- "I like to goof off now and then, too, you know"
- —Mrs. Kim to Dave
Mrs. Kim is a recurring character on Gilmore Girls, portrayed by Emily Kuroda.
Story[]
Mrs. Kim is the mother of Lane Kim, Rory's best friend from Stars Hollow. She owns Kim's Antiques which is located on the first floor of her house. She is a follower of the Seventh Day Adventists, and her strict parenting of Lane forces her daughter into a double-life. She is portrayed as a very stern woman, who still speaks with a Korean accent (but with good English skills, even if she speaks mostly in short staccato sentences). Because of her Korean heritage and religious nature, she is suspicious of common American customs and lax attitudes, but she at time displays a surprising depth of understanding of their ways, as illustrated when she helps Zack rewrite a pop song, or when she gets Lorelai's "Knockers" pun. When she visits Lane's apartment which she shares with her bandmates for the first time, she runs flees out of shock as Mrs. Kim commonly struggles with the concept of boys, particularly around her daughter.
It is learned during Lane's wedding that Mrs. Kim, like Lane, has taken a different route than her mother in terms of lifestyles. While Mrs. Kim's mother is a Buddhist, she herself is a Christian, unknown to her mother (hiding her crosses and other Christian items in the floorboards much like her daughter did with her CDs and band propaganda) Also, it is revealed that Mrs. Kim only had sex once in her entire life and was lucky it was enough to get pregnant with Lane. She seems to abhor the idea of engaging in sexual practices (calling it "terrible things"), even telling Lane that she just "has to do it" even if she doesn't want to because of a man's expectations. Although Lane thought Mrs. Kim would be mad after she becomes unexpectedly pregnant, she is happy at the news of getting grandchildren and gives her blessing to both Lane and Zack. She becomes a "built-in babysitter" once Lane gives birth, commonly helping the young couple.
Mrs. Kim's biggest character growth is shown in her evolved relationship with Lane as she becomes less strict and more accepting of Lane's lifestyle. Before Lane's baby shower, her daughter tells her that when she has kids, she'll be just like her mother - doing everything for her child(ren).
Trivia[]
- She has never been alone with two boys.
- Mrs. Kim moved to the US in 1984.[1]
- Salad water is kept in the Kim house as a soft drink substitute.
- She never allowed a television set in her house or any electronics.
- She has a sister, Joon, with whom she is close in age. There's also a younger brother who is closer in age to Lane. Joon has a daughter, Christine.[2]
- When Lane went on her hockey date, she took a serious picture, claiming it was for the grandchildren. This is a common, if somewhat dated, practice in Korea.[3]
- She used to be in an all-girl Christian tambourine band[4].
- Keeping secrets seems to run in the Kim family; the fact that she is Seventh Day Adventist is kept a secret from her Buddhist mother, and Lane kept most of her life from her mother.[5]
- Mrs. Kim says she's only been able to read the Bible in one night three times in her life. This was discovered after Dave performed the same feat to earn Mrs. Kim's approval and ultimately her respect.[6]
- Mrs. Kim says she likes "to goof off now and then, too" after reciting a line from Shakespeare's King Henry VIII.[6]
- She and Lane are very estranged for a long time. She is similar to Emily Gilmore and both of them criticize and bully their kids. Unlike Lorelai, who had the guts to leave and Lane can't.
- She is a Seventh Day Adventist Christian and does not allow Lane to have any modern stuff like music, television and food. She is very strict and punishes Lane a lot. Still gives her an early curfew when she was over 18.