A DEEP-FRIED KOREAN THANKSGIVING

Gilmore Girls
Season 3 (2002)

I have to give credit where credit is due: my mom and sister discovered and loved Gilmore Girls long before I did.  I didn’t get their obsessive love of the show, which involved lots of heated discussions about characters and at least one Gilmore Girls-themed party.  I very slowly warmed up to it, however, watching it piecemeal until Nick and I took the plunge and watched the entire show in order.  I’m a full convert now and spend my days wishing I could escape to Stars Hollow.  And the character of Emily Gilmore has been canonized in my personal house of worship and is also currently my desktop image on my work computer.

This Thanksgiving episode embodies what makes the show so fun, namely a lot of quirky characters, sharp dialogue and an idyllic setting.  In typical Gilmore Girls fashion Lorelai and Rory have committed to three Thanksgiving dinners.  When Emily literally sneaks up on Lorelai (a very funny scene in which Lorelai, not realizing her mother is standing directly behind her, compares her to Stalin) they add a fourth meal to their roster.  

A decapitated chocolate turkey & Mrs. Kim

First up is the religious Kim household, where the menu is vegetarian and Mrs. Kim is her awesomely curt self.  Then it’s off to Luke’s diner for a home-cooked meal with Luke and Rory’s surly boyfriend Jess (I'm Team Logan all the way). After that they head to friend Sookie’s front yard, where Sookie is dismayed at her husband and his rowdy family's plan to deep-fry a turkey.  She eventually gets drunk to cope as they deep-fry whatever they can get their hands on, including but not limited to cake and a napkin.  Never forget that Melissa McCarthy, who plays Sookie, was doing a kick-ass job on Gilmore Girls before her major modern-day fame!

Man vs. Turkey

The final meal is with the senior Gilmores, Emily and Richard, and some of their typically pompous friends (one of whom only speaks French).   It includes a ceremonial turkey carving, during which Richard slices off just one piece of meat before the turkey is ushered back in to the kitchen by a team of maids.  Ugh, Richard!  During the course of that ill-fated dinner it’s revealed that Rory applied to schools other than Harvard, causing Lorelai to flip out and blame her parents for manipulating her daughter away from her lifelong dream.  Lorelai’s over-the-top reaction is irrational and irritating.  Who doesn’t apply to multiple colleges?  Besides, I automatically side with Emily on everything.  Emily knows best!

Emily rings my bell

It’s a very enjoyable episode; while screen capping images for this post I pretty much wanted to screen cap the whole thing.  I love the contrast between the different meals (how many Seventh Day Adventist Thanksgiving dinners do we get to see portrayed on TV?).  The subplots, such as Paris being annoyed at not being able to secure a soup kitchen volunteer spot and Kirk being terrorized by his cat (also named Kirk) add a lot of humor as well.  Plus, despite her emotional faux pas, at least Lorelai knows enough to know that chocolate turkeys make the best Thanksgiving hostess gifts.

The aftermath: deep-fried turkey carcass and drunk Sookie

Recurring Themes: Another case of Multiple Meals.

The Menu: Chocolate Turkeys, Tofurkey, Deep-Fried Turkey, Regular Turkey, Canned Cranberry Sauce, Stuffing, All the Trimmings, Margaritas & Lots of Rolls

Thanksgiving Quotient: It would be a 5 on the basis of just the episode itself but as  Thanksgiving is a bit overshadowed by several running storylines it earns a 4.

See It, Skip It, Own It?
Own it and enjoy it every year!