‘Gilmore Girls’: Mrs. Kim’s 3 Greatest Rants
Mrs. Kim was one of the more intense Gilmore Girls characters. While Lane Kim’s super-strict mom isn’t someone you would consider traditionally funny, she was good for a good rant now and again. Gilmore Girls fans largely love any episode where Mrs. Kim flips out on someone, whether it’s a clumsy customer or Lane’s boyfriend, Zack Van Gerbig. We’ve collected three of her very best moments.
Mrs. Kim freaked out at Lorelai Gilmore when Rory kissed Dean for the first time
Mrs. Kim had a lot of hangups about sex and sexuality. She didn’t allow her daughter to date anyone who wasn’t preapproved. She also wasn’t thrilled with Lane having more worldly friends. Lane’s friendship with Rory Gilmore was something Mrs. Kim barely tolerated, but when Rory revealed that she kissed Dean Forrester in the supermarket, Mrs. Kim lost it.
When Lorelai Gilmore showed up at Kim’s Antiques to pick up an item she bought, Mrs. Kim had plenty to tell her. She revealed that Rory had kissed “a boy” in the grocery store. While the kiss had Mrs. Kim shook, the location of the said kiss was what really had her unhinged. She told Lorelai, “She kissed a boy in the grocery store. The grocery store! Where we buy our food!”
The interaction wasn’t long, and Gilmore Girls fans largely forget it, but the delivery was pretty perfect. It also served as an introduction to just how intense Mrs. Kim was about dating and boys. The exchange occurred in the season 1 episode, “Kiss and Tell.”
The antique store owner eviscerated a customer for breaking an item
Mrs. Kim had no problem being blunt with the people of Stars Hollow. She was abrupt to the customers who walked into Kim’s Antiques, too. The small business owner wasn’t looking to lose money, so when a customer broke something, they had to buy it. She wasn’t kind about it, either.
In one particularly hilarious scene, Mrs. Kim reminded a customer that he had eyes, and his eyes worked, so if he broke something, he was responsible for paying for it. While the unnamed customer attempted to argue his point, Mrs. Kim was having none of it. Eventually, he paid for his mistake and left the antique store, presumably never to return again.
The brief exchange happened in the season 1 episode, “Double Date.” In the same episode, Mrs. Kim had a second memorable moment when she learned that Rory and Lane had gone to a movie with Dean.
Mrs. Kim bullied Zack Van Gerbig at the magazine stand
Mrs. Kim didn’t want Lane to date boys she hadn’t approved of, but Lane did it anyway. When Lane hugged Zack at Luke’s Diner, she didn’t think much of it, but Kyon relaid the innocent moment to Mrs. Kim, who was decidedly not OK with it. Instead of dealing with Lane, Mrs. Kim approached a befuddled Zack and ripped into him. She said, “you dirty, filthy devil boy! You will pay for this! You will burn in the hellfire for this! You will swim in the sludge with Satan’s helldogs and feed them your innards for eternity! She is an innocent girl, and you are a wild pig of filth!”
Mrs. Kim reminded Zack that he would be punished for what he did because that’s what happens to all “swine who walk up tall,” before she walked off. While Mrs. Kim’s rant was true comedic gold, Zack’s reaction to the exchange made the entire scene memorable. While Zack wasn’t who Gilmore Girls fans envisioned Lane with long-term, his confusion and concern proved just how innocent he was.
Zack and Lane eventually married. Mrs. Kim even gave him her blessing, so clearly, they worked out their troubles. Still, the exchange ranks high as one of the best Gilmore Girls scenes. The conversation occurred in the season 5 episode, “The Party’s Over.”
