- "Oh. Very serious face. Jean-Paul Sartre."
- —Sookie to Lorelai[src]
Sookie St. James is a principal character on Gilmore Girls. She is portrayed by Melissa McCarthy.
Character
Sookie is bubbly, fun, quirky, enthusiastic, a brilliant chef and a great friend. When first introduced Sookie is the chef at the Independence Inn, vehemently perfectionist with her food creations, and tends to create havoc in the kitchen when she is in top form. Sookie is quite accident prone in her passion for the great feasts she conjures up, which is where Lorelai's more organizational nature provide the two with a perfect balance, both as great friends, colleagues and later co-owners of The Dragonfly Inn.
Sookie's arc throughout the series mostly shows how Sookie works; she gets overwhelmed in the face of big life choices, and at times her actions in the face of those changes are quite unorthodox. This leads to some conflicts, particularly with Lorelai and Jackson, but Sookie eventually manages to explain her fears and curb the consequences of her freak-outs. She also worries about being a mother at first, but effortlessly settles into the role, as bubbly and loving as she is with all the people around her.
Life
Sookie is mostly focused on her passion – her work at the Inn and spends her free time with Lorelai, and coming up with new and exciting recipes. Sookie's competitive streak with Luke is first seen when both cater food to the wake of Babette and Morey's cat Cinnamon.[1] After Lorelai unintentionally insults Sookie's romantic life, she re-evaluates it and asks Jackson Belleville, the independent produce supplier for the inn.[2] Lorelai helps Sookie get ready and, though nervous, Sookie and Jackson end up at Luke's Diner having a great time.[3]
After doing a favor for a client, Sookie invites Lane, Lorelai and Rory to go see The Bangles play in New York, where Sookie and Lorelai have a great time, but have to harangue two of the three Chilton girls Rory invited when Lane was unable to go.[4] Sookie and Jackson's relationship progresses, with Jackson attempting to cook for Sookie, who has trouble relinquishing control of her kitchen.[5] The two also attend the annual Stars Hollow Firelight Festival together.[6] Sookie spends most the rest of the season being there for Lorelai when Christopher re-enters the Gilmores' lives, Luke's ex-girlfriend Rachel returns and Lorelai's relationship with Max Medina is getting serious.
Sookie plans a beautiful town celebration for Lorelai and Max' engagement[7] and is co-chair of Lorelai's bachelorette party.[8] Later, when Luke's nephew arrives in town, Sookie goes all out and prepares a ton of food for Jess to feel welcome[9]. After realizing that Mia wants to sell the Independence Inn, Lorelai freaks out on Sookie, without telling Sookie why, about the uncertainty of their future, now that going into business for themselves is not only a dream but has to work.[10] They quickly reconcile when Lorelai confides in Sookie what set off her freak-out.
After Kirk wins Sookie's basket at the annual charity basket auction, Jackson reveals why he did not bid – he was hinting to Sookie to move in together. The two patch things up and Sookie says she wants to give it a go, but Jackson declines, and Sookie is flustered.
- Jackson: I don't think we should move in together. I think we should get married.
- Sookie: I – Are you pregnant?
Sookie happily accepts[11] and they begin planning their wedding, which later suddenly comes to involve Emily Gilmore and giant, dancing papier mâche mushrooms.[12] After being reeled back in by Lorelai, Sookie realizs that everything's become too grand and crazy, and that she just wants a simple wedding with the man she loves. The season concludes with Sookie and Jackson's beautiful wedding, held in the gardens of the Independence Inn.[13]
Dragonfly
As Sookie and Jackson begin married life, Sookie is overwhelmed by Jackson announcing he wants 4 children in four years. She shares this surprise with Lorelai and in her miscommunication with Jackson, inadvertently involves Lorelai in their fight – which Sookie manages to explain eventually. She and Lorelai also decide they want to purchase the Dragonfly Inn, but as Fran won't sell their plans are halted. As Mia had alluded to about a year earlier, she wishes to sell the Independence Inn when Lorelai and Sookie leave. A fire at the Inn causes Mia to follow through, leaving Sookie and Lorelai unemployed. Fran unexpectedly passes away and Sookie and Lorelai manage to put in the first bid to secure it. However, their plans are once again halted when Rory doesn't qualify for financial aid, but Rory won't stand in the way of her mother's dreams and asks her grandparents to pay for Yale. And so, Sookie and Lorelai are free to start construction on the Dragonfly.
Relationships
- Main article: Sookie and Jackson
The two get into fights over food orders and other small things as they did before they began dating. Their first date begins awkwardly as a double date with Lorelai who is set up with Jackson's cousin Rune, but leads to a relationship between the two. They fall in love and get married in season two finale. During the show Sookie and her husband have two children: Davey and Martha with another on the way at the end of season seven.
Trivia
- She wears her hair in pigtails in early seasons.
- She knows someone at the Culinary Institute of America.
- A running joke with her and Jackson involves her criticizing his produce and eventually buying it.
- She is accident prone and has destroyed a high-end Viking stove[14].