“I've talked about rain on this show more than I ever have in my entire life,” Kittrell says.
It was a constant consideration, both on set and in the writers' room. The weather became a way to distinguish Elle from those around her in Seattle. Locals never carry umbrellas; Elle appears with a pink one.
“We had a writer from Seattle who always said the city has a bad reputation for rain,” Kittrell says. “But the rain is what makes it beautiful: it makes Seattle green.”
Elle entering the halls of Rainier West High School with her pink umbrella.
(Kimberley French / Prime Video)
That philosophy stuck with the writers, later appearing in a line spoken to Miles (Jacob Moskovitz), Elle's crush, and eventually leading to Garbage's “Only Happy When It Rains” as the show's theme. “We were like, of course,” says Kittrell. “This is what we've been talking about all along.”
The song was originally intended to end the pilot. “So we decided we should hear it in every episode,” Neustadter says. (Instead, the pilot uses Radiohead's “Creep,” which also closes the series.) The main title sequence, an animated “sell-out saga” from the studio. Shinetells the story of Elle's move from Bel-Air to Seattle.
“We constantly remind the audience of the contrast between the essence of Elle and the world she finds herself in now,” adds Neustadter. “There's an optimism to 'Only Happy When It Rains' that feels very Elle Woods. And the irony of it is so delicious.”
