Gilmore Girls Again (Again) | 16
Show Notes:
This isn’t the first time we’re covering Gilmore Girls, in season 1 we talked about the relationships, in season three we discussed being in high school. And this season we’re taking a look at the wealth of the Gilmore women.
Find our Guest Gabrielle on her website: https://www.astepaheadtutoringservices.com
Transcript:
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Julia: I'm your host Julia Washington, and on today's show I'm joined by Gabrielle Critchlow, and we are talking about. The Gilmore Girls,
Julia: this isn't the first time recovering Gilmore Girls in season one. We talked about the relationships In season three, we discussed being in high school, and this season we're taking a look at the wealth of the Gilmore Women. But before we dive in, Let me introduce you to my guest. Gabrielle is the esteemed captain of a Step ahead tutoring services.
Julia: She received her master's degree in clinical mental health counseling from St. John's University in 2015. While she attended the university, she worked for two supplemental education services companies that partnered with New York City schools. Because they partnered with the school, she was able to provide between 20 and 26 free hours of tutoring.
Julia: Every year while she was working at both these companies, she saw the academic struggles of low income and middle income families that were disproportionately African American, Hispanic, and South Asian. She believed that the allotment of ours was definitely not enough for them. Furthermore, Gabrielle believed that these students tended to be misdiagnosed with learning disabilities, almost illiterate and undereducated.
Julia: She reached a point when she realized that these students delivered more than the limited services these companies offered them. It was at this moment, the light bulb went off in her head and she thought, I'll start my own company. Gabrielle's experience in graduate school provided her with the insight she needed to excel at and enjoy tutoring while inspiring other tutors to do the same.
Julia: Then she founded a Step Ahead tutoring services in 2013 and is operated it ever since. Welcome to the show, Gabrielle.
Gabrielle: Hi. Thank you for having me. It's awesome to be.
Julia: I'm excited you're here and I love your background because I think it's so easy, and especially with shows like Gilmore Girls, right? It's so easy to assume that everyone has the same access to education and resources, and that's just not
Gabrielle: true.
Gabrielle: It's not it, it's really not. And especially in, especially with, uh, certain ethnicities, right? We tend to associate. Um, you know, particularly with minorities and people of color, we tend to associate wealth with white people and, um, it's not always the case, right. So, um, and then particularly with my background when it comes to, I guess my personal experience was when it comes to, you know, people of color, um, We tend to be viewed as poor.
Gabrielle: Um, and, and white people are perceived as wealthier people. And that's, that is far from the truth. So, yeah. Yeah. Um, and then it is the unfortunate reality, but, um, but the, the, the truth is it's not always the case. And so, and I think because, you know, people of color tend. Be viewed as poor, and that's how they get treated, and therefore they don't have enough resources and then things get neglected and, and underdiagnosed as well as misdiagnosed.
Gabrielle: So it's, it's, it's a whole trickle effect. Right. Yeah.
Julia: I, my brother is 45 and. I'm convinced he has an undiagnosed learning disability and I think it would've made a huge difference for him, um, had he, I hope he does. I, I don't think he listens to my show, so we're gonna just go ahead and have this conversation.
Julia: Um, and I think it would've made a huge difference cuz my parents moved us into prominent, predominantly white community. Our neighborhood was predominantly white. Um, I still, I live in the house that I grew up in. And so the neighborhood's gotten a a lot more diverse, which is mind blowing to me cuz when we were kids, every freaking neighbor was white.
Julia: Um, and I think that in the nineties and e and even as early as kindergarten, you know, he was demonstrating, you know, examples of like, he's smart, but he's, the translation isn't there. Right. Like from what he's learning to what he's putting at out, you know, the output. Mm-hmm. Um, And sometimes I wonder, um, if we hadn't been sent to pr, private religious school, if he had received, um, better support.
Julia: But I don't know. I don't know what the answers are cuz you know, the eighties was a whole different ballgame when it came to just understanding education in general. Mm-hmm. But when I worked in adult education, I noticed a lot of our, especially cuz I live in an area that has a, a large, um, Latino community and a lot of our students were, um, Like first gen, you know, and, or, or their kids were diagnosed recently with a learning disability and they came in and they're like, I don't know why I struggle with reading and this is really hard for me and I can't help, you know, my kids.
Julia: And it just, it's such a, it's not the root problem for a lot of stuff. But I think, like for my, in my brother's example, he was always labeled as being disruptive when really it was like he probably was having a hard
Gabrielle: time in. And that's the, and then that's the sad reality. So not to, you know, not saying that it, you know, but it's, it's, I mean, it's more likely to happen with people of color, but I think it is a, it is a general thing with education.
Gabrielle: You know, like it's, there are students. They may show disruptive behaviors, well, sorry, this is audio. Uh, they may show, uh, you know, disruptive behaviors and hyperactivity and lack of attention, but it could just be, there may be something neurological going on. Mm-hmm. And, you know, that tends to be ignored or neglected, or.
Gabrielle: Unknown, right. But even more so with people of color. But I think, uh, it's, it is a, a common problem. Yeah.
Julia: He was literally the only black boy in class up until probably my parents moved us to public schools. So like for him to be like, Like the, he stands out already, right? And then now and then, and then you add the whole like he's struggling class element.
Julia: These teachers pro just didn't, probably just didn't wanna deal with it. And if the resources that exist now, cause I'm in California so there's a lot of resources now that didn't exist when we were kids. And so I'm, you know, I can't help but wonder like if, if he had, but I don't know. My community's interesting.
Julia: Yeah, still a lot of problems when it comes to racial equity.
Gabrielle: Um, and now we transition. Yeah, right on
Julia: that note. Um, so Gabrielle, our season four is all about. Representation of wealthy women in the media. So one of the things that I've been asking all of my guests, because um, you know, I was always told you don't talk about money.
Julia: And I'm like, but what? But I feel like that's a part of the problem because then how are we gonna get equity if we're not talking about money? Mm-hmm. Um, but one of the questions I've been asking all of my guests is, do you remember what you thought of wealthy women when you were a kid?
Gabrielle: Yeah. So, kind of bridging what I said earlier.
Gabrielle: I thought wealthy women were white women, right? Yeah. Yeah. So when it came to movies and tv, when it came to wealth, the depiction of wealth, cuz I watched a lot of movies. So when it came to wealth it was usually like women wearing pearls. Mm-hmm. Um, they have white. It's the white one too, right? Yeah. Not the black ones.
Gabrielle: Yeah, the black cats is usually, it, it symbolizes danger in movies, but it's the white ones. Um, so it's white cats is, um, like the nice carpets and the mansions mm-hmm. And the servants and all the help. Um, um, And like the, the husband is some kind of business something and wearing a suit. And, and the women usually had like some kind of furry coat on and they're usually bossing other people around.
Gabrielle: So, um, it's usually like the, the women, the men were the ones with the big jobs. Mm-hmm. Like they were the ones that were working and the women were the one who tended to be home with all the servants. Right. So, But it's funny because the images that I saw were white people. Mm-hmm. Right? So that kind of bri, you know, connecting to what I said earlier about what I know is when it came to wealth, it was usually white people.
Gabrielle: And, um, when it came to like people of color and, and wealth, they were usually the help. Mm-hmm. Right? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Um, they were usually like servant. Or like Pablo's the gardener and you know, like, and um, and like, uh, black people were the carpenters. And so I think it's my image of wealth. And growing up it was racially associated, right?
Gabrielle: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And so now when I look. When I look at movies and tv, it's definitely shifted. Mm-hmm. Not a hundred percent, not a full 180, but like a maybe a 90% shift. Right. So now, so when I see wealth now and I'm still seeing the pearls mm-hmm. But, um, it's, so when, now when I look at black women and wealth, I'm still seeing the pearls are still there.
Gabrielle: I don't see animals. Um, but they have the nice clothes on and they have the mansions and they have the paintings on the wall, and it's all black people. Mm-hmm. It's all black leaders on the wall. And, um, I don't see the, I, I'm not sure if I see help when it comes to black wealth. I'm not sure about servants.
Gabrielle: Yeah. But, um, I don't see a lot of servant. And then also with black wealth, it's also associated with like hip hop. Right? Right. And like rappers and, um, and the, the cars, there's a lot of cars. So black wealth, I tend to see, um, a lot of cars and champagne and crystal and black liquor. Right? So when I came to black wealthy women, It seems to be, what I tend to see is more materialism.
Gabrielle: Yeah. Right. And when it came, when it comes to like white wealth, it's still more, more servants and more, um, more servitude. Mm-hmm. Which I tend to see in like movies and TV and stuff. And, and now, I mean, there's more portrayal of it now, but. Um, yeah, I'm, I'm even trying to think. I don't see a lot of, well, I will say like in terms of like what, like Asian wealth or like Indian wealth.
Gabrielle: I tend to see those and like, like the. Like the 16 year old reality shows. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. The, the spoiled 16 year old girl and they're throwing a party. Yeah. Right. So when it comes to Asian wealth and Indian wealth, I tend to see it, it's, uh, for youth, for younger people, right? When and when they're acting a fool and partying.
Gabrielle: So youth and parties, right? Mm-hmm. So that's where I tend to see like Asian wealth and Indian wealth. It goes to show that. Perception of wealth, particularly across, um, the, the ethnicities is changing. Mm-hmm. I don't know if it's changing for the better, but it is changing. So it is being acknowledged more.
Gabrielle: It is being put out there more. It is being portrayed more. And, but I, I will say that the, the symbolism of wealth is the, pretty much the same mm-hmm. Across the board. Like there's too much of something. Right. Or there's too much. Too, too much servants or too much cars, or too much alcohol or, um, there's still this, people are still snooty and condescending and rude and, um, and there's a wild parties, there's always a wild parties, right?
Gabrielle: Mm-hmm. There's always a lot of people at the parties, right? And it's, it's the same symbol. I see across the board, um, when it comes to the media and, and wealth, and I will say maybe in the past 10 years, when it comes to wealth, is a, there's definitely an age shift. Mm-hmm. Um, there is a lot more portrayal of young people and wealth, I think because of, of TikTok and, and Facebook.
Gabrielle: Social media and video games. Video games is a big one. So there's a lot more depiction of young wealth. Mm-hmm. Right. And it's still the wild parties. Right. And there's always, there's the mansions, right? And, um, there's, there's the alcohol, there's the cars. So the, the, the depiction of wealth. From when I was a kid to now the same symbol, the same symbols are still there.
Gabrielle: Mm-hmm. Right. Materialism, servitude, alcohol parties. It's, it's still there. Yeah. It, it's, it's, it's shifting now to younger ages and it's shifting now across ethnicities. So I will say the depiction of wealth has improved. I would say in over the past 30 years. Yeah.
Julia: When I think about like, um, cuz you know, they rebooted Fresh Prince of Bellaire, but calling it just Bellaire.
Julia: Mm-hmm. And um, when I think about the original series compared to how it's how wealthy the bank's family is portrayed now, it's so different. Right. Because the set was very, it was still. The outside of the house was still a mansion esque, and they had Jeffrey, but the set was still sort of modest in a way.
Julia: Mm-hmm. Like, it wasn't modest for the time. But when you think about, now that we've had all these, like reality shows going into people's mansions mm-hmm. Like the newer sh the new version, you walk into that mansion and you're just like, whoa, my entire house can fit into your foyer. Um, and they've just sort of, Stepped it up a lot more, um, in, in that regard with the visuals and just the massiveness of the property.
Julia: They always talked about it on Fri in the original one with Will Smith. They, you know, oh yeah, I went, I played tennis, we have a pool house, all these things. But in the new one, you actually see it and it's so just like, This could be a tiny community, like your property could house probably 20 houses. I mean, good for you also.
Julia: Dang.
Gabrielle: Yeah, it does the. The, the real estate keeps, seems to be getting bigger and bigger. Yeah. Yeah.
Julia: All the different houses that people own. Like what do you mean you don't have a Hampton's house? What do you mean you have a Hampton's house? Like, I'm still trying to buy a house. Like
Gabrielle: I, and then, and thinking, I know, it's like we gotta get back to gum girls.
Gabrielle: But even just thinking about, I don't know if you've heard of a show called Royal Pains? Yes. Yeah. So it's pretty much, um, it's a concierge doctor. And I mean, I, I, I know it's, we're talking about women, but in terms of the depiction of wealth, like, you know, it was like the doctor and his brother, they were modest living, modest, but um, uh, the, the doctor quit his job and, uh, no, I think, yeah, he was going through a divorce.
Gabrielle: He quit his job and then the brother was like, let's try to help him out. I don't remember how they ended up in the Hamptons, but. Somehow they ended up in the Hamptons and he saved a rich guy's life. And then, uh, the doctor did. And then all of a sudden people were like, you know, come save all these rich people.
Gabrielle: And that's how he built his business. But even that depiction, there was like, I remember one episode where it was a teenager and I think something was happening. Oh, I think, no. He, like, he crashed the. And he got injured. And then, uh, Hank was a doctor. He, like, he, after he, uh, he fixed the boy, um, well fixed him.
Gabrielle: But after he healed him, right, um, uh, the Hank was talking to the boy and was like, what are you going to do with the car? And I'm trying to remember what he said, but he was like, I'm going to replace. And Hank was like, oh, you're gonna get it fixed. He's like, no, I'm just gonna buy a new one. Oh my God. So it's like, um, just the depiction of wealth there.
Gabrielle: Mm-hmm. Like, first of all, again, it was mostly white people, right? Mm-hmm. Not a lot of, um, minority wealth in that show. Um, and then just the fact that you can get a concierge doctor. Yeah. That. Itself is the symbolism of wealth. Right. And people tended, the, the residents there, they fixed their problems by just buying a new thing.
Gabrielle: Right? Or placing it right. And then there was still the wild parties and it was still the alcohol. Um, but even just the idea of, I. Call a doctor at twenty four seven mm-hmm. And the doctor will come to me in person. And even just like the fact that he was able to establish such a business so quickly.
Gabrielle: Yeah. And I know it's like, it's like TV magic, but, um, it, it's still like he wouldn't have been able to do something like that if he stayed in the city. Right. And. Because he came from New York, right? And then he ended up in the Hamptons, which is in Long Island. So it shows like you wouldn't be able to do all that in New York City, right?
Gabrielle: Yeah, yeah. But the fact that you had to go to the outskirts of the end of, of Long Island to do that. So then that shows the difference between New York City and Long Island, right? Mm-hmm. Um, or it shows the difference between city life and suburban life. Right. You know, so it's like you, you had to leave the city to accomplish all this.
Gabrielle: So when it comes to what I know about wealth in terms of movies and TV is a lot of, and again, I do see racial disparities. Mm-hmm. Um, it's how freely people give away millions of dollars. Mm-hmm. Or of real estate. Or property, or here's a $10,000 car. Like I don't want it. I mean, here's a mansion. I don't want it.
Gabrielle: Yeah. Like, you know, and it's like, um, it's. How easy it is to give away so much money. Mm-hmm. And property and real estate. But for someone with a modest living lower income, you can't who they are in no position to give away. Right. A lot of money.
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Julia: Mario. We're on YouTube as pop Culture makes me jealous. Subscribe today. So according to several internet resources, including Screen Rant and a few Reddit threads, Richard and Emily gilmore's net worth is roughly 50 million. It is unclear if this is based on 2020 numbers or if the article is going off.
Julia: And they show when the show was at its peak. So with that said, the wealth and power that the Gilmore's had provided Laura Lei with a level of comfort, even after she removed herself from her parents' home, she remained a financial beneficiary in many ways. In 2021, screen ran, ran a listical titled Gilmore.
Julia: 10 times Lole and Rory were saved by money and privilege, which outlines the most notable times in Gilmore. Girls that Lole and Lo and Rory were helped out by someone in their life. So the show's tone, as we all know, is. Set when Laura lie, needs assistance with Rory's tuition so she can attend Chilton.
Julia: Laura lie works really hard to prove. She is so different from her parents. She's painted as a struggling single mother, and for the most part she is. But she has a safety net. She's cut off from the family by choice. So I wanna talk a little bit about Laura Li's access to wealth, even though she intentionally removed herself from the family.
Julia: How differently do you think Lo lie and Roy's lives would've been if they had come from a different family and meaning somebody like, you know, let's, we could use the example of like the Kim's Lane's family, or not the Gilmore's.
Gabrielle: Well, yeah. I just wanna make ano, just before I answer that, I just wanna make another point about, about race.
Gabrielle: Um, yeah. Like even if, um, in Gilmore Girls, when I think because, and there weren't a lot of minorities in Gilmore Girls either. Mm-hmm. Which is another, which is another interesting thing. Rory's best friend Lane was Asian, right? Mm-hmm. And I remember there was a. The way, like when Lane met Emily, I think Emily just looked at her as like, oh you are, you're another poor person.
Gabrielle: Like who are you?
Julia: So Anne referred to her, constantly referred to her as your Asian friend, like didn't even bother to learn her name.
Gabrielle: Yeah. So that's another you. Interesting observation when it came to, to wealth is when it came to, again, wealthy people are usually associated with white people. So, and then seeing how she interacted with, with Lane was just like, you don't have a name, right?
Gabrielle: So it's your not white and therefore you don't have a name. Mm-hmm. So it's, you see the interaction. The way wealthier white people treated non-white people. Mm-hmm. And Gilmore girls. It is very, um, it's very interesting, but yes. So there wouldn't have been a show. Yeah, that's what I was, there would not been a show.
Gabrielle: The whole show is about Laura, like going to her parents asking for. So that Rory can go to this wealthy high school. And the whole show is about Rory going to this wealthy high school. And because she went to this wealthy high school, she went to Yale, and because she went to Yale, she worked in a newspaper.
Gabrielle: So the whole show is about wealth, right? So if Loli did not have access to that wealth, Rory would've stayed in Stars Hollow High School. And that's. Like there would be no show because
Julia: it's like we don't even see her. We don't even see Laura lie even try to see if they qualify for a scholarship or if there's some sort of like funding program.
Julia: It's straight. Well, I can ask mommy and daddy for money cuz mommy and daddy have money. Which to me, you know, the show first aired when I was in high school, and then when I became a single mom, it turned into the whole like, what is this delusional world? I wanna be in it. Because, because just how often she was able to be like mom and dad and sure there's emotional abuse that comes with the money.
Julia: There's strings, there's all these things. But that is another trope that we learn happens with, you know, people of wealth. Just how Laura lie works so hard to be like, I'm not like my parents, but it's like, no, but Laura lie, you kind of are, because you are still able to do things and navigate in ways that other single mothers have absolutely no access to whatsoever.
Gabrielle: And then academics ties into it, right? Because Rory wanted to go to Harvard. Mm-hmm. That's another thing I wanna point out. They were set on an Ivy League school, so that is another observation of wealth and privilege. Oh, she could have went to any four year school, right? I know they're in Connecticut.
Gabrielle: They could have went to Yukon. Yeah, they could have went to some other school. But no, the direction they chose was an Ivy League school. The direction they chose was. Straight up Harvard first episode. I want my daughter going to Harvard and, and even Rory was like, I wanna go to Harvard. Right. And the way to get there, the understanding there was Rory's not going to go to Harvard if she stays in Stars Hollow High School.
Gabrielle: Mm-hmm. She has to go to a wealthy prep school to get a ticket to. And then when she completed the high school, she completely pivoted and went to Yale, which is where her grandparents went to. So now that I kind of think about it, she probably was like, I want my kid going to Harvard, but I'm anti parents, so I'm gonna c choose a completely different Ivy League school.
Gabrielle: But somehow, She ends up going to Yale, which is where her grandparents went to. So she still kind of follows in her parents' footsteps. But all that to say that when it comes to wealth and privilege, going to an Ivy League school. Right. And the way to get to Ivy League was not through Stars Hollow, right.
Gabrielle: A regular high school. Mm-hmm. She had to go to a wealthy prep school in order to get there. So, The depiction of, I need to go, I need to send my daughter to a school that my parents have to pay for. Right? And that has more access to resources, more access to fancy classes, more activities, more connections with other wealthier families in order to go to an Ivy League.
Gabrielle: So that says something about schooling that says something about Ivy League that says something about wealth and privilege and power will get me to where I want to go. And with Laura, like as much as she hated her parents and she tried to get away, she tried to get away, right? But somehow when it came to her daughter, And it's like, but I want my kid going to an Ivy League school.
Gabrielle: So now I have to humble myself and go back to the thing that I hate, which is my parents, because I want better for my daughter. Right? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So, and the, and like you said, like it wasn't about, She didn't look for any scholarships. She didn't look for any payment plans. Right. And in the neighborhood, she lived in Stars Hollow.
Gabrielle: Everybody knew each other. Mm-hmm. Which is interesting. So she didn't ask for like a, a, um, like a fundraiser help. You know, I want my daughter going, uh, to Harvard. Right. Let's, let's do a fundraiser to pay for it. Right. Nothing like that. She. The way that she knew. Yeah. Which is going back to her parents and, and that kind of shows that you had that access.
Gabrielle: Mm-hmm. As much as you hated it, you had that access and you had that privilege and you tapped into that. Yeah. Like you, you know, you, you look, you could have looked for a scholarship, right? Like you said, like you could have gotten on a payment. Maybe, maybe not Harvard, maybe go to go to community college first, then transfer to Harvard.
Gabrielle: Right,
Julia: right, right. Because I can't, so I can't imagine that when she, when they applied for Chilton, you know, there wasn't some sort of box that said something to the effect of like, you know, I, I don't know. How do you avoid a conversation about tuition when you're applying for a. That's, that's the part that I kind of get stuck on now too, because like when my son applied for college, last two, what?
Julia: Whatever, whenever it was his senior year, he's a freshman. He's is a freshman in college now, but his senior year there was like, Hey, you know, we, when we go, went through the application process, there was points of like, have you applied for your FAFSA yet? Like, have you done these things yet? And, and. I, I, I mean, I went to a private religious school, but I've never sent my child to a private school.
Julia: But when I sent him to a charter school, there was still like a self-identifying question of like, Hey, can you contribute in these ways? And which is a polite way of asking, Hey, do you have money? You know? So I'm like, how did you not know to ask for the, I guess she wouldn't know because of the way that she was raised, right?
Julia: Like she left the comfort of that world, but yet she still brought a lot of that ideology with her in terms of like education and the path and career path,
Gabrielle: right? And then she, she and her friend Suki, they. I think they worked at a hotel, a local hotel. Mm-hmm. And then they decided to go into business and own their own hotel.
Gabrielle: And I mean, yeah, Laura, like, kind of finagle the system of the, the local city that she was in to make it happen. But even I just rem I remember like there was conversation about insurance. Mm-hmm. Right? Mm-hmm. And she, she went to her father who was an insurance agent. Mm-hmm. And the fact that she was able to go to her father for help with insurance as opposed to just finding any kind of insurance agent was, you know, and the father, uh, you know, made it easier for her.
Gabrielle: Mm-hmm. She, well, I mean, just come the first episode, you could tell that they, she didn't completely avoid her parents. They were just, she just kept seeing them on like holidays and stuff. But it was because of, I want to see you once a week at Friday night dinners. If you want this money, I wanna see you every week, and I wanna know what's going on with your life.
Gabrielle: Mm-hmm. And it is emotional abuse. Yeah. But, um, just she, it is like she was trying to get away. She didn't completely go away Right from it. Right. Yeah. She ran away when she was 16. And she moved to, she went to Stars Hollow. There's a lot of gaps. Mm-hmm. And I understand it's TV magic, but, but it's, I was like, okay, so how did she end up in Stars Hollow?
Gabrielle: Did she, like, did she, how did she even get, but it's still was like, how did she get to this other town? And um, and where did she live? Like, and then that's another thing too, like when you first see Laura Lies, She was, you know, Rory's already 16, right? In like the first episode. And they're in a big house.
Gabrielle: Yeah. Right. So, and they, and they own the whole house. And we don't ask like, wait, how you ran away when you were 16? You ran away to a completely different city. How did you even get there? Who did you stay with? Where did you. You know, how did you end up in this big house? How did you pay for this house?
Gabrielle: Like, and it's the fact that, um, how did a single woman, a single parent, a single mom, how did you end up in this really big house? Yeah, and I mean, yeah, she worked for hotels, but, but it wasn't a conversation about how much money did she. And, and I understand this was in the nineties, right? So real estate was a lot cheaper, but um, but the fact that she grew up in a house, right?
Gabrielle: Mm-hmm. Not an apartment building, right? Right. It was a house. So even little things like that, it just shows, um, that she still had. To resources. Mm-hmm. Actually wouldn't have gotten any other way.
Julia: Yeah. I wanna kind of go back to, to your point about like the path of Harvard and having to go to private prep school and what have you.
Julia: Yeah. Um, when I was watching, I haven't watched the most recent seasons of Queen Sugar cuz they started talking about Covid and I was like, I am not ready. But in the earlier seasons they do. Her son Micah does say cuz she, he, she sends him to a prep school and he's like, I don't wanna go to a prep school anymore.
Julia: Like, I would like to, you know, go to the com, you know, the neighborhood school or whatever it's called. And you know, the mom was like, absolutely not. This is not why we worked really hard. This is so we could send you here, so you could go to this college and all these things. And the sun was just very much like, But they only have so many spots f at that university for kids that go to, to this school that I attend, I have a better chance of getting into Ivy League if I go to that, you know, um, neighborhood school because it's, you know, whatever his logic was.
Julia: And she ended up agreeing and la and allowing him to go to that school. But it's just such an interesting contrast into what we see. Um, and you. Queen Sugars on a cable network channel. Right. Gilmore Girls was on a, um, one of the big networks, if you will, like, you didn't have to have cable to watch it and mm-hmm.
Julia: And, but just the contrast between the two experiences even in that is interesting to me because Laurel, I was very much like, we have to do prep school so that way you can go to Harvard. Like that's the point. That's what you do. That's how you do it. And Lori was like, yes, mom. That's how we do it. And then in, you know, in this example of Queen Sugar, it's like the kid's like, that's not how we do it anymore, mom.
Julia: Like this is how it can get done now. Um, and it's just so interesting because for Charlie, That's not the world that she kind of grew up in. I mean, maybe she did, I don't know. Cuz they also made her mom white on the show where her mom's not, I, I didn't read her mom as white in the book. Um, but I don't be mistaken.
Julia: I don't know. Um, But just even still just adding that layer of like, this is how white people do it, and Charlie's like, this is how white people do it, so we're gonna do it this way. And her son's like, we don't have to do it that way. Like, there's other ways to do it. Um, both, but both are extremely wealthy families now.
Julia: Right? Because Charlie and her husband are extremely wealthy, um, from his basketball career. But even still, it was like, why would you assume that? Because she went to Stars Hollow High. She doesn't have a chance to get into Harvard. Like, to me, that's the, but then also two people in my area, I think we've had like, not very many people go off to Ivy Leagues from where I live.
Julia: Um. Mm-hmm. So, I mean, maybe that's my answer right there, but that's the path that Laura, I was on. Her parents were like, you're, you're gonna go to prep school, you're gonna go to Smith or Sarah Lawrence, and then you're gonna marry an a wealth, a man of proper bloodlines to get married to. And that's what you do.
Gabrielle: Right. And even I remember. There was an episode of Gumma Girls, where I think Rory was like angry at her mom. And so she stayed at, um, she stayed with her grandparents. Right. And, uh, okay, so Rory was dating Dean at the time. Mm-hmm. And the, the grandparents didn't like that. Cause, you know, he was, he wasn't one of the rich people, right?
Gabrielle: Yeah. He wasn't, wasn't the. The wealthy people. Right. So they threw up like a, I don't know if it was a party. Yes.
Julia: The party with all of the men. Oh yeah. From proper families,
Gabrielle: proper family. It was like, it was a like a party of like all like rich boys, rich white boys. Yeah. And Roy was like, are there any girls here?
Gabrielle: And then the pa and the grandparents laughed. Like the whole point was for Rory to pick someone. Right. Uh, pick one of the people from the bloodlines. From the, from the wealthier, uh, wealthier connections. Yeah. Right. So, It was like a a a dating party. Yeah, A match party.
Julia: Yeah. Yeah. I, that episode is so funny because there's this part, a scene in that episode where somebody says something like, oh, the Campbells are here.
Julia: And then Emily Gilmore's like, oh, Rory Campbell like the soup. Let's go. And then like, drags her off. And I was like, I mean, okay, let's just say that he's getting the camp soup wealth calm down. Um, but that's a really good segue into loli. So Lolis relationship with money is not unlike some single mothers.
Julia: But another component of her life that isn't on this screen rent list is her time living at the Independence Inn until she buys her home with Rory when Rory's much older. So like we talked about a little bit ago, yeah, we can assume, or at least I assume that because she was living at the Independence Inn where she worked, she's living rent free and possibly receiving free meals or at a discount, which allows her to save the bulk of her income.
Julia: So I wanna talk about. How even though Laura, I removed herself from her wealthy family, she still manages to find a position. Though cleaning houses or um, hotel rooms is deemed lowly from her parents. It still allows her to establish purchasing power and like her own version of like wealth, because her house, you know, in one of the listicles you're like, we valued all of this Star's Hollow Houses, and Laura Lies' house is worth $450,000.
Julia: I'm just like, what?
Gabrielle: I guess my thing with that, All right. So I didn't know she actually stayed at, you know, stayed at the end until then, but I was just like, how did she get to all these places? But it's like, but then it's still like, how did you even end up at the end? But did you walk? But anyway, yeah, all I say was, um, I mean, what I was saying earlier about like, the show starts with Rory at 16 and they're in this big house.
Gabrielle: Mm-hmm. Right? And. You know, you kind of have to watch, you kind of have to piece together her past. Right. So there's no talk about like, did Laura like have a trust? Right, right. Or, yeah. Cause I remember, um, well, I think Laura like did because her Laura's great-grandmother. Mm-hmm. I think. Her some money or left her a
Julia: trust.
Julia: Yeah. Rory's, um, great-grandmother had a trust that had like $250,000 in it for her. And then Laura, I, and then Richard had purchased some property in, when Laura, I was born, and then they sold the property and he gave her like tens of thousands of dollars from that property at some point.
Gabrielle: Right. So lo. I'm not, I don't remember if there was a lot of talk about Laura, like having access to that trust money because it wasn't like, okay, so Laura like, may have had to to hustle right.
Gabrielle: And save her coins and stuff, but, um, but at some point, like she had to, were they just eating hotel food all the time? Right? Like at some point she had to get, I mean she, all the schools were kind of. To each other cuz it was a small town. But, um, but like, it wasn't enough. Talk about the hustle. Mm-hmm. Um, that Laura had to do.
Gabrielle: Like, did they have to wear the same clothes every day? Did they have to, was it just hotel food? They ate all the time, you know. Did, did she have what? Did, what happened when Rory was at school? Mm-hmm. Right. Or when, no. When Laura lie was at work, did someone have to babysit Rory? Like how did she get babysitters or was it just her friends, or was it, you know, and it wasn't enough.
Gabrielle: Talk about the hustle. Mm-hmm. Um, cause there was a, it was a lot of unanswered questions, I think. So how did you come to buying your own. I mean, granted it was the nineties and, you know, real estate was cheaper and she, she could have saved her money. It was possible. But then I think her great-grandmother, like I said, she had access to that money, and then Rory had access to that money as well.
Gabrielle: So did they ever tap into that money? Right. So it was, it wasn't a, it, it wasn't enough. Talk about, you know, How did she even come to buy that house, you know? Right. And, um, and cause it, it just kind of jumped to Rory being a teenager. And I guess the symbolism there was, you know, Laura lie was 16 when she had Rory.
Gabrielle: So now. The, the series premiere is now Rory is 16. Right. So is she going to follow the same path that her mother did? Right. So I'm just like, how did a 16 year old with a baby even find a job? Yeah, right. And how did a, how does a 16 year old with a baby, how did she raise her baby? Mm-hmm. You. It is a lot of unanswered questions, I think.
Gabrielle: Yeah. In Gilmore Girls, in terms of how did you accumulate the money to even buy the house. Yeah. Right. And you're, you know, and you're a teen mom, you know, and it's like, how did, how did you end up in this place? And yeah, you worked at a hotel and stuff, but. You know, you had a baby and
Julia: I can't imagine someone at a bank is gonna be like, sure, we'll give a 25 year old.
Julia: Cause I think they, I think the online theory is that, um, uh, Laura, I bought the house when Rory was 11, so that makes her 27. So like, I can't imagine if she's still in some sort of like mid-level at the end, a bank's gonna be like, Just in my own experience with trying to access loans in and having quote good jobs, I can't imagine a bank's gonna be like, sure.
Julia: You don't need a co-signer, here's some money. Right? Like, I feel like someone, someone would've had to co-sign that loan for you, Laura. I like, there's no way a bank, bank of America's gonna look at, well, I don't know, bank of America's kind of shady, but like Capital One or Chase isn't gonna look at you and be like, sure, we'll give you money.
Julia: Or Washington Mutual, that's what it was back then. Like Washington Mutual's not gonna be like, here's, you know, $250,000, buy a house. They're gonna be like, no, you need a cosig. Because you have no credit and we don't know you and you are a maid. Right? Like that's the way I see it going in my head based on my own experience.
Gabrielle: Right. So it's definitely a lot of gaps in terms of how did you come to even get that house. Mm-hmm. So like it would be, I, it would be more believable to me if she were in an apartment building. Yeah. And even if she still had access to her parents. Right. Cuz she's trying to be so anti. Right. Well, anti Emily, anti Richard, it's still, I would've believed it more if she were an apartment building, right?
Gabrielle: Yeah, yeah. But the fact that you are in a big house and Yeah. It's like, okay, well Laura, I had to work to get her money, right. It wasn't like Emily and Richard who, uh, you know, had millions of dollars. You know, Laura had to work to get her money, but what did she do? And it wasn't enough discussion. What did she do to get there?
Julia: Right? Yeah, I agree. Mm-hmm. And then later on in the seasons, it becomes a little bit easier and easier for them to take gifts from Richard and Emily, like at one point. I think it's a high Rory's high school graduation. They bought her a car, you know, just outright, here's a car, no car payment kind, you know?
Julia: And it's like, yeah, okay. I've never owned a car without a car payment. I don't know how that, I mean, after I, I mean I have a, I don't have a car payment now cause I paid off my car, but I've had my car for almost 10 years. Um, but I had a car note for six years. So there's that. Um, And then there's like another point too where like when Rory has a falling out, With Paris when they're at college and she can move in with Logan.
Julia: And so, you know, she's not living in dorm housing or even just having college paid for, like her grandparents pay for college and, and then when they have a falling out with her grandparents, her dad pays for college. You know, she's not scrambling trying to figure out how to pay for an Ivy League education because she's got resources to tap into.
Julia: And multiple, cuz her dad's wealthy too. So if grandma and grandpa can't pull through, then she can just ask daddy for money. Um, so there's a lot of like safety net that they have so they don't have to really have the emotional struggle of, or, or pain of like, I don't know how I'm gonna pay for X on this date when I don't get paid until this date.
Julia: Like that is very clearly removed from their lives.
Gabrielle: Well from Rory's life. So I remember there was an episode where I think Laura Live was struggling financially. Like I think like, um, like Rory came home at some point and noticed that the lights were dimmer. Mm-hmm. And so she asked her mom, like, I noticed the lights were dimmer and.
Gabrielle: Laura, Laura, I was trying to blow it off, like, no, like everything's okay. And Laura was like, are you having money problems? And Laura was like, no, no, it's fine. You know, but trying to hide the fact that she was having money problems. Right. So, yeah, it, you still see the struggle of, of, you know, trying to, to, to even pay to fix the things in the house.
Gabrielle: Mm-hmm. Right. Even just changing light bulbs. Um, the fact that she had to use, um, dimmer lights, you know, as opposed to the brighter light bulb. So you, you still see elements of financial struggle, but I think at some point it kind of just goes away. Yeah. Maybe in life a couple episodes later, so Yeah,
Julia: for sure.
Julia: It's interesting to me because I was definitely like obsessed with the show when it was airing the first time. Cuz Rory and I were roughly the same age and I was like, oh my God, I love to read books. Oh my God, my best friend's also into punk rock music and so am I. And like all these things. Um, and then now that I've gone through the whole like raising a child, having to navigate the education system and then now having to navigate the college system, it is just like, Gilmore Girls, you lied.
Julia: This shit is hard.
Julia: Thanks.
Gabrielle: Yeah. Yeah. I was like, how did, how did, how did they make, you know, how, how, how did, how did a 16 year old raise a baby, you know, without the wealth of her parents, and all of a sudden she's, I. Working at a hotel and all of a sudden she buys her own hotel. I'm like, where was the baby this whole time?
Gabrielle: Like right. A
Julia: lot. Right. Gosh. Cause and I think it shows too that when you have sort of, when you are raised in sort of an environment where things just are kind of like you're already on third base, right? Mm-hmm. But I think is the phrase that is used a lot, it's just that you get to navigate differently and.
Julia: It's just. It's interesting. In the first list of call by screen rant, it's mentioned that the Hunts burgers are uber wealthy with billions of dollars in net worth. So this reminded me of the scene when Logan's mom and Emily Gilmore get into it about Logan and Rory dating. Mrs. Huntsburg says, well, frankly, Emily, there's your money and then there's our money.
Julia: So even though these two families are amongst the wealthiest, this comment highlights that there's still a hierarchy within the wealthiest class, which is mindblowing to me cuz y'all have more money than I do. Like y'all could pay off our student loans and we'd be fine. Like, um, It's no secret that I have spent hundreds of hours watching Gilmore Girls, but the older I get and the more I work towards financial freedom, the more I can't help but wonder what the show would've been like if Laura LE's parents were toxic in a completely different way.
Julia: If they in return, cut off Rory once, Laura Lei left them behind. Gabrielle, thank you so much for joining me today. Can you tell our friends at home where they can find you and keep up with you and support your.
Gabrielle: Absolutely. So my tutoring company is a step ahead. Tutoring services, you, uh, we offer one-on-one tutoring, test prep, college counseling, editing, and proofreading, and a variety of workshops.
Gabrielle: So if you're looking for a tutor for your child, uh, or even for yourself, you know, your child is struggling, um, um, learning disabilities, any kind of academic assistance homework. Reach out to my team and I reach out to us. You could go to our website www dot a step ahead, tutoring services.com. You could also email us success step ahead tutoring services.com.
Gabrielle: We are also on a variety of social media platforms. You could find us. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Eventbrite and WhatsApp. So just type in a step ahead. Tutoring services, just search for us and we will pop up. We also have a podcast that, uh, that I like to call hot topics. So there's a lot of hot topics out there.
Gabrielle: So just look for the logo with the pencil and the gray and white tip. Um, so check. Check out our podcast. It is called Hot Topics, even Just type in the name, a step ahead, tutoring services, and the podcast will just pop up. So it is on your favorite podcast platform, whether it's Spotify or Apple Podcast.
Gabrielle: So check it out on your favorite platform. Uh, it is, the video episodes are on our YouTube channel as well. If you wanna watch it on YouTube. Check out our website. If you're looking for a tutor, if your child needs academic help, they're struggling. They're falling behind. They're failing. They're behind on a few grades.
Gabrielle: Reach out to us. Let all tutors help. Go to our website again, www.astepaheadtutoringservices.com and also listen to our podcast Hot Topics. Check it out on your favorite podcast.
Julia: Again, thank you so much for joining me today. I really appreciate your time. I know taking time out, especially when there's a time difference.
Julia: Um, is, can, you know, it's a, it's a lot.
Gabrielle: Well, yeah, it, but it's, this was fun. This is definitely a lot of fun and you got me thinking about things I never even thought about, so thank you for that. Oh, glad this was
Julia: awesome. I'm glad you were here. Thank you.
Julia: I hope you enjoyed that conversation with Gabrielle. The never ending depths of Gilmore Girls has always been explored on this show. If you love our show and want more, then join our Patreon. We do fun things like happy hour to discuss current pop culture gossip. We have a book club that meets once a month, plus bonus episodes you won't wanna miss.
Julia: Thanks for tuning in y'all.
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