It’s really over. As hard as it is to write those words, I actually feel like I am able to let go. I had a lot of help, actually. It took a village. Every single person in the wonderfully quirky Stars Hollow made it easier to say goodbye to Rory as she left her tiny town for wide-open America. And it was bittersweet.Who else but Luke would gather everyone to plan a huge last-minute surprise party for Rory in the town square? And when the forecast (aka Babette’s swollen ankles) called for rain, he collected tarps and raincoats to sew together a tent. Sure enough, it was pouring on celebration day when Lorelai and Rory pulled up in their Jeep as all of Stars Hollow huddled beneath that tent. I loved that panning shot of the happy faces that we’ve gotten to know over the past seven years: Zack, Liz, Kirk, Lane, Michel, Lulu, Brian, Gypsy, Miss Patty, Babette, Morey, Taylor, Jackson, Sookie and a wide-grinning Luke all clapping and cheering for Rory. “I can’t be...
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I’m shocked. Totally and completely shocked. Not that Rory turned down Logan’s public marriage proposal. (You never want the answer to be, “Will you come talk to me, outside?”) No, I can’t believe she gave back the ring the same day she got her diploma. “I graduated today. It was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. Now when I look back on it, I’m just going to think about this horrible thing that happened,” she told Lorelai. So she couldn’t wait one day? Guess not. Maybe that’s because deep down she always knew she could never marry the guy. Did you see her face when Logan said goodbye and walked away for good? Lorelai looked more anguished during the proposal. Rory just didn’t seem all that devastated over such a “horrible thing.” Sorry, Rory and Logan fans. I know you’re upset, probably more so than Rory. I’m upset too — that we didn’t get to see the huge rock he probably gave her. Aren...
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We have just witnessed the power that is Gilmore. Who else could turn a reckless, rakish, rebellious little rich boy into a responsible, polite, mature grown man? And who else could make a rough, hardened, jaded tough-guy tear up over a love song? Yep, those are our girls!So Logan is going to ask Rory to marry him! And he actually went to Lorelai’s house to ask her permission. Now, usually I would write this off as one of his typical smooth moves. But you know what? He had me at “I came here to see you, Lorelai.” This wasn’t just some old-fashioned formality. He really, really wanted her approval. And he thought he’d get it. After all, they’d just bonded over late-night pie and ice cream. She told him she believed he had cleaned up his act, that he didn’t need to convince her anymore. But there’s one teeny-tiny problem: Lorelai’s reaction. The last time we saw that devastated look was when she woke up next to Christopher, not Luke. (That...
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Let’s get the worst part out of the way first: Rory didn’t get the fellowship. I’ll admit it, at first I was a little surprised, especially after Paris opened acceptance letter after acceptance letter. But sometimes the best opportunities don’t go to the best people, a lesson Rory has finally learned. Remember, this is the girl who breezed right into prestigious Chilton, was accepted to both Harvard and Yale, landed a top spot at the best college newspaper in the country and then became its editor-in-chief. These things don’t just happen to your typical journalist. At some point, that chance-of-a-lifetime will be given to someone else. But without the risk, there is no fellowship. So good for you, Ror, for going for your dream job. And don’t worry, we’ll be seeing your byline really soon.Now, what to make of Luke and Lorelai? At first I thought the car shopping would go smoothly. You know, an afternoon of witty repartee, lots of bonding over Hummer...
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This was one of those episodes. You know, if you turned away for a just a minute to grab another Diet Coke, you missed Lorelai and Logan making nice. In the middle of the night. In her kitchen. Who’d have thought, right? Well, come to think of it, a lot of loose strings were nicely tied up in this ep. Here are a few of my faves:1. Luke and Lorelai make up. Sure they’ve run into each other tons of times and always do the awkward small talk. Lorelai’s answer to Luke’s “How are you?” is always “polite, succinct, fine.” But when Lorelai runs into Luke while stranded in the middle of Taylor’s dopey hay maze (symbolism alert!) they really did have the perfect conversation. First, Lor apologized for running off to be with Chris that night. (And yeah, why didn’t she do that sooner? Not cool.) Then Luke fessed up to using April as a way to push away Lorelai. (It took a custody battle and her cross-country move to figure that one out? Oh well,...
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Our three Gilmore girls together on a road trip to North Carolina? You’d think it would be witty Lorelai providing the comic relief, but this time it was typically humorless Emily! Driving the Jag in the slow lane with a parade of cars behind her. Fighting with Lorelai over the power window button, and winning by using the child-proof feature. A stop at a greasy spoon, where Em actually ordered a chardonnay. “That’s the clear one,” she informed the waitress. And of course, there were show tunes for entertainment. (For those of you who aren’t theater geeks, that was “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” from Oklahoma!. Love the irony.) Afterwards came some much-needed bonding. (This was a road trip, after all.) Which did you think was more powerful? That Emily sought out Mia for some old pictures of Lor and Rory? After all, the woman was essentially Lorelai’s surrogate mother and Emily’s nemesis. (Talk about swallowing your priceless pride.) Or wa...
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Don’t know about you, but I feel like I finally got my Girls back, and then some. It took a while, but both Lorelai and Rory have found their footing and are moving in the right direction. And the steps they’ve taken have affected everyone around them, both good and bad.Let’s start with Lorelai. Her recent behavior? Making demanding ultimatums, then impulsively getting married. Since leaving Christopher, she’s become a patient daughter, a good friend and a fantastic mediator. She helped Luke win partial custody of April, she stepped in when her mother needed to get Richard’s business in order and she’s brokered one hell of deal between the stubborn Lane and intolerable Mrs. Kim. The listener, the messenger, the pacifier: Lorelai played every role perfectly. In the end, Lane accepted that her twins could turn out to be bible readers, and Mrs. Kim understood that they could be rock and rollers. Loved Lorelai’s gentle reminder, “My mother missed ...
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Finally, a good solid dose of Stars Hollow! We wanted our lovable wacky townspeople back, and we got ’em! Who better than Miss Patty and Babette to gossip about Chris and Lorelai out loud in the diner as Luke was passing right by them with coffee and plates of food? Loved the bizarre code names: Chris was the beagle (though he probably should have been the hound), Lorelai was the hen (if anyone, Babette’s the mother of all hens. I’m thinking a swan would’ve been more appropriate). And Luke was the rooster (that one actually makes sense, the domestic male). Why did those two even bother using symbolism? Not only was the conversation totally obvious — “Did the hen break up with the beagle or did the beagle break up with the hen?” — but Luke already knew, thanks to East Side Tilly “who was in here yesterday, blabbing her big mouth off.” For a moment they considered whether Lorelai and Luke should get back together, causing Babette to de...
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If you managed to catch the preview for this episode — and I’m not sure you could have missed it since it aired every half-hour for a week straight — you knew the end was coming. “You’re the man I want to want!” wails Lorelai in the promo. So when she finally choked out those sad words in the episode, they kinda lost their kick-to-the-stomach-effect. Which was a shame, because the familiarity practically robbed us of her honesty. It’s as if the lines were delivered by a woman on truth serum, admitting to one horrible thing after another: “I still have feelings for Luke.” “I jumped.” “I’ve always thought of you as a possibility” (BTW: Chris, “possibility” is another word for “backup.” Ouch.) And then the Big Line. Chris took it well, actually. Who wants to hear that someone wants to love you, but you know, they just can’t muster up the feelings? Interesting: Chris is a selfish jerk, but som...
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While I am so, so tempted to write all about how Chris completely bailed on Lorelai during her awful time of need (was that four or five messages left on his cell about Lorelai’s dad having a heart attack?), instead I will write about Rory. Yes, Rory, the fair-skinned, doe-eyed, too often incomprehensible but still incredibly bright daughter of the esteemed Lorelai Gilmore. (There I go mentioning Lorelai again! Gotcha!). Now that you’ve picked yourself up from the floor, 'cause you know, I actually mentioned the "R" word, let’s move on. Can you believe how Rory’s relationship with Logan completely turned around? One minute she’s jealous over Bobbi, two minutes later he’s jealous over Marty, and now Rich Boy actually flew in on a freaking helicopter from Montauk, Long Island, straight to the hospital in New Haven! (Hey, if you had a hedge-fund partner-dude who’s willing to lend you his chopper, you'd swoop in Jack Bauer-style, too. I'm just surpris...
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Rory returns to Yale after winter break and leaves Lucy a note apologizing for her deception, while Paris ambushes Rory with her master plan of things they need to accomplish in their last semester. Meanwhile, Luke and Anna appear before a judge in the custody case; Sookie asks Lorelai to babysit so she and Jackson can go skiing, but Sookie's behavior is mysteriously erratic; and Christopher makes a discovery that leaves him shaken. Jim: Douglas Rowe. Barbara: Cheryl White.
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Since a Christmas celebration was postponed while Rory was in London, the festivities begin when she crosses the pond, marking the first time Rory, Lorelai and Christopher celebrate as a family; Luke asks Lorelai to write a letter of recommendation on his behalf in his custody battle over April; and Rory decides to write a letter apologizing to Lucy for keeping her relationship with Marty a secret, explaining the reasons why she did. Lucy: Krysten Ritter.
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Lorelai dreads each day that she meets with her mom and a prominent party planner in anticipation of the upcoming wedding party. Meanwhile, Lorelai and Christopher can't seem to agree on plans for their future, and she usually gets her way; Logan is in town and Rory takes him to the Yale cafeteria, where they run into Marty, and Rory explains the whole awkward reunion she had with Marty and their subsequent deception with Lucy; and Luke decides to talk to a lawyer about April.
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Stars Hollow prepares for a knitathon and Lorelai, who's participating, worries that the townsfolk aren't ready to accept her and Christopher as a couple; Anna stuns Luke when she tells him that she and April are moving to New Mexico; Rory and her friends throw Lucy a 2002-themed birthday party, where Rory finally confronts Marty about his indifference toward her; and T.J. tells Luke that Liz, who's ready to give birth at any moment, wants to have the baby at home.
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Lorelai and Chris arrange a dinner so they can tell their big news to Rory, who puts on a happy face for her dad but tells her mom she's angry. Elsewhere, Logan surprises Rory with a visit and an announcement that he's relocating to New York to start an Internet company; and Luke calls Lorelai when April becomes sick. Bobby: Vanessa Branch.
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Lorelai and Christopher take his daughter to Paris, where they spend their time fighting jet lag and hunger, but also succumb to the romance of the city; Zack and Lane receive surprising news regarding their impending parenthood and Lane finally tells Mrs. Kim she's pregnant. Rory retires as Daily News editor and realizes she doesn't know what she wants to do after Yale; she later calls her new friends to cheer her up and discovers that Lucy's boyfriend is her old friend Marty (Wayne Wilcox).
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Lorelai and Christopher attend Parents' Weekend at Yale and find Emily and Richard are also there; and Christopher treats Rory's Daily News staff to an expensive lunch where the liquor flows too freely. Meanwhile, a flirtation begins between Luke and April's swimming coach (Mia Cottet), and Luke asks her out on a date.
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Lorelai and Christopher attend Friday-night dinner as an official couple, but have an argument when he announces he's granting Sherry's request to let G.G. (Nicolette Collier) stay with her in Paris; Logan surprises Rory when he returns home for business, but during a dinner with his colleagues, she feels threatened by his attractive coworker; and a train carrying pickles derails and makes Stars Hollows one smelly town.
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Lorelai and Christopher start dating, and Christopher's romantic gestures are making it hard for Lorelai to take their relationship slowly; Rory covers an art show for the paper and makes some new friends; April arrives to stay with Luke for a few weeks while Anna is away; Richard takes a position as guest lecturer at Yale; and Lorelai is surprised by some unbelievable news regarding her mother. Joni: Rona Benson. Sheila: Amy Sloan. A.K.: Adam Hendershott.
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Lorelai expects the worst from her parents when she finally tells them that she and Luke ended their engagement, but she's more upset when they hardly react; Lane gets very little response from Zack when she shares her big news; Michel collects on an old IOU for a favor from Lorelai and forces her to take him to a cotillion that Emily organized; and Rory, missing Logan, finds an uncharacteristic way of expressing her feelings to him. Charlotte: Hannah Leigh Dworkin. Arthur: James Hornbeck.
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Lane and Zack return from their honeymoon in Mexico, each with their own unique horror story; Lorelai has an emotionally painful encounter with Luke that's compounded by an ugly confrontation with Rory after she learns that her mom slept with Christopher; and Luke finds out that Kirk has opened an eatery that is nearly a copy of his. Fred: David Greenman. Customer: George Bell.
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Lorelai wakes up in bed with Christopher the morning after her argument with Luke and faces the reality of her impulsive act and her belief that the engagement is over. She spends time with Rory, who is puzzled by a mysterious gift that Logan left her. Meanwhile, Taylor has a red-light camera installed in front of the diner, which leads to an accident that angers the already agitated Luke. Gypsy: Rose Abdoo. Lulu: Rini Bell.
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