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.
