The fictional secret society on "Gilmore Girls" which apparently was loosely based on Yale'
s own secret society "Skull and
Bones". On the show, The Life and Death Brigade’
s motto was ‘In omnia paratus’, which means ‘ready for anything.’
Members of the Brigade were well known to have put a twist on ordinary games and come up with a big
stunt to
cap up a mad-cap outing.
For example, in one episode, the LDB were playing croquet in prom-wear, paint-balling jumpers trampoling and the outing was capped up with a huge scaffold that has been set up in the field, and a line of
six people are standing on
top holding umbrellas to jump down (members all wear a
silver band with a hoist for safety)
Successful new LDB members who have proved their worth on their initiation into the Brigade receive a gorilla mask and a free bottle of champers.
Members of this fictional LDB include "Gilmore Girls" characters Logan Huntzberger,
Colin McCrae and their friend Finn (last name unknown) among other rich Yale elite.
RORY: The article I’
m doing on the Life and Death Brigade.
LOGAN: Don’t really know what you’
re talking about.
RORY: You don’t? Huh. I thought you would. It’s a club. One of these super secret, super exclusive clubs here at Yale, membership spans a thousand centuries, secret handshakes and secret sayings, and a lot of running around in circles in your underwear, that kind of thing. I mean, I have proof that your grandfather was in it, which means that your
father was in it. Which should mean that you’
re in it. But maybe not. Okay.
LOGAN: Sorry to let you down.
RORY: No let down. It would have been nice, but I have plenty of stuff without you, and I’m sorry to have bothered you.
LOGAN: You have plenty without me, huh?
RORY: Oh yeah! I have the
ball gowns, the girl in the gorilla mask, In Omnia Paratus – very
fancy catch phrase, by the way – the license
plate on the
black SUV, and about a dozen other little things. I mean, getting an interview with an actual member would have been great. But I’m okay without it.
