Case Quizes

What Remedy is Emily Gilmore (and Her Mother-In-Law)?

What Remedy is Emily Gilmore (and Her Mother-In-Law)?
Written by Elaine Lewis

There is an excellent TV series called the “Gilmore Girls”! The matriarch, Emily, is a perfect picture of a certain homeopathic remedy, watch our video and see if you know it!

Mom, it’s time for the quiz!

The quiz will start in a minute folks, after my daughter, Shana, has plowed through her timely announcements!

I have a feeling this is going to be quite the Death Report.

Let’s hope so!

Now, this should interest you, Mom; in May, The Dells’ bass singer, Chuck Barksdale, died.

Oh no, that’s a shame!  I shook his hand once and I can still feel it even now, as Daddy introduced him to me; he was very big and tall.  He let us into the dressing room to see The Dells backstage at the Academy of Music.

There are so many Dells songs, it’s hard to pick just one.

Shana, their signature song is “Oh What A Night”:

 

 

Finally, last month I learned that New Orleans trumpet player and Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame-er, Dave Bartholomew, passed away at 100.  Turns out he was the writing partner of Antoine “Fats” Domino!

They wrote many hits such as “Ain’t That a Shame”, “Blue Monday”, “I’m Walkin’,” “I’m In Love Again” and “My Girl Josephine”.

Here’s “Blue Monday” from 1957.  Blue Monday, how I hate blue Monday….

 

Good-bye, Dave; thanks for writing some of my most favorite songs!  Shana knows that whenever Fats Domino comes on the radio, the volume gets turned way up!

 

That’s a fact! 

And now, for the Hpathy Quiz!!!!

 

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to ask you to watch the episode of “Gilmore Girls” linked to below and tell me what remedy is Emily Gilmore and her mother-in-law, “Trix”.  (Her real name is Lorelai, and so is her grand-daughter and great-grand-daughter, who is nick-named “Rory”; so, it’s not confusing at all!  I debated on whether to even write any of this but I felt I had to as the title of this episode is “The Third Lorelai”…you see what I’m saying?)

 

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6qec5d 

 

Remember the “Tidbits” article I wrote titled, “What Remedy Is Jess Mariano?”  Well, that was an episode of “Gilmore Girls” too, I hope you saw it because you’ll be ahead of the game if you have.  This happens to be a very well-written series and the acting is superb, especially the part of Emily Gilmore played by Kelly Bishop!

I’m going to have to summarize the episode for those of our readers who can’t understand spoken English.  But for the rest of you, feel free to go right to the video!  After you’ve seen it, make a list of the “elements of the case” (we’ve talked about this before), then find rubrics for them, “repertorize”, and tell me, What remedy is Emily Gilmore and her MIL, “Trix”.  Send your answers to me at [email protected].  The answer will be in next month’s ezine.

Summary of Gilmore Girls S01E18 (season 1, episode 18): “The Third Lorelai” (that’s pronounced Lor-uh-lie)

Rory, Emily and Lorelai Gilmore

Lorelai Gilmore, her daughter Rory, and Lorelai’s mother, Emily, are sitting around the fancy dinner table at Emily’s stately Connecticut home, having their obligatory “Friday Night Dinner”–obligatory because there’s no way Lorelai and Rory would be there otherwise! 

Friday Night Dinners

Lorelai finds her mother, Emily, to be: passive-aggressive, controlling, snobbish, fussy, entirely too aristocratic, pretentious, manipulative and judgemental.  Rory is fond of Emily but she didn’t have to grow up with her.

 Emily Gilmore

Now, you might ask, what has obligated Lorelai and Rory to come to Emily’s house for dinner every Friday night?  Emily made it a condition of paying for Rory’s private school education.  Basically, “I’ll pay for it, but you and Rory have to come to dinner every Friday night!”  When Loralai finally pays off this loan many years later, Emily is not appreciative at all as one would expect!  Why?  Because she’s lost the hold she had over her daughter and it was the end of Friday Night Dinners!  But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

At the table in silence, the three of them are eating dinner.  Emily breaks the silence with, “The Kennedy’s always spoke at the dinner table, they spoke about world affairs, literature…we’re at least as bright as the Kennedy’s, why can’t we hold a decent conversation?”  Just then Emily’s clueless but cheerful husband, Richard, walks in the door. 

 Richard Gilmore

“Emily, where are you?”  “Just follow the sound of crickets,” she says.

Richard is bursting with news!  “My mother is coming to visit us from London!” he announces with glee.  Rory is all excited.  “I’ll finally get to meet my great-grandmother!”  “Oh, you will love her!” says Richard. 

Lorelai attempts to cope with these dinners through the use of dead-pan humor, puns and low-key sarcasm.  Meanwhile, Emily is growing pale at the thought of “Trix” descending on her household like an invasion from Attila The Hun!  Of course, Richard thinks his mother is a saint, but Emily knows her as an autocrat and a manipulator!  Her first thought is, “Where are all the tasteless gifts she’s sent us down through the years?  I’m going to have to find them and put them all back where she can see them!”  Emily is positive Trix will remember every last one of them, including where they’re supposed to go.

In the next scene, Rory is at school taking part in some student project involving creating your own government–never mind, it doesn’t matter; the important thing is, Rory is about to get in trouble with her best friend Paris because she–Rory–just told Tristan that Paris really likes him and would like to go out with him.  You just KNOW that Tristan is going to blab this to Paris and all heck is going to break loose; but, it doesn’t matter because it’s just a sub-plot that we don’t have to care about! 

OK, it is now one week later, time for another “Friday Night Dinner”, and Trix is going to be there!

 “Trix” Gilmore

OK, the dinner’s over and here’s what happened:  Emily had a headache–of course.  Trix was acting like a queen, making sure that everyone around her felt inferior–except for her son Richard, of course.  She criticized the appetizers, she bemoaned that the meal was served 5 minutes late and she told Loralei to stop making jokes.  She never once complimented Emily. 

Most importantly, she wanted to know how Loralei could afford to send Rory to Chilton Prep.  “We’re paying for it, mother,” Richard said.  “But don’t worry,” Lorelai interrupted, “I plan to pay back every cent.”  Suddenly, Trix announced that dinner was over and left for her room on Richard’s arm.  You just know that the whole private school thing is going to lead to trouble but we’re not sure how just yet.

It is now the next night.  Rory has to stay home to study, meaning Lorelai has to go to her parents’ house alone.  Paris comes over to see Rory unexpectedly and tells her she has nothing to wear for her date with Tristan.  Rory lends her one of Lorelai’s stylish outfits.  What a shame this is a date that will live in infamy.

Meanwhile, at Emily and Richard’s house, Trix announces she’s leaving the next day.  She came, she says, to see her lawyers about tying up financial loose ends and also about setting up a trust fund for Rory for her 25th birthday; but, she says, after hearing that Emily and Richard are paying for Chilton, she wants Rory to have this money now–$250,000!  She explains to Emily that lending money is a “dirty business” and that Shakespeare said, “Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” 

Lorelai is ecstatic!  Trix announces she’ll meet them for lunch to sign papers before her flight leaves.  Emily takes Lorelai aside and has a very revealing conversation with her as Trix heads off to bed:

 

Emily–Lorelai, you’re not really going to accept this money, are you?

Lorelai–Uh…yeah!

Emily–I don’t think that’s very wise.  Rory’s a young girl, she won’t know the first thing about managing that money.

Lorelai–I’ll help her.

Emily–You don’t know the first thing either!

Lorelai–Yeah but I’m pretty familiar with the second thing!

Emily–How can you not see the pitfalls involved in accepting this money?  You’re the one who brags about how special your relationship with Rory is, I’m surprised that you want to jeopardize it like this.

Lorelai–What are you talking about?

Emily–You know as well as I do that money means freedom…

Lorelai–And?

Emily–…if Rory has that money she won’t need you anymore.

Lorelai–Mom, she’s only 16!  I think she might need me for a few things, you know, buying the beer, that kinda stuff….

Emily–Well, I’m glad you think losing your daughter is so funny.  She’ll be self-sufficient, she won’t need you to pay for anything, she won’t need to turn to you.

Lorelai–Everything in a relationship isn’t about money, Mom.

Emily–She’ll move out as soon as she can.

Lorelai–So what?

Emily–She won’t need you to put her through college, she won’t need you to buy her a car…

Lorelai–Mom, you know what?  Say good-bye to Dad for me as soon as the voices in your head subside.

Emily–Why should she backpack across Europe with you?  She could afford to go herself!  She could take a friend, a boyfriend, or anyone! 

Lorelai–She wants to go with me!

Emily–Yes, now.  That’s because she has no options.  But the moment you give her options…

Lorelai–OK, that’s it, you’re nuts, and I’m going.  In that order.

Emily–It’s terrible not to be needed!  You’ll see!

 

The next day, Lorelai meets up with her best friend, Sookie.  She tells her about the $250,000 and that she hasn’t told Rory yet.  They then have this conversation:

 

Sookie–You don’t wanna tell her!

Lorelai–Yeah, I do.  I think.  I was thrilled when Gran told me about it and I wanted to tell Rory right away but…my mother cornered me by the door, saying when Rory gets the money, she’s not gonna need me, she’s gonna move out sooner…

Sookie–Oh, that’s crazy!

Lorelai–Yeah, I know, that’s crazy…

Sookie–Your mother’s just trying to mess with your mind, she just doesn’t want to lose control of you, she wants you permanently obligated to her.

Lorelai–But what if the money does change our relationship…

Sookie–Impossible!

Lorelai–Oh no, I’ve gotta go home and change and go to tea with Gran and the cast of “Gaslight”!

 

At the Gilmore’s house, Emily is fighting with Richard, demanding that he convince his mother to call the whole trust fund thing off.  Richard says he can’t do it, it would hurt Trix’s feelings.

“Richard Gilmore,” Emily says, “I’ve put up with a lot from this woman over the years, but this time she’s gone too far!  Now you listen to me, I don’t care if she demeans me and looks down on me, I don’t care if she thinks I’ve tarnished the Gilmore name, I don’t care if she thinks I’m the Whore of Babylon!  I’ve long ago given up on getting into that woman’s psychotic good graces!  But that woman is horrible and selfish and she cannot get away with this, I won’t let her!” 

“Emily,” says Richard, softly, “what is this about?”

“She’ll never come back here you know.”

“Who, mother?”

“No, Lorelai!  If she gets that money, Lorelai will never come back here.  She won’t have to.”

 

Just then, Trix pops in.  “I’ve ordered a car,” she says.  “Women shouldn’t drive.  Are you ready?  I shall die soon, you know!”

***

Okaaaay……so the scene shifts, and the predictable happens when Tristan breaks up with Paris and blabs that the whole thing was Rory’s idea.  So, yeah, we all saw that coming! 

***

The scene changes to the afternoon tea at a very nice restaurant.  Trix is in the ladies room.  Emily brightens up upon hearing that Lorelai hasn’t told Rory yet about the $250,000.  “You must be reconsidering,” she says to Lorelai, smugly.  “No, I’m not,” says Lorelai, adding, “it’s just like you to take good news like this and twist it into something ugly, why do you do that, what is wrong with you?”  An argument ensues and Lorelai demands that Emily acknowledge that money could never come between her and Rory, when all of a sudden, Trix appears out of nowhere and sits down. 

“I’m going to have to take my leave of you earlier than anticipated,” she says.  “My train leaves tonight and I have last minute packing to do, plus I don’t want to witness anymore of this fight you two seem to be having, raising your voices at high tea, whoever heard of such a thing?  I can see now that offering the trust fund was a bad idea.  After all, taking into account the maturity level of those involved, this amount of money would probably not be safe.  Say good-bye to Rory for me.  Emily please get my coat, I will see you outside.”

Well, needless to say, Emily was very relieved at the way things turned out, and because Emily was relieved, Lorelai was relieved.  And by the way, Lorelai and Rory are very much like me and Shana–best  friends!

So OK, that’s it, now you have to write to me with your answers: [email protected].

PS: The results of the Quiz are now in!  To see the Quiz Answer, click below:

https://hpathy.com/clinical-cases/144385/

About the author

Elaine Lewis

Elaine Lewis, D.Hom., C.Hom.
Elaine is a passionate homeopath, helping people offline as well as online. Contact her at [email protected]
Elaine is a graduate of Robin Murphy's Hahnemann Academy of North America and author of many articles on homeopathy including her monthly feature in the Hpathy ezine, "The Quiz". Visit her website at:
https://elainelewis.hpathy.com/ and TheSilhouettes.org

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