MovieChat Forums > Gilmore Girls (2000) Discussion > Chilton, what's the point?

Chilton, what's the point?

posted 8 years ago by sbyrne7
23 replies | jump to latest

Just curious as to what you folks thought Chilton actually brought to the show. Personally, I thought the whole backdrop of Chilton was pointless other than to prop-up Rory & Paris' academic overachiever-ness (the whole endgame of Harvard and all) and for the writers to drop another musical reference in that they probably named the school after Alex Chilton (they did use a Big Star song in...I think the formal dance episode if memory serves). Sure the financial help that Lorelei needed to put Rory through the school was supposed to be the point where the grandparents reentered their lives, but they could have done that with them helping her out with a home or home repair loan, medical bills, or starting their own inn or whatever. That part isn't terribly important.

If you think about it, of the main or recurring supporting characters at Chilton, pretty much only Rory & Paris were (allegedly) really bright kids. Madeleine & Louise? No. Tristan? Not really. Those two redheads -the perpetually nervous-Brad and Francie or whatever her name was? Maybe.

So had Rory instead attended Stars Hollow High, you could still have Paris, Madeleine & Louise, Tristan etc. Plus you'd have more interaction with Lane, Dean and Jess. The drama quotient would have certainly been upped after the Dean/Rory breakup and the subsequent Rory/Jess & Dean/Lindsay pairings if nothing else.

My guess is the producers simply had an easier time booking shooting time at a real private school as opposed to the school that looked more like a public school that you saw in the pilot episode, and it's as simple as that.

[–] barbarapaulmayer 8 years ago

The whole point of Chilton was to get into Ivy League Universities. Lorelai and Rory thought only with a school like Chilton Rory has a chance getting into Harvard. And let´s be honest, Rory´s lack of thrive and extracurricular activities would have made it much more difficult for her getting into Harvard from Stars Hollow High - Simply put: only straight A´s are not enough, and until she entered Chilton, she never even thought of doing extra stuff, only because Paris made her do it she did some - Basically Paris scared her into extracurricular activities with telling her the truth - that you need that stuff to make you different to all the other straight A and nothing else students.

Also, it made the relationship with the grandparents, which was the main part of the show. Without Chilton we would never see the grandparents and the relationship between the 4 of them. Much of the show would be missing without Emily and Richard. And also Paris.

Going to Chilton also changed Rory´s and Lane´s and Dean´s relationship, which added some other drama than just the typical Dawson´s creek drama (just typical boyfriend drama, who is together with whom generic boring drama)

So I think Chilton definitely has a point in the show and back then, I was really glad that Gilmore Girls wasn´t the complete generic boyfriend drama like Dawsons Creek. Everything in the early show evolved around Rory´s career aspirations and most of the struggles with Dean and Lane came from that and Chilton´s very demanding curriculum. Sure with Jess the added some boring Dawson´s Creek kinda drama, but that was over soon enough for me not to lose interest completely.

[–] sbyrne7 8 years ago

every public school has extracurricular activities...and you don't have to bank them through school. Colleges look at everything from volunteering at pet shelters, 4H type stuff, tutoring, mentoring programs, boys & girls clubs, youth sports/coaching/officiating, youth minister, camp counselor, charitable endeavors through church or work etc.

A Chilton education would have made it a bit easier to get into an ivy league school, sure, and the end game was supposed to be Harvard, I get that, but Rory also already had the Legacy Student card for Yale in her back pocket via Richard & Emily's alumni status. The writers conveniently failed to note that. Had she recorded her 4.0 at a public school or any prep school, she wouldn't have needed any extracurriculars as a Legacy Student at Yale. She had the grades and the school newspaper gig + alumni connection. She was already in. She didn't need to pound nails with a frilly pink hammer.

Then when you think of Lorelei's financial situation it's also not a practical one. Even though Lorelei probably attended a prep high school herself, she apparently didn't have any idea of the cost. She just applied to the school without even thinking of the financial component, it seems. She obviously wouldn't have had the money, she didn't want to go to her parents for the money, and she clearly didn't talk to Christopher about sending her there either when he could have asked his rich parents to help their estranged granddaughter with tuition. Makes total sense.

In the pilot or second episode the writers could simply have written the Richard-heart issue to bring the grandparents into their lives instead of using that trope in the 8th or so episode. Emily calls Lorelei at the Inn and tells her that her father has been admitted to the hospital. That's all you needed. Then the grandparents could have just set up a college fund for Rory to make Lorelei feel indebted to them. And that could have also kicked off the luring of Rory to attend Yale. Didn't need Chilton for that either.

Had the writers actually gone all in on a prep school environment, it would have made more sense. Instead, with 3 of the 5 main Chilton kid characters essentially being the academic equivalent to Dean ("I get a mix, actually...a couple A's, a couple of B's, a couple C's"), it became the Rory & Paris show and that's why Chilton ended up being pretty pointless to me. Even an average prep school would have had much more of a highly competitive environment, let alone one that was referred to as one of the top academic schools in the country.

So what I was originally getting at is if you eliminate the Rory & Paris dynamic/competition, and the time Rory was dragged into the headmaster's office to debate her social-ness and the subsequent faux-sorority kidnapping, Chilton was basically a public school anyway. Or at least that was the way it was written imo. And let's just brush aside that it made absolutely no sense whatsoever that social climbers like Madeleine and Louise would ever be hanging around Paris. I don't think there was a backstory with those three like there was with Paris and Tristan knowing each other since childhood that was referenced at least once.

[–] rachfite-43369 8 years ago

Being a legacy isn't a guarantee for anything. Neither is a perfect g.p.a or 50 activities. The guy who was number two in my graduating class (who had a 4.8 g.p.a on a 5.0 scale) got rejected from Yale and Columbia and ended up going to our state university on a full-ride. The girl who was number three in my graduating class was a double legacy for Brown University. She got wait listed before finally getting an acceptance late into our senior year. The guy who was valedictorian in my class had 4.9 g.p.a, was a Brown legacy and was very involved in school activities. He got in to Brown but got rejected by Harvard. Nothing is ever in the bag when it comes to college acceptances.

Emily didn't go to Yale, she went to Smith. Yale was Richard's school. I think the show made it pretty clear that was an advantage when Rory gets her interview with the Dean of Admissions at Yale the day they tour because Richard set it up.

However, that was no guarantee. Paris was a legacy for Harvard and didn't get in. Remember how many times she brings up that 5 generations of Gellar's had gone to Harvard? She was the first to be rejected in all those years. She had all kinds of activities, achievements, perfect grades and the family connections.

Rory had perfect grades, activities, legacy for Yale, she would be the first of her immediate family to go to college. That got her three ivy league acceptances. I think Rory needed Chilton to push her and help her realize what she needed to do to stand out. Realistically, most people don't get into three Ivies. That was a bit of a stretch. Especially since Rory was a typical middle class white girl from Connecticut. All kinds of people from all over the world apply to these schools. I think the show did a good job of showing the ups and downs of this rigorous process. I don't think it would of been the same narrative if Rory was the only person at Stars Hollow High trying to achieve her big dreams. Rory needed an environment that was challenging.

I am sure Lorelai thought she could pay the Chilton tuition off over time. She didn't know she was going to have put down so much right away.

Going to her parents for anything was a last resort at that time.

Chris had no money. They hardly ever heard from him. Why would his parents ever agree to give money for the high school education of the granddaughter they wish didn't exist? They basically used Rory's existence to blame the fact that Chris did not go to Princeton. They could hardly bare to be around Lorelai and Rory that night at dinner in season 1. Why would they ever help?

What makes you think Richard having a heart attack would bring the family together? The dinners came from the obligation to pay them back for Chilton. That's how Richard and Emily start to get to know Rory as a person. They have an interest in Rory's education and ambitions for the future. Why would they set up a college fund for Rory because of a heart attack? They wouldn't really even know her and who's to say Lorelai would of accepted the money?...You act like this event would some how unite them...Lorelai asked for help. She went to them and I think we all know that's how it had to be.

I think they do a great job of showing how highly competitive Chilton is. They also tried to show that some kids who go there are rich, entitled and only try to chase a good time because they were handed the opportunity to be there. Versus Rory who had to work very hard to get in. However, most kids have good grades and are achievers. Madeline had good PSAT scores. They had to do an economics project that they all worked hard on. The Shakespeare project was intense. Tristan was even a part of that. If you showed up late for a test you automatically failed. Yes they focused on Rory and Paris as rivals, but they do show what they had to deal with which caused them to be so intense.

[–] perfect_lover2012 8 years ago

The thing that bothered me about Chilton is that their curriculum was memorizing dates and facts. Where was the critical thinking? If this was real life or if Paris was the lead then she would've gotten into Harvard without any trouble. Legacy trumps pretty much everything.

"When life gives you lemons"
Jessica D: sleep with their fathers and have secret lemon children

[–] rachfite-43369 8 years ago

Yeah I do agree that the only reason they didn't have her get in was for the story-line implications. This made Rory "better" than Paris and in a sense she won their rivalry. I'm sure in reality Paris Gellar was a shoe-in for Harvard. However, nothing is guaranteed with these places. The competition is too high. Legacy or none. If anything these kids had too much faith. Rory only applied to three schools and they were all Ivy League. What if she got into none of them?

[–] perfect_lover2012 8 years ago

I thought she applied to a few more but they were never direct about it. Lorelai reaction to Rory applying to more than just Harvard will never stop being insane to me. I wouldn't encourage anyone to apply to one ivy league school. That's so beyond idealistic.

"When life gives you lemons"
Jessica D: sleep with their fathers and have secret lemon children

[–] rachfite-43369 8 years ago

The Thanksgiving episode sort of implies there could of been more schools she applied to. The friend of the Gilmores names Wesleyan and Vassar. Rory gives a noncommittal response but actually mentions Princeton and Yale. All I l know is she only receives acceptances to Harvard, Princeton and Yale on the same day and those are the schools she chooses from.

[–] yeamf-93422 8 years ago

Regarding Paris not getting into Harvard, and feel free to correct me here; I think it happened because schools like Harvard only take a certain number of people from private schools like Chilton (that are on their map as being of the best). For example, Harvard's class of 2007 will accept at most two people from Chilton. That way, the competition within that school is limited to just the students at the top. Rory had better SAT scores (not by much), and a higher GPA (we don't know by how much). Also, Paris looked like the typical over-achiever.

[–] perfect_lover2012 8 years ago

We are clearly overthinking it. Paris had sex! Harvard doesn't like sex.

"When life gives you lemons"
Jessica D: sleep with their fathers and have secret lemon children

[–] yeamf-93422 8 years ago

https://media.giphy.com/media/ToMjGpAIjtHBLVI1FLy/giphy.gif

[–] barbarapaulmayer 8 years ago

To extracurricular activities. I never said public schools don´t offer them. I stated that Rory was too lazy to do any of them or at least one. Just because she entered Chilton and saw that all the kids aspiring getting into Ivy League do that she did it. Only because Paris told her she had no chance of getting into University without them she did it. Had she stayed at SHH she would never have attended extracurricular activities and therefore would have had no chance getting into Yale or Harvard. When the show started both detested Yale, or at least Lorelai and she brainwashed Rory, because Richard went there, so Yale as not an option for her to go at this point, so it would make no sense for them to consider this option.

The whole financial situation and Chilton serve the purpose to get the grandparents into their lives. A heart attack would not serve the same purpose. Through Chilton the grandparents were forced into Lorelai´s and Rory´s life, and the constant fighting and arguing would have been different if they would have come together through medical issue.
Also, you plot would have made almose everything in the show obsolete - The Friday night dinners, the constant bickering between Lorelai and Emily (because Lorelai was forced into the dinners and contact), which is a huge part of the show, much bigger than the Chilton subplot.

I didn´t go to prep school but normal private schools in Austria and I have to say back then we were a rather mixed group and not all were smart, some were just like Madeline and Luise, we had our own Rory and our own Paris and still we were friends in school. But yes, just like Paris, Madeline, Luise and Rory some of us lost contact after school, but in school we would hang out at the weekends and after school and in school, just like they did. But maybe we were just more open-minded. Also: Just because your parents are rich and send you to prep school doesn´t mean you are smart, ambitious, well-read, gifted or whatever. I met a lot of rich kids with no ambitions whatsoever, just partying like Madeline and Luise, so I think these two characters are not to far fetched and they also don´t represent the whole of Chilton.

From my point of view, Chilton serves a purpose, maybe not that obvious to others.

[–] rachfite-43369 8 years ago

Actually the school is based on a real prep school in Wallingford, CT. It's called Choate Rosemary Hall. Most people in CT refer to it as Choate. I actually went to grade school with kids who decided to attend and board there. They just altered the name so it didn't sound the same. The school has some very noteable alums including JFK.

I actually thought it was refreshing that Rory didn't have a typical high school experience, she wasn't a typical high school girl. We didn't see her walking the halls with girlfriends, a boyfriend, not a whole lot of gossip and drama. Yet still had some of that typical school stuff: clubs, dances, activities etc.

[–] yeamf-93422 8 years ago

I actually like every aspect of Chilton.

I went to public school all through middle school and freshman year of high school (only two weeks). The hardest private schools to get into held an entrance exam, and would only let you have an interview if you passed it! I took the exam at 4 of those schools, passed 3 out of 4 (the one I didn't pass was actually the hardest school to get into)and interviewed at all of them. I ended up going to the second hardest school because I was shocked that I had passed their entrance exams.

In public school, I was a star. I barely studied, but got by with all A+'s and was on every club and president of like 12 of them, and on every board! Teachers loved me, I was out of control (ditching class, pulling pranks, etc) but never got into trouble because I was the school's best student. So naturally my parents forced the private school on me. I was really mischievous and would have gone down a bad path had they not sent me to private school.

So, I went to an all girls uniform wearing extremely expensive private school. The school held science seminars and we were to present (like conferences, talks,etc) research papers our Freshman and Sophomore years in front of college recruits.The first day on campus, the principle gave me the same speech that Rory got, "Failure is not an option. You look good on paper, now show us you deserve to be here"... and I had a hard time adjusting at first, I also got suspended for a day(LOL), but after that, I cleaned up my act. I got into a university with 1% acceptance rate for undergrads.

No other tv show I've ever watched showed the struggle of going to a competitive school. I thought it was refreshing, and it hit too close to home but I still appreciated it. My school changed the course of my life, and so did Chilton for Rory. I might have still gotten into the school of my dreams, but there's no denying that this school is what shaped me to be the nerdy studious girl that I am.

[–] stayalivein85 8 years ago

I take any Chilton scene over Yale scenes, especially after s4.

No Chilton = No Friday Night Dinner obligation = No show.

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Still shopoholic, just wearing a new T-shirt

[–] kathykato 8 years ago

I'm surprised that anyone would ask what the point of Chilton was. It was central to the plot in many ways. Without the financial obligation of Chilton there would have been no Friday Night Dinners. Without Chilton, Rory wouldn't have evolved into a privileged middle-class girl, and watching her change and become different from her mother was also part of the story. With Chilton, we see doting
grandparents who have pride in their granddaughter and a way of connecting with her that we would not have seen have Rory attended Stars Hollow High. I think Rory attending prep school was Central to the plot.

[–] sbyrne7 8 years ago

Being a legacy isn't a guarantee for anything. Neither is a perfect g.p.a or 50 activities.

True to an extent, but it was written into the show that Richard was a heavy donor and I think you probably know full well, whether an ivy or a state school, if you donate the millions they implied that he donated, and he didn't have to burn a legacy on his daughter, then his granddaughter was going to get in. Especially considering he was shown to have had a personal relationship with the Dean later on in the secret meeting episode.

I'm surprised that anyone would ask what the point of Chilton was. It was central to the plot in many ways. Without the financial obligation of Chilton there would have been no Friday Night Dinners. Without Chilton, Rory wouldn't have evolved into a privileged middle-class girl, and watching her change and become different from her mother was also part of the story. With Chilton, we see doting

As I mentioned, it could have simply been Richard's heart ailment, it could have been a loan for starting the inn, or a home loan, or a college fund for Rory. That Chilton was the source for the loan is completely arbitrary. Everything else mentioned still didn't paint a realistic portrayal...or at least to me. Pretty much everything about Chilton just made me realize how lazy their writing can be. Which was kind of the point of the post.

[–] indi-han 8 years ago

As a non-American, all I can think is "thank th gods I'm not in the American college system". In Australia, the land of spiders, deserts, and Hemsworth's, if you get good enough marks for a university, the state will pay until you start earning enough money to pay it back.

I look at this kind of culture, and I shudder. It's so destructive and divisive. It's also not conducive to creating a culture of meritocracy in place of a capitalist hegemony.

A girl like Rory should be able to advance based on her own merit, even without Chilton, Ugh.

Yes, I'm a left-wing, liberal, educated, sociologically and anthropological trained, intersectional feminisl, and proud of it

[–] Eva_Marrie 8 years ago

indi-han, this is exactly what I think about the Australian system too. Bless Aussie egalitarianism. I remember the notorious attempt a couple of years back to 'Americanise' our system, and it just about caused a national revolt...

Thanks to it I have 2 first class degrees (and about to start a 3rd), which have not crippled me or my family financially and required no fancy private school to get it. I was one of the top kids in the state when I finished college (senior high), and my uni entrance score was only a hair's width off the top scoring private school student.

The US system is just so shockingly wasteful in terms of human talent. It is so openly geared towards keeping the class system in place at all costs. I remember being shocked at watching The Affair and hearing the protagonist lament that she wanted to be a Dr, but couldn't afford the study, so had to stick to being a nurse  The US medical system desperately needs more Drs. Why the hell doesn't the government subsidise medical studies???

[–] yeamf-93422 8 years ago

Guys, you're tempting me to apply to Australian universities for graduate school! 

[–] perfect_lover2012 8 years ago

I kind of want invent a time machine so I can go to college and grad school there.

"When life gives you lemons"
Jessica D: sleep with their fathers and have secret lemon children

[–] yeamf-93422 8 years ago

My country is the same, sort of. We have "entrance" exams; and if you rank in the top approximately 4-5% of any of the five disciplines (Math and Physics, Natural Sciences, Liberal Arts, Languages, Arts and Design ) you get to go to the top universities throughout the country FOR FREE. The best universities are free, unless you don't have the grades to get in, in which case, it's so expensive (Maybe 30-40K/year). But our easier schools that will cost money don't cost as much. The total cost is something like 5K, which is not that much.

Still, Australian universities are internationally ranked with awesome reputation. It would be a dream come true to attend any of the bigger ones. I just might go for it! And, you don't need a time machine, you can always shift your career to "research", go for another Masters or maybe even a PhD. It's not as big a waste of time as some people think. I think it's fulfilling, getting paid to think and contribute.

[–] perfect_lover2012 8 years ago

I might just go for another Masters once I'm done with this one. Your post was really informative and made me feel better about considering that path. I think you should go for it! I'm trying to find a job now and I really want to work in research so hopefully I get positive news from the places I applied to recently.

"When life gives you lemons"
Jessica D: sleep with their fathers and have secret lemon children

[–] indi-han 8 years ago

As a non-American, all I can think is "thank the gods I'm not in the American college system". In Australia, the land of spiders, deserts, and Hemsworth's, if you get good enough marks for a university, the state will pay until you start earning enough money to pay it back.

I look at this kind of culture, and I shudder. It's so destructive and divisive. It's also not conducive to creating a culture of meritocracy in place of a capitalist hegemony.

A girl like Rory should be able to advance based on her own merit, even without Chilton, Ugh.

Yes, I'm a left-wing, liberal, educated, sociologically and anthropological trained, intersectional feminisl, and proud of it