected. They decided to make a go of it, finally both on the same page about their relationship. When Christopher told Rory, she was happy but warned him that this was something she and her mom had been wanting for a long time, and that he should be sure. Not long after, Christopher learned that his recent ex, Sherry, was pregnant, and he immediately knew that he had to be there for that baby. He had missed everything with Rory, and he said that he never forgave himself. He definitely didn’t want to repeat that mistake. It’s so John Lennon and the Julian versus Sean saga that it’s frustrating to watch. He doesn’t even say goodbye to Rory, bailing in the middle of the wedding and leaving a farewell message with Lorelai.
 
His relationship with Lorelai is far from Ward and June Cleaver’s. They are connected by such a strong sexual attraction and long-standing history, in addition to the fact that they have a child together that they can never seem to get away from one another. At times, Rory seems to only tolerate their relationship, becoming frustrated with their on-again, off-again feelings. Rory so desperately wants a good relationship with her father, and she worries that the drama between her mother and father will interfere with that. And though Christopher is the least responsible of the three fathers, in Lorelai’s eyes Christopher can practically do no wrong when it comes to Rory. It could be their history and their undying attraction that makes Lorelai give Christopher so much leeway. She has always been able to see his potential for greatness, and maybe she thinks that if she believes in him completely, he will finally one day fulfill her expectations.
 
In Christopher’s defense, by the time he comes back into Rory’s life there isn’t much of a space left for him to fill. This was underscored at the reception for the renewal of Richard and Emily’s wedding vows, when he and Luke argued over who had the right to defend Rory’s honor. He felt so threatened by Luke’s interest in Rory’s well-being that he put himself on the offensive, attacking Luke for caring. Christopher has always meant well; he’s just had a lot of trouble doing well. He is, for the most part, available to Rory when she needs him, and, when given the opportunity, teams up with Lorelai to make sure that Rory’s on the right path. Also, he did fulfill the most important role in Rory’s existence: he fathered her.
 
Adding It All Up
 
Through their actions, each one of the men makes it clear that they consider Rory their daughter. To Luke, she’s the daughter he never had (although he actually turns out to have a daughter, she showed up so long after Rory that she didn’t take away from their relationship; it is interesting to note, too, that Luke’s daughter turned out to be very much like Rory). To Richard, she’s a second chance and a like-minded sponge for knowledge. To Christopher, she’s the periodic obligation that he loves but doesn’t feel particularly beholden to.
 
So how do they measure up, when compared to one another? The role of a dad isn’t a simple one, but is often simplified in popular culture. So for the sake of this comparison I think we can boil it down to the three most often acknowledged aspects of fatherhood: time spent together, money contributed to the child, and emotional support offered.
 
Time
 
Luke has seen her the most, every day from when she was young until she left for college, if largely only in the diner, and continues to have regular contact. Score: 60 out of 100.
 
Richard took Rory in when she dropped out of Yale, lodging her in his pool house and therefore seeing her almost daily. Let’s not forget the Friday night dinners that started when she was sixteen and, with relatively minor interruptions, have gone on through the present. Score: 30 out of 100.
 
Christopher could probably count on both hands the number of occasions he’s spent with Rory. Score: 10 out of 100.
 
Money
 
Richard paid for four years of Chilton, two years of Yale, a $40K renovation to the pool house, a fancy lawyer for her legal troubles, numerous parties, outfits, dinners, books, cash for her travels through Europe, and a car for her high school graduation. Plus, he was talking about springing for an astronomy building in her name at Yale. Score: 70 out of 100.

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