Screwball Television: Critical Perspectives on Gilmore Girls

12. “You Don’t Got It”: Becoming a Journalist in Gilmore Girls

214 “YouDon’tGotIt” Becoming a Journalist in Gilmore Girls A N G E L C A S T A Ñ O S M A R T Í N E Z , A M O R M U Ñ O Z B É C A R E S , A N D S A R A H C A I T L I N L AV E R Y From the beginning, Rory’s quest to become a journalist is a major ongoing storyline on Gilmore Girls. Since her first day at Chilton, we knew of her idolization of international reporter Christiane Amanpour . Rory’s obvious dedication to her future career makes the viewer understand her mother’s efforts to ask her parents for help in paying for a top prep school. How else, Lorelai wonders, can she ensure that her daughter will be accepted by the best universities in the young woman’s bid for a brilliant career? And how else will Rory’s professional aspirations be realized in an increasingly uncertain economic climate in which traditional newspaper reporting has given way to new means of delivering information to people on the go? These questions permeate the series, which is unique in its deployment of comedic modes and journalistic motifs that are beholden to films of the 1930s and 1940s, a period in American cultural life when the genre known as “screwball comedy” contributed to a progressive reconceptualization of the relationship between men and women, bosses and employees. Of course, as illustrated throughout Gilmore Girls, it takes much more to break into the competitive world of journalism than an Ivy League degree and a private school pedigree. Historically, Americans have placed a great deal of emphasis on the university education of journalists, a practice not as common in other Western countries “YouDon’tGotIt” | 215 besides the United States. Rory, however, does not envision majoring in journalism at a reputable American university. From childhood on, she wants to attend Harvard, where, in the real world, journalism courses form only part of the continuing education program through the auspices of the prestigious Nieman Foundation. Rory’s lifelong dream of Harvard does not come to fruition, of course: her grandfather , a domineering force on the show, changes her mind in favor of Yale, despite her non-university-educated mother’s efforts. The rivalry between Harvard and Yale is suspiciously commercial (although not focused on in the show), but Rory’s selection of Yale makes much more sense for an aspiring journalist. Unlike rival Harvard, Yale offers a journalism program for undergraduates, as well as the oldest (and one of the most highly respected) college daily papers in the world. Over the course of the series, audiences do not, however, see Rory attending specific journalism classes, and we even hear her say once that her major is English (“The Great Stink” [7.05]). But her academic record means little when Rory starts dating publishing heir Logan Huntzberger. The viewer can easily begin to see her future determined by rubbing elbows with journalists and using her boyfriend’s last name for career gain, exploiting personal ties to further ambition in a tried-and-true male fashion, not relying on her female intelligence and education. Despite her initial reticence, Rory accepts an internship at a small newspaper owned by Mitchum Huntzberger, reinforcing the idea that becoming a journalist has nothing to do with what is taught at the “best universities in the most powerful country in the world.” Instead, it is all about who you know. The internship turns out to be devastating for Rory, however, causing her to temporarily abandon her ideals when Logan’s father caustically tells her, “I’ve worked with a lot of young people over the years. Interns, new hires. I’ve got a pretty good gut sense for people’s strengths and weaknesses. Whether they have that certain something to make it in journalism. It’s a tough business. Lot of stress . . . And I have to tell you. You don’t got it” (“Blame Booze and Melville” [5.21]). In the end, however, we see that Rory’s familial influence is bigger than Logan’s. Growing up watching her mother’s unfailing 216 | Race,Class,Education,Profession independence makes her reject the impending nepotism implied by Huntzberger. She chooses to forgo marrying into an incredibly rich family to start a career. Without the help of the Huntzbergers , she starts from the bottom of the...