Season 1, Episode 12
Double Date
(Original Air Date: 1/18/01)Lorelai gets Rory and Lane to turn down their music so she can study for business school. Then she asks them to turn it up again. It transpires that she just finds her homework boring.
Sookie and Jackson are awkward around each other since Sookie asked him out and never got back to him about when or where. She doesn't want to bring it up again, and isn't sure why he doesn't.
Rory convinces Dean to go on a double date with Lane and Dean's friend Todd while Sookie talks Lorelai into going on one with her and Jackson and Jackson's cousin Rune. Both blind dates suck. Lane is grounded for going on a date with a guy despite not being allowed around boys.
Tropes
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Lorelai tells Rory and Lane to not rent movies that are violent, "dirty," or French.
- Bilingual Bonus: If you speak Korean, you understand what Mrs. Kim is yelling at Lane.
- Catchphrase: Todd doesn't swear a lot, but he says "I swear" a lot.
- Double-Meaning Title: Downplayed. The episode is about two double dates, i.e. a double double date.
- Dramatically Missing the Point:
- Sookie causes herself a lot of anguish doubting whether Jackson really wanted to go out with her like he said.
- Todd tries to contact Lane again after the date, not having realized she didn't enjoy it. Lane pretends to be her own mother and refuses to let him speak with herself.
- Foreshadowing:
- Lorelai tells Luke she would wear blue to Sookie and Jackson's wedding. She does.
- When Lane askes her if Lorelai would tell on them, Rory replies that Lorelai might not want to lie to another mom.Rory: She has strange rules.
- Grounded Forever: Lane gets no timeframe for how long she's grounded.
- It Is Dehumanising: Rune calls Lorelai "that" because he inherently hates women who are taller than him.
- Last-Second Word Swap: At the end of the episode, Luke says he had a good time playing poker with Lorelai, and says Lorelai rushed out (with Mrs. Kim) before he had a chance to - and he pauses while Lorelai looks at him - until he adds, "kick your ass at poker," which Lorelai laughs at.
- Like Mother, Like Daughter: Rory lied to Lorelai so Lorelai wouldn't have to lie to Mrs. Kim, thus convincing Lorelai that she really is her daughter.
- Meaningful Name: Played with. Rune is an English word for a type of letter used in Scandinavia in the Bronze Age, but ask Rune himself and he gets very annoyed.
- Metaphorgotten: Mrs. Kim didn't lock Lane up and throw away the key, as the key is in the kitchen.
- Moment Killer: Luke is about to ask Lorelai out on a date when Mrs. Kim bursts in to the diner, looking for Lane.
- No Social Skills: Sookie won't stop talking to Lorelai while on a date with Jackson.
- Plot Parallel: Lorelai and Sookie go on a double date with Jackson and his whiny cousin Rune. The same night, Rory and Lane go on a double date with Dean and Dean's boring friend Todd.
- Poker: Luke plays this with Lorelai after Rune walks out on her. She wants to be dealt cards a third time.
- Product Placement: Lorelai's homework consists of reading about Wal-mart.
- Pun: Lorelai calls Rune "Loon," clearly having held it in all night.
- Reverse Psychology: Subverted. Michel delivers a series of seemingly inspirational insults when Lorelai complains about her schoolwork, but when called on it he claims he just genuinely has no faith in her.
- Shout-Out
- Lane has a Blondie CD.
- And of Kraftwerk and Young Marble Giants.
- She also has a Yoko Ono CD, which she justifies by insisting that The Beatles would have broken up anyway.
- Rory and Lane listen to Claudine Longet.
- Lorelai thinks Sookie should run with the wolves, referencing Women Who Run With Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés.
- Lane feels she understands Beck.
- And Foo Fighters.
- Not to mention The Velvet Underground.
- And German singer Nico.
- Todd is wearing a Fugazi shirt.
- Lorelai feels like Rune stares at her like he's Cher and she's the kid from Mask (1985).
- Todd's favorite movie is Beethoven.
- They watch King Kong.
- Lorelai suggests Luke keep open in case Elijah stops by.
- Lorelai thinks there's a striking resemblance between Mrs. Kim and Robert Duvall's character in The Great Santini.
- Rory climbs the Kims' roof and calls Lane Rapunzel.
- Lorelai will Romeo and Juliet Sookie and Jackson if she has to hear about his amazing mealworms again.
- Synchronized Morning Routine: Lorelai and Rory get a synced Morning Routine to XTC's "Earn Enough for Us".
- Third-Person Person: Lorelai asks Rune "where does 'Rune' come from," meaning the name, but he answers as if she asked where he comes from.
- Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: Rune's interpretation of his situation with Lorelai.
- UST: Between Lorelai and Luke.
