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Blame Booze and Melville

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Abby T W

Oh I am SAT. I am so eager to hear what you think of these next few episodes!

Youtalkingtome

Hint: Joe said "I think some people are going to be mad at us" at the end of this one. :)

I🖤Kraken

Lol! Okay, Madame Blanc can wait. Let's do this!

Dani

I think if you compare Rory to Paris, Paris as an intern journalist would've been 10x as assertive as Rory was. She's a go-getter and doesn't see herself as someone who needs to wait her turn until she's not an intern. I understand how you might not agree with Mitchum's reasoning but I definitely think there's something to Rory's need to be a people pleaser that makes a great assistant but doesn't showcase any of the skills - drive, assertiveness, initiative - that would make her a good journalist and he's just basing it on what he's seen so far. Someone like Paris or even Doyle would've made way more of that internship and not needed him to ask for them to chime in or speak up or engage. Her imploding absolutely comes back to the sense of entitlement! It's everyone always telling her how great she is, so she has no idea how to take criticism, constructive or otherwise. Logan should've totally said no to her here and not enabled her bad behavior, but I do not at all think that he is the start of her issues like Lorelai does; I think he and his family have finally given her some adversity and a mirror to her entitlement that she's never had before and the spiral that takes her down is her own reaction to that. The fact that that was even her reaction clearly showed she wasn't ready to rise to the challenge and prove him wrong and that like someone who didn't have it, she crumbled under the weight of his opinion. Yes, he's an important figure in that world, but his isn't the only opinion that matters and she should've had enough faith in herself and her abilities otherwise it wouldn't have crushed her the way it did.

Heather

Which do you think is the worse decision: 1. Sleeping with married Dean and being so delusional that she thinks he belongs to her 2. Stealing a boat because she couldn't regulate herself after some mediocre bad feedback from a known asshole (I think 1 is a little worse personally, but they are both VERY bizarre and questionable choices lol)

James Roberts

You hit the nail on the head with Rory. She had an entire town telling her her entire life how special, talented, smart she is. One bad performance review and she flips out. She can't handle someone telling her she's not the ideal. I don't think this bodes well for several aspects of her life. Rory can be incredibly privileged and entitled and this proves it.

Tobias Keezy

What Mitchum said was kind of insubstantial and over the top for the internship role, but it wasn't obscene or excessively biting, just insensitive. He said he didn't think she was doing enough and that she needed a more proactive attitude. This is really true in internships in busy offices. You're not being paid and have no official responsibilities; you weren't even interviewed, so people have no idea of your skills. Nobody has time to babysit you or find ways to fit you into the real work going on, because everyone has their own work to do. If you don't speak up and find some way to be useful, you will fetch coffee the whole time, doing absolutely nothing worthwhile, and nobody will pay attention or say a thing. Not just Lorelai and her parents, but the entirety of Stars Hollow has been glazing this girl her whole life and telling her how amazing, brilliant, and special she is. She had equal blame in the car accident where she broke her wrist, but everyone overlooked it and blamed only Jess. Everyone forgave her in a jiffy for sleeping with married Dean and then said nothing when she dated him afterwards. She wrote that awful review where she called the ballerina a fat hippo and all sorts of personal attacks and everyone was gleeful about it. She got one taste of real criticism and she fell to pieces. Just go off with Logan and get wasted, don't steal a ship. P.S. I really want to see Emily have a bitch fight with that insufferable Rosalynn Carter.

Joy M

My sister worked at an Outback and a fired employee got some friends together and robbed the place and locked all the employees in the freezer. They got caught. Thankfully no one was injured. I dream of winning the lottery and walking out of my government job and placing a red clown nose on the portrait of Trump in the hallway. That’s as destructive as I could be.

Tobias Keezy

I do think this is good, consistent writing though. Amy Sherman and Dan Palladino are good enough writers that they can sow the seeds of these character flaws throughout the story, so it never really seems that out of place when something crazy happens with one of them.

I🖤Kraken

As a Type-A, gratification chaser, I completely understand Rory's mortification when an industry giant tells you that you don't have it. He crushed her without giving her any continuous, healthy feedback during her internship. He's a bad boss and teacher. Even at 20, I would have immediately thought to myself this is why your family is filled with mental illness. An avoidant, risk-taking son, a manic, chainsmoking, alcoholic wife and a bitter, cruel father-- I wouldn't have trusted Mitchum's feedback with a 10-foot pole. Now, I've never picked a fight with my boyfriend and forced him to steal a yacht with me bc I didn't get to have that kind of oblivious privilege, but still, I see both sides. But she's 20. And he's 50. He treated her like his smart, little buddy mascot this entire time and she was thriving in that office.

Tobias Keezy

It’s also an impromptu internship at a busy office. Nobody has time to monitor you or assume you can handle full job responsibilities. If you don’t find your own way to contribute or become part of a project, you’re gonna be fetching coffee the whole time and nobody will pay attention or bother about it.

dys

Such a different world than the internships I have experience with in the software engineering world (both as an intern and later mentoring them), where they're usually actually paid decently and if you get one useful project completed your internship is considered a success.

Tobias Keezy

That’s a structured internship/co-op program with actual goals in mind. This is just an impromptu, unpaid thing that Mitchum just threw at her.

Youtalkingtome

It's close and both are bad. Honestly, it depends on what she does in the next episode. She eventually gets it together after the Dean thing. I have to see how she handles this colossal blunder.

Flavia Barcellos

I love that you guys picked up on just how bold the writers of this show are when it comes to making really controversial choices with these characters. When you look at Rory’s cute little face in such a colorful, cozy, la-la-la kind of show, you’d never guess just how terrible she can actually be sometimes lol. These episodes really are kind of hard to watch. At the beginning of the video, you guys mentioned that you’d seen the actor who plays Logan in a movie before, but he’s also in one of my all-time favorite shows, The Good Wife! This show was nominated for and won multiple Emmys, and it actually just made The New York Times’ list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century. Unfortunately, there aren’t many reaction channels covering it, so maybe you guys could give it a chance someday? It’s seriously such a great show and absolutely worth watching!

Carl Wilson

I can't believe we're at this episode already!

Jonathan

I had met Matt in person prior to Gilmore and still didn’t like Logan on first watch so I’m not sure how much credit I would give the beer movie lol

Jonathan

I don’t know of anyone who has liked Rory much this season. This has been a rough season for her.

Jonathan

I don’t disagree with what Mitchum told Rory. I never really bought her as an investigative reporter. I could definitely see her as a copywriter or speech writer she would do good in Sam’s job on West Wing. Rory kind of proved his point with the boat craziness. If she couldn’t handle that conversation how would she handle rejection in getting stories or editor criticism?

I🖤Kraken

Yes, he was phenomenal in The Good Wife. He was great starring in The Resident tv show as well. Matt Czuchry has got chops.

Allison O

The Hollywood writer tell: a girl born and raised in Connecticut referring to a fire being “south of the I-95”.

Gail Hislop (edited)

Comment edits

2026-09-29 17:00 Ao much to say about this episode. Totally agree with everything you have said about Rory. Her reaction to Mitcham’s criticism was so immature and definitely an incredible overreaction and showing a major character flaw in her. She has been living her life being told how amazing and special she is and someone tells her she’s not. So let’s go do something monumentally reckless and stupid!! And illegal. I do hate the writers chose to have Logan enable her dumb decision, but he can be reckless as we’ve been told- there was another yacht that was shipwrecked off the coast of Fiji on one of his adventures with his friends. So he doesn’t really think about consequences necessarily. The fallout will be interesting. And honestly, I don’t think Mitcham was far off in his assessment. As a woman I just want to highlight to you guys that yes, having drunken unprotected sex, even if it is with your partner, is something that a lot of us would definitely wake up the next morning and freak out about! And most of us would not want to ‘wait the 2 weeks’ to have the test to see if there is a pregnancy. It’s a life changing thing, as Lorelai already knows and she justifiably is wanting to know asap! But also there is the ‘Plan B morning after pill’ option, but it felt likethe writers didn’t want to go down that easy (possibly controversial) solution path, as maybe the network would have given them grief. OMG almost all the conversations about the ballet dancers were so gross! From all 3 of the Gilmore Girls at the beginning and then Emily just talking about the ones she ‘bought’ in such dismissive terms!! Um human trafficking anyone. I’m with you guys on the whole Lorelai just getting over Emily’s behaviour with no apology or apparent contrition for it, just acting now like nothing happened is weird. And that it’s Lorelai apologising to Emily for the article made me cringe. Love Sooki’s surprise snip surgery for Jackson. And just a note on some of the other projects Matt Czuchry has been in - a brief few episode arc on Friday Night Lights, all of 7 seasons of the Good Wife which he really shone in and then lead in The Resident for its 6 seasons. Gilmore Girls really set him up for a great career.
2026-09-29 01:16 Somuch to say about this episode. Totally agree with everything you have said about Rory. Her reaction to Mitcham’s criticism was so immature and definitely an incredible overreaction and showing a major character flaw in her. She has been living her life being told how amazing and special she is and someone tells her she’s not. So let’s go do something monumentally reckless and stupid!! And illegal. I do hate the writers chose to have Logan enable her dumb decision, but he can be reckless as we’ve been told- there was another yacht that was shipwrecked off the coast of Fiji on one of his adventures with his friends. So he doesn’t really think about consequences necessarily. The fallout will be interesting. And honestly, I don’t think Mitcham was far off in his assessment. As a woman I just want to highlight to you guys that yes, having drunken unprotected sex, even if it is with your partner, is something that a lot of us would definitely wake up the next morning and freak out about! And most of us would not want to ‘wait the 2 weeks’ to have the test to see if there is a pregnancy. It’s a life changing thing, as Lorelai already knows and she justifiably is wanting to know asap! But also there is the ‘Plan B morning after pill’ option, but it felt likethe writers didn’t want to go down that easy (possibly controversial) solution path, as maybe the network would have given them grief. OMG almost all the conversations about the ballet dancers were so gross! From all 3 of the Gilmore Girls at the beginning and then Emily just talking about the ones she ‘bought’ in such dismissive terms!! Um human trafficking anyone. I’m with you guys on the whole Lorelai just getting over Emily’s behaviour with no apology or apparent contrition for it, just acting now like nothing happened is weird. And that it’s Lorelai apologising to Emily for the article made me cringe. Love Sooki’s surprise snip surgery for Jackson. And just a note on some of the other projects Matt Czuchry has been in - a brief few episode arc on Friday Night Lights, all of 7 seasons of the Good Wife which he really shone in and then lead in The Resident for its 6 seasons. Gilmore Girls really set him up for a great career.

Somuch to say about this episode. Totally agree with everything you have said about Rory. Her reaction to Mitcham’s criticism was so immature and definitely an incredible overreaction and showing a major character flaw in her. She has been living her life being told how amazing and special she is and someone tells her she’s not. So let’s go do something monumentally reckless and stupid!! And illegal. I do hate the writers chose to have Logan enable her dumb decision, but he can be reckless as we’ve been told- there was another yacht that was shipwrecked off the coast of Fiji on one of his adventures with his friends. So he doesn’t really think about consequences necessarily. The fallout will be interesting. And honestly, I don’t think Mitcham was far off in his assessment. As a woman I just want to highlight to you guys that yes, having drunken unprotected sex, even if it is with your partner, is something that a lot of us would definitely wake up the next morning and freak out about! And most of us would not want to ‘wait the 2 weeks’ to have the test to see if there is a pregnancy. It’s a life changing thing, as Lorelai already knows and she justifiably is wanting to know asap! But also there is the ‘Plan B morning after pill’ option, but it felt likethe writers didn’t want to go down that easy (possibly controversial) solution path, as maybe the network would have given them grief. OMG almost all the conversations about the ballet dancers were so gross! From all 3 of the Gilmore Girls at the beginning and then Emily just talking about the ones she ‘bought’ in such dismissive terms!! Um human trafficking anyone. I’m with you guys on the whole Lorelai just getting over Emily’s behaviour with no apology or apparent contrition for it, just acting now like nothing happened is weird. And that it’s Lorelai apologising to Emily for the article made me cringe. Love Sooki’s surprise snip surgery for Jackson. And just a note on some of the other projects Matt Czuchry has been in - a brief few episode arc on Friday Night Lights, all of 7 seasons of the Good Wife which he really shone in and then lead in The Resident for its 6 seasons. Gilmore Girls really set him up for a great career.

Stephanie P.

As someone who’s watched the series many times, I think all of your thoughts on Rory, Logan, Mitchum, the situation, etc are fair. I think an issue with Rory is she can be regressive. I’m not going to get into psycho-analyzing her because I doubt this series put much thought into this situation, but she was a little “parentified” by having a teen mom too. Rory was much more mature and structured in her early years (the beginning of the show) and now it’s like she’s finally going through a rebellious phase and lashing out in immaturity including some decisions last season. My opinion is that she kind of had to be more emotionally mature when she was younger because Lorelai was stunted in adulthood (emotionally) by having to steamroll into adulthood herself. Now Lorelai is having moments where she isn’t ready to be a parent again (the B storyline) because she’s finally allowed the freedom to grow as an adult. Lorelai is leaning into getting to experience child-free adulthood while Rory is wound so tightly, it’s like she’s going through young teenage years again. That’s just my opinion on her as a character. Although I’m not excusing her horrific choices, but it feels like maybe she needs to make them to force herself to find a balance and figure out what kind of adult she wants to be. Also I love Emily but I also agree with your takes on her as well. She did owe Lorelai more than what we saw, but I did like how Emily completely dropped the magazine issue when Lorelai asked her to. She didn’t reem her about it and decide to hold a grudge once again. While her character development is also glacial slow, it’s still something that she understood that Lorelai was rightfully mad at her so she let it go.

Youtalkingtome

He crushed Rory, and she immediately went out and proved him right.

Abby T W

Oh do not worry, I completely agree with you! I remember when Rory slept with Dean and you talked about how bold it was for the show to take the sweet likable character of Rory and make her make terrible decisions, and this is another of those. It's going to be too hard for me to say much without spoiling the future so I'll keep it brief, but I agree that she completely imploded and I was equally furious with her as well. I think it's absolutely true that she doesn't see herself as privileged, and even though her mom worked so hard to keep her away from the privileged life, she continues to show that she does not have any emotional regulation skills, believes she deserves all the special treatment, and cannot take criticism.

LB Mac

Your Rory takes are spot on...this is exactly how I viewed it when I first saw this ep. Really enjoyed this reaction!

Abby T W

I also feel very torn about Mitchum's comments because while she absolutely should have just said "I respectfully disagree" and moved on, the complicating factors for me are: 1) She's only 19 or so, and this man is someone she really really looks up to. It was cruel and reckless for him to say something like that to someone so young when he knows the power he wields. 2) There's a considerable gender dynamic. As a young woman, she's been socialized her whole life to be a caretaker, to be polite, to wait to be told what to do. While I agree that Paris, for example, would never have acted that way, we still can't ignore the highly gendered dynamic of how a young woman would have likely been treated trying to speak up in a room full of older men. You can say that means she doesn't "got it," but there was also the very real risk that if she did try to speak up they'd immediately black ball her for being a bitch or a nag. She very well may have felt like she was in an unwinnable situation -- be the sweet conscientious intern and be told she's not aggressive enough, or be aggressive and be told she's bossy or bitchy.

Abby T W

But anyway, I just love how complicated these characters are and how much the writers are absolutely willing to make very bold choices that are complex and really make you want to scream at the screen!.

Carl Wilson

If there are people in 2026 who still think Tucker Max is cool, please put them on an iceberg and shove it out to sea.

Stephanie P.

The early 2000’s really rear their ugly side in these shows sometimes catching you off guard. The fatphobia was obviously out of control back then, but it’s not also talked about enough how women spoke about each other in general. There’s a ton of digs just at their looks in played off for laughs.

Carl Wilson (edited)

Comment edits

2026-09-29 17:00 Mitch apparently doesn't know Rory's record at the Yale Daily News - pretty sure we heard earlier this season that a lot of the rest of the staff was getting angry at her because she was getting so many front-page stories. So his assessment is just stupid - it's not based on her actual journalism work, just what she's like as an assistant, which tells him nothing except that she'd be a good assistant. We get that scene of her practically running the place before that to show how competent she is. Yeah, she should have pushed for more opportunities maybe, but it's not a sign she doesn't have "it," just that she needs to learn some more assertiveness. Masters of the Universe guys like that just get off on knowing better than everyone else. Her reaction is of course, crazy. You're right about the sense of entitlement, but let me add a thing that's not just about class: Rory has a classic case of gifted-child syndrome. We've seen that she has an incredible work ethic - look at how she caught up on how far behind she was when switching from public to private school, in the course of a few months. Whenever she applies herself, she excels. She doesn't have a category in her brain for that not happening. Speaking as somebody who grew up in a similar pattern, it doesn't prepare you for facing failure or rejection. When I was a young adult (and even sometimes later), I would quit things at the slightest sign of discouragement, because I would just assume it was a total disaster rather than a setback, and would tend to act out in reaction. Mitch saying that would have put me off the rails at that age, too, though not that way. Her acting out was influenced by a "what would Logan do" impulse - she kind of fell for the transgressive romance of the Life & Death Brigade - and on that level he is a bad influence, just as he said. But yeah, this and the Dean affair are both signs that she needs therapy to help her figure out how to deal better with her impulses and frustrations. As for whether she'll get it: How many characters on this show *don't need therapy? (And you've also seen Mrs. Maisel.) So....
2026-09-29 03:07 Mitch apparently doesn't know Rory's record at the Yale Daily News - pretty sure we heard earlier this season that a lot of the rest of the staff was getting angry at her because she was getting so many front-page stories. So his assessment is just stupid - it's not based on her actual journalism work, just what she's like as an assistant, which tells him nothing except that she'd be a good assistant. We get that scene of her practically running the place before that to show how competent she is. Yeah, she should have pushed for more opportunities maybe, but it's not a sign she doesn't have "it," just that she needs to learn some more assertiveness. Masters of the Universe guys like that just get off on knowing better than everyone else. Her reaction is of course, crazy. You're right about the sense of entitlement, but let me add a thing that's not just about class: Rory has a classic case of gifted-child syndrome. We've seen that she has an incredible work ethic - look at how she caught up on how far behind she was when switching from public to private school, in the course of a few months. Whenever she applies herself, she excels. She doesn't have a category in her brain for that not happening. Speaking as somebody who grew up in a similar pattern (in some realms, not in everything), it doesn't prepare you for facing failure or rejection. When I was a young adult (and even sometimes later), I would quit things at the slightest sign of discouragement, because I would just assume it was a total disaster rather than a setback, and would tend to act out in reaction. Mitch saying that would have put me off the rails at that age, too, though not that way. Her acting out was influenced by a "what would Logan do" impulse - she kind of fell for the transgressive romance of the Life & Death Brigade - and on that level he is a bad influence, just as he said. But yeah, this and the Dean affair are both signs that she needs therapy to help her figure out how to deal better with her impulses and frustrations. As for whether she'll get it: How many characters on this show *don't need therapy? (And you've also seen Mrs. Maisel.) So....

Mitch apparently doesn't know Rory's record at the Yale Daily News - pretty sure we heard earlier this season that a lot of the rest of the staff was getting angry at her because she was getting so many front-page stories. So his assessment is just stupid - it's not based on her actual journalism work, just what she's like as an assistant, which tells him nothing except that she'd be a good assistant. We get that scene of her practically running the place before that to show how competent she is. Yeah, she should have pushed for more opportunities maybe, but it's not a sign she doesn't have "it," just that she needs to learn some more assertiveness. Masters of the Universe guys like that just get off on knowing better than everyone else. Her reaction is of course, crazy. You're right about the sense of entitlement, but let me add a thing that's not just about class: Rory has a classic case of gifted-child syndrome. We've seen that she has an incredible work ethic - look at how she caught up on how far behind she was when switching from public to private school, in the course of a few months. Whenever she applies herself, she excels. She doesn't have a category in her brain for that not happening. Speaking as somebody who grew up in a similar pattern (in some realms, not in everything), it doesn't prepare you for facing failure or rejection. When I was a young adult (and even sometimes later), I would quit things at the slightest sign of discouragement, because I would just assume it was a total disaster rather than a setback, and would tend to act out in reaction. Mitch saying that would have put me off the rails at that age, too, though not that way. Her acting out was influenced by a "what would Logan do" impulse - she kind of fell for the transgressive romance of the Life & Death Brigade - and on that level he is a bad influence, just as he said. But yeah, this and the Dean affair are both signs that she needs therapy to help her figure out how to deal better with her impulses and frustrations. As for whether she'll get it: How many characters on this show *don't need therapy? (And you've also seen Mrs. Maisel.) So....

Carl Wilson

I thought about Plan B the *whole time Lorelai was having that crisis - and in real life that's *exactly what someone exactly like Lorelai would do. She would have gone straight from Luke's apartment to the pharmacy.

Gail Hislop

Agreed! There was a lot of unpleasant things being sad about the female dancers by all 3 GG’s and it felt very cringe that it was played for laughs - especially if it was an episode written by Amy.

Carl Wilson

Yeah, except we actually see Rory being extremely valuable in the newsroom before Mitchum says any of that to her, so it's not like she was just fetching coffee.

Carl Wilson

It was written by Daniel but I'm not sure Amy would have written it very differently, based on track record.

Yasemin

I get your first reaction to this. There will be more context later on...(ok, never mind lol.) Rory was put on a pedestal her whole life, she is not used to criticism and to the "real world" outside of the Stars Hollow bubble. And yes, Logan agreed to this way too quickly as well.

Roland

Agreed!

Roland

Did I miss an episode or something - Lorelai went from never speaking to her mother again, to suddenly begging for her forgiveness for the magazine article. I thought the excerpts from the review of the Dragonfly were funny, but misplaced in this episode. The article could / should have been a point of major drama - or a tool to bridge a more concrete reconciliation. Instead it's brushed off as some dumb angry joke that got out of hand, with Mikhail shoe-horned in as a prop for the joke. Too much whiplash. I get the quirky stuff (Luke and Kirk, etc), but when it gets mixed in with the serious stuff it often doesn't work. + I'm wondering who the Secret Elder* under the towel was. My thought was that maybe it was Richard, a secret mover and shaker behind the scenes, but I don't think the man's build was correct for that. *And where the hell did this lot come from anyway, the whole point is that everybody knows everybody in Stars Hollow....

Roland

I had to look up tangelo, had never heard of it. :) > A tangelo (Citrus × tangelo) is a juicy citrus hybrid fruit and tree created by crossing a tangerine and a grapefruit or pomelo. The name is a portmanteau of 'tangerine' and 'pomelo'. < > The pomelo, also known as a shaddock, is the largest citrus fruit. It is an ancestor of several cultivated citrus species, including the bitter orange and the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid citrus fruit, native to Southeast Asia. Similar in taste to a sweet grapefruit, the pomelo is commonly eaten and used for festive occasions throughout Southeast and East Asia. <

Youtalkingtome

MItchum is 100% an unlikable schmuck who can play off his punching down as "I just tell it like it is" (and i loathe that kind of behavior), but Rory absolutely handled it as poorly as she could have.

Katik

Rory is incredibly entitled. Her whole life, Lorelai, her grandparents, everyone in Stars Hollow have always told her how amazing she was. But she used to be able to cope with failure before. She'd grown way more entitled since she got into Yale. Compare this reaction to her not doing great at Chilton initially. She got to work there and tried very hard to catch up. And the entitlement comes to men too. And the fact she "got" Logan made it so much worse. Guys fighting for her before and then dating a notorious playboy for him just to commit to her not to lose her! She now believes she deserves to get everything in life she wants. Since she always did get everything she ever wanted! I think Mitchum was right in what he said. To be fair, he could have said it differently - more of "here, this is where you need to improve if you want to make it, this is what you need to get better at" - not "you don't have it (and you never will)" - but he was 100% spot on otherwise!

khoma

I mean, it's been her dream since season one, and she has just been told she won't make it. It's kind of like hoping your entire life to become a writer, and having Stephen King read something you wrote and just say "Sorry, you won't make it". Mitchum Huntzberger is a big shot newspaper guy right, a star in that world. And she's at an age where you're completely focused on just one future, the whole idea of there being other possibilities out there is just not necessarily something that you have at that age. Also, there's a pretty huge difference between a bad job review and this; a bad job review is something that you can improve on, but she wasn't given any pointers of things to improve, just told that "No, you don't have it". Anyhow, love your reactions, as always, even though I disagree sometimes. Makes them better tbh,

AudeAudor

Thank you! I'm okay with not being easy on Rory, but I can "understand" if not forgive what she is usually doing. As other have said, she has been put on a piedestal all her childhood and teenage years, and she is a people pleaser. She is NOT prepared to be tough the real world, at least not right now. And yeah Mitchum should have at least said something a bit more encouraging.