The Life and Death Brigade is a secret society introduced in Season 5 of WB drama Gilmore Girls.


The Life and Death Brigade is a secret society at Yale, which Rory encounters upon researching it for a Daily News scoop. The club is shrouded in mystery and infamous for its dangerous stunts and, at times, criminal activities. Logan brings Rory to the 108th grand assembly[1]


Rory first learns of the club when she spots a girl a in ballgown exclaim 'In Omnia Paratus' and climb into a black SUV.[2] Intrigued, Rory does some research and learns that Logan's grandfather was in the club, so she concludes that Logan must be as well. She pesters him for an insider interview, but he disclaims any knowledge of the club. Eventually, he offers her a chance to learn more, but only if she agrees to some unknown conditions. 

Later, Rory finds an envelope stuck to her dorm window with instructions to be in a certain location while blind-folded. Rory then is led by Logan and other members to a mysterious location in the woods that is holding a Life and Death Brigade event. Everyone at the event is dressed in 1930s style outfits and the tents are vintage safari-style.

Rory attempts to question the members, but all refuse to answer her questions, because 1) she wasn't wearing 1930's clothes and 2) becasuse she wasn't complying with the game the members were playing. The members were conversing only in words that do not contain the letter " e " and refused to answer Rory's "e"-filled questions.

The next day, the members partook in bizarre activities like a form of polo with girls in sedan chairs carried by the guys and trap-shooting with paintball guns and human targets who leap onto gym mats. The big event is a leap from a seven-story scaffolding with everyone in formal-wear carrying umbrellas. The safety equipment seems pretty dubious and was apparently tested only on potatoes. However, Logan encourages Rory to be less timid and to become involved in her story for the school paper. Along with four other members, Rory and Logan leap off the scaffolding and in what is a once-in-a-lifetime moment for Rory.

After returning from the event, Rory finds at the doorstep of her dorm-room her  earlier confiscated camera, a gorilla mask and a bottle of champagne. This may imply that she is now a part of the Brigade, but her membership is never mentioned nor depicted after this episode. While members of the Life and Death Brigade appear in several later episodes and is mentioned by Mitchum Huntzberger while he is explaining his disappointment in Logan[3], another LDB stunt is only mentioned again when Logan, Colin, Finn and Robert plan and improperly execute a stunt in Costa Rica prior to graduation[4], which causes a serious injury for Logan.[5]


  • An anarchic group which does not recognise leaders.
  •  Its motto is 'In Omnia Paratus', which means 'ready for anything'.
    • The variation "Semper Paratus" is the motto of the U.S. Coast Guard.[6]
  • In the Brigade Event Rory attends, the members hold a stunt where they jump from a great height wearing formal wear just like the photo she found that she showed Doyle.[2]
  • Dan Palladino based the Life and Death Brigade on a group at Oxford University that spans centuries and actually invented bungee jumping. Dan used the brigade to represent that which could be done when you are smart, witty, and have infinite money at your disposal. The stunts in the episode You Jump, I Jump Jack were based on ideas he got from other outside sources: Dan read a novel where the author attempted to leave out "e"'s; an issue of Vogue from the 1940's featured women in sedan baskets; the first night of the stunt is supposed to look like the movie Out of Africa.


Nots and References

  1. You Jump, I Jump, Jack
  2. 2.0 2.1 Norman Mailer, I'm Pregnant!
  3. Partings
  4. The Real Paul Anka
  5. Super Cool Party People