List of Gilmore Girls episodes

For the episodes from the miniseries continuation, see Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life § Episodes.

Gilmore Girls is an American dramedy television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino. Sherman-Palladino shares executive producer duties with David S Rosenthal, Gavin Polone, Daniel Palladino. It is produced by Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, Hofflund/Polone and Warner Bros. Television. The show follows single mother Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter Rory in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, a close-knit small town with many quirky characters, located roughly thirty minutes south of Hartford.

From 2000 to 2006, the first six seasons of Gilmore Girls originally aired on The WB, before it later merged with UPN to form The CW for its seventh and final season. All seven seasons are currently available on DVD in Regions 1, 2, and 4. Since the series premiered, it has averaged 5 million viewers per episode over its seven seasons. The series originally aired on Thursday nights 8/7c before Charmed in its first season. However, it was moved to Tuesday nights at 8/7c for the second season taking over Buffy the Vampire Slayer's old timeslot (UPN picked up Buffy from The WB) and held it for the rest of the series' run. The show placed No. 32 on Entertainment Weekly's "New TV Classics" list, and in 2007 it was listed as one of Time magazine's "All-TIME 100 TV Shows." The show is known for its comedic fast dialogue.

Over the course of seven seasons, Gilmore Girls aired a total of 153 episodes. It returned in 2016 for a limited miniseries A Year in the Life. The revival consists of four 90-minute episodes released on Netflix.

Series overview

Season		Episodes	Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired	Network
	1	21	October 5, 2000 (2000-10-05)	May 10, 2001 (2001-05-10)	The WB
	2	22	October 9, 2001 (2001-10-09)	May 21, 2002 (2002-05-21)
	3	22	September 24, 2002 (2002-09-24)	May 20, 2003 (2003-05-20)
	4	22	September 23, 2003 (2003-09-23)	May 18, 2004 (2004-05-18)
	5	22	September 21, 2004 (2004-09-21)	May 17, 2005 (2005-05-17)
	6	22	September 13, 2005 (2005-09-13)	May 9, 2006 (2006-05-09)
	7	22	September 26, 2006 (2006-09-26)	May 15, 2007 (2007-05-15)	The CW

Episodes

Season 1 (2000–01)

Main article: Gilmore Girls season 1

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
1	1	"Pilot"	Lesli Linka Glatter	Amy Sherman-Palladino	October 5, 2000 (2000-10-05)	226730	5.03
After Rory is accepted to Chilton, an extremely prestigious and expensive prep school, Lorelai's difficulty in raising the tuition money forces her to ask her wealthy parents, from whom she is estranged, for a loan. The elder Gilmores happily loan their daughter the money in exchange for an end to the estrangement and a family dinner every Friday night. In her last week at Stars Hollow High School, Rory meets a very cute new transfer student named Dean, which gives her second thoughts about attending Chilton. When Lorelai discovers that her ambivalence about Chilton centers on a boy, they argue about her future, but after the first Friday night family dinner at her grandparents' house, Rory makes up with her mother and decides to go to Chilton after all when she realizes the sacrifice her mother has made in agreeing to end the estrangement with her grandparents.
2	2	"The Lorelais' First Day at Chilton"	Arlene Sanford	Amy Sherman-Palladino	October 12, 2000 (2000-10-12)	226701	3.40
Lorelai oversleeps on Rory's first day of Chilton, and discovers that all her good clothes are at the cleaners. She throws on a tiny tie-dyed top, cutoff shorts, and cowboy boots to the dismay of Rory, the Chilton headmaster, and Emily, who has shown up for Rory's first day. Lorelai and Emily leave after an awkward conversation in the headmaster's office, bickering the entire way out. Rory's day goes downhill from there. She is handed a three inch binder containing one week's worth of notes from one class and meets several insufferable classmates who are determined to make her life at Chilton miserable.
3	3	"Kill Me Now"	Adam Nimoy	Joanne Waters	October 19, 2000 (2000-10-19)	226702	2.89
When Rory announces at Friday night dinner that she has to pick a team sport to play at Chilton, Emily insists that Richard take Rory to the club and teach her golf. Although Rory tees off to a rocky start, she soon gets into the swing of things and has a great time walking and talking with Richard. Later, Lorelai's mixed feelings about Rory enjoying her time with Richard at the club provokes an intensely stupid argument with Rory, which is soon resolved when Lorelai realizes that she is not losing Rory to her parents. At the Independence Inn, Lorelai has her hands full overseeing all the preparations for an ornate double wedding ceremony and contending with a pair of spoiled and quarrelsome twin brides, their exhausted mother, their twin grooms, Michel, and the rest of her staff.
4	4	"The Deer Hunters"	Alan Myerson	Jed Seidel	October 26, 2000 (2000-10-26)	226703	3.93
Rory receives the first "D" of her life, pushing her to study like crazy for the upcoming exam. She and Lorelai stay up all hours reviewing every detail about Shakespeare, only to over-sleep, causing Rory to miss the big test. Rory has a meltdown, telling off both Tristin and Paris in the process. Meanwhile, Lorelai meets Mr. Medina at the parent-teacher meeting and tells off the headmaster after Rory's meltdown.
5	5	"Cinnamon's Wake"	Michael Katleman	Daniel Palladino	November 2, 2000 (2000-11-02)	226704	3.88
A distant family member dies but Lorelai has no recollection of the relative. At a Chilton bake sale, Max and Lorelai admit their feelings for one another. Lorelai, however, worries dating Rory's teacher might be inappropriate. Cinnamon, the neighbors' elderly cat, dies. Lorelai and Rory attend Cinnamon's titular wake, causing Lorelai to forget about her first date with Max. She and Babette talk about the difficulties of parenting and relationships. Rory and Dean's budding romance takes a step forward.
6	6	"Rory's Birthday Parties"	Sarah Pia Anderson	Amy Sherman-Palladino	November 9, 2000 (2000-11-09)	226705	3.73
It is Rory's sixteenth birthday, so Emily and Lorelai each plan a party representative of their respective styles. Emily makes an effort to better understand Rory, much to Lorelai's delight. However, Emily invites all of Rory's Chilton classmates without consulting Rory. The resulting cold party atmosphere so upsets Rory that she argues with Emily. To make peace, Emily and Richard attend Lorelai's informal bash the next evening. They are caught off-guard by the colorful party guests. Emily tours the house, as she and Richard have never visited before, and learns Lorelai broke her leg three years ago and never told her parents. Emily sadly realizes she does not know her daughter at all. Dean gives Rory a birthday present.
7	7	"Kiss and Tell"	Rodman Flender	Jenji Kohan	November 16, 2000 (2000-11-16)	226706	3.45
Dean gives Rory her first kiss, to which she responds, "Thank you," and then accidentally shoplifts a box of corn starch. Fearful of her mother's disapproval, Rory confides in Lane and decides not to tell Lorelai for a little while. As a result, Lorelai is distressed when she learns about the kiss from Mrs. Kim. She confronts Rory, who confesses about the awkward kiss. Later that night, Rory freaks out when Lorelai invites Dean over to watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and eat junk food, but she ends up having a good time after all.
8	8	"Love and War and Snow"	Alan Myerson	Joan Binder Weiss	December 14, 2000 (2000-12-14)	226707	3.80
The first snowfall prompts Lorelai and Max's first date. Lane is upset with Rory for being distracted by Chilton and Dean. Rory is snowed in with her grandparents and introduces them to frozen pizza. Meanwhile, Luke mocks and refuses to take part in the annual re-enactment of the Battle of Stars Hollow. Lane embarrasses herself in front of her crush, and goes to Lorelai's house looking for Rory. Lorelai brings Max home, but he sleeps on the couch when Lorelai discovers the distraught Lane. Rory returns home, apologized to Lane for ignoring her, and contends with the idea that her mother might end up with someone other than her father.
9	9	"Rory's Dance"	Lesli Linka Glatter	Amy Sherman-Palladino	December 20, 2000 (2000-12-20)	226708	3.62
Chilton hosts a dance, which Rory and Dean attend, thus confirming they are "boyfriend-girlfriend". Emily sleeps over at Lorelai's the night of the dance to care for Lorelai's injured back and see Rory off. After the dance, Rory and Dean accidentally fall asleep all night at Miss Patty's dance school. Emily and Lorelai wake up in a panic and fight over whether Rory will end up pregnant. Insisting Rory is a "good kid," Lorelai kicks Emily out. Rory arrives home at 5 a.m. and Lorelai plans to put her on the pill. Rory tearfully apologizes, but also accuses her mother for being so mad only because Emily was there to witness the mishap. NOTE: This special episode aired on Wednesday at 9/8c after Dawson's Creek.
10	10	"Forgiveness and Stuff"	Bethany Rooney	John Stephens	December 21, 2000 (2000-12-21)	226709	3.60
Things are still chilly between Rory and Lorelai; Lane gives Rory advice about the right Christmas gift for Dean; Emily and Lorelai have a tiff about Christmas dinner, leaving Rory to go by herself; Dean and Lorelai patch things up; Luke makes a lonely Lorelai a Santa burger; Richard collapses and is rushed to the hospital; Luke gives a car-less Lorelai a ride to the hospital; relieved that Richard's collapse was only a bout of angina, the Gilmores settle their differences.
11	11	"Paris Is Burning"	David Petrarca	Joan Binder Weiss	January 11, 2001 (2001-01-11)	226710	4.32
As Lorelai and Max grow closer, Rory begins to grow attached to the idea of Max in their lives, which freaks Lorelai out. Sookie and Lorelai have a frank talk about relationships. Lorelai tries to ease out of her relationship with Max during Parent's Day at Chilton, but ends up passionately kissing him in his classroom just as Paris walks by. Stung by the details in the newspapers about her parents' messy divorce, Paris tells everyone in the lunchroom about Max and Lorelai to deflect gossip away from her and towards Rory. Rory confronts Paris, gets an apology, and offers a sympathetic ear, which is grudgingly accepted. Sookie asks Jackson out on a date and he accepts.
12	12	"Double Date"	Lev L. Spiro	Amy Sherman-Palladino	January 18, 2001 (2001-01-18)	226712	4.83
After Lorelai encourages Sookie to ask out Jackson, she finds herself on the double date from hell with Jackson's cousin, Rune, which makes Luke jealous enough to finally work up the courage to ask Lorelai out. Meanwhile, Rory and Lane get into trouble when they double date with Dean and his friend Todd without telling their moms.
13	13	"Concert Interruptus"	Bruce Seth Green	Elaine Arata	February 15, 2001 (2001-02-15)	226711	3.16
Lorelai, Sookie, Rory, and Lane plan to attend The Bangles' concert, but when Lane's mother finds the truth, she bans her from going. Lorelai and Sookie offer up the three tickets so Rory can take Madeline, Louise, and Paris, which backfires when Madeline and Louise take off with two mysterious boys for a party.
14	14	"That Damn Donna Reed"	Michael Katleman	Daniel Palladino, Amy Sherman-Palladino	February 22, 2001 (2001-02-22)	226715	3.51
An evening of "The Donna Reed Show" reruns infects Dean and both Gilmore Girls -- Dean expresses a longing for the type of family represented by the show, Lorelai helps Luke spruce up the diner with a fresh paint job and new curtains, and Rory dresses up like Donna and fixes a 1950s style dinner for Dean while petsitting Babette's new kitten; when the baby chick that is the subject of Rory's midterm project gets loose in the house, Lorelai frantically calls Luke to help her search the house; both Sookie and Emily force Lorelai to confront her feelings for Luke; Christopher roars into town on his motorcycle, and agrees to stay at Lorelai's and Rory's during his visit.
15	15	"Christopher Returns"	Michael Katleman	Daniel Palladino	March 1, 2001 (2001-03-01)	226713	3.67
Wanting to play a greater role in Rory's life, Christopher settles in for his visit and lets Rory give him the grand tour of Stars Hollow. When his parents arrive in Hartford for a visit, Emily invites everyone to Friday night dinner, which turns out to be an unqualified disaster after Richard nearly comes to blows with Christopher's father over critical comments about Lorelai. In the aftermath of the ruined dinner party, Richard retreats to his study to calm down, Emily makes a plate for Rory in the kitchen and reassures her how much she is loved and regarded, and Christopher finds Lorelai on the balcony of her old bedroom and comforts her by repeating a little romantic history. The next morning, Lorelai awakens with a start, horrified that she forgot to help Luke paint the diner after dinner on Friday night. Grabbing a jacket, she races to the diner still clad in her pajamas, and begs Luke's forgiveness. He shrugs it off at first, but appears somewhat wounded when he realizes that Lorelai was with Christopher the night before. When Lorelai returns to the house, Christopher asks her to marry him and she regretfully turns him down, claiming he is not ready for the responsibility of a family quite yet. Christopher returns to California with the promise of doing a better job of staying in touch. The next morning, Lorelai surprises Luke by having the diner completely repainted when he arrives to open up for the day.
16	16	"Star-Crossed Lovers and Other Strangers"	Lesli Linka Glatter	Story by: Joan Binder Weiss Teleplay by: John Stephens and Linda Loiselle Guzik	March 8, 2001 (2001-03-08)	226714	3.38
Luke's ex-girlfriend Rachel arrives in Stars Hollow unexpectedly, and immediately picks up on the attraction between Luke and Lorelai, which they deny. Rachel decides to stay for awhile, which leaves Luke and Lorelai with mixed feelings. Lorelai and Rory are amazed when Emily agrees to excuse Rory from Friday night dinner so that Rory and Dean can celebrate their three month anniversary. When Lorelai arrives for dinner, she discovers the source of Emily's largesse -- her mother has invited another guest -- a man with whom she secretly hopes to fix Lorelai up. After a painful dinner with one of the world's most boring men, Lorelai attempts to escape through the window of her old bedroom, but is caught in the act by Richard. When he is forced to admit that even he is bored by the man, he uncharacteristically covers for her and lets her make her getaway. Back in Stars Hollow, Dean treats Rory to a wonderfully romantic dinner, and then gives her a present: a car that he is restoring for her. As they sit in the car, Dean professes his love, but Rory is unsure how to respond.
17	17	"The Breakup, Part 2"	Nick Marck	Amy Sherman-Palladino	March 15, 2001 (2001-03-15)	226716	4.17
Rory decides to engage in a flurry of activity to avoid thinking about Dean, despite Lorelai's advice to wallow; Lorelai runs interference as the residents of Stars Hollow reach out to console Rory and Luke attempts to bar Dean from the diner; Rachel pitches in to help Luke out at the diner; Jackson prepares dinner for Sookie, and has a tough time keeping her out of the kitchen; Rory decides to attend Madeline's party and takes Lane along for company; Lorelai decides to visit Max when she realizes how much she misses him; Lane is torn when she meets the perfect guy at the party; Rory attempts to befriend Tristin after he has very public breakup with his girlfriend at the party, and when he apologizes for his past bad behavior towards her and kisses her, she bursts into tears; at home, Rory sobs to Lorelai that she is ready to wallow now.
18	18	"The Third Lorelai"	Michael Katleman	Amy Sherman-Palladino	March 22, 2001 (2001-03-22)	226717	4.57
Emily becomes unhinged at the prospect of a visit from Richard's mother Trix; Paris is outraged when she discovers that Tristin asked her for a date at Rory's urging; fearing that she'll never see Lorelai again, Emily opposes Trix's offer to set up a trust fund for Rory.
19	19	"Emily in Wonderland"	Perry Lang	John Stephens, Linda Loiselle Guzik	April 26, 2001 (2001-04-26)	226718	3.37
Rachel finds an abandoned inn that Lorelai and Sookie fall in love with; Lorelai and Rachel spend the afternoon getting to know each other and Rachel asks Lorelai to put in a good word for her with Luke; as Rory takes Emily on a tour of Stars Hollow, Emily hits it off with Mrs. Kim and Michel, but becomes distraught when she sees Lorelai and Rory's first home; at Sookie's urging, Lorelai gives Jackson's cousin, Rune, a job at the Inn.
20	20	"P.S. I Lo..."	Lev L. Spiro	Elaine Arata, Joan Binder Weiss	May 3, 2001 (2001-05-03)	226719	3.16
Lorelai helps Luke shop for a birthday present for Rachel and goes wild outfitting him with a new wardrobe; overwhelmed by sadness at her breakup with Dean, Rory is distressed to discover that Lane and Dean have become science project partners, and incensed to find out from Max that Lorelai has neglected to mention that they are dating again, so she argues with Lorelai and then takes off for Hartford to spend the night at her grandparents' house without telling her mother; when an angry Lorelai confronts Dean and discovers the truth about his breakup with Rory, she fears that she has taught Rory not to commit to a relationship.
21	21	"Love, Daisies and Troubadours"	Amy Sherman-Palladino	Daniel Palladino	May 10, 2001 (2001-05-10)	226720	4.31
Paris wreaks her revenge after Tristin lies about going to a concert with Rory; Rachel leaves Stars Hollow after she becomes convinced that despite his protests, Luke is in love with Lorelai; Rory's defense of the Stars Hollow troubadour during a town meeting brings her back together with Dean, enabling her to finally say, and mean, the words that he has been longing to hear; Luke and Max meet and engage in a little not-so-friendly rivalry as Max begins to suspect, despite her protests, that Lorelai and Luke were once an item; Max proposes to Lorelai with a thousand yellow daisies.

Season 2 (2001–02)

Main article: Gilmore Girls season 2

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
22	1	"Sadie, Sadie"	Amy Sherman-Palladino	Amy Sherman-Palladino	October 9, 2001 (2001-10-09)	227451	6.55
Lane freaks out when her parents buy her a one-way ticket to Korea for the summer. Luke gives Lorelai a lot to think about when she tells him about Max's proposal. Lorelai finally says "yes" to Max and tells everyone except her parents. When Rory brings Dean to a special dinner at her grandparents' house to celebrate making it into the top 3% at Chilton, Richard criticizes Dean for not meeting the Gilmore standards of excellence. Rory springs to Dean's defense and that creates a rift between Richard and his granddaughter. Emily is heartbroken when she finds out about the wedding from Sookie instead of Lorelai and tells Richard to apologize to Rory.
23	2	"Hammers and Veils"	Michael Katleman	Amy Sherman-Palladino	October 9, 2001 (2001-10-09)	227452	6.55
Lorelai avoids telling her parents about her engagement to Max, while Rory urges her to spill. But due to a call from Sookie asking them to come to a surprise wedding shower for the happy couple, they already know, and are appalled that Lorelai did not tell them and so they give her the cold shoulder. Meanwhile, Rory and Dean are having trouble in paradise due to the fact that Rory suddenly becomes obsessed with finding enough extracurricular activities that will set her apart from the hundreds of other Harvard applicants.
24	3	"Red Light on the Wedding Night"	Gail Mancuso	Daniel Palladino	October 16, 2001 (2001-10-16)	227453	5.99
Lorelai, Sookie, Emily, Michel, and Rory go to a drag club for Lorelai's bachelorette party. Emily regales the group with stories about the week before her wedding, some of which give Lorelai pause about her own feelings about marriage. When everyone else leaves to call their sweeties, Lorelai calls Christopher instead of Max. Later that evening at home, Lorelai announces to Rory that she is calling the wedding off because she has realized that Max is not the one for her. Mother and daughter decide to take a road trip to avoid the sympathies of all of Stars Hollow.
25	4	"The Road Trip to Harvard"	Jamie Babbit	Daniel Palladino	October 23, 2001 (2001-10-23)	227454	6.39
To escape everyone's reaction to the news of the broken engagement, Lorelai and Rory hit the road, and stumble upon the bed and breakfast from hell before eventually arriving at Harvard, where Rory gets a taste of college life and Lorelai muses over what might have been. Lane comes home loaded with bootlegs from Seoul. Lorelai breaks into tears when she sees the chuppah that Luke made for her. Luke commiserates with Lorelai even though he is secretly overjoyed to hear that the wedding's off. Lorelai decides to get serious about making her dream of opening an inn a reality.
26	5	"Nick & Nora/Sid & Nancy"	Michael Katleman	Amy Sherman-Palladino	October 30, 2001 (2001-10-30)	227455	5.55
Luke's nephew, Jess, comes to live in Stars Hallow. Lorelai finds out and offers Luke some guidance, but is rebuffed. Jess is sullen and angry with everyone except Rory, and gets accused of stealing money from the market. Luke confronts Jess. Paris is intent on making Rory's life miserable, so she sabotages her participation on "The Franklin", but this backfires when the faculty advisor singles out Rory's article for praise. Undeterred, Paris assigns Rory the job of interviewing Max after she sees him and Rory painfully avoid each other in the hall.
27	6	"Presenting Lorelai Gilmore"	Chris Long	Sheila R. Lawrence	November 6, 2001 (2001-11-06)	227456	6.11
At the urging of her friends, Emily decides that Rory's making her debut at a society ball will be just the thing to get Richard back into the social swing. To Lorelai's amazement, Rory willingly agrees and Emily goes into high gear shopping in preparation. Christopher agrees to escort Rory and Lorelai becomes entranced by his new responsible side, but gets a shock when she learns about his new relationship.
28	7	"Like Mother, Like Daughter"	Dennis Erdman	Joan Binder Weiss	November 13, 2001 (2001-11-13)	227457	5.88
Headmaster Charleston decrees that both Gilmore girls need to improve their socialization skills at Chilton. Rory's attempt to socialize leads her to ask a group of girls at lunch if she could join them. After lunch, Paris tells her the group that she innocently stumbled into is "The Puffs", Chilton's secret sorority. The Puffs "kidnap" Rory, Paris and the other pledges early one morning under the guise of taking them to breakfast, but instead take them to Headmaster Charleston's office to be initiated into the group. They are discovered by Charleston and the security guards. Lorelai joins the Booster Club and offers to host a fundraising fashion show at the Inn. To her dismay, she discovers that the Booster Club mothers are the models; wanting to exact a little payback, she signs Emily up to model as well.
29	8	"The Ins and Outs of Inns"	Michael Katleman	Daniel Palladino	November 20, 2001 (2001-11-20)	227458	5.49
Lorelai and Sookie gear up their plans to open an inn, but encounter a roadblock when the owner of their dream location refuses to sell the property. Mia, the owner of the Independence Inn unexpectedly visits, and Lorelai begins to experience guilt at leaving the Inn that they call home. But Mia is supportive and enthusiastic, and announces that this was just the opportunity she was waiting for to sell the Inn. Lorelai is saddened at this news and tells Emily how much the Inn means to her, oblivious to the pain she is causing her mother. Lorelai's emotional turmoil culminates with having an argument with Sookie. After a pep talk from Luke, Lorelai apologizes to Sookie. Emily decides to meet Mia, without Lorelai knowing, to ask if she has any pictures of the girls from those days, and Mia eagerly agrees to send them to her. Someone has planted a fake murder scene at the front of Doose's market. After scouring Stars Hollow looking for the culprit, Taylor confronts Luke at the diner and accuses Jess. Luke jumps to Jess's defense and throws Taylor out. Later that evening, Luke, Lorelai, Rory and Mia stumble upon a secret town meeting where Jess is accused. Luke stands behind his nephew again, supported by Lorelai. The next day, Rory tells Jess that she knows he is really the culprit, and that he is being a jerk for letting Luke take all the heat from everyone in Stars Hollow.
30	9	"Run Away, Little Boy"	Danny Leiner	John Stephens	November 27, 2001 (2001-11-27)	227459	5.79
Lorelai receives a late wedding present without a card attached, and insists that it be returned. Sookie tells Lorelai to get some closure on her relationship with Max. Rory, Paris, Madeline and Louise are assigned to present the death scene from "Romeo and Juliet" as part of the Chilton Shakespearean Festival. When a scheduling mix up occurs with the rehearsal hall, the group convene in Stars Hollow to practice. Tristin wastes no time in going to the market and taunting Dean. The next day at school, Rory pleads with Tristin not to mention anything to Dean about their kiss at the party. When Dean shows up to watch the rehearsal, Tristin taunts both Dean and Rory before he finally bails. On the evening of the performance, Tristin is nowhere to be found. He finally shows up to tell Rory that his father has pulled him out of Chilton. Paris storms off, puts on his costume, and takes over as Romeo.
31	10	"The Bracebridge Dinner"	Chris Long	Daniel Palladino	December 11, 2001 (2001-12-11)	227460	5.27
A blizzard prevents a group from attending the historical dinner that Sookie has painstakingly prepared at their request, so she and Lorelai decide to invite all their friends in Stars Hollow to enjoy the feast at the Inn. At Rory's urging, Lorelai also invites Richard and Emily, in an attempt to boost Richard's spirits. During dinner, Emily is hurt and angered when Richard reveals that he has quit his job without consulting her. Jess tries to get between Rory and Dean when Dean is distracted by his little sister.
32	11	"Secrets and Loans"	Nicole Holofcener	Linda Loiselle Guzik	January 22, 2002 (2002-01-22)	227461	5.59
Lorelai and Rory have an argument after Rory goes against her mother's wishes and asks her grandparents to lend Lorelai the money she needs to repair termite damage to their house. Lane's desire to become a cheerleader causes a strain in her relationship with Rory. After an exhaustive and unproductive attempt to raise the funds she needs based on her own credit rating, Lorelai is forced to ask Emily to cosign a loan. Rory drives Paris crazy when she refuses to reveal her PSAT scores.
33	12	"Richard in Stars Hollow"	Steve Gomer	Frank Lombardi	January 29, 2002 (2002-01-29)	227462	5.83
Richard visits Stars Hollow, and drives Lorelai and Rory crazy by passing judgment on every aspect of their lives. Paris visits Stars Hallow searching for a "seedy underbelly" for the front story of the Franklin. Rory gains unexpected praise when she accidentally encourages censorship in the Stars Hollow Video store, which Paris uses as their basis for their assignment.
34	13	"A-Tisket, A-Tasket"	Robert Berlinger	Amy Sherman-Palladino	February 5, 2002 (2002-02-05)	227463	5.48
The annual Stars Hollow charity picnic basket lunch auction sparks controversies among couples throughout town. Jess outbids Dean for Rory's basket, causing Dean and Rory to quarrel when Rory abides by tradition and shares the lunch with Jess. Jackson refuses to bid on Sookie's basket after she leads him to believe that she does not want to move in together. Luke comes to Lorelai's rescue, after Miss Patty sets Lorelai up with a trio of unsuitable bidders. Henry tires of the end runs around Mrs. Kim, and calls it quits with Lane. Rory and Jess hit it off at lunch and Jess leaves with a secret souvenir – the bracelet that Dean gave Rory, which he picks it up and holds on to after Rory drops it. Sookie and Jackson work things out so well that he proposes and she accepts. Lorelai and Rory quarrel when Rory finds out that her mother lent a sympathetic ear to Dean's concerns about Jess. After Emily agrees with her daughter's distrust of Jess, Lorelai realizes that they are both wrong, and apologizes to her daughter.
35	14	"It Should've Been Lorelai"	Lesli Linka Glatter	Daniel Palladino	February 12, 2002 (2002-02-12)	227464	5.34
Christopher comes to town to see Rory do her debate but he brings his girlfriend, Sherry, along. Since Sherry and Christopher's relationship is getting serious, Sherry wants to begin bonding with Rory on Friday night. Without consulting Emily, Lorelai excuses Rory from the Gilmore Friday night dinner, and takes Christopher with her instead. When Emily finds out about Sherry over cocktails, she has a meltdown and rushes off to the kitchen. Lorelai follows her and finds out that Emily has always envisioned that Lorelai and Christopher would end up together. Now that she sees that this is not going to happen, Emily blames Lorelai for always keeping him, and everyone else, at arm's length. After mulling over her mother's words, the next morning Lorelai tells Christopher that she has always thought that they would get back together, too, and that is why she has never had a relationship that lasted, including the one with Max. Christopher gets very angry, refusing to accept the responsibility for the way Lorelai's romantic life has turned out.
36	15	"Lost and Found"	Gail Mancuso	Amy Sherman-Palladino	February 26, 2002 (2002-02-26)	227465	5.52
Rory embarks upon a campaign to improve Lorelai's relationship with Jess, and convinces her to let him clean out their gutters so he can make some extra money. Luke, annoyed by his cramped living quarters, goes apartment hunting. With the help of Lorelai, Luke is able to find a great place, but is shocked when he finds out who owns the building. Meanwhile, Dean notices that Rory is not wearing the bracelet that he made for her. Rory makes up an excuse, but later flips into panic mode when she can not find the bracelet.
37	16	"There's the Rub"	Amy Sherman-Palladino	Sheila R. Lawrence	April 9, 2002 (2002-04-09)	227466	4.24
When Emily and Lorelai go to a spa for a weekend of relaxation, Emily lets her hair down, kicks up her heels and ends up bonding with Lorelai in a way that only her daughter could inspire. Thrilled that she has the house all to herself, Rory hopes to spend a quiet night at home doing laundry and eating Indian food. Her plans are foiled – first by Paris, then by Jess, and finally by Dean. In the process, she discovers that she has a surprising savior, a secret suitor, and a skeptical sweetheart.
38	17	"Dead Uncles and Vegetables"	Jamie Babbit	Daniel Palladino	April 16, 2002 (2002-04-16)	227467	5.06
Lorelai and Rory pitch in at the diner while Luke plans his Uncle Louie's funeral. Taylor is unhinged when a farmer's market opens in the town square and puts a damper on his business. Emily goes completely overboard in helping Sookie plan her wedding. Rory prods Jess into being more of a help. Luke is upset when family and friends cite Louie's unpleasant personality as a reason for not attending his funeral, but is comforted when Stars Hollow comes through for both him and his uncle in the end.
39	18	"Back in the Saddle Again"	Kevin Dowling	Linda Loiselle Guzik	April 23, 2002 (2002-04-23)	227468	4.62
Rory asks Richard for help in creating and marketing a first-aid kit for Chilton's annual Business Fair, which leads him to realize that he is unhappy in retirement and wants to start a second career. Fresh from having underbid on Rory's lunch basket and the loss of the bracelet he made for her, Dean goes overboard in trying to be close to Rory, afraid that she is losing interest in him, and finally becomes resigned to her affection for Jess. At first, Michel is ecstatic when his flamboyant mother Giselle visits, but after Lorelai causes problems for him when she reveals to Giselle that Michel has been holding back from his mother, Michel quickly is driven crazy by his mother's incessant questioning.
40	19	"Teach Me Tonight"	Steve Robman	Amy Sherman-Palladino	April 30, 2002 (2002-04-30)	227469	5.26
Lorelai's complaint about Taylor's choice for "Movie in the Square Night" lands her the responsibility for picking the evening's entertainment, but her enthusiasm for the task is quickly dampened when Taylor informs her that she must make a choice from a list of free movies which does not include any masterpieces. Against her better judgment, Lorelai agrees to Luke's request that Rory tutor an about-to-flunk-out Jess. Rory and Jess decide to take a break from studying to get some ice cream, and with Jess behind the wheel, get into a car accident which leaves Rory with a fractured wrist and a totaled car. A distraught Lorelai blames Luke for the accident, creating a serious rift in their relationship. Christopher arrives in the middle of the night ready to go after Jess, but he has already left Stars Hollow to return home. Kirk's short film premieres at Movie Night.
41	20	"Help Wanted"	Chris Long	Allan Heinberg	May 7, 2002 (2002-05-07)	227470	5.97
Richard opens a new office and hires a secretary, named Karen, with Lorelai's help. Dean comes home with Rory sitting on his porch. She writes a note to Dean explaining what happened with her arm and the car that he made for her. Meanwhile, Lane falls in love with a drum set at the Stars Hollow's new music shop and discovers that becoming a rock drummer is her new dream in life. Rory is dismayed to discover that everyone blames Jess for the accident despite her protestations. To the consternation of all in Stars Hollow, Luke closes the diner and goes fishing.
42	21	"Lorelai's Graduation Day"	Jamie Babbit	Daniel Palladino	May 14, 2002 (2002-05-14)	227471	5.23
Lorelai and Rory have breakfast at Sookie's in an effort to avoid Luke's, but Lorelai can not avoid an awkward encounter with him at Doose's Market, where he fails to pick up on her hints to patch things up. In an effort to help Lorelai through final exam stress, Rory gets her excited about attending her college graduation ceremony and secretly invites Richard and Emily, despite Lorelai's assertion that they would never agree to attend. After a late night phone call from Jess, Rory impulsively cuts school the next day and visits him in Manhattan. Christopher sends Lorelai a graduation gift basket filled with fun goodies and an expensive necklace. Lorelai is shocked to see Emily, Richard, and the film crew accompanying them to her graduation, and must contend with an obnoxious classmate with an attitude about the rich. Rory is furious with herself when she takes the wrong bus home and misses her mother's graduation. When Rory finally arrives home, Lorelai forgives her when she realizes that the trip to New York may indicate that her daughter has fallen in love with Jess, despite her protests to the contrary.
43	22	"I Can't Get Started"	Amy Sherman-Palladino	Amy Sherman-Palladino, John Stephens	May 21, 2002 (2002-05-21)	227472	6.21
Sookie's wedding draws near, while Lorelai finally relents and goes into the diner, where she apologizes profusely to Luke. Christopher comes to town for the removal of Rory's cast and decides to stay for Sookie's wedding. While Lorelai and Chris seem to be getting along, Sherry drops a bomb. Paris is running for student body president, and employs Rory as vice-president. Jess returns to Stars Hollow and asks Luke if he can stay.

Season 3 (2002–03)

Main article: Gilmore Girls season 3

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
44	1	"Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days"	Amy Sherman-Palladino	Amy Sherman-Palladino	September 24, 2002 (2002-09-24)	175001	6.20
Amidst her sadness about Christopher returning to Sherry, Lorelai has an intriguing dream about Luke. Rory returns from Washington to realize that she still may have feelings for Jess, but a chance encounter at the First Annual Stars Hollow End of Summer Madness Festival makes her realize that he may have moved on to someone else. Sookie and Jackson argue over decorating their house. Lorelai tells Rory not to string Dean along if she really wants to be with Jess. Emily and Richard fight over Lorelai and Christopher's lack of a relationship. Rory once again guides Paris through the rocky shoals of preparing for a date.
45	2	"Haunted Leg"	Chris Long	Amy Sherman-Palladino	October 1, 2002 (2002-10-01)	175002	6.75
To Lorelai's horror, Kirk asks her out on a date after being encouraged by Luke. Over lunch Emily attempts to convince Lorelai that Christopher does not love Sherry, but Lorelai does not want to talk about the matter. Christopher shows up uninvited at Friday night dinner and quarrels with both Lorelai and Rory, and accuses Lorelai of turning Rory against him. Emily asks him to leave and Lorelai tells him to give everyone time. Rory runs into Jess and they each betray their hurt feelings -- Rory about Shane and Jess about not hearing from Rory all summer. Francie threatens to make trouble if Rory does not stop Paris from running the student council like a dictatorship after Paris refuses to consider a change in the dress code.
46	3	"Application Anxiety"	Gail Mancuso	Daniel Palladino	October 8, 2002 (2002-10-08)	175003	5.95
Rory's application for Harvard arrives, plunging Rory, Lorelai and Emily into a frenzy. A Chilton seminar on college applications only adds to Rory and Paris's anxieties. Taylor steamrollers Luke into opening a soda shop next to the diner. Lane places an ad in the paper for a band and finds a musical soul mate. Lorelai and Rory have lunch with a seemingly picture-perfect Harvard alumnus and his family, which may assure her chances of acceptance. Rory meets the family's one daughter who does not subscribe to Ivy League aspirations, which helps Rory appreciate that her mother values her happiness about all else. Dean has a talk with Rory about their future after she goes to Harvard, and his pessimism catches her off-guard.
47	4	"One's Got Class and the Other One Dyes"	Steve Robman	Daniel Palladino	October 15, 2002 (2002-10-15)	175004	5.79
Lorelai's stint in the Stars Hollow High School local business success speakers forum gets derailed when students ask about her teen pregnancy, much to the delight of Luke and the consternation of some PTA mothers. The mothers confront Lorelai afterwards, prompting her to defend herself. Luke and Jess argue about the women in and out of their lives (and their closets). Lane alleviates her frustration about her mother's strict household and the future of her band by dying her hair purple. She quickly panics and Rory helps Lane to dye it back to black before Mrs. Kim discovers what happened. Lane keeps a polaroid to remember her act of rebellion. Rory runs into Shane one too many times and succumbs to a severe bout of snarkiness.
48	5	"Eight O'Clock at the Oasis"	Joe Ann Fogle	Justin Tanner	October 22, 2002 (2002-10-22)	175005	6.58
Lorelai attends Emily's society auction where she meets a very handsome man, but neglects to get his number, forcing her to ask her mother for it. After a disastrous first date, Lorelai turns down an invitation to another, not realizing that Emily and Richard have a lot invested in her dating this son of their friends. Lorelai and Rory agree to water their new neighbor's lawn while he is out of town, and discover the house is a divorced man's dream home inside. When the lawn's sprinkler system malfunctions, Jess comes to Rory's rescue.
49	6	"Take the Deviled Eggs..."	Jamie Babbit	Daniel Palladino	November 5, 2002 (2002-11-05)	175006	6.95
Lorelai chauffeurs Rory to Sherry's baby shower in Boston and finds herself dragged into the festivities against her will. Rory has to help Lorelai calm down when Sherry informs Lorelai that baby will be a girl and she credits Lorelai with making Christopher a better man. Miss Patty gets a new beau. Jess comes home with a car and Luke tries to find out where he got the money to pay for it. Stars Hollow's town loner attempts to mount a demonstration, but things go awry when his banner tears and no one can understand what he is yelling. Rory and Lorelai take out their frustrations by throwing left-over deviled eggs from the baby shower at Jess's car.
50	7	"They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?"	Kenny Ortega	Amy Sherman-Palladino	November 12, 2002 (2002-11-12)	175007	6.82
Lorelai is determined to win the Stars Hollow Dance Marathon and wrest the trophy from four-time champion Kirk, but she has trouble getting a partner until she finally convinces Rory to help her dance her way to victory. Dean sits on the sidelines to cheer his girl on, and is soon joined by Jess and Shane, who spend their time making out while Jess keeps his eye on Rory. Dave tries to make Mrs. Kim warm to him by posing as a devout Christian. Lorelai breaks her heel, and Dean takes her place while Luke plays shoe repairman. On the dance floor, Dean can no longer ignore that Rory is attracted to Jess and breaks up with her. Rory tearfully runs off, followed closely by Jess, and Kirk is declared the winner once again.
51	8	"Let the Games Begin"	Steve Robman	Amy Sherman-Palladino & Sheila R. Lawrence	November 19, 2002 (2002-11-19)	175008	7.09
In the aftermath of the Dance Marathon, Kirk parades around Stars Hollow with the trophy until someone steals it, while Lorelai and Rory painfully inch their way towards Luke's. After Lorelai tells Luke about Rory and Jess, he breaks up their first kiss as a couple and lays down some ground rules. Lorelai and Rory reluctantly agree to accept Richard's invitation to accompany him and Emily to his Whiffenpoof reunion at Yale. While there, he springs a surprise admissions interview on Rory. Lorelai is angry Richard is pressuring Rory to go to Yale, and Rory is upset she could not properly prepare. Back from New Haven, Lorelai and Rory head for Luke's, and Jess and Rory finally get to have their first kisses. Rory visits Dean to apologize and tell him she really did not want to hurt him and she wants him to know she really loved him, no matter how things ended between them. Late at night, Lorelai and Rory each curl up with some bedtime reading -- the Yale brochure.
52	9	"A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving"	Kenny Ortega	Daniel Palladino	November 26, 2002 (2002-11-26)	175009	6.30
It is Thanksgiving and Lorelai and Rory have dinner at four different places: the Kims', where Lane has managed to get Dave invited and Lorelai is forced to eat tofurkey; Luke's, with Luke and Jess; Sookie's, where Jackson and his family have deep-fried the turkey, the lawn and just about everything else; and Emily and Richard's, where, to Lorelai's horror, Rory reveals that she has applied to Yale. Kirk gets a cat, with disastrous results. Dave asks Lane out, and then kisses her. Paris is afraid her difficulty finding a shelter volunteer position will impact her acceptance to Harvard. Dean faces off with Jess and lets him know that it is no more "Mr. Nice Guy" for Mr. Forester.
53	10	"That'll Do, Pig"	Jamie Babbit	Sheila R. Lawrence	January 14, 2003 (2003-01-14)	175010	5.75
Lorelai's grandmother, Trix, arrives in Hartford unexpectedly on Richard's birthday and announces that she is moving back to the US, throwing Emily into a tizzy until she follows Lorelai's advice on how to manage her mother-in-law. Rory declares war on Francie after she pulls a runaround on Paris with the Student Council. Paris finds herself in love after spending Christmas vacation with Jamie's family. After Rory and Dean bump into each other a few times, they decide to be friends again. Jess initially declines Rory's offer to attend the Stars Hollow High Winter Carnival, but changes his mind after they run into Dean and his sister Clara, who invites Rory to join them. Jess gets Dean alone at the carnival and lets him know that he is wise to his plans to get Rory back.
54	11	"I Solemnly Swear"	Carla McCloskey	John Stephens	January 21, 2003 (2003-01-21)	175011	5.19
Offers of dates ensue when Lorelai and Sookie attend a seminar on operating an inn and run into two handsome men, an old friend of Sookie's and his business partner, Alex. Sookie tells her old friend that she is married, but feels guilty for having even attracted the interest of another man. When she makes an apology dinner for Jackson, he mistakenly assumes she cheated on him. Lorelai unsuccessfully resists being deposed when her mother is sued by a former maid for wrongful termination. Despite her best efforts, Lorelai cannot bring herself to paint a flattering picture of her mother. After Rory and Francie butt heads at the student council meeting, Francie proposes a truce and then immediately lies to Paris that Rory is trying to undermine her. Paris is crushed that her best friend has betrayed her and lashes out at her during their fencing class.
55	12	"Lorelai Out of Water"	Jamie Babbit	Janet Leahy	January 28, 2003 (2003-01-28)	175012	5.19
Luke is opposed to having Taylor's attorney Nicole oversee the paperwork for the construction of the new soda shop until he meets the attractive redhead, who takes as immediate a shine to Luke as he does to her. Lane's clever scheme to get her mother's permission to attend the prom horribly backfires when Mrs. Kim presents Lane with a suitable Korean boy. Luke offers to teach Lorelai the fine art of angling after Alex invites her to go fishing. Rory and Lorelai clear out their severely cluttered garage for Lane's band. Lane and Rory have some heart-to-hearts about the men in their lives. Paris ratchets up the conflict between her and Rory when she calls for Rory's impeachment by the student council. This is brought to a swift end by Headmaster Charleston, who threatens to revoke his glowing letters of recommendation to Harvard if the girls cannot behave maturely. Rory is open to reconcile, but Paris is not. Alex quickly realizes Lorelai has never fished a day in her life.
56	13	"Dear Emily and Richard"	Gail Mancuso	Amy Sherman-Palladino	February 4, 2003 (2003-02-04)	175013	6.20
Luke and Nicole have a successful first date. Jess and Dean trade verbal blows. Sherry goes into labor early, so only Lorelai and Rory are able to be there until Chris shows up at last minute. Lorelai remembers being pregnant as a teenager and going to the hospital alone. Emily and Richard rushed to the hospital once they discovered Lorelai was gone and Emily scolded her daughter for leaving an insultingly short note. In the present, Lorelai realizes Emily is lonely because Richard has been traveling for work so often, and so she gets Emily to new DVD player and some classic movies. Richard and Emily decry Lorelai's and Rory's plans to backpack through Europe. The war between Paris and Rory continues when Paris picks a photo of the "Franklin" staff for the yearbook that has the worst possible shot of Rory.
57	14	"Swan Song"	Chris Long	Daniel Palladino	February 11, 2003 (2003-02-11)	175014	5.19
Emily guilts Rory into bringing Jess to a Friday night dinner, which turns out to be an unqualified disaster. Lorelai, Alex, Sookie and Jackson go to New York for the weekend. Jess gets a black eye in an altercation with an opponent he is too embarrassed to reveal to anyone but Luke. Zack and Brian realize that Lane and Dave are hiding something from them, but miss the mark on the true nature of the secret. Rory and Jess have their first argument, and Luke helps patch things up.
58	15	"Face-Off"	Kenny Ortega	John Stephens	February 18, 2003 (2003-02-18)	175015	5.75
The Doose clan invades the Inn for their family reunion. Trix comes for a short visit and drives Emily crazy until she finally finds something scandalous: Trix has a secret boyfriend. Lane and Dave cook up a fake-date scheme with Young Chui to get Mrs. Kim to allow Lane to date Dave, but neither Young Chui's real girlfriend nor Dave is immune to a little jealousy. The Stars Hollow High hockey team reaches the regional semifinals for the first time in 40 years and everyone not attending the monster truck rally turns out to cheer the team on and endure Kirk's hopelessly inept play-by-play. After Jess's aloof attitude about making plans leaves Rory sitting home alone for most of the weekend, she takes Lorelai's advice and heads for the hockey game, where she discovers that Dean has a new girlfriend, Lindsay. Just as Rory is ready to snap, Jess arrives with concert tickets and she is taken aback.
59	16	"The Big One"	Jamie Babbit	Amy Sherman-Palladino	February 25, 2003 (2003-02-25)	175016	6.21
Rory and Paris compete for the honor of speaking at Chilton's Bicentennial. Sookie and Jackson learn she is pregnant. Paris and Rory reconcile. Lorelai runs into Max and it is apparent that they are not quite over each other yet. Paris sleeps with Jamie and then has a meltdown on national television when she fails to get into Harvard, thinking her sleeping with Jamie is the cause. Rory's college acceptance letters finally arrive. Paris is not sure what to think about the latest development in her relationship with Jamie.
60	17	"A Tale of Poes and Fire"	Chris Long	Daniel Palladino	April 15, 2003 (2003-04-15)	175017	4.23
A fire at the Independence Inn forces Lorelai to relocate its guests to her own house and those of her friends, and leaves her spending the night at Luke's, where she reveals her dream of being married to him and pregnant with their twins. Sookie invades Luke's with staff in tow to prepare breakfast for the Inn's guests and gets into a culinary groove with Luke after a rocky start. Questions arise about Jess' attendance at school when he receives the Employee of the Month award from Wal-Mart, and Luke discovers that he is working there more than full time. Lorelai and Rory start picking up on weird and somewhat unfriendly vibes coming from Nicole and Lindsay. Rory visits Paris, who has missed five days of school to take to her bed and hide from the world, and prompts her to stop watching soaps, call Jamie, tell her parents about Harvard, get a life plan, and rejoin the land of the living. After making extensive pro-con lists in an effort to decide whether to attend Harvard, Yale, or Princeton, Rory has a heart-to-heart with Lorelai and chooses Yale.
61	18	"Happy Birthday, Baby"	Gail Mancuso	Amy Sherman-Palladino	April 22, 2003 (2003-04-22)	175018	5.10
Emily and Richard rejoice when Rory announces her decision to attend Yale. Kirk sustains baking-related injuries when Rory secretly enlists the help of her fellow Stars Hollows citizens to bake the world's largest pizza for her mother's birthday party. Michel and Tobin compete over giving Lorelai the best present, but Richard wins the contest hands-down with a check for $75,000 that is actually the proceeds from an investment he made in Lorelai's name at her birth. Luke confronts Jess about skipping school to work at Walmart, but is blown off as usual. When Lorelai decides to use the money to pay back her parents for Rory's Chilton tuition, Emily becomes furious with Richard for giving Lorelai the money, fearing that the repayment of their loan is a sign that she will never see either Lorelai or Rory again. Luke makes a bad impression on Nicole's parents scaring them off with a rant on the horrors of parenting Jess.
62	19	"Keg! Max!"	Chris Long	Daniel Palladino	April 29, 2003 (2003-04-29)	175019	4.83
On their first free Friday night in years, Lorelai and Rory are at a loss over how to spend the evening, while Emily and Richard cavort at the party they are hosting. Lorelai is appointed Grad Night Treasurer and runs into a playing-it-cool Max at her first Chilton Booster Club meeting. Lane's band gets their first gig at a party and rocks the house, but Dave flips out after discovering Young Chui is in love with Lane. A despondent Lane gets drunk and calls her mother to confess all. When staff cutbacks at the Inn force Lorelai to do turn-down service, she becomes very unsettled at seeing a cozy Luke and Nicole in the room she had offered as thanks for Luke's help with repairs after the fire. Jess is unable to tell Rory that his frequent absences have caused him to flunk out of school and be barred from attending prom. He acts out by pressuring Rory to have sex, upsetting her and triggering a full-blown brawl with Dean after Dean finds a distraught Rory.
63	20	"Say Goodnight, Gracie"	Jamie Babbit	Janet Leahy & Amy Sherman-Palladino	May 6, 2003 (2003-05-06)	175020	5.17
Fran Weston dies and Lorelai and Sookie try to buy the Dragonfly Inn, but must make inquiries during the funeral due to their hectic schedules. Lorelai learns Rory was the source of the fight and admires her for it. Rory and Jess try approaching each other, but fail to talk. Dean tells Rory that he is engaged to Lindsay, to Rory's horror. Mrs. Kim agrees to let Lane go to the prom with Dave after he reads the Bible in one night searching for a quote Mrs. Kim told him. Luke finds out about Jess and Dean's fight at the party and is angered by Jess not taking responsibility for the damage. Jess' father, Jimmy, comes to Stars Hollow and Luke tries to scare him out of town before he can upset Jess. Jimmy and Jess meet, but Jimmy cannot bring himself to say anything leaves abruptly. Jess tells Rory he cannot take her to prom but does not inform her that he is leaving town.
64	21	"Here Comes the Son"	Amy Sherman-Palladino	Amy Sherman-Palladino	May 13, 2003 (2003-05-13)	175021	5.04
Jess heads out to Venice, California, only to learn that his father's community is just as quirky as Stars Hollow. He meets his father's extroverted girlfriend, who lives in a cluttered house with her shy daughter and a pack of dogs. His father hesitates to take Jess in, but changes his mind after Jess confesses he has nowhere else to go. Back in Connecticut, the rift widens between Lorelai and Emily. Luke tells Lorelai that Jess took off for good. Lorelai waits for the right moment to break the news to Rory, who is stressing over finals and graduation. Note: This was to be a backdoor pilot for a spin-off called "Windward Circle", that would focus on Jess living in Venice, California and befriending a group of skateboarders. However, The WB did not pick up the series.
65	22	"Those Are Strings, Pinocchio"	Jamie Babbit	Daniel Palladino	May 20, 2003 (2003-05-20)	175022	5.49
Rory learns her mother cannot afford to buy the Dragonfly Inn since financial aid for Yale did not come through. She decides to take matters into her own hands by negotiating with grandparents to borrow money for Yale in exchange for reinstating Friday dinners. They negotiate the terms of the deal with her and are delighted with the outcome. Also, Rory meets Dean and apologizes for her reaction to his engagement: the two make up. Luke has second thoughts about a trip with Nicole after something Lorelai tells him. Rory is named valedictorian of her class and pays homage to her family, especially Lorelai, Emily and Richard, in her graduation speech. Jess calls Rory after her graduation ceremony, but he remains silent and she tells him off for leaving the way he did, declaring everything there was between them over for good. Lorelai and Rory take a moment to appreciate Chilton one last time.

Season 4 (2003–04)

Main article: Gilmore Girls season 4

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
66	1	"Ballrooms and Biscotti"	Amy Sherman-Palladino	Amy Sherman-Palladino	September 23, 2003 (2003-09-23)	176151	4.53
Lorelai and Rory return from their whirlwind tour of Europe. Taylor and Luke have it out over the new soda shop. A very pregnant Sookie updates Lorelai on the latest baby news. Taylor does not take it well when Rory declines the privilege of being the Stars Hollow Ice Cream Queen. Mother and daughter get caught up in a flurry of activity after Rory realizes that she wrote down the wrong date for freshman orientation, and she only has two days to get ready for Yale, instead of the week she was planning on. Emily is upset when Lorelai misses Friday night dinner and retaliates by turning it into a four-hour extravaganza, complete with ballroom dancing videos before the souffle course. Lorelai is shocked when Luke finally tells her what happened on his cruise with Nicole.
67	2	"The Lorelais' First Day at Yale"	Chris Long	Daniel Palladino	September 30, 2003 (2003-09-30)	176152	4.92
While Luke is willing to lend Lorelai his truck to help Rory move into her dorm, he is not too thrilled when the project turns out to take all day to accommodate Lorelai's last minute shopping trips to keep Rory's room on a par with the rest of the dorm, to say nothing of Lorelai's seeming inability to drive a stick, losing his spare tire, and saddling him with the old mattress from Rory's dorm room. Rory's roommates turn out to be a jock, a 15 year old prodigy sorely lacking in socialization skills, and none other than Miss People Person herself, Paris Geller, who arrives with a life coach in tow. Nicole's partners descend on the diner and threaten to ensnare Luke in a morass of paperwork and legal complications when he refuses to hire a lawyer or even discuss accepting a settlement. Responding to Rory's attack of homesickness after just four hours, Lorelai returns to Yale and sets up a dorm-wide takeout food test to judge the quality of the local restaurants, their delivery speed, and the cuteness of their delivery boys. As a thanks for the takeout feast, the next morning some dormmates arrive with breakfast, having "Lorelai'd" a few places on campus to find the best place for coffee and muffins.
68	3	"The Hobbit, the Sofa and Digger Stiles"	Matthew Diamond	Amy Sherman-Palladino	October 7, 2003 (2003-10-07)	176153	5.14
To help meet the expenses of opening the inn, Lorelai and Sookie decide to become caterers on the side, with their first assignment being a Lord of the Rings theme party. They run into trouble when Sookie cooks gourmet food that would not appeal to the children. Lorelai springs into action to save the party, but must also comfort Sookie when she fears she will be a bad mother. At Yale, Rory is shocked when she returns from class to find that Emily has redecorated their common room without asking first. Meanwhile, Richard ponders a proposal to take on a new business partner - the son of the former coworker who forced Richard out of his old company.
69	4	"Chicken or Beef?"	Chris Long	Jane Espenson	October 14, 2003 (2003-10-14)	176154	5.40
Back home for the weekend, Rory has an uncomfortable encounter with Dean, her ex, and ends up getting invited to his wedding the next day. Although hesitant, she decides to attend. Dean has his bachelor party, gets drunk, and reminisces about Rory to Luke. Meanwhile, Lorelai and Sookie visit Michel at his trendy new workplace to assure him they have no intention of not hiring him to work at the new inn. Lorelai runs into problems getting the permit she needs to begin construction on the inn, and must ask Luke to do a favor for Taylor. Luke, realizing Dean is not over Rory, warns her against attending the wedding. She honors his request and watches Dean get married from afar.
70	5	"The Fundamental Things Apply"	Neema Barnette	John Stephens	October 21, 2003 (2003-10-21)	176155	5.08
Rory accepts a classmate's invitation to go out on her first date since breaking up with Jess, while her roommates engage in a war of wills. Meanwhile, Lorelai invites Luke over to share the traditional Gilmore movie night she used to have with Rory, although she is somewhat disturbed after discovering that the designer she just hired to decorate the inn used to work for Emily.
71	6	"An Affair to Remember"	Matthew Diamond	Amy Sherman-Palladino	October 28, 2003 (2003-10-28)	176156	5.16
Emily offers Lorelai and Sookie the job of catering the party to launch Richard's new business venture, then runs them ragged with demands. Meanwhile, at school, Rory finds that her roommates' activities are preventing her from studying. She finds the perfect study spot under a tree, but loses it to another student. She eventually pays him off to get her spot back. When Jason proposes moving the launch party to Atlantic City, Emily must cancel her party and fire Lorelai and Sookie. Recognizing her mother's hurt feelings, Lorelai confronts Jason who catches her by surprise when he asks her out on a date.
72	7	"The Festival of Living Art"	Chris Long	Daniel Palladino	November 4, 2003 (2003-11-04)	176157	5.10
Sookie and Jackson decide to have a home birth and enlist the services of a formidable midwife named Bruce. Sookie fears she will never give birth when she goes past her due date. When Stars Hollow mounts a festival of living pictures, Kirk goes overboard getting into character for his role as Jesus in "The Last Supper." Lorelai get cast in the painting she wanted, but then develops a bad case of stage fright. Meanwhile, Lane, Zach, and Brian finally find an awesome guitarist to replace Dave, but wonder if he isn't too old to join the band. Nicole asks Luke if they can postpone the divorce and start dating again. Sookie finally goes into labor. Note: This episode won the show's only Emmy Award, for Outstanding Makeup for a Series (non-prosthetic).
73	8	"Die, Jerk"	Tom Moore	Daniel Palladino	November 11, 2003 (2003-11-11)	176158	5.31
Richard and Emily hold widely differing points of view on the success of their business trip to Atlantic City. Spurred on by her editor, Rory writes a strongly opinionated dance review that leads to a dining hall confrontation with the ballerina. Even though she continues to resist his interest in her, Lorelai cannot help but be impressed by Jason's smooth moves as he manipulates a frosty Emily into inviting him for Friday night dinner so that he can woo Lorelai. Lane and Dave have a long distance argument over pottery. Michel is back on the staff of the still-under-reconstruction Dragonfly Inn, but his one sneeze has Bruce, the midwife, erecting barriers to his attending a staff meeting which includes an overly-protective new mother Sookie and baby Davey. When she learns that Nicole and Luke have put their divorce on hold and have resumed dating, Lorelai becomes so flustered that she has an argument with Luke. Richard ecstatically roams throughout the house with his laptop after he goes wireless with Jason's help, but Emily fails to be charmed by either the Internet or Mr. Stiles.
74	9	"Ted Koppel's Big Night Out"	Jamie Babbit	Amy Sherman-Palladino	November 18, 2003 (2003-11-18)	176159	5.07
Rory and Paris have lunch at Yale with Richard, who introduces them to his friend, Professor Asher Fleming. During Friday night dinner at the Gilmore residence, Lorelai asks for an invitation to the Yale-Harvard game even though Rory clearly gives her an out. Emily is irritated when Lorelai shows up for the game wearing Harvard colors. The Gilmores tailgate in style with flasks, an RV, a BBQ, and servants to wait on their guests. Emily is upset when Pennilyn Lott, Richard's first girlfriend, shows up and asks about the Inn, and Richard is forced to confess that he has continued to have an annual dinner with Pennilyn the entire time that he and Emily have been married. Lorelai takes Jason up on his earlier offer of a dinner date, but they end up leaving the stuffy restaurant and having a great time dining al fresco at a local grocery store. Rory walks back to the dorm after the game and discovers Paris kissing Asher Fleming.
75	10	"The Nanny and the Professor"	Peter Lauer	Scott Kaufer	January 20, 2004 (2004-01-20)	176160	4.97
Luke becomes overwhelmed by Lane's work ethic when he hires her to work at the diner. Michel exhibits a profound jealousy of Tobin. Emily and Richard find the treats they brought home from Switzerland are widely panned. Rory is less than thrilled with the new man in Paris' life, especially when she learns that he is teaching her contemporary political fiction class. As Lorelai and Jason grow closer, she begs him to keep their relationship a secret from her parents. Rory's talent for millinery combines with her talent for writing to win her a position on the "Yale Daily News". Inexplicably, Sookie and Jackson allow Michel to babysit for Davey, forcing Lorelai to come to the rescue when Michel, not being one to fail to disappoint, needs to get himself and Davey out from under a problem. Richard becomes intensely irritated when the Chez Gilmore walking tour benefiting the Historical Society overstays its welcome.
76	11	"In the Clamor and the Clangor"	Michael Grossman	Sheila R. Lawrence & Janet Leahy	January 27, 2004 (2004-01-27)	176161	4.82
Lane sneaks out of the house when Gil gets the band a 2:00 a.m. Tuesday gig at CBGB. After the church bells are repaired, they drive the town crazy, and so Luke and Lorelai team up to break the bells. Rory gets confrontational with William during a political discussion when she suspects that he has been spreading embarrassing stories about her. Lorelai is initially distressed when she learns that Luke has moved to Litchfield to live with Nicole, but a visit to his apartment makes her suspect he hasn't truly moved. Luke asks why Lorelai cares where he lives, but she does not have an answer. Lane and her mother have a long-overdue talk after Mrs. Kim discovers her daughter's secret life as a rock and roll drummer. When Lane offers a compromise to the house rules, Mrs. Kim tells her to move out.
77	12	"A Family Matter"	Kenny Ortega	Daniel Palladino	February 3, 2004 (2004-02-03)	176162	4.64
Luke has his hands full as family members return to Stars Hollow: Liz for her high school reunion and Jess for his car. Lane stays in Rory's dorm room at Yale and tries to be a helpful guest. Lorelai agrees to accompany Jason on an office furniture shopping trip on his morning off, but the press of international business calls keeps getting in the way. Jamie's in town, and Paris keeps avoiding him. Lorelai and Jason agree that Emily and Richard need to be told about their relationship, but Lorelai just cannot bring herself to do it after Emily mocks both Jason and the idea that he would ever hit it off with her daughter. Rory's finally speaking her mind on Paris's romantic entanglements backfires when Paris decides she has a future with Asher and breaks up with Jamie. Rory becomes concerned that her mother is having financial problems. When Lorelai and Rory discover Jess sleeping in his car in the freezing cold after an argument with his uncle, Lorelai intercedes on his behalf with Luke, who relents and allows Jess to come inside while Luke spends the night in Litchfield.
78	13	"Nag Hammadi Is Where They Found the Gnostic Gospels"	Chris Long	Amy Sherman-Palladino	February 10, 2004 (2004-02-10)	176163	4.56
Jess' attempts to keep a low profile until Gypsy completes the repairs on his car are put to the test as he keeps bumping into Rory all over town. Taylor puts Kirk in charge of the annual Firelight Festival, and his managerial skills, or lack thereof, place a strain on the preparations. Lane follows Rory back to Stars Hollow and a place on the Gilmore couch for the weekend, but isn't quite ready to face her mother. Emily is in a dither about filling a table at a benefit and enlists the help of Lorelai and Jason, whom she encourages to pretend that they are a couple. Luke is less than impressed by Liz's latest business venture and newly-arrived boyfriend, which prompts Jess to give his uncle an earful about minding his own business. After Lorelai and Liz finally meet, Lorelai gets a renewed perspective on Luke. Liz's high school classmates descend upon her brother and reveal long-held crushes on him. Richard is suspicious when Jason's father greets his son at the benefit and does not inquire about the business. Lorelai fixes Luke's broken heart after his confrontation with Jess while Luke fixes Lorelai's broken window. Liz and T.J. end their visit to Stars Hollow, but not before T.J. has a few choice words for Luke. Jess makes a startling confession to Rory before he leaves town.
79	14	"The Incredible Sinking Lorelais"	Stephen Clancy	Amy Sherman-Palladino & Daniel Palladino	February 17, 2004 (2004-02-17)	176164	5.28
When Trix returns to town and berates Lorelai and Richard for being financial failures, Richard angrily sets his mother straight, to Emily's delight. Lorelai and Sookie explore ways to ease their financial crunch and raise money to pay their construction crew, one of whom is now Dean. Janet and Paris go head-to-head over the constant presence of Janet's boyfriend in the suite. Lorelai and Rory play an increasingly frustrating game of telephone tag. After Paris, Tanna, and Janet complain about close quarters in the suite, Lane moves out of the dorm and in with Lorelai, and gets her job back at Luke's. Lorelai and Sookie have a heated discussion about sharing the responsibilities of opening their inn. Rory is distraught when one of her professors tells her to drop a class because she cannot handle her course load. Lane runs into her mother and receives a frosty reception. At the end of a very long, hard day, Lorelai and Rory still cannot manage to connect, and end up taking solace in the arms of the married men in their lives, Luke for Lorelai, and Dean for Rory.
80	15	"Scene in a Mall"	Chris Long	Daniel Palladino	February 24, 2004 (2004-02-24)	176165	4.75
Kirk branches out from dog sitting for Lulu into a new canine-centered career. Paris goes into germ-phobic overdrive when Rory gets a cold Lane gets an apartment with Zach and Brian and faces a frigid reception from her aunt and mother, and an overly-eager, non-stop-talking cousin when she packs up her things and moves out. When they realize that their relationship is increasingly being conducted over email and the phone, Lorelai and Rory decide to play hooky and go window shopping in the mall, where they run into Emily in the middle of a shopping binge meltdown. Luke lends Lorelai the thirty thousand dollars she needs to finish construction on the Inn. After Emily confesses that the shopping binge and bickering with Richard stems from her anger at being ignored, neglected, and made to feel useless by her husband, Lorelai reassures her of how much she is accomplished and urges her to talk to Richard, but Emily cannot seem to make the connection with her husband she so desperately desires. Rory and Luke get a peek into Dean's life as a married man, and Luke gets an inkling that something is amiss when he catches Dean's wistful looks towards Rory as Dean unsuccessfully tries to paint a happy picture of life with Lindsay and her parents.
81	16	"The Reigning Lorelai"	Marita Grabiak	Jane Espenson	March 2, 2004 (2004-03-02)	176166	4.71
The rift between Emily and Richard widens when he goes on a golf date with clients instead of accompanying his wife to the funeral of her best friend. Doyle goes on a theft and plagiarism rant. Trix dies suddenly and stricken with grief and guilt, Richard is inconsolable. Emily calls it quits on arranging Trix's funeral and drops everything in her daughter's lap after finding a letter in which her mother-in-law pleads with her son on the eve of his wedding to Emily to marry Pennilyn instead. Luke and Nicole have all of Stars Hollow listening in and reading lips as they quarrel. Worried about her parents and frantic over fulfilling Trix's exacting requirements for her funeral, Lorelai has a meltdown while shopping for Trix's funereal undies. After the service, cousin Marilyn regales family and friends with tales of Lorelai the First. Emily and Richard finally reach out to each other as he defies one of his mother's last wishes for the sake of his wife.
82	17	"Girls in Bikinis, Boys Doin' the Twist"	Jamie Babbit	Amy Sherman-Palladino	April 13, 2004 (2004-04-13)	176167	4.95
Lorelai and Rory get the dubious honor of the first ride in Kirk's latest venture, the Stars Hollow pedicab. Rory, Paris, Janet and Glenn escape a cold, rainy winter and head to Florida for spring break, where they run into Madeline and Louise, who show them the ropes. The introverted Rory and Paris struggle to join the partying. The Shins play at a club the girls attend. After a wild night, the girls conclude they have had enough of the spring break experience and plan to fly back to Connecticut. Jason gives Lorelai the key to his apartment as a symbol of his commitment to their relationship. Lorelai bails Luke out of jail after he is arrested for beating up the car belonging to the man he suspects is having an affair with Nicole; Lorelai stops Luke from beating up the car again when the man is still in Nicole's townhouse.
83	18	"Tick, Tick, Tick, Boom!"	Daniel Palladino	Daniel Palladino	April 20, 2004 (2004-04-20)	176168	3.95
Luke makes a bigger fuss than Davey when Sookie and Jackson bring their son into the diner. All of Stars Hollow is amused when Taylor returns from his Caribbean cruise with a drastic change in his appearance. Richard and Emily are stunned when Floyd informs them that Lorelai and Jason have been dating for months. Luke comes to the rescue when Kirk's failure to make a map of the Easter eggs he hid in the town square angers Taylor. Richard and Jason discover that Floyd's peacemaking overtures are a disguise for his plan to ruin Richard financially by suing them for stealing his clients. While shopping with Lane in Doose's, Rory has harsh words about Lindsay as she relates her quarrel with Dean over his plans to drop out of college to earn more money to buy a house, unaware that his wife is listening in the next aisle. Richard resolves his legal problems with Floyd by ruining Jason's career. Dean and Rory agree to continue their friendship, despite Lindsay's demand that they stop speaking to each other.
84	19	"Afterboom"	Michael Zinberg	Sheila R. Lawrence	April 27, 2004 (2004-04-27)	176169	4.52
Luke finalizes his divorce with Nicole. Lane's band's latest gig is a big hit, but leaves her feeling lonely. As the Dragonfly Inn nears its opening date, Michel gives travel agents the grand tour and Sookie is back in the kitchen, if not on her feet. Doyle clues Rory in on Asher's reputation as a serial student dater. Lorelai and Richard argue over his treatment of Jason. Lane is upset to discover that her mother has taken in a Korean exchange student who may be the daughter Mrs. Kim always wanted. Jason, now unable to work due to Richard's betrayal, decides to sue him, and so Lorelai breaks up with Jason. Afraid that Richard's actions will put a rift in their relationship with Lorelai and Rory, Emily asks her husband to reconsider, but he brushes her off. Asher is displeased when Rory questions whether the "A" he gave her for a paper has any connection to her friendship with Paris. After Richard and Emily act very strangely during Friday night dinner, Lorelai discovers that her mother has moved out of the house and into a hotel. Lane begins to realize how much she misses her mother.
85	20	"Luke Can See Her Face"	Matthew Diamond	Amy Sherman-Palladino & Daniel Palladino	May 4, 2004 (2004-05-04)	176170	4.68
Jackson's devotion to his wife and her famous zucchini soup set the stage for the perfect antidote to the stress surrounding the opening of the Inn. Luke unwittingly comes to the rescue when Sookie tries to set Lorelai up with the poultry supplier. Liz returns to Stars Hollow to announce that she is getting married in the town square in a week. Paris and Asher decide to travel to England together during the summer. T.J. has a tumultuous bachelor party. At Luke's request, Jess changes his mind about attending his mother's wedding and returns to Stars Hollow for the festivities. Rory tries to hide her discomfort when Lorelai tells her about overhearing a fight between Dean and Lindsay. A self-help tape helps Luke clarify his thinking, and a talk with Jess gets him started on the path to having the relationship he has been looking for all along.
86	21	"Last Week Fights, This Week Tights"	Chris Long	Daniel Palladino	May 11, 2004 (2004-05-11)	176171	4.61
As Stars Hollow prepares for the Renaissance-themed wedding of Liz and T.J., Kirk feels slighted when Miss Patty chooses someone else as the maypole dance captain. Lorelai discovers an equine visitor in the Dragonfly Inn's lobby. Rory's suite mates depart for summer vacation. Lorelai urges Mrs. Kim to call Lane. Lorelai unsuccessfully attempts to get Emily to admit to the separation during Friday night dinner. T.J. revels in the wonders of tights, but discovers their main drawback during the ceremony. Mrs. Kim is horrified that Lane is living with Zach and Brian (boys) in a shabby apartment. She is advised by Lorelai to pretend the boys are just girls, and eventually returns for tea. Rory calls Dean to rescue her from the disastrous date Emily has arranged for her with the son of a friend. Luke and Lorelai share significant glances during a slow dance at the wedding, which prompts Luke to ask Lorelai out on a date. Jess expresses his gratitude to Luke before saying goodbye. Rory tells Jess it is over between them when he asks her to leave Stars Hollow with him.
87	22	"Raincoats and Recipes"	Amy Sherman-Palladino	Amy Sherman-Palladino	May 18, 2004 (2004-05-18)	176172	5.46
Momentous changes are in the air as the Dragonfly Inn approaches opening day by having a shakedown weekend. Emily and Richard admit that they have separated. Kirk enlists Luke to help protect Lulu from the deep, dark secret of his night terrors when the couple spends the night at the Inn. Jason appears at the Inn to plead his case with Lorelai, to no avail. Luke is upset to Lorelai because he thought his intentions were clear and openly says that he wants to pursue a relationship with her, to which she responds she is not with Jason anymore and wants to explore things romantically with him too: the two share their first kiss. Rory loses her virginity to Dean, despite him still being married to Lindsay. Lorelai is upset when she learns Rory is "the other woman" and Rory is mad that Lorelai cannot be happy for her. In 2009, TV Guide ranked this episode #75 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes.

Season 5 (2004–05)

Main article: Gilmore Girls season 5

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
88	1	"Say Goodbye to Daisy Miller"	Amy Sherman-Palladino	Amy Sherman-Palladino	September 21, 2004 (2004-09-21)	2T5301	5.80
Things are still testy between Lorelai and Rory, and Rory's refusal to discuss the Dean situation causes Lorelai anguish. Emily announces that she and Richard have separated. Sookie is ecstatic when Kirk tells her that Luke and Lorelai kissed. Rory's attempt to meet Dean and discuss what happened leads to a lot of action, but no talk. Dean provokes an argument with Lindsay after leaving Rory's house. Emily decides to go to Europe and invites Rory to accompany her. Lorelai and Luke are very tentative with each other the day after until they are able to reassure each other that they are on the right path. Luke heads off to Maine for a week to help Liz and T.J. with their Ren Faire booth. Rory decides that she needs a break from both Dean and her mother, and decides to take her grandmother up on her invitation to go to Europe.
89	2	"A Messenger, Nothing More"	Daniel Palladino	Daniel Palladino	September 28, 2004 (2004-09-28)	2T5302	5.99
T.J. is milking his injuries for all he is worth, but Luke decides that it is time to go home after seven weeks on the Ren Faire circuit. Rory calls to apologize and to ask her mother to deliver a letter to Dean. Sookie accurately diagnoses Lorelai with a bad case of management burnout, and the two friends decide to decompress with a girls-day-out. Emily and Rory come home exhausted from fending off the attentions of randy European men. Michel is wildly unenthusiastic when he is pressed into babysitting for guests whose children take an inexplicable shine to him. After Lindsay finds Rory's letter, she throws Dean and all his possessions out of the house, and her mother has an angry confrontation with Lorelai in the town square. Lane realizes that she is falling for Zack. Rory is saddened when Dean expresses regret for the shift in their relationship and the harm it caused to his wife and their families.
90	3	"Written in the Stars"	Kenny Ortega	Amy Sherman-Palladino	October 5, 2004 (2004-10-05)	2T5303	6.10
Luke and Lorelai go on their official first date at a restaurant owned by old friends of Luke's parents. Luke reminds Lorelai of how they met, shows her a horoscope she gave him for good luck that he has kept in his wallet, and assures her that he intends to go the distance with her. Lorelai spends the night at Luke's place. In the morning, she goes down to the diner to get coffee, and the breakfast crowd sees her wearing only Luke's shirt. There is surprisingly little gossip about Luke and Lorelai until the next town meeting, where Taylor uses charts to show how disastrous a breakup between them would be for Stars Hollow. Meanwhile, Rory meets a rich Yale student named Logan and chews him out for being rude to her friend Marty. Paris holds a wake for Asher that all the guests assume is a keg party with a weird theme. Emily freaks out when she discovers that Richard has a social life she does not know about so she invades Rory's dorm during the wake.
91	4	"Tippecanoe and Taylor, Too"	Lee Shallat-Chemel	Bill Prady	October 12, 2004 (2004-10-12)	2T5304	5.81
Lorelai confesses that part of the charm of breakfast by Luke is breakfast at Luke's. Rory is less than thrilled to discover that the common room in her suite has been overtaken by a huge antique printing press Paris inherited from Asher. Lorelai and Sookie head up Jackson's campaign committee when he decides to run against Taylor for town selectman to end the grocer's petty tyranny over Stars Hollow, but Lorelai has second thoughts when she sees how Jackson's projected landslide victory is affecting Taylor. Rory and Dean have difficulty finding a comfortable place to be alone, compounded by Dean's having to share a car with Lindsay and his reluctance to make his relationship with Rory public. Lane confesses her true feelings to Zack. After all the votes have been counted, Jackson is not quite certain he wants the job, and Taylor vows not to go away quietly.
92	5	"We Got Us a Pippi Virgin"	Stephen Clancy	Daniel Palladino	October 19, 2004 (2004-10-19)	2T5305	5.64
The demands of the electorate are beginning to get to Jackson. Lorelai and Rory delicately nudge Richard and Emily closer together. Lorelai decides that a double date with Rory and Dean is the way to smooth over the bumps in her relationship with Dean, but the evening goes awry when Luke cannot get over feeling that Dean is not good enough for Rory. Richard takes up a new hobby, and Emily buys a panic room. Failing to get a response from Zack about the declaration of her feelings, Lane rescinds them, which finally gets Zack talking. Lorelai introduces Luke to "Pippi Longstocking" as Kirk gets much better acquainted with Lulu during movie night at the Black & White & Read Bookstore.
93	6	"Norman Mailer, I'm Pregnant!"	Matthew Diamond	James Berg & Stan Zimmerman	October 26, 2004 (2004-10-26)	2T5306	5.82
Doyle is jealous when the New York Times picks up Glenn's article. Rory discovers that Logan, the son of a newspaper magnate, is also on the paper's staff. Paris wages a fierce campaign to get the religion beat and takes an ecumenical approach to alienate the local clergy. Desperate for a story idea for her features assignment after several concepts fail to pan out, Rory uncovers a secret Yale society which counts Logan as a member, and enlists his cooperation in getting a story on the group. Sookie becomes upset when the Inn's accountant suggests dropping lunch temporarily to save money and Norman Mailer stakes out a table in the dining room to work and give interviews, and refuses to order anything from the menu except iced tea. Lorelai and Rory show up for Friday night dinner, and when they discover that neither Emily nor Richard are home, decide to order pizza and eat on the living room floor. Christopher calls Lorelai in a panic when Sherry suddenly decides to move to Paris, leaving him unprepared to care for a colicky Gigi. After freaking out completely over Norman Mailer's constant presence Sookie realizes that her extreme emotions and sensitivity in the past days result from her being pregnant again. Rory asks Christopher to stay away from Lorelai.
94	7	"You Jump, I Jump, Jack"	Kenny Ortega	Daniel Palladino	November 2, 2004 (2004-11-02)	2T5307	5.81
After Kirk spills the beans that her daughter is dating Luke, Emily demands that Lorelai bring him to dinner so that they can get reacquainted. Although Lorelai tries to warn him away, Luke goes anyway and is subjected to an evening of oblique insults from a passive-aggressive Emily. After Zach announces that he is ready to start going out with Lane, they spend a cozy first date at home after banishing Brian to Lane's bedroom. Having not learned his lesson with Emily, Luke agrees to accept Richard's invitation to go golfing, and both men turn a deaf ear to Lorelai's pleas to cancel. Rory gets her story on the "Life and Death Brigade" by being blindfolded and whisked away by Logan and his friends to observe the elaborately staged weekend in the woods, and finally, after Logan encourages her to take a risk, to participate in the event's breathtaking finale.
95	8	"The Party's Over"	Eric Laneuville	Amy Sherman-Palladino	November 9, 2004 (2004-11-09)	2T5308	6.13
After Emily discovers that Rory is seeing Dean again, she calls a temporary truce with Richard so that they can jointly host a Yale alumni party whose express purpose is to find a suitable match for their unsuspecting granddaughter. Liz and T.J. buy a house in Stars Hollow. Mrs. Kim flips out after Kyon tells her that Lane and Zach hugged in Luke's Diner. When the pressures of being new homeowners lead Liz and T.J. to quarrel, T.J. seeks refuge with his brother-in-law and ruins the romantic dinner and evening Luke prepared for Lorelai. Logan appears at the party just in time to rescue Rory from yet another prospective bridegroom, and Rory learns that he is very well acquainted with her grandparents. Lane leads Kyon over to the culinary dark side and reveals the secrets to living a happy teenage life at the Kim house. Dean realizes that he no longer fits into Rory's life, and Logan gallantly steps in to dry her tears.
96	9	"Emily Says Hello"	Kenny Ortega	Rebecca Rand Kirshner	November 16, 2004 (2004-11-16)	2T5309	6.01
Jackson is the soul of patience as Sookie suffers from mood swings and pregnancy food cravings. Paris' decision to fast for Ramadan to bring authenticity to her writing takes its toll on Rory and Marty. Against Lorelai's advice, Michel persists with his plan to foil the bathrobe bandits and nearly gets arrested. Emily decides to start dating again and calls on a reluctant Lorelai for advice. Jackson is so overwhelmed by his duties as Selectman that Miss Patty is forced to resort to a ruse to get him to preside over the town meeting. Lorelai invites Christopher to lunch at the Inn and decides to surprise Rory by inviting her as well, but it is Lorelai who is surprised by the tension between father and daughter, which erupts into a heated argument out of Lorelai's earshot. Lorelai feels guilty for lying to Rory when her daughter asks about Luke's reaction to the lunch date with Christopher. Luke helps T.J. with some plumbing problems at the new house. Emily appears to have a wonderful time on her date, but bursts into tears when she looks around her empty home at the end of the date. Luke feigns indifference when Lorelai finally tells him about lunch with Christopher, but hints at some ambivalence during a later conversation with T.J.. Marty's timing is off by mere seconds when he attempts to ask Rory out on a date.
97	10	"But Not as Cute as Pushkin"	Michael Zinberg	Amy Sherman-Palladino	November 30, 2004 (2004-11-30)	2T5310	6.23
Miss Patty celebrates forty years in show business on the same day that Luke mourns his father's death. Terrence's urging Paris to get on with her life prompts her to try speed dating, where she hooks up with Doyle. Marty finally clues Rory in that both he and Logan are interested in her. Lorelai's attempt to do something nice for Luke backfires. Rory enlists Richard in turning the practical joke table back on Logan. At Headmaster Charleston's request, Rory happily gives Anna, a Chilton student and prospective Eli, the Yale grand tour, but the immature Anna manages to get both herself and her host in trouble with her party-crazed ways.
98	11	"Women of Questionable Morals"	Matthew Diamond	Daniel Palladino	January 25, 2005 (2005-01-25)	2T5311	5.05
Wanting to make peace with Rory, Christopher shows up at Yale, but she brushes off his attempt at compromise. When Lorelai learns that Christopher's father just died, she spends the evening at his place trying to comfort him, then refrains from telling Luke the truth about where she was. Emily and Richard briefly reconciled when they find and take in a lost dog.
99	12	"Come Home"	Kenny Ortega	Jessica Queller	February 1, 2005 (2005-02-01)	2T5312	4.68
Rory offers to help Logan write an article for the Yale Daily, but she is disappointed when he does not invite her to be his date at a book signing party thrown by his father. When Richard sees Emily talking to the man she dated, he rear-ends her car forcing her to ride home with him. The Gilmores reconcile and decide to renew their wedding vows. Emily warns Christopher that Lorelai and Luke are getting serious and he had better do something quickly if he hopes to end up with Lorelai.
100	13	"Wedding Bell Blues"	Amy Sherman-Palladino	Amy Sherman-Palladino	February 8, 2005 (2005-02-08)	2T5313	6.33
Emily and Richard renew their vows in front of their family and closest friends. Lorelai acts as Emily's Maid of Honor and Rory as Richard's Best Man. Luke gets in a fight with Christopher over Lorelai. Logan comes to the ceremony with a girl that looks like his girlfriend, and Rory gets jealous. Rory confronts Logan and they steal away to a side room. When they are caught, Rory and Logan are shamed for acting inappropriately. Lorelai realizes that Emily manipulated Christopher into acting out, and she angrily tells Emily that their relationship is over.
101	14	"Say Something"	Daniel Palladino	Daniel Palladino	February 15, 2005 (2005-02-15)	2T5314	5.32
Lorelai does her best to get Luke to not give up on them after the awful events at the wedding. Luke tells her he needs some time and Lorelai cannot take it. Rory asks Logan to hang out with her, but is upset that when she gets to his place, there are many people there. She gets a call from Sookie who tells her that Lorelai is in bad shape after Luke broke off their relationship. Rory does not have a car, but Logan lets her borrow his car and driver so she can rush home. Taylor has the whole town taking sides for either Luke or Lorelai. After taking care of her mom, Rory goes back to Yale to work things out with Logan, making sure he understands that the hanging out did not just mean hanging out, it meant alone time.
102	15	"Jews and Chinese Food"	Matthew Diamond	Amy Sherman-Palladino	February 22, 2005 (2005-02-22)	2T5315	5.25
Still smarting from her split with Luke, Lorelai is further stung when she notices that Luke has moved his boat. Meanwhile, Luke volunteers to build the sets for a school production of "Fiddler on the Roof", knowing that Lorelai is doing costumes, in hopes that their paths will cross. Luke becomes angry when they do not meet up and confronts Lorelai about it in a fit, momentarily exposing his true feelings that he misses Lorelai. She explains she was not avoiding him, but making the costumes at home. At Yale, Rory plans to reconnect with estranged friend Marty by watching Marx Brothers movies, but Logan interrupts their movie night by inviting them to dinner with his group. At the restaurant, it is clear there is a class difference between Logan's affluent crowd and Marty. Afterwards, Marty admits to Rory that he does not have enough money to pay his bill.
103	16	"So...Good Talk"	Jamie Babbit	Lisa Randolph	March 1, 2005 (2005-03-01)	2T5316	5.51
When Richard and Emily return from their second honeymoon, Rory attends Friday night dinner without Lorelai, who refuses to speak to her mother or see her, and plans a girls' night out with Sookie instead. Richard and Emily give a 100-year-old Greek book to Rory and have yet another maid. Rory surprises everyone with a rare outburst at her grandmother for interfering in Lorelai's love life. Meanwhile, Luke, who is miserable without Lorelai, takes his anger out on his customers. His dark mood causes him to burn the food and when one customer wants his omelet redone, he throws him out of the diner. When a meter maid is writing a ticket to put on Luke's boat (that is parked in front of the diner) Lorelai comes in time to put some quarters in the meter. Emily goes to the diner to tell Luke to reconcile with Lorelai, thinking that Lorelai will come back into their lives if their romance is rekindled. Meanwhile, Lane has a horrific realization about her mother's influence.
104	17	"Pulp Friction"	Michael Zinberg	James Berg & Stan Zimmerman	March 8, 2005 (2005-03-08)	2T5317	5.23
Now that Luke and Lorelai are back together, Lorelai can come into the diner. They make a date to celebrate getting back together. Rory and Logan are still dating, however not exclusively. Rory and Lorelai see him with another girl while they are shopping in downtown New Haven. Rory brushes it off as part of their arrangement, but Lorelai does not like the idea. When Rory goes to Finn's Quentin Tarantino-themed birthday party with Robert, Logan gets jealous. Emily and Richard assume that since Emily gave instructions to Luke to get back together with Lorelai, all must be forgiven now. However, they are surprised to see only Rory show up for Friday dinner.
105	18	"To Live and Let Diorama"	Jackson Douglas	Daniel Palladino	April 19, 2005 (2005-04-19)	2T5318	4.81
Old man Twickum dies, declaring through his will that the house be made into a museum for two months, then disposed of by the Head of the Historical Society, aka Taylor. Much to everyone's surprise, Luke volunteers to help with the museum to remain close to the house, as he wants to buy it for his future with Lorelai. Lorelai is interviewed by a magazine due to her success with the inn, but ends up bad-mouthing her mother to the reporter. Lane suspects Zach of cheating on her with Sophie. Rory, Paris, and Lane get tipsy together on Miss Patty's Punch in Stars Hollow, as the trio sulks over their recent pitfalls with love and then try to contact their beaus. Dean informs Luke that their situations are the same, as Dean believes Rory and Lorelai both want more than small-town-guys, and that Lorelai will eventually get bored with Luke and move on. Lane discovers Zach secretly practicing in a bluegrass band. (Last appearance of Jared Padalecki.)
106	19	"But I'm a Gilmore!"	Michael Zinberg	Amy Sherman-Palladino	April 26, 2005 (2005-04-26)	2T5319	5.52
Rory realizes that she is not a casual dater and tells Logan that she wants to be friends. He surprises her by suggesting they become a couple instead and plan to attend dinner with his family, at which his sister Honor plans to announce her engagement. At the dinner, Logan's family angrily confronts Logan and Rory, informing them that they find Rory to be an unsuitable match, upsetting Rory. She is shaken that her high class pedigree is not good enough for the first time in her life, exclaiming "I'm a Gilmore!" Luke fills in as Head Chef at the Dragonfly while Lorelai looks for a temporary replacement for Sookie, who must remain on bed rest while pregnant. Unfortunately, Sookie does not like losing control of her kitchen and begins using sneaky tactics to interfere with Luke. Paris learns Doyle has not returned her calls lately because he is severely sick. Even though she is premed, Paris dislikes sick people and so brings in Nanny to nurse him back to health.
107	20	"How Many Kropogs to Cape Cod?"	Jamie Babbit	Bill Prady & Rebecca Rand Kirshner	May 3, 2005 (2005-05-03)	2T5320	5.10
Rory starts her journalism internship, which she received as a peace offering after the bad dinner with Logan's family. Due to low attendance and much to Luke's delight, Taylor decides to close down the museum and sell the Twickum house. Richard and Emily invite Logan to dinner, and Lorelai begs to attend so she can meet him. Lorelai meets with an inn investor, which could mean travel in her future but would also mean selling the inn to a larger company.
108	21	"Blame Booze and Melville"	Jamie Babbit	Daniel Palladino	May 10, 2005 (2005-05-10)	2T5321	5.39
The magazine comes out and Luke and Lorelai get a little too enthusiastic when celebrating. Sookie goes into labor. Luke is upset when he finds out that Kirk has put in a competing offer on the Twickham house. Luke and Kirk must appear before to the town elders to settle the dispute, who rule in favor of Luke because everyone has been waiting for him to end up with Lorelai. Emily takes in a foreign ballerina, of whom she quickly tires. Rory is given a surprising review by Mitchum Huntzberger, who does not believe she has the makings of a reporter. Distraught, Rory tracks down Logan at a party and convinces him to steal a boat with her. Rory calls Lorelai from jail.
109	22	"A House Is Not a Home"	Amy Sherman-Palladino	Amy Sherman-Palladino	May 17, 2005 (2005-05-17)	2T5322	5.89
After receiving a call from Rory, Lorelai goes to picks her up from the police station and takes her home. While on the way home, Logan calls Rory and Lorelai orders her not to talk to him, but she does anyway. Rory explains that the boat theft was not Logan's idea and Lorelai should not blame him. Lorelai goes to Luke and freaks out about what to do and how to act and Luke plays the fatherly type toward Rory while talking to Lorelai. Logan finds out that his father has upset Rory and says he will talk with his father, but Rory begs him not to. Rory tells Lorelai that she decided she will not be going back to Yale next year. Lorelai does not like this idea, fearing Rory may never return, and goes to her parents for help. Somewhere in between, Rory goes to her grandparents house to talk to them about her situation and convinces them to support her decision. When Lane's band feels their progress has stagnated, Mrs. Kim helps by setting up a summer tour of churches. Emily and Richard tell Lorelai that Rory will live in their pool house until she decides to go back to Yale. An upset Lorelai proposes to a stunned Luke after he shows unwavering support for Rory.

Season 6 (2005–06)

Main article: Gilmore Girls season 6

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
110	1	"New and Improved Lorelai"	Amy Sherman-Palladino	Amy Sherman-Palladino	September 13, 2005 (2005-09-13)	2T6301	6.22
Picking up on the same night as last season's finale, Lorelai and Luke begin making plans for their future, but Luke is embarrassed when word spreads that Lorelai was the one who proposed. Still hurt over Rory's decision to drop out of Yale and move in with Emily and Richard, Lorelai tells her parents that they can take care of Rory from now on. Richard hires an old friend and respected attorney to help Rory get an easy sentence for stealing the yacht, but the judge gives Rory 300 hours of community service. Logan throws Rory a "felon" party.
111	2	"Fight Face"	Daniel Palladino	Daniel Palladino	September 20, 2005 (2005-09-20)	2T6302	5.79
Rory begins serving her 300 hours of community service and finds that life on a road crew is not pretty. Lorelai and Luke try to decide whether they will fix up Lorelai's house or buy the Twickham house. Luke's sister Liz begs him to hire her husband, T.J. as a contractor. When Rory pays Luke a surprise visit at the diner to find out how Lorelai is, he feels obligated to tell her that he and Lorelai are engaged. Afterward, Luke confronts Lorelai about her estrangement from Rory. Feeling lonely, Lorelai adopts a dog at the Stars Hollow pet fair and names Paul Anka. Finally, during a chance meeting, Lorelai and Rory have an angry confrontation about their mutual hurt feelings.
112	3	"The UnGraduate"	Michael Zinberg	David S. Rosenthal	September 27, 2005 (2005-09-27)	2T6303	5.45
Excited about catering the wedding, Sookie pressures Lorelai to set a date, but Lorelai will not commit. While completing her community service hours, Rory takes a job at Emily's Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) office. Convinced that she has a rival for the job of DAR president, Emily uses Rory as her spy. Logan returns from Europe and returns to Yale, forcing Rory to confront her true feelings about dropping out of college. Lane and her band return from their summer tour on the road, feeling successful and hopeful for their future. Luke agrees to take care of Lorelai's dog, Paul Anka, while she works late at the inn, and ends up rushing the dog to the vet when Paul Anka eats chocolate. Lorelai admits to Luke that the reason she has put off seeing a date for the wedding is that Rory would not be there at this stage in their feud.
113	4	"Always a Godmother, Never a God"	Robert Berlinger	Rebecca Rand Kirshner	October 4, 2005 (2005-10-04)	2T6304	5.96
Missing Rory, Lorelai tries to call her and is upset to find that Rory's cell phone is no longer in service. Sookie asks Lorelai and Rory to be the godparents of her two children, hoping that they will reconcile when they see each other at the ceremony. However, mother and daughter fight when Lorelai realizes that Rory gave her new cell number to Sookie but not to her, furthering their split. Logan learns that his father expects him to graduate this year and enter the family business. Wanting to break free from family pressures, Logan whisks Rory off to a weekend in New York.
114	5	"We've Got Magic to Do"	Michael Zinberg	Daniel Palladino	October 11, 2005 (2005-10-11)	2T6305	5.83
Lorelai attends Miss Patty's recital and sends Luke off to the woods to commune with nature, but Luke feels Lorelai has banished him. The two eventually reconcile these differences. Rory's World War II-themed DAR bash is a success (even when suddenly impoverished Paris joins the proletariat as a server). Emily and Richard learn that Lorelai was telling the truth about the Huntzberger family, and confront Shira and Mitchum, respectively.
115	6	"Welcome to the Doll House"	Jackson Douglas	Keith Eisner	October 18, 2005 (2005-10-18)	2T6306	6.08
To boost tourism, Taylor suggests reviving Stars Hollow's original street names. Lorelai thinks that is a charming idea - until she learns that the Dragonfly Inn's address will be on the gross street name "Sores and Boils Alley." She attempts to rectify the situation, but there are unforeseen obstacles. At the same time, mysterious packages begin to arrive for Lorelai. She figures out that it is Emily sending her the items. Emily insists that Lorelai pick up her beloved childhood dollhouse or Emily will donate it the next day. Logan gives Rory an expensive Birkin handbag, making Emily subtly jealous and excited for their relationship. Richard grows more concerned about Rory following his confrontation with Mitchum. Richard delivers the dollhouse to Lorelai as a pretense to talk about Rory.
116	7	"Twenty-One is the Loneliest Number"	Robert Berlinger	Amy Sherman-Palladino	October 25, 2005 (2005-10-25)	2T6307	6.02
Since Rory was little, the Gilmore girls have planned to spend her 21st birthday in Atlantic City, sipping martinis, and playing 21. But due to their estrangement Emily plans the birthday party at their home in typical Emily fashion, which Rory grudgingly accepts. Richard and Emily have their pastor over for dinner after Rory drops the news that she and Logan are having sex. In response, Emily moves Rory back into the main house. At the birthday party, Lorelai and Rory finally talk and their tensions ease slightly.
117	8	"Let Me Hear Your Balalaikas Ringing Out"	Kenny Ortega	Daniel Palladino	November 8, 2005 (2005-11-08)	2T6308	5.84
Rory's old flame Jess returns with the exciting news that he has published a book. He criticizes Rory for her choices, specifically dropping out of Yale and joining the DAR. Logan is jealous when he finds Jess and Rory spending time together, and the evening ends in a fight between Logan and Rory about Jess and Rory's mounting frustrations with her current state of affairs. Rory angrily confronts Emily after the latter tries to assert more control over her granddaughter's life. Luke sponsors a girls' soccer team and is concerned about their violent strategies. Lorelai projects her feelings about being a bad mother onto her dog.
118	9	"The Prodigal Daughter Returns"	Amy Sherman-Palladino	Amy Sherman-Palladino	November 15, 2005 (2005-11-15)	2T6309	6.19
Rory returns home. A super smart middle schooler shows up at Luke's Diner with a startling idea for a science fair project. After testing Luke's DNA, she reveals herself to be April, Luke's daughter with an ex-girlfriend, Anna Nardini. Luke, who was previously unaware of April's existence, is blindsided by this revelation.
119	10	"He's Slippin' 'Em Bread...Dig?"	Kenny Ortega	Daniel Palladino	November 22, 2005 (2005-11-22)	2T6310	6.30
Thanksgiving arrives and, after months of emotional turmoil, all is well with the Gilmores –- except for one issue: Luke does not know how to tell Lorelai about his daughter, April. Lane's band plays a showcase, which ends in disaster due to Zach's insecurities. The band falls apart and Lane breaks up with Zach.
120	11	"The Perfect Dress"	Jamie Babbit	Amy Sherman-Palladino	January 10, 2006 (2006-01-10)	2T6311	5.79
The perfect dress: elegant blush-silk tulle, in Lorelai's size and on sale, and it is ideal for a wedding. Lane is short-tempered, belligerent and miserable since she broke up with Zach and moved back home. Luke goes to have a talk with his former girlfriend Anna Nardini, mother of his daughter April.
121	12	"Just Like Gwen and Gavin"	Stephen Clancy	Daniel Palladino	January 17, 2006 (2006-01-17)	2T6312	5.67
Taylor realizes the Winter Carnival can be a success without him. Paris learns the Yale Daily News staff loathes and fears her. Lorelai finds out about Luke's daughter, April, but not from Luke himself. Rory is overwhelmed with all the gifts Logan is sending in an effort to be forgiven.
122	13	"Friday Night's Alright for Fighting"	Kenny Ortega	Amy Sherman-Palladino	January 31, 2006 (2006-01-31)	2T6313	5.22
While Luke deals with the reality of having April in his life, Lorelai tries to pretend she does not mind the repercussions the new situation is having on their engagement. Rory's concern over Paris' lack of management skills at the Yale Daily News finally reaches a crisis point when most of the staff quits in protest. With Logan's help, Rory gets the paper out on time: the occasion gives them the chance to finally get closer again. Meanwhile, Lorelai tells Richard and Emily that their money will no longer be needed for Rory's education, and the resentment starts to build. The subsequent Friday night dinner erupts into an emotional confrontation where all four Gilmores finally voice their issues.
123	14	"You've Been Gilmored"	Stephen Clancy	Jordon Nardino	February 7, 2006 (2006-02-07)	2T6314	5.40
Lorelai's parents insist that Luke come to Friday night dinner, and she says yes without asking him. Paris is ousted as the "Yale Daily News" editor, and the staff elects Rory as the new editor. In retaliation, Paris kicks Rory out of her apartment, so Rory moves in with Logan. In other events, Michel confides in Lorelai. Rory gives her father a tour of Yale, where he is disturbed to find Rory living with Logan, but ends up growing to like him.
124	15	"A Vineyard Valentine"	Daniel Palladino	Daniel Palladino	February 14, 2006 (2006-02-14)	2T6316	5.34
Rory and Logan ask Lorelai and Luke to celebrate Valentine's Day with them on a weekend at the Huntzberger's house on Martha's Vineyard, where Lorelai is annoyed by Luke's disdain for Logan. At the end of the weekend, Logan and his father have a confrontation about his lack of responsibility.
125	16	"Bridesmaids Revisited"	Linda Mendoza	Rebecca Rand Kirshner	February 28, 2006 (2006-02-28)	2T6315	5.01
Lorelai and Christopher attend a journalism panel at Yale where Rory dazzles the crowd. Afterward, Lorelai offers to help Christopher by babysitting his daughter and is horrified by the toddler's terrible behavior, leading to a fight between them. The next day, Rory and Logan attend the wedding of Logan's sister, Honor. While helping the bridesmaids get ready, Rory is devastated to learn that Logan had sex with two of Honor's friends while they were broken up. Finally, Lane is still heartbroken over Zach, until he turns up at the diner with a surprise.
126	17	"I'm OK, You're OK"	Lee Shallat-Chemel	Keith Eisner	April 4, 2006 (2006-04-04)	2T6317	4.47
Rory forgives Logan for his indiscretions, then needs some time for herself, so she visits Lorelai in Stars Hollow. Although Lorelai refuses to admit that she is upset, Rory can tell that she is bothered by the news that Luke will be gone for a few days on a field trip with his daughter, April. Against Lorelai's wishes, Rory pays a visit to the store owned by April's mother to spy on her. Meanwhile, when Zack finally works up the courage to ask Mrs. Kim for permission to marry Lane, he is surprised at the deal she makes with him.
127	18	"The Real Paul Anka"	Daniel Palladino	Daniel Palladino	April 11, 2006 (2006-04-11)	2T6318	4.13
Although Rory and Logan are back together, Logan is miserable knowing that Rory has not really forgiven him, and he takes off with his friends for another stunt with the Life and Death Brigade. Rory accepts Jess's invitation to attend an open house at his new book store/art gallery/publishing house in Philadelphia. While there, she is surprised to run into Luke, who is accompanying his daughter April on an academic field trip. Back in Stars Hollow, Lorelai is horrified to find that Richard and Emily have been looking at real estate in her town. (Last appearance of Milo Ventimiglia.)
128	19	"I Get a Sidekick Out of You"	Amy Sherman-Palladino	Amy Sherman-Palladino	April 18, 2006 (2006-04-18)	2T6319	4.31
Lane and Zach are getting married and they have two ceremonies: a Korean wedding for Mrs. Kim's strictly Buddhist mother, and a Christian wedding at the Stars Hollow church. Afterwards, Lane and Zach hold their wedding reception in the town square. Lorelai fears she and Luke will never tie the knot, and so she gets drunk and gives an embarrassing toast.
129	20	"Super Cool Party People"	Ken Whittingham	David S. Rosenthal	April 25, 2006 (2006-04-25)	2T6320	4.98
Luke decides to give April a birthday party at the diner. Lorelai volunteers to help and becomes hurt when Luke explains that he still thinks it is too soon for them to meet. However, Luke changes his mind when the party is a disaster, giving Lorelai a chance to bond with April. Meanwhile, Rory rushes to be with Logan at the hospital after he is seriously injured during a stunt with the Life and Death Brigade.
130	21	"Driving Miss Gilmore"	Jamie Babbit	Daniel Palladino, Amy Sherman-Palladino	May 2, 2006 (2006-05-02)	2T6321	5.12
Rory is strict in keeping Logan on bed rest following his release from the hospital, enlisting the help of Paris and Doyle to assure that he does not strain himself. She finds herself distracted, however, upon discovering that Mitchum spoke of her in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, Emily suffers temporary blindness after botched eye surgery and asks Lorelai's help in running errands after firing all of her hired help. While spending time with Emily, Lorelai learns her parents want to buy her and Luke a marital home, so she confesses that the wedding is not going to happen. Elsewhere, Liz announces her pregnancy to Luke and reveals that there is trouble between her and TJ.
131	22	"Partings"	Amy Sherman-Palladino	Daniel Palladino, Amy Sherman-Palladino	May 9, 2006 (2006-05-09)	2T6322	5.33
The town troubadour departs Stars Hollow for his Neil Young gig, creating a stampede of would-be troubadours to town, including the bands Sparks, Sonic Youth, and Yo La Tengo. Logan graduates and leaves for London. Emily and Richard try to set Christopher up with Carolyn Bates (Melora Hardin). The Lorelai-Luke love affair may be over.

Season 7 (2006–07)

Main article: Gilmore Girls season 7

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
132	1	"The Long Morrow"	Lee Shallat-Chemel	David S. Rosenthal	September 26, 2006 (2006-09-26)	2T7751	4.48
Picking up on the day after last season's finale, Lorelai wakes up in bed with Christopher. Confused and mortified, she makes a hasty exit, ignoring Christopher's pleas that she stays. Once at home, Lorelai tries to get rid of everything that reminds her of Luke and ends up practically emptying her house. Rory receives a toy rocket ship as a parting gift from Logan and is baffled as to its meaning. She decides she should join him in London for the summer, only to learn he has just bought her a ticket for a visit of hers at Christmas. Lorelai reveals to Luke that she slept with Christopher after he pleads for her to marry him.
133	2	"That's What You Get, Folks, for Makin' Whoopee"	Bethany Rooney	Rebecca Rand Kirshner	October 3, 2006 (2006-10-03)	2T7752	4.62
Luke drives to Boston for one purpose: to punch out Christopher. Rory is upset over Logan's absence and the fact that they had to cancel their long-planned trip to Asia. Wanting to cheer Rory up and take her mind off her own sad love life, Lorelai turns her house into an Asian-themed wonderland. Meanwhile, Lane returns from her disastrous honeymoon and finds out she is pregnant. While repairing the damage to the diner, Luke tells TJ about his break-up with Lorelai. Finally, Rory is furious when she learns that Lorelai slept with Christopher.
134	3	"Lorelai's First Cotillion"	Lee Shallat-Chemel	Rina Mimoun	October 10, 2006 (2006-10-10)	2T7753	4.71
When Richard and Emily have no real reaction to the news of her break up, Lorelai suddenly realizes that most of her emotional life has been based on doing and feeling the opposite of whatever her parents want. Later, when Michel forces Lorelai to attend Emily's cotillion dance, Lorelai discovers that some things her parents wanted for her were not really that terrible. Meanwhile, Rory has a tough time making her long-distance relationship work.
135	4	"'S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous"	Victor Nelli, Jr.	Gayle Abrams	October 17, 2006 (2006-10-17)	2T7754	4.85
Lorelai and Christopher have begun to date, and although Lorelai is finding it difficult to fully commit to the relationship, Christopher keeps coming up with romantic dates to win her over. Back at Yale, Rory meets some eccentric new girlfriends at an art exhibit, and Richard becomes a guest lecturer. April comes to stay with Luke for a few weeks while Anna is out of town. Finally, Emily gets arrested and Lorelai has to bail her out of jail. First appearance of Olivia (Michelle Ongkingco) and Lucy (Krysten Ritter).
136	5	"The Great Stink"	Michael Schultz	Gina Fattore	October 24, 2006 (2006-10-24)	2T7755	4.73
Emily and Richard are delighted when Lorelai and Christopher attend Friday night dinner together as a couple. Christopher reveals that Sherry has written him a letter saying she regrets leaving their daughter, Gigi, and asking him to send Gigi to visit her in Paris. Lorelai cannot believe that Chris would consider this and they get into an argument over dinner. Logan returns to town on business to acquire an internet company and pays Rory a surprise visit. Rory is thrilled, but during a dinner with Logan's colleagues, she realizes that she has no connection to his new life.
137	6	"Go, Bulldogs!"	Wil Shriner	David S. Rosenthal, Rebecca Rand Kirshner	November 7, 2006 (2006-11-07)	2T7757	4.34
Christopher talks Lorelai into visiting Rory at Yale during Parents' Weekend, and Lorelai is surprised to find that Richard and Emily are also there. Christopher invites all of Rory's co-workers on the "Yale Daily News" to an expensive lunch where they all drink too much. The meal ends abruptly when Rory insists they leave to cover a breaking story. Meanwhile, Luke meets April's swimming coach, who convinces him to take her adult swimming class. When the coach flirts with him, Luke asks her out on a date.
138	7	"French Twist"	Lee Shallat-Chemel	David Babcock	November 14, 2006 (2006-11-14)	2T7756	4.51
Christopher and Lorelai take his daughter Gigi to visit her mother in Paris. Despite severe jet lag, they manage to have a wonderful, romantic time enjoying the city and each other. Rory comes to the end of her tenure as Editor-in-Chief of the "Yale Daily News" and suddenly finds herself unsure of her future. Her new friends Olivia and Lucy suggest a trip to Stars Hollow for a girls' night. When they return, Rory is surprised to find that Lucy's new boyfriend (whom she always calls "Boyfriend" instead of his name) is her old friend Marty, who pretends not to know Rory. Miss Kim wants Lane and Zack to move in, then wants to move in with them when they are not interested. Christopher and Lorelai return home with a surprise: that they are now Mr. and Mrs. Hayden.
139	8	"Introducing Lorelai Planetarium"	Lee Shallat-Chemel	Jennie Snyder	November 21, 2006 (2006-11-21)	2T7758	4.20
Rory goes home to Stars Hollow to have dinner with her parents, where it is revealed that they eloped while in Paris. Rory pretends to be happy, but later reveals her anger to Lorelai. Logan comes back to town for a launch party, which Rory attends and about which she later writes a judgmental article. Due to accusations by Logan, Rory plans to find a new apartment. Meanwhile, Luke turns to Lorelai in a time of medical emergency with April.
140	9	"Knit, People, Knit!"	Lee Shallat-Chemel	David Grae	November 28, 2006 (2006-11-28)	2T7759	4.89
Here comes the birth of Liz's baby delivered by a midwife. Luke is informed of the news. A "knitathon festival" takes place in Stars Hollow, where Christopher donates substantially. Chris and Lorelai tell Emily and Richard about their marriage.
141	10	"Merry Fisticuffs"	Jackson Douglas	David S. Rosenthal	December 5, 2006 (2006-12-05)	2T7760	4.82
Emily throws an extravagant party. Meanwhile, Luke talks to a lawyer about partial custody over April. Luke and Christopher get in a long, exhaustive fistfight.
142	11	"Santa's Secret Stuff"	Lee Shallat-Chemel	Rebecca Rand Kirshner	January 23, 2007 (2007-01-23)	2T7761	3.72
Lorelai and Christopher decide to put their Christmas holidays on hold while Rory is in London over the holidays, Once Rory returns to Stars Hollow, they decorate several Christmas trees, do their shopping and even bake Christmas cookies for the first time as a family. Turning up unexpectedly at the inn, Luke asks Lorelai to write a character recommendation letter for his custody battle over April. Lorelai struggles to write the letter until she and Rory run into Luke and April at the mall and Lorelai suddenly remembers how important Luke has always been in Rory's life. Inspired, Lorelai writes the letter and mails it to Luke's attorney. Rory decides she will write an apology letter to her friend Lucy, explaining why she and Marty kept their past friendship a secret.
143	12	"To Whom It May Concern"	Jamie Babbit	David Babcock	January 30, 2007 (2007-01-30)	2T7762	4.27
Noticing Sookie's recent odd behavior, Lorelai forces Jackson to tell her the reason. Luke and Anna attend a hearing to decide their custody battle over April. With help from Paris, Rory finally makes amends with Lucy, who tells her that she and Marty have broken up. While attending Richard's economics class at Yale, Rory witnesses a frightening scene. Finally, Christopher finds the letter Lorelai wrote for Luke's character reference and confronts Lorelai about whether he was her second choice.
144	13	"I'd Rather Be in Philadelphia"	Lee Shallat-Chemel	Rebecca Rand Kirshner	February 6, 2007 (2007-02-06)	2T7763	4.70
Lorelai and Rory receive unexpected comfort and some grief while at the hospital and at Richard's side: Christopher will not return Lorelai's calls, but Luke is there for her and the family. Emily is so distraught that she tries to distract herself by maintaining her rigorous social calendar with Luke offering to help her out in keeping up her appearances. Rory is met by Logan, who flies to the hospital in a helicopter. When Christopher finally does arrive, he speaks words of sympathy to Lorelai, but his emotions betray him: he is still mad at her from their fight.
145	14	"Farewell, My Pet"	Jamie Babbit	Jennie Snyder	February 13, 2007 (2007-02-13)	2T7764	4.37
Rory quickly develops a crush on Richard's replacement teaching assistant and feels compelled to confess the attraction to Logan. But she feels really bad about it and he completely understands and the two of them reassure each other that in the end they are crazy about each other. Meanwhile, Lorelai distracts herself from thinking about Christopher by arranging a memorial service for Michel's dog. Christopher seeks her out, however, and the two are forced to face their problems. Christopher feels like he has been trying to get Lorelai to fall in love with him, and Lorelai realizes she still has feelings for Luke. Lorelai and Christopher end their marriage.
146	15	"I Am Kayak, Hear Me Roar"	Lee Shallat-Chemel	Rebecca Rand Kirshner	February 20, 2007 (2007-02-20)	2T7765	4.05
Lorelai puts off telling her parents about her separation from Christopher by helping Emily to arrange Richard's recovery. Rory celebrates Logan's birthday, but bad news from Logan's business partner spoils their evening.
147	16	"Will You Be My Lorelai Gilmore?"	David Paymer	Gina Fattore, Gayle Abrams	February 27, 2007 (2007-02-27)	2T7766	4.17
Rory goes to meet with an editor from the New York Times just as she starts to put together Lane's baby shower. Lorelai takes over the production and has to arbitrate a disagreement between Lane and Mrs. Kim about how to raise the unborn children. Meanwhile, Luke decides to change his situation in life and buy a new boat. Logan comes home drunk and reveals to Rory his failed business venture, and then runs off to Las Vegas with his buddies.
148	17	"Gilmore Girls Only"	Lee Shallat-Chemel	David Babcock	March 6, 2007 (2007-03-06)	2T7767	4.47
Lorelai, Rory, and Emily take a road trip to North Carolina to attend Mia's wedding. Lane goes into labor. Finally, Lane and Zack ask Luke to be the godfather to their twins Steve and Kwan.
149	18	"Hay Bale Maze"	Stephen Clancy	Rebecca Rand Kirshner	April 17, 2007 (2007-04-17)	2T7768	3.79
During Stars Hollow's annual Spring Fling festival, a huge hay bale maze leads to a chance encounter for Luke and Lorelai, where they apologize to one another and talk about the problems that led to their engagement being called off. As Rory shows Logan around town, Lorelai begins to feel that Logan might be too irresponsible for her daughter. Meanwhile, Rory has a job interview with the Providence Journal Bulletin.
150	19	"It's Just Like Riding a Bike"	Lee Shallat-Chemel	Jennie Snyder	April 24, 2007 (2007-04-24)	2T7769	3.75
Lorelai heads to Luke's for her first breakfast there in a while -- overall, it is an awkward experience for them both. Later on, when Lorelai's Jeep breaks down, Luke helps her shop for a new car. They argue and fight, which Lorelai thinks is ultimately a good sign. Paris considers breaking up with Doyle so she can be free of influences when it comes to picking which law or medical school she will attend. Rory receives a letter that will certainly influence her future plans.
151	20	"Lorelai? Lorelai?"	Bethany Rooney	David S. Rosenthal	May 1, 2007 (2007-05-01)	2T7770	4.08
Rory stresses out as graduation approaches, which leads to a day of eating and shopping with Lorelai. Later, with Luke in tow, the Gilmores hit the bars, where Lorelai takes the stage for a karaoke number obviously intended for Luke. Logan returns from a business trip and looks to discuss his and Rory's future with Lorelai. After getting into a science camp, April tells Luke that she cannot go on the boating trip with him over the summer. Zach is asked to go on tour with another band.
152	21	"Unto the Breach"	Lee Shallat-Chemel	David Babcock, Jennie Snyder	May 8, 2007 (2007-05-08)	2T7771	3.99
Lorelai and Christopher are reunited at a party Emily and Richard throw in honor of Rory's graduation. Logan surprises everyone at the party by proposing to Rory, but she is too shocked to give him an answer. Then, on graduation day, Rory and Paris receive their diplomas, and Rory finally gives Logan her answer and says no. Meanwhile, Lorelai is embarrassed about her recent karaoke serenade to Luke, and Luke is hurt when he overhears her saying it did not mean anything.
153	22	"Bon Voyage"	Lee Shallat-Chemel	David S. Rosenthal	May 15, 2007 (2007-05-15)	2T7772	4.86
Rory gets a job following the presidential campaign of one of the candidates running for president. While she prepares to leave in a mere three days, Lorelai adjusts to the idea that she may not see her daughter again for weeks, even months. Meanwhile, Luke is still trying to sort out how he really feels about Lorelai after they locked eyes at the karaoke jam. To see Rory off before she leaves for her new job, Luke orchestrates a surprise farewell party starting with a secret town meeting, organizing all the planning elements and sewing together coverage for the impending rain storm. The entire town puts on the farewell party acknowledging their adoration of the two Gilmore girls. The next day, Lorelai and Rory have one final stop at Luke's diner before her departure.