Ultimate Ranking Of The Gilmore Girls Episodes

Fifteen years ago, we were introduced to the wonderful world of Gilmore. Through the good, the bad, and the ugly (*cough*Anna*cough*), we watched them all. From the worst to the best, I give you my ranking.

153. Here Comes the Son (Season 3, Episode 21)

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The Jess-centric spin-off was never going to work, and trying to fit it into an already established show made it feel like I was flipping between two different shows. I would have much rather watched more of Rory getting ready for finals and coping with Jess's disappearance and received some explanation for Dave's disappearance.

Best Line: "Who cares if I'm pretty if I fail my finals?" (Rory)

152. Presenting Lorelai Gilmore (Season 2, Episode 6)

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Rory is the exact opposite of the type of person you'd imagine attending debutant balls, and it feels like here she was trying too hard to make her grandmother happy. This one feels like a filler episode, with the stand-out scene being the dance lessons with Miss Patty.

Best Line: "Hello sailor! Hello sailor! Hello sailor!" (Miss Patty)

151. A Vineyard Valentine (Season 6, Episode 15)

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The best description I can come up with for this episode is "awkward". It's also the episode where I realized I was really starting to hate Luke.

Best Line: "Wait a second. That isn't the pulling they had to do to get the spermaceti, is it?" (Lorelai)

150. That Damn Donna Reed (Season 1, Episode 14)

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Rory's already been established as an independent young woman, and there's something about her putting together a dinner just to make Dean happy that irks me. It is, however, the episode where we first see Lane with her CDs under the floorboards, and the first appearance of the Troubadour.

Best Line: "Grab your brush and grab your rollers, all you kids and all you bowlers, we're going painting today." (Lorelei singing)

149. Eight O'Clock at the Oasis (Season 3, Episode 5)

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Am I the only one who wants to just punch neighbour guy? It's like Umbridge, I know his scene's coming and I just tense up. And the Gilmore reaction to Lorelai's bad date is just weird.

Best Line: "I'm never happier than when we're standing in the corner, staring at our furniture." (Richard)

148. P.S. I Lo... (Season 1, Episode 20)

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Lorelai and Max were never going to last. Rory and Dean were never going to last. Why get worked up about phone calls and lab partners?

Best Line: "I. See. ALL." (Mrs. Kim)

147. The Fundamental Things Apply (Season 4, Episode 5)

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I feel for Rory's awkwardness. But it wasn't enough to make for a good episode (though Luke coming to movie night - almost bumped this further up on the list).

Best Line: "You know, I read this article once about restaurants like this where they have an open bowl of mints that you grab on your way out, and when people come out of the bathroom a lot of them don’t wash their hands, they’ll grab a mint and walk out and people have studied the mints and they’ve found traces of urine in them. So they’re... Urine mints.” (Rory)

146. Run Away, Little Boy (Season 2, Episode 9)

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Rory's fear at upsetting Dean is why I never like him. And let's face it - Tristan was never a real threat.

Best Line: "Don't you understand that Luke is so into you?" (Sookie)

145. Girls in Bikinis, Boys Doin' the Twist (Season 4, Episode 17)

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Though I cheered at the ending of Luke and Nicole, the rest of the episode - the Rory/Paris kiss, the key from Jason, the drunken call to Dean... Those, I could have lived without.

Best Line: "No, it's National Baptism Day. Tie your tubes, idiot!" (Paris)

144. French Twist (Season 7, Episode 7)

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No, Lorelai! You do not marry Christopher in Paris! You get your ass back to Stars Hollow, and you make up with Luke. And Marty - what the hell, man?

Best Line: "She gets in my head, it's like Korean voodoo!" (Lane)

143. The Deer Hunters (Season 1, Episode 4)

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Sookie is neurotic in the most amazing way, and I love her reaction to the review. I do not, however, enjoy meeting Max, who just gets in the way of Luke and Lorelai.

Best Line: "Violent pencil tossing usually signifies a need for pie." (Luke)

142. Chicken or Beef (Season 4, Episode 4)

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Kirk installs an alarm for spinster Lorelai, which is adorable, but as always with Kirk, leads to havoc and hilarity. Lorelai breaks ground on The Dragonfly with Sookie and Michel, and Rory come home to Stars Hollow only to find out it's the weekend of Dean's wedding. We will not discuss the scene with Dean at Luke's.

Best Line: "Yes, about The Dragonfly, or deodorant. Places to buy it, how to apply it, that sort of thing." (Michel)

141. That's What You Get, Folks, For Makin' Whoopie (Season 7, Episode 2)

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This will forever be known as the episode where Luke accomplishes what we all only dream we could - he punches Christopher. But Rory finds out why, Lane has bad sex and a parasite she'll get rid of in nine months, and Lorelai finally realizes what a mistake she made. Maybe I'm still sore about the absence of Amy Sherman-Palladino, but this episode sets in motion a bunch of storylines I'm not okay with.

Best Line: "I do know that. Do not name your baby after an inanimate object." (Lane)

140. Partings (Season 6, Episode 22)

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Stars Hollow is inundated with troubadours, Logan graduates, Alexis uses a bad accent, Richard and Emily set Christopher up with some random woman, and Lorelai ends up going bat guano crazy.

Best Line: "For months now, I’ve been skulking around not saying anything, not having an opinion on anything, like I’m Clarence Thomas or something, and I... I’m done with that!” (Lorelai)

BONUS: May we please shed a few tears for the last Palladino and Sherman-Palladino involved episode?

139. Lorelai Out of Water (Season 3, Episode 12)

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Hep Alien begins! The band starts practising in Lorelai's garage, while Rory is busy dealing with Paris trying to impeach her. Lorelai gets invited on a date to go fishing, and instead of saying no like a normal person, she gets Luke to teach her how, leading him into the arms of the evil Nicole.

Best Line: "Hug-a-World would like to see the world." (Lorelai)

138. We Got Us a Pippi Virgin (Season 5, Episode 5)

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Although Luke is a total jerk in this episode, it is with good reason. Dean is not good enough for Rory! Richard starts worrying about Emily, who decides to get a panic room with the easiest security code in existence.

Best Line: “We got us a Pippi virgin.” (Lorelai)

137. The Great Stink (Season 7, Episode 5)

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Lorelai and Christopher have their first fight of the new relationship when he gets a letter from Sherry and decides to send Gigi off to see her. Rory meets Logan’s coworkers for the first time and for some reason forgets she’s beautiful and intelligent and feels out of place. Meanwhile, Stars Hollow is dealing with a pickle problem.

Best Line: “I swear, I was having the most wonderful time...” (Emily)

136. TIppecanoe and Taylor, Too (Season 5, Episode 4)

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Rory and Dean are having a difficult time finding space to be alone together. Take this as a hint guys, you’re not meant to be together. Meanwhile, Taylor is making everyone crazy, so Jackson runs against him as Town Selectman and wins by a landslide - a job that is brought up exactly twice after this before completely disappearing from the show, à la Lane’s father.

Best Line: “You always promise to hurt him but then you don’t. You’re a Taylor tease.” (Michel)

135. The Long Morrow (Season 7, Episode 1)

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In one of the weirdest scenes of the whole show, Lorelai and Rory decide to go "play" racquet ball instead of dealing with their confusion over a rocket ship and regret at ruining a relationship. However, this is the episode where Taylor loses his mind and allows Kirk to drive his classic car, which he does, right into Luke's diner. Did anyone not see that coming?

Best Line: "I can scare the stupid out of you, but the lazy runs deep." (Paris)

134. A Messenger, Nothing More (Season 5, Episode 2)

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Luke is off helping Liz and T.J. at the Renaissance Fair, putting the burgeoning Luke and Lorelai romance on hold. Rory is in Europe with Emily and asks Lorelai to deliver a letter to Dean. When Lindsey finds it, she realizes what a jerk he is and publicly throws him out of the house. Unfortunately, Rory does not come to that same conclusion when she comes home and he basically blames it all on her.

Best Line: “Ah, but this is America, where we unapologetically bastardize other countries’ cultures in a gross quest for moral and military supremacy.” (Lorelai)

133. A Family Matter (Season 4, Episode 12)

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Alas, poor Jamie, we hardly knew ye. Jason finally visits Lorelai in Stars Hollow and tailgates “Duke” (jerk), and Jess reappears to get his car back, leaving Rory unwilling to deal with his presence.

Best Line: “This is not May-December. This is May-Ming Dynasty!” (Rory)

132. Die, Jerk (Season 4, Episode 8)

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Rory has started working for the Yale Daily News under the leadership of Superstar Jonathan (or in this case, Doyle) who encourages her to be a little more ruthless in her reviews. Lane is dealing with the marriage jug, and Michel is forced to sit a meeting outside because he sneezed and Bruce is terrifying. Unfortunately, this episode also marks the return of Nicole...

Best Line: “You are certainly not going to google me!” (Emily)

131. I'm A Kayak, Hear Me Roar (Season 7, Episode 15)

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I love drunk Emily in this episode! Even though she sobers up the next morning and has a completely different reaction to the Lorelai/Christopher split. I have no idea why Rory would agree to a dinner with Mitchum (danger Will Robinson), but the ultimate birthday party she threw Logan was something I would have liked to see more of.

Best Line: “It’s all about the wormholes.” (Liz)

130. Santa's Secret Stuff (Season 7, Episode 11)

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Lorelai and Rory are celebrating Christmas late (after she returns from London and Gigi returns from Paris), and Lane is suddenly twenty months pregnant with a horrible fake belly. The highlight of the episode is watching how well Zach and Mrs. Kim are getting along.

Best Line: “Let us just stand here and let the awkwardness wash over us.” (Michel)

129. Knit, People, Knit (Season 7, Episode 9)

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I love the return to the Stars Hollow quirkiness with the knit-a-thon, until Christopher ruins it by rubbing his richness in everyone’s face. And Marty, who had such potential at the beginning of the series, has to ruin everything by being a jerk and still loving Rory. Watching Luke with the newly born Doula though is priceless.

Best Line: “Since when is a hunk of fermented milk a suitable means for celebrating a marriage?” (Emily)

128. Welcome to the Doll House (Season 6, Episode 6)

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Welcome to Sores and Boils Alley! Stars Hollow goes back to old-time street names, and The Dragonfly stat is none too pleased. Richard, who has finally realized what a mistake he and Emily made with Rory, confronts Logan seemingly about his intentions with her, but is really just trying to figure out what is going in with Rory, and whether she does plan on going back to Yale after all.

Best Line: “Why couldn’t it be something that didn’t ooze or run? Like a wart, or a bunion? Bunions are okay... They’re sort of onions, mixed with buns! That’s sort of appetizing if you don’t think too hard.” (Sookie)

127. The Ungraduate (Season 6, Episode 3)

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I love that Paris is the only one in Rory’s world telling her what an idiot she’s being for dropping out of Yale and throwing her life away, and it’s hilarious to see the Dragonfly staff’s reaction to her visits. Paul Anka eats a bunch of chocolate and Luke takes care of him, melting everyone’s hearts along the way.

Best Line: “Wait, do you feel that? An icy chill as if something sinister is approaching... *hums Wicked Witch song*” (Michel)

126. Fight Face (Season 6, Episode 2)

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Completely forgetting about Skippy the defective hamster, Lorelai decides to adopt a dog and name him Paul Anka. Rory’s starting her community service, and Lorelai sees her picking up trash on the side of the road, leading to their first confrontation since the separation. Lovable T.J. decides he wants to help with Lorelai’s renovation by destroying her bedroom wall.

Best Line: “Hole! Hole! Hole!” (Lorelai)

125. Just Like Gwen and Gavin (Season 6, Episode 12)

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The hilarity of the 3am emergency town meeting is overshadowed by the awfulness of Lorelai finding out about April and how long Luke kept it from her.

Best Line: “Welcome to the S.H., bitch!” (Zach)

124. But Not as Cute as Pushkin (Season 5, Episode 10)

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Yes, Logan and his friends crashing Rory’s class and later Richard’s confrontation with him is hilarious, and Paris and Doyle hooking up is amazing, but Rory getting a random phone call from her high school principal asking her to host a student out of nowhere seems like filler.

Best Line: “Jerk. Ass. Arrogant, inconsiderate, mindless fratboy, low-life, butt-faced miscreant!” (Rory)

123. Secrets and Loans (Season 2, Episode 11)

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The Gilmore house has termites, and Lorelai ends up arguing with Rory when she tells her grandmother about it. They end up staying with Sookie and Jackson (who has HILARIOUS pajamas on), and Rory has a hard time reaching Lane because she has decided to become a cheerleader. For exactly one episode.

Best Line: “Because words are a very dangerous thing right now.” (Dean)

122. How Many Kropogs to Cape Cod? (Season 5, Episode 20)

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Logan is (rightfully) concerned about Rory taking the internship at his dad’s paper, and when Richard and Emily find out Rory had dinner at the Huntzbergers, they immediately arrange for him to attend Friday night dinner, where they don’t believe Lorelai about what happened at the Huntzberger’s.

Best Line: “No, I was gonna go again, just as soon as the nightmares about the ‘I love Jesus’ mannequin subsided.” (Lorelai)

121. Rory's Dance (Season 1, Episode 9)

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Dean’s temper comes out at the dance after a confrontation with Tristan, and he ends up falling asleep at Miss Patty’s with Rory, leading everyone into a panic and an epic argument between Lorelai and Emily, who had stuck around to sweetly care for the injured Lorelai.

Best Line: “This is not a drive-thru, she is not fried chicken.” (Emily)

120. Sadie, Sadie (Season 2, Episode 1)

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Lane is panicking because her parents are sending her to Korea, and she has no idea when (or if) she’ll be coming back. When Lorelai finally answers Max, the entire town gets worked about how she’ll tell Luke. Emily is hurt when she finds out from Sookie about the engagement.

Best Line: “The whole town should be medicated and put in a rec room with ping pong tables and hand puppets.” (Luke)

119. Lost and Found (Season 2, Episode 15)

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Worried about upsetting Dean about losing her bracelet, Rory spends most of the episode searching for it. Lorelai tries being nice to Jess, but when she realizes he had the bracelet, they end up arguing.

Best Line: “Then we can hold hands and skip afterwards.” (Jess)

118. It Should've Been Lorelai (Season 2, Episode 14)

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Rory has a big debate happening at Chilton, which leads to Christopher coming to town with Sherry, who spends a lot of time with her. He and Lorelai end up arguing, while Rory is arranging an elaborate drop off of a CD for the very grounded Lane.

Best Line: I am a fanatic audiophile! That comes with responsibilities that a grounding doesn’t alter!” (Lane)

117. Like Mother, Like Daughter (Season 2, Episode 7)

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Accused of being anti-social, Rory ends up inadvertently joining a secret society at Chilton, which later gets caught breaking into the headmaster’s office. Lorelai ends up organizing a fashion show at the Dragonfly for a Chilton parents’ group, and displays a bit of jealousy when one of the mothers shows interest in Luke.

Best Line: “Maybe someday I’ll stumble into a Disney movie and suddenly be transported into your body, and after living there a while, I’ll finally realize the beauty in myself.” (Paris)

116. Back in the Saddle Again

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Dean is being overly clingy, and later admits to Lorelai that Rory likes Jess. Richard ends up helping Rory’s group with a class project, which gives him the idea of going into business for himself because he doesn’t like retirement.

Best Line: “I’m gonna choke somebody by the neck, until brains ooze out of their ears.” (Sookie)

115. Merry Fisticuffs (Season 7, Episode 10)

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Christopher gets jealous when he sees Lorelai holding Doula and talking to Luke, and Luke’s been told by Anna he’s not allowed to see April anymore. They end up fighting in the town square at night with no one else around. Meanwhile, Logan ends up spilling the beans about Marty’s little lie, leading to a huge rift between Rory and Lucy.

Best Line: “I’m not a school, Luke, no one’s raising money for me.” (Kirk)

114. 'S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous

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Lorelai and Christopher have been dating, which worries Rory, who doesn’t want to see her mother getting hurt. Rory ends up covering an art show for the paper and makes a couple new friends, and in one of the most hilarious scenes of the show, Emily gets arrested and Lorelai has to come bail her out.

Best Line: “Young man, I don’t know where that’s been but I can say with absolute certainty it won’t be going anywhere near my mouth.” (Emily)

113. Lorelei's First Cotillion (Season 7, Episode 3)

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Lorelai’s dreading telling her parents about the breakup with Luke, and they have almost no reaction at all when she does tell them. Emily is hosting a young girl for an upcoming cotillion, and Lorelai ends up attending due to the pleading of Michel. Lane finally tells Zach she’s pregnant.

Best Line: “Because you don’t fall in love with people that make you want to crap your pants.” (Paris)

112. Emily Says "Hello" (Season 5, Episode 9)

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Emily announces to Lorelai that she is ready to start dating, and goes into a panic when she actually agrees to a date with a man from the club. Rory finds out that her parents are talking again and gets upset with Christopher.

Best Line: “This is you in 20 years! 
‘Who is this?’ I swear!” (Emily)

111. Farewell, My Pet (Season 7, Episode 14)

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Michel guilts Lorelai into hosting a memorial service for his dog Chin-Chin, who passed away. After finally getting together to talk, Lorelai admits she still has feelings for Luke and she and Christopher split up.

Best Line: “I need you to know that you’re the man I want to want.” (Lorelai)

110. Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days (Season 3, Episode 1)

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While still in Washington, an oblivious Paris gets asked out on a date and melts down when Rory tells her what happened. Rory is having trouble writing to Jess, and when she makes it back to Stars Hollow, gets jealous when she sees him kissing another girl. Lorelai tells her parents that she and Christopher split, and when they start arguing, she just turns and leaves. Newlywed Sookie fails at trying turn her living room into a man-cave for Jackson, and gives me nightmares in the process with all the dead animals.

Best Line: “Oh man! I can’t believe this! I finally get asked out on a date and I missed it?” (Paris)

109. That'll Do, Pig (Season 3, Episode 10)

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Rory and Dean awkwardly decide to try and remain friends, and end up attending the Winter Carnival together with Dean’s little sister and an upset Jess. Francie is causing drama at Chilton in a storyline I always try to block from my memory, and Trix is back, driving Emily crazy (in retaliation, she makes a dinner last for hours just to annoy her).

Best Line: “Well I... And the chop flew, so I lunged. And then the floor slipped and then WOOH! And I just... Flipped, you know?” (Sookie)

108. Love, Daisies, and Troubadours (Season 1, Episode 21)

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Rachel leaves town after realizing Luke is in love with Lorelai, and Dean shows up at Chilton, leading to a reconciliation with Rory. Max ends up in a spitting match with Luke that leads to an argument with Lorelai that he ends by proposing.

Best Line: “What’s the opposite of ennui?” (Lorelai)
“Off-ui!” (Sookie)

107. Pulp Friction (Season 5, Episode 17)

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Though there are a lot of wonderful moments in this episode (Kirk collecting the ribbons and chasing Lulu, Michel’s motorhome, Emily showing up at the diner and Luke using the speed dial on his phone to call Lorelai without saying anything), the whole Rory/Logan thing is frustrating. Rory’s clearly not okay with the casual thing, and Logan has the same reaction to her date with Robert that a child would about a toy - doesn’t want it until someone else has it.

Best Line: “You know, if someone opened a store in this town selling giant butterfly nets, they’d make a fortune.” (Luke)

106. Say Something (Season 5, Episode 14)

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Luke takes off from the vow renewal, and when Lorelai doesn’t give him the space he asks for, he takes off, leaving her in an awful, awful funk. Logan does step up and show his good side though, and gives Rory the use of his limo and the driver so she can get to Stars Hollow to take care of her mom.

Best Line: “Nietzsche and Lichtenstein went ape guano over Corn Flakes.” (Paris)

105. The Incredible Sinking Lorelais (Season 4, Episode 14)

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The beginning of the terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad resurgence of Rory and Dean. Can we please just skip this episode please? It is awesome to see The Dragonfly get its first reservation though. And that scene between Lane and Mrs. Kim? Get the Kleenex.

Best Line: “But every now and then, just for a moment, I wish I had a partner, someone to pick up the slack.” (Lorelai)

104. Ted Koppel's Big Night Out (Season 4, Episode 9)

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I’m always surprised when the episodes with Jason pop un in the queue. I dislike him to such a degree that I try to block him from my memory. So of course, this episode is nowhere near a favourite. Also not a fan of Richard and Emily fighitng. However, the Yale/Harvard game and Richard talking to Marty about nakedness salvages this one from the dregs of the bottom. And oh boy, Asher Flemming.

Best Line: “I was naked an entire month my sophomore year.” (Richard)

103. Pilot (Season 1, Episode 1)

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The pilot does such a fantastic job of introducing us to all the characters, it’s impossible not to love them right away. It introduces all the running gags of the show (Lorelai’s coffee obsession and quirkiness, Sookie’s clutziness, all the weird references, Michel’s anti-service, getting lost in Kim’s Antiques), and establishes a lot of the main relationships and future plot points. It’s a great pilot, but not one of the best overall episodes of the series.

Best Line: “People are particularly stupid today, I can’t talk to any more of them.” (Michel)

102. Jews and Chinese Food (Season 5, Episode 15)

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I feel so bad for Marty in this one. He just wants more with Rory, and she’s a total dick to him when Logan shows up. So you like Logan? You’re hanging with a friend, make him wait. Then there’s Luke’s reaction to Lorelai not being at the play - you know there’s hope yet that those two crazy kids will make it work.

Best Line: “Oh no. There’s at least six ATMS within a two block radius, and every single one of them is gonna tell me that I only have eighteen dollars in my account. And then I believe they will flip me off.” (Marty)

101. I Solemnly Swear (Season 3, Episode 11)

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Emily getting sued by one of the maids she sacked is hilarious, and Lorelai’s deposition makes this episode. Lorelai and Sookie take a class about running an inn that turns out to be a complete waste of their time until Sookie runs into an old friend, who asks her out and makes her think she cheated on Jackson. Lorelai ends up flirting with his friend, and we’re introduced to a filler boyfriend (seriously - he’s in 3 episodes and then disappears with no sign). The whole Francie storyline is ridiculous, but does lead to the funny fencing scene!

Best Line: “You ruined Creedance for me!” (Jackson)

100. Face-Off (Season 3, Episode 15)

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The Doose family is having a reunion, and Taylor is driving everyone at the inn (as well as his own family) crazy with his over planning. Trix is in town, and kicks Emily out of her own house, but Emily comes home early to find her kissing a man in a track suit (which Richard finds hilarious). The band is practicing Christian songs after their run-in with Mrs. Kim, and Dave is jealous about Lane’s fake boyfriend. Rory gets upset with Jess not calling her, and goes to a hockey game where she sees Dean with his new girlfriend.

Best Line: “So this is sports.” (Rory)

99. The Nanny and the Professor (Season 4, Episode 10)

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Lane starts working at Luke’s diner and his super-waitress. Rory catches paris with Asher, thought Paris is doing everything except coming right out to say they’re together. Trying to one-up Tobin, Michel decides to babysit Davey and ends up calling Lorelai in a panic. Lorelai spends the night for the first time at Jason’s, who’s apartment (including the creepy dog) look like something out of American Psycho.

Best Line: “You mean recycslable?” (Lorelai)

98. Nag Hammadi Is Where They Found the Gnostic Gospels (Season 4, Episode 13)

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Jess and Rory spend a good deal of this episode seeing each other and running off, until he tells her he loves her. Luke, thinking T.J.’s an idiot, asks Jess how to get rid of him, and is informed he’s a meddling pain in the ass. Luke shows up drunk at Lorelai’s, and when she finds out why, she confronts Jess.

Best Line: “So shake him real hard, maybe he’ll disappear!” (Jess)

97. An Affair to Remember (Season 4, Episode 6)

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Much to Emily’s discontent, Richard and Jason are going into business together. She decides to plan a party and hires Lorelai and Sookie to cater it, but Jason brushes it off as old fashioned and a hurt Emily has to cancel it, leading to a confrontation with Lorelai. Meanwhile, Kirk goes on a date, and is freaked out when Lulu actually turns out to like him. Rory becomes abnormally attached to a tree.

Best Line: “Flying thumping balls all over the place.” (Emily)

96. Star-Crossed Lovers and Other Strangers (Season 1, Episode 16)

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The very first Firelight Festival... Luke’s ex Rachel shows up, leading to a lot of awkwardness with both Luke and Lorelai. Dean plans a ridiculous three-month anniversary date for Rory, and when she’s not ready to say those three little words, he throws a hissy fit and dumps her.

Best Line: “This is just like that Christmas that I got a full set of illustrated encyclopedias! ... I wanted them.” (Rory)

95. Christopher Returns (Season 1, Episode 15)

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The first time we meet Christopher, it’s obvious he’s spent his life being kind of flaky in every way, and he still loves Lorelai. Rory has fun showing him around town, where the townspeople are overly curious about him. He and his parents join in on Friday night dinner, and a huge argument ensues about how Christopher and Lorelai never got married and threw their lives away. Lorelai and Christopher end up sleeping together, but Lorelai still makes him leave.

Best Line: “I know you heard a lot of talk about various disappointments this evening. And I know you’ve heard a lot of talk about it in the past. But I want to make this very clear. You, young lady, your person and your existence, have never, ever been, not even for a second, included in that list.” (Emily)

94. Haunted Leg (Season 3, Episode 2)

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Kirk asks Lorelai out on a date in one of the most endearing scenes of the series. Francie is causing trouble at Chilton, and though Emily’s upset about Lorelai and Christopher splitting up, she kicks him out of her house when he crashes Friday night dinner. Rory and Jess still won’t admit they like each other and argue about their respective relationships.

Best Line: “At least she had a husband to kill.” (Emily)

93. Help Wanted (Season 2, Episode 20)

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Luke and Lorelai haven’t spoken since the post-accident argument. Richard’s old secretary won’t come work for him, leaving him in a panic that he won’t be able to open the business at all. Lorelai ends up helping him out. Lane falls in love with a shiny red drum set at the new music store that just opened in Stars Hollow, and works out a deal with the owner so she can practice on them in the store.

Best Line: “If we were gazelles we’d be the first ones eaten at the watering hole.” (Rory)

92. The Breakup, Part II (Season 1, Episode 17)

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After her breakup with Dean, Rory goes into project mode, refusing to wallow as Lorelai suggests. When she decides to go to a Chilton party (one where Lorelai convinces her to bring Lane, who meets and falls for a potential Korean doctor, much to her horror), she ends up kissing Tristan, all while Lorelai goes running back into the arms of Max.

Best Line: “It looks so gross, which is usually the mark of a great junk food.” (Lorelai)

91. Hammers and Veils (Season 2, Episode 2)

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Rory starts panicking about her lack of extracurriculars while Lorelai starts planning her wedding to Max. After Stars Hollow throws her an epic engagement shower, and hurt at her mother’s reaction to the engagement, she finds out Emily already knew, and goes to her with an olive branch, asking for advice on the veil/tiara choice.

Best Line: “I need to find a retarded kid and teach him how to play softball!” (Rory)

90. Swan Song (Season 3, Episode 14)

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Lorelai goes to New York with Alex, Sookie, and Jackson, leaving Rory alone with Jess at Friday night dinner. He shows up late, with a black eye that everyone (Luke included) assumes was caused by a fight with Dean, but turns out to be the result of getting assaulted by a swan, leading Luke into a fit of laughter. Mrs. Kim runs into Dave with Brian and Zach, and hilarity ensues.

Best Line: “I was just walking by, and the thing came outta nowhere and BAM! Beaked me, right in the eye.” (Jess)

89. Cinnamon's Wake (Season 1, Episode 5)

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This is one of the first episodes that shows just how amazingly cracked the citizens of Stars Hollow are. Throwing a wake for a cat, everyone bands together to celebrate Cinnamon’s life and make Babette and Maury feel better. Lorelai runs into Max at the Chilton bake sale (where Sookie goes overboard and nearly sets the table on fire), and though she initially rebuffs him, she eventually agrees to go out with him (only to have said date postponed by the cat’s wake).

Best Line: “I though she was asleep, so I nudged her and she didn’t wake. I gave her a push and she fell off the couch, and since I’d just waxed the floor, she went shooting across the room. And then she knocked over the lamp and she still didn’t move. I knew it was over.” (Babette)

88. Love and War and Snow (Season 1, Episode 8)

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Lorelai’s love of snow is a running story for the show, and this is the first time we really get to see why she believes in the magic of snow. She runs into a stranded Max, only to have their date interrupted by an embarrassed Lane. Luke is mocking the Civil War re-enactors, but eventually softens up and brings them tea and cocoa. Rory gets stranded in Hartford with her grandparents, where she teaches them the wonders of frozen pizza and learns more about her mother’s upbringing.

Best Line: “There is no use for a lava lamp unless you’re on drugs.” (Taylor)

87. Hay Bale Maze (Season 7, Episode 18)

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In very Taylor-like fashion, Taylor has spent the entire budget for the Spring Fling Festival on a gigantic hay bale maze that takes up the whole town square. Rory bring Logan to Stars Hollow for the first time, and spends the whole weekend worrying about what to do with her future, while Lorelai worries about her going out of state.

Best Line: “The weird thing is, he’s been in that head, under that velvet cloth this whole time.” (Lorelai)

86. Go Bulldogs! (Season 7, Episode 6)

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While preparing for their ill-fated Paris trip, Christopher convinces Lorelai to attend Yale parents’ weekend, where he ends up embarrassing Rory. Kirk tells Luke he’s going to break up with Lulu, to which Luke threatens his life. At the urging April, Luke goes on a very weird and very bad date with her swim coach.

Best Line: “Honey, if those kids are going to be journalists, they have to learn to write drunk.” (Lorelai)

85. Introducing Lorelai Planetarium (Season 7, Episode 8)

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Lorelai and Christopher tell Rory about the marriage, and she’s upset she wasn’t there to see it. Logan has a big launch party for his business, and Rory writes a scathing article about the people that attend, leading to a huge argument between them. Luke is worried about April attending a boy/girl party, but she ends up sick, and after calling Lorelai for advice, takes her to the ER. Lorelai shows up at the hospital to check how they’re doing, and a heartbroken Luke sees the wedding ring.

Best Line: “The title of your article is ‘Let Them Drink Cosmos!’” (Logan)

84. Kiss and Tell (Season 1, Episode 7)

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Dean kisses Rory for the first time, and after finding out about it, Lorelai invites him to Wonka movie night, mortifying Rory. The entire town is curious about him, with Babette kidnapping him and Sookie showing up with desserts.

Best Line: “I got kissed! And I, and I shoplifted!” (Rory)

83. Happy Birthday, Baby (Season 3, Episode 18)

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Rory tells her elated grandparents that she’s decided on going to Yale. Richard ends up giving Lorelai a huge cheque from an investment he made in her name, and she uses it to pay off the Chilton loan, causing Emily to get very upset. Rory plans an epic birthday party for her mother, and Kirk gets horrible burns from cheese.

Best Line: “She’s going to Yale!” (Emily)
“She’s going to Yale!” (Richard)

82. Take the Deviled Eggs (Season 3, Episode 6)

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Everyone is upset about Jess getting a car after trashing Rory’s in the accident, and Luke’s panicked about where he got the money. Rory and Lorelai end up attending Sherry’s baby shower, which is basically their worst nightmare. To vent their anger and frustration, Rory and Lorelai end up throwing the deviled eggs Sherry insisted they take home at Jess’s car.

Best Line: “No one likes the British. Or buses!” (Taylor)

81. New and Improved Lorelai (Season 6, Episode 1)

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The entire town is pressing Luke and Lorelai about details of their engagement, and Kirk shows up with a bunch of creepy rings for Luke to look at. Richard and Emily are planning for Rory’s stay in the pool house and what to do with her legal defense, and are baffled when Lorelai ignores them. Paris is the only one of Rory’s friends to tell her she’s lost her mind.

Best Line: “I befriend really old women.” (Kirk)

80. Rory's Birthday Parties (Season 1, Episode 6)

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Lorelai makes a big deal of birthday parties, and we hear the ‘splits on a crate of dynamite’ story for the first time. Emily ends up planning an awful Chilton party for Rory’s birthday, which leads to her first argument with her grandmother. She still invites her grandparents to the big event the next night thrown by her mother though, and while there, Emily seems hurt about not being involved in Rory and Lorelai’s lives for so long. This is also the episode where we see the first sign of an olive branch between Rory and Paris though, when they realize they both want to go to Harvard.

Best Line: “What’s a Sookie?” (Emily)

79. Keg! Max! (Season 3, Episode 19)

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This episode has some great moments. When the band is trying to come up with their name, Lane drunk-dialing her mother, Jess and Dean getting into a fight... But can we talk about the dead horse named Max? Dearest writers - please stop beating him. It’s not going to happen. Just drop it.

Best Line: “Oh, that was the mother. I am liberated, my friend.” (Lane)

78. The Lorelais' First Day at Chilton (Season 1, Episode 2)

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When Paris Gellar first makes her appearance, it’s very easy to hate her. She’s threatened by Rory, and decides to make life at Chilton difficult for her. Rory is finding out for the first time what it’s like to no longer be the big fish in the little pond, though at the same time, we’re learning her true ambitions. We see more of Emily and just how meddling she can be at times, and also how good Lorelai is at her job. Bonus points for being the episode where we first meet Jackson.

Best Line: “This is the last time I buy anything just because it’s furry!” (Lorelai)

77. One's Got Class and the Other One Dyes (Season 3, Episode 4)

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First appearance of Zach and Brian! Lane’s trying to figure out how to practice with the band without her mother finding out, and decides to take a stand and dye her hair purple. However, immediately after taking the Polaroid, she ends up panicking and getting Rory to dye it back. Lorelai tries to talk to the Stars Hollow High kids about her success in business, but ends up pissing off the parents, because the kids only wanted to discuss her teenage pregnancy.

Best Line: “The smell of bleach is the smell of freedom!” (Lane)

76. Application Anxiety (Season 3, Episode 3)

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Lane is looking for a band to practice with, and we meet Dave Rygalski for the first time. If only he hadn’t moved to the O.C.... Rory’s college applications arrive and she ends up panicking about what to do, and at Headmaster Charleston’s suggestion, has dinner with a Harvard alumnus. Or alumni. Or alumn... Whatever.

Best Line: “And over my dead body is Kate Hudson getting your sport, let me just say that right now!” (Lorelai)

75. The Perfect Dress (Season 6, Episode 11)

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Lorelai and Sookie start planning the wedding, and when everything comes together in just one day, Lorelai starts to panic that it’s all too easy. Rory moves in with Paris and Doyle and is told by the school to see a shrink, which goes badly when Logan shows up at the apartment just before her appointment. Following Zach’s onstage meltdown, Lane is back to living with her mother, who surprisingly shares a shot with her and tells her to move on. Luke heads out to see Anna and talk about seeing April.

Best Line: “Those guys downstairs? They just look deadly. Believe me. They don’t bother you if you don’t bother them. When you have guests over, just tell them they’re a doo-wop group.” (Paris)

74. Luke Can See Her Face (Season 4, Episode 20)

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Luke buys some cheesy self-help tapes that finally make him realize how in love with Lorelai he is. He heads out to hunt Jess down and make him come to his mother’s wedding, and with the Dragonfly in the final stretch, Lorelai, Sookie, Jackson, and Michel end up sleeping with the zucchinis so Sookie can use them on opening night.

Best Line: “We slept with the zucchini.” (Lorelai)

73. Afterboom (Season 4, Episode 19)

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Luke and Nicole are finally heading for divorce, and Lorelai dumps Jason because she can’t be with someone who is suing her family. The stage is set! Emily is worried that Richard’s behaviour will cause Lorelai to take off again, and when the girls show up for Friday night dinner, Emily and Richard are surprised - the first real indication they’re separated. Lane sees a clone leaving her house and gets a little jealous; she later confronts her and finds out Mrs. Kim took in an exchange student. After an amazing gig with Hep Alien, Lane goes into her house and watches her mother sleeping, leaning over to give her a kiss, and breaking viewers’ hearts in the process.

Best Line: “I’m back!” (Sookie)

72. Twenty-One Is the Loneliest Number (Season 6, Episode 7)

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Forgetting that he and Emily ruined Lorelai’s plan to get Rory back to Yale, Richard and Lorelai argue about Rory’s aimlessness. While planning Rory’s birthday party (which is better than the Chilton one from season one but doesn’t compare to what Atlantic City would have been), Emily finds out Rory is not a virgin and fills up the pool house with junk so she can move Rory into the room right next to their’s. At the party, a disgusting drink is served, Paris announces she’s the new editor of the Yale Daily News, and Rory and Lorelai have an awkward and civil conversation but are interrupted by cake before they get the opportunity to reconcile at all. Sad.

Best Line: “God, that’s terrible, it’s like drinking a My Little Pony.” (Luke)

71. He's Slippin' 'Em Bread... Dig? (Season 6, Episode 10)

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With Rory back home, Lorelai is back to her old self, and they are catching each other up on their lives. Luke though, for whatever reason, is choosing to omit April. Hep Alien is preparing for a major showcase with a label in attendance, but Zach decides to lose his mind because Brian wrote a song called ‘Lane’, and blows the whole thing, leading to a break up of the band and his relationship with Lane.

Best Line: “The last time they triple-teamed me with a priest, a rabbi, and a Mormon missionary. I made soooo many jokes that night I should have had a microphone and a brick wall behind me.” (Lorelai)

70. Bridesmaids Revisited (Season 6, Episode 16)

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Lorelai babysits Gigi, which leads to a fight with Christopher when she tells him what a little terror his daughter is. Rory breaks up with Logan - again - when she finds out he slept with his sister’s bridesmaids while they were apart. The best part of the episode is Lane’s storyline. She starts advertising for a new band, and when a jealous Zach finds out, he vows to get Hep Alien back together. Brian and Gil agree only if he can get Lane back, so he shows up at Luke’s and proposes to her.

Best Line: “I want to get the healthy glow of someone who consistently goes to the gym. Without having to go to the gym of course.” (Kirk)

69. I'm OK, You're OK (Season 6, Episode 17)

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Rachel accepts Ross’s reasoning that they were on a break when he slept with the bridesmaids, so she reluctantly moves back in with him, but takes off to Stars Hollow for the weekend without telling him. While in Stars Hollow, Rory visits Anna Nardini’s shop, causing an argument with Lorelai. Lane, Zach, and Brian are moving back in together, and Mrs. Kim tells Zach he has to write a hit song if he wants to marry Lane.

Best Line: “What do you want to talk about? Life? Love? Common symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases?” (Paris)

68. Ballrooms & Biscotti (Season 4, Episode 1)

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Lorelai and Rory are back from Europe and preparing for Rory starting Yale the following week when they find out that she wrote the date down wrong and she actually leaves in three days. Taylor is upset when Rory tells him she doesn’t have time to be the ice cream queen, and Emily drags Friday night out by making Rory watch ballroom dancing videos. Luke, acting strange about his trip at the beginning, tells Lorelai that he and Nicole got married, and are now divorcing. Why, Luke. Why.

Best Line: “My parents, will outlive us. The damned can do that.” (Lorelai)

67. Let the Games Begin (Season 3, Episode 8)

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Jess and Rory have officially started dating, and Rory pulls a Dawson and climbs onto the roof outside Dean’s room to apologize to him. Richard asks Rory to come along on a tour of Yale, and everyone seems to be having fun until it turns out he arranged for an interview with the admissions department without telling anyone, and everyone ends up yelling at him.

Best Line: “I’m shaking like a spastic colon.” (Kirk)

66. Super Cool Party People

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Lorelai rescues April’s party from the ineptitude of Luke, which causes Anna to go completely insane. Apparently she is all for her daughter having crappy birthdays. Logan is in the hospital very badly injured, and Rory can’t find anything out until Paris calls and goes oldschool on the staff. Angry that none of his family is there, she calls Mitchum and chews him out, a scene which gets better and better the more times you watch it.

Best Line: “I just thought I’d call and remind you that Logan is lying in a hospital bed with a partially collapsed lung and a whole host of other potentially life-threatening injuries and I’m figuring a guy like you surrounded by nothing but a bunch of terrified sycophants might not have someone in his life with the guts to tell him what an incredibly selfish, narcissistic ass he’s being, so I thought I’d jump on in. Swallow your pride, get in your car, and come down here and see your son. NOW!” (Rory)

65. There's the Rub (Season 2, Episode 16)

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Emily wins a weekend at a spa and ropes Lorelai into joining her. They end up finally getting along near the end of the trip when they decide to go out for steak rather than eating air at the spa, until Emily gets hit on and panics. Rory is looking forward to having the house to herself until Paris and Jess show up. Dean comes by with no warning and starts yelling at Rory in front of them (what a charmer), until Paris lies and says Rory invited Jess because Paris has a crush on him.

Best Line: “Come on Mom, what’s it gonna be? Viscious trollop or the wide world of mungbeans?” (Lorelai)

64. Richard in Stars Hollow (Season 2, Episode 12)

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Driving Emily crazy, Richard gets sent to spend the day in Stars Hollow with Rory and Lorelai. He ends up nitpicking Lorelai about everything from her outfit to the way she conducts her business, driving her crazy. Later, when Dean shows up with the finished car he had made for Rory, Richard gets protective and demands they take it to a garage (yay first appearance of Gypsy!) to get it looked at. Lorelai ends up yelling at him and he tells her he knows the only reason he’s there is because he’s driving his wife crazy.

Best Line: “I want to be those people. I want to cause that pain.” (Paris)

63. We've Got Magic to Do (Season 6, Episode 5)

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Yes, everything Rory tackles, she conquers, but the fact that what she is conquering in this episode is a party and not an internship at CNN is what sucks. And watching her fake being nice to the Huntzbergers irks me, though watching Richard confront Mitchum and Emily tell off Sheera is awe-inspiring. Kirk performs and incredibly disturbing performing arts piece at Miss Patty’s annual recital.

Best Line: “You were a two-bit gold-digger fresh off the bus from Hicksville when you met Mitchum at whatever bar you happened to stumble into. And what made Mitchum decide to choose you to marry amongst the pack of women he was bedding at the time I’ll never know, but hats off to you for bagging him. He’s still a playboy, you know. Well of course you know, that would explain why your weight goes up and down thirty pounds every other month.” (Emily)

62. The Third Lorelai (Season 1, Episode 18)

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Emily’s in a panic about Richard’s mother coming for a visit, and her argument with Lorelai causes Rory to miss out on a hundred thousand dollar trust fund. Rory convinces Tristan to ask Paris out on a date with predictably terrible results.

Best Line: “Stop talking to the dogs!” (Emily)

61. Kill Me Now (Season 1, Episode 3)

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The first season is full of a lot of firsts, and in this episode, we see how the comedy of the show can be more than just a bunch of one liners. Emily’s revolving door of maids, the odd events Stars Hollow seems to attract (twins marrying twins?), and the awkwardness of Rory spending time with her Grandfather for the first real time in her life make this a truly funny episode. Plus, this is where we first hear of Rory’s travel plans and her backpacking trip with her Mom.

Best Line: “I was attacked by a band of swans in the Luxembourg Gardens when I was a boy. No one forgets that.” (Michel)

60. Concert Interruptus (Season 1, Episode 13)

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Lorelai’s house is drop-off central for a town rummage sale, and the stuff threatens to eat Sookie. Rory has to work on a group project with Paris, Madeline, and Louise, and when things seem to be going well, Lorelai invites them to the Bangles concert in New York that night. Though Paris has fun, Madeline and Louise end up taking off with Superman and some other random dude, and Lorelai goes mama bear and hunts them down.

Best Line: “Now I’ve got magnetic sushi, all is right with the world.” (Luke)

59. The Lorelais' First Day at Yale (Season 4, Episode 2)

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Rory gets moved into her Yale room with the help of her mother and Luke, taking multiple trips due to all the cool stuff Lorelai sees she failed to get her daughter, and of course, because of the mattress. Her roommate ends up being Paris, who shows up with her creepy new life coach, Terrance. After Lorelai leaves for the final time, Rory calls her in a panic, so she ends up coming back and ordering enough food to feed a country and staying the night.

Best Line: “Copper boom!” (Lorelai)

58. The Hobbit, the Sofa, and Digger Stiles (Season 4, Episode 3)

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Sookie and Lorelai end up catering a Lord of the Rings themed birthday party, and Sookie panics that she’ll be a terrible mother because she doesn’t know what to feed children and yells at a little girl. Rory attends her first class, showing up early enough that the only person there is Naked Guy. This is also the episode where Jason worms his way into Richard’s, and thus Lorelai’s, life. Boo.

Best Line: “The room. It smells like guilt and Chanel No. 5.” (Lorelai)

57. Blame Booze and Melville (Season 5, Episode 21)

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Luke and Kirk end up in front of the town elders to decide who should be able to buy the Twickam house, and they agree it should be Luke because he pined for Lorelai for so long. The article about the Dragonfly comes out, and Emily surprisingly forgives Lorelai fairly quickly. Then there’s Mitchum. Mitchum Huntzberger. The ass-hat who crushes Rory’s dreams in just a few sentences. F*&% you, Mitchum Huntzberger.

Best Line: “It’s comin’ around the mountain!” (Sookie)

56. A House is Not a Home (Season 5, Episode 22)

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Rory has been arrested, and after being bailed out by her mother, decides to lose her damn her mind and drop out of Yale. Lorelai goes to her parents in a panic and they agree on a plan to get her back, until Richard and Emily decide to lose their damn mind and allow Rory to move in with them. This leads to the biggest, longest, and most unpleasant argument between Lorelai and Rory in the entire show. I do love Mrs. Kim in this one though - telling Lane that Kims don’t give up and arranging for a full Hep Alien tour at churches around the country.

Best Line: “Luke will you marry me?” (Lorelai)

55. Norman Mailer, I'm Pregnant! (Season 5, Episode 6)

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The Dragonfly account tells Lorelai and Sookie that they need to drop lunch for the time being in order to save some cash, and Sookie blames Norman Mailer, who has been coming in and ordering nothing but iced tea for hours. She later figures out that she was so crabby because she’s pregnant. Lorelai seems happy with Luke, until Christopher calls her in a panic and tells her that Sherry left him and Gigi all alone and he doesn’t know what to do. Rory gets upset, and tells her father to leave Lorelai alone and let her be happy.

Best Line: “You’re a reporter now Gilmore, you gotta learn to say ass.” (Doyle)

54. Gilmore Girls Only (Season 7, Episode 17)

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Lorelai and Rory end up bringing Emily along on a road trip to see Mia’s wedding, and though she doesn’t want to go, Emily ends up almost bonding with Mia. Zach and Lane ask Luke to be godfather to the boys, and shortly after, she gives birth to Kwan and Steve.

Best Line: “Would it give you that much pleasure to hear me say ass?” (Emily)

53. Women of Questionable Morals (Season 5, Episode 11)

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Emily finds a dog in the backyard, and caring for it brings her and Richard closer together, giving us hope they may end up reconciling. Christopher’s father dies, and Rory tells her mom to go see him, giving her blessing for them to start talking again. In one of his grandest romantic gestures, Luke builds Lorelai a skating rink in her front yard to make her feel better about the snow she has been fighting with.

Best Line: “Grown-up milk and cookies.” (Lorelai)

52. Always a Godmother, Never a God (Season 6, Episode 4)

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Jackson’s parents are bugging him and Sookie to baptize the babies, and she takes it as an opportunity to get Lorelai and Rory into the same room, asking them to be godmother to Martha and to Davey. Unfortunately it just ends up with them arguing after Lorelai tries to call Rory and finds out her number’s been disconnected.

Best Line: “Which one goes better with a baby?” (Lorelai)

51. You've Been Gilmored (Season 6, Episode 14)

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Paris gets ousted as Yale Daily News editor, and when Rory gets the job, she kicks her out, forcing Rory to move in with Logan. Michel is jealous about Luke helping out around the inn, because he misses making the to-do list with Lorelai at Weston’s.

Best Line: “I love shrimp, who else loves shrimp!” (Richard)

50. Unto the Breach (Season 7, Episode 21)

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In the aftermath of her drunken night of karaoke, Lorelai has to convince Babette and Miss Patty that the song meant nothing, and when Luke overhears her, he gets a little short with her. Lorelai is preoccupied by Logan’s question, which he chooses to ask in front of everyone at the graduation party Rory’s grandparents throw for her. Rory pulls him aside and tells him she needs to think, and at her graduation, she tells him she’s not ready. He says it’s all or nothing, and walks away.

Best Line: “Lorelai, I will note the time, I will take the photo. You just sit there and enjoy your daughter’s graduation from Yale. This is as much your moment as Rory’s. Enjoy it.” (Richard)

49. Lorelai? Lorelai? (Season 7, Episode 20)

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Rory is panicking about what she’ll do after graduation when she has to tell everyone at Friday Night dinner that she didn’t get the internship. Luke is wearing the blue hat from Lorelai again, and at the debut of Babette and Miss Patty’s cabaret act, Lorelai ends up taking the karaoke mic and singing Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” as Luke walks in. Aw... Zach gets an offer to play lead guitar for some huge band’s tour, and Logan asks Lorelai for permission to ask Rory to marry him.

Best Line: “I Will Always Love You” (Lorelai singing)

48. Will You Be My Lorelai Gilmore? (Season 7, Episode 16)

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Rory’s busy interviewing for different potential jobs after graduation while planning Lane’s baby shower with Lorelai. Because she’s so busy, Lorelai ends up having to play mediator for Lane and Mrs. Kim and figuring out what to do when Lane gets put on bed rest. Logan tells Rory about his company going bust, and she worries about his behaviour when he takes off to Vegas.

Best Line: “So, what I wanted to know is... Would you be their Lorelai Gilmore?” (Lane)

47. Forgiveness and Stuff (Season 1, Episode 10)

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After the debacle with Rory’s Dance, Lorelai is hurt when her mother disinvites her to the annual Gilmore Christmas Party. Everything ends up forgotten when Richard has a heart attack and Luke ends up driving her to the hospital and sticking around to make sure she’s okay. Emily can see that they’re meant to be together, telling Luke their both idiots if they’re not dating. We see for the first real time how in love Richard and Emily are when she realizes she wouldn’t know what to do without him and demands that she die first.

Best Line: “In fact, I demand to go first!” (Emily)

46. I'd Rather Be in Philadelphia (Season 7, Episode 13)

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Richard has another heart attack, right in the middle of Rory’s class with him. Logan immediately shows up at the hospital asking how he can help. Babette tells Luke about it, who also shows up wondering how he can help. Christopher is ignoring everyone’s calls and doesn’t show up until the very end. Jerk.

Best Line: “Well, my brain wasn’t up to choosing between things, so I got one of everything.” (Rory)

45. Nick & Nora/Sid & Nancy (Season 2, Episode 5)

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The first appearance of Jess. Rory is overly excited about her first day back at Chilton, and tries to convince Paris that they need to coexist. Of course this doesn’t work. Luke gets a phone call that makes him very very angry, which turns out to be his sister saying she’s sending her son to stay with him, because she can’t handle him. Lorelai warns Luke to be careful, but invites them over to a dinner with Jackson and Sookie. He seems to like Rory, but is otherwise immediately causing trouble, and Luke freaks out and pushes him in the lake.

Best Line: “I don’t even like kids, they’re always sticky, you know, like they’ve got jam on their hands. Even if there’s no jam in the house, somehow they’ve still got jam on their hands. I’m not the right guy to deal with this, I have no patience for jam hands!” (Luke)

44. Red Light on the Wedding Night (Season 2, Episode 3)

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Lorelai is busy planning the wedding, when at her bachelorette party (which is hilarious - Emily in a drag club), she ends up calling Christopher instead of Max and realizes she doesn’t want to get married. She wakes Rory up in the middle of the night and tells her they’re taking off but they don’t know where to.

Best Line: “We’re almost there and nowhere near it. All that matters is we’re going.” (Lorelai)

43. Say Goodbye to Daisy Miller (Season 5, Episode 1)

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Post coitus with the married jerk Dean, Rory and Lorelai end up arguing. When Emily invites Rory to come to Europe with her, Lorelai encourages her to go, leading to a Henry James reference. The best parts of this episode are Emily climbing out the basement window and losing her skirt, and Lorelai and Luke FINALLY being officially together. Yay!

Best Line: “Well then buy me a boa and drive me to Reno because I am open for business!” (Emily)

42. Teach Me Tonight (Season 2, Episode 19)

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With Jess flunking out of school, Luke asks Rory to help tutor him. They end up taking an ice cream break which leads to a car accident and Lorelai going on a rampage looking for Jess. She ends up running into Luke, resulting in a screaming match. Even though he can tell Jess is upset, Luke ends up sending him back to New York.

Best Line: “Hey, do you remember in Terms of Endearment that scene where Shirley MacLaine is in the hospital and freaks out because they won’t give her daughter a shot? She got that from me and she toned it down a little so once again I’m looking for my daughter Rory Gilmore?” (Lorelai)

41. Dead Uncles and Vegetables (Season 2, Episode 17)

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Luke’s curmudgeon uncle dies, and he’s put in charge of planning the funeral that no one wants to attend. Lorelai ends up being the only one to help, and she convince him that he won’t end up like his uncle, that everyone in town loves him. Sookie is planning her wedding to Jackson, and when Emily overhears, it leads to the crazy phase of midgets and mushrooms and the insanity of Emily-Land. At Louie’s funeral, the town re-enactors end up arriving, mainly to support Luke, and there’s a memorial at the diner where everyone tells stories about what a jerk he was.

Best Line: “What are the paper mushrooms for?” (Lorelai)
“For the midgets dressed like angels to dance under, silly!” (Sookie)

40. Paris is Burning (Season 1, Episode 11)

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The episode opens with one of my personal most quoted bits, when Lorelai and Rory are doing the ABCs of diseases to decide who should do the laundry. Lorelai is officially dating Max, and when she realizes Rory might be getting attached, she panics and backs off. When she goes to parents’ day at Chilton and tries to break it off with him, Paris sees them kissing and it spreads all around the school. Sookie asks Jackson out on a date in one of the sweetest moments of the show. Seriously, I love those two.

Best Line: “Jackson? Would you like to go to dinner sometime? With me?” (Sookie)

39. The Real Paul Anka (Season 6, Episode 18)

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Logan takes off for a Life and Death Brigade event that Rory knows is stupid, but since she still hasn’t forgiven him, she doesn’t really care. Richard and Emily are looking around Stars Hollow for houses, and Lorelai, thinking they want to move there, starts telling them what a terrible place it is to live. When she gets a letter from Jess inviting her to the open house at his publishing company, she takes off to Philadelphia and they share some sweet moments until she realizes she can’t cheat on him. The very last appearance of Jess Mariano... *sniffle*

Best Line: “It’s what it is, you, me.” (Jess)

38. It's Just Like Riding a Bike (Season 7, Episode 19)

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Lorelai’s car breaks down, and she asks Luke to help her find a new one so they can try and get back to normal. It’s awkward and weird at first, but when they finally start arguing, Lorelai’s happy that they’re doing well again. Davey and Martha have the chicken pox, and Jackson ends up staying with Lorelai. Sookie’s worried about him being a terrible house guest, and they end up talking about how she doesn’t want to be mad about the baby, and they end up making up.

Best Line: “I mean, we’ve been so polite to each other and I knew he was frustrated with me and I was definitely frustrated with him and finally he snapped, and we started bickering and it was nice. More normal, you know?” (Lorelai)

37. Emily in Wonderland (Season 1, Episode 19)

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When Emily mentions she’s looking for antiques, Rory invites her to spend the day in Stars Hollow. They’re having a great time looking around and going into Kim’s Antiques, until Emily sees the gardening shed where they stayed when Lorelai first left the Gilmore house, she panics and takes off. She’s really hurt and confronts Lorelai about how she would have rather been anywhere but their house, and Lorelai tries nicely telling her how suffocating it was for her.. Lorelai takes Rory and Sookie to see the Dragonfly property for the first time.

Best Line: “Yes, I would date Steven Tyler.” (Lorelai)

36. A-Tisket, A-Tasket (Season 2, Episode 13)

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Stars Hollow’s latest crazy event is to have the women make a picnic lunch for the men, who then buy the baskets at an auction, getting lunch and a date. Lorelai ends up in a panic because Miss Patty is trying to find Lorelai a man and they all show up to try to win her basket, so she gets Luke to rescue her. Jess buys Rory’s basket because an upset Dean didn’t bring enough money, and after getting mad at Sookie and not buying hers, Jackson ends up having to buy it away from Kirk when they make up. Then he and Sookie decide to get married. Everybody now: AW!!!!

Best Line: “I think we should get married.” (Jackson)
“But, uh... But...” (Sookie)
“Soon.” (Jackson)
“Are you pregnant?” (Sookie)

35. Come Home (Season 5, Episode 12)

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Mrs. Kim expects Lane to come to Lunar New Year, and she tells her she’ll only come if the rest of the band can come with her. Zach and Mrs. Kim end up bonding over their mutual dislike of Lane’s new contacts, and Brian hits it off with Kyon. Richard finds out about Emily’s “Hello” and gets incredibly jealous, rear-ending her car when he sees them talking. He insists on driving her home, and she asks him to come home. Rory is disappointed when Logan doesn’t ask her to come with him to some big party his father was throwing.

Best Line: “Lorelai, Rory. Your Grandmother and I have reconciled. We are officially back together.” (Richard)

34. They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They? (Season 3, Episode 7)

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So much amazingness happens in this episode. While at the 24-hour dance marathon, Taylor gets drunk, Jackson and Sookie argue about his wanting 4 in 4 and her telling Lorelai, Luke rescues Lorelai when her shoe breaks, Dave Rygalski flirts with Lane, and after Dean breaks up with Rory in front of everyone, Jess finds her on the bridge and they admit they’re into each other. Plus, there’s always Kirk running around the dance floor to the theme from Rocky while carrying the trophy.

Best Line: “Sookie, he’s a produce man. They’ll never find the body but the squash will be especially chatty that year.” (Lorelai)

33. I Can't Get Started (Season 2, Episode 22)

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It’s Sookie and Jackson’s wedding day! Paris is running for student body president, and realizes she won’t win without someone likable as her vice, so she asks Rory. Christopher and Sherry have split up, and he and Lorelai end up spending the night together. At Sookie’s wedding though, they find out that Sherry is pregnant, so he leaves to do the right thing this time. Jess comes back to town, and Rory kisses him. Feeling guilty about Dean, she tells her mom that she and Paris won the election and will be spending the summer in Washington.

Best Line: “Oy with the poodles already!” (Lorelai)

32. A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving (Season 3, Episode 9)

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Rory is worried about kissing Jess in public because she doesn’t want to hurt Dean. Kirk is very hurt, because he has adopted a cat he named Kirk, who is a total jerk and keeps scratching him. Lorelai and Rory have four Thanksgivings to attend, starting with Kim’s, where they end up accidentally consuming tofurkey. At Sookie’s, she’s freaking out because all of Jackson’s hillbilly relatives are there, and they decide to deep-fry her turkey, so she starts getting very drunk. Everyone comments on Rory and Jess’s lame kiss at the Luke dinner, and Jess ends up arguing with Dean when he seems them together. At the Gilmore dinner, Lorelai gets upset when Rory announces she’s applied to Yale.

Best Line: “I’ve already gone through the five stages of grieving. Denial. Anger. I don’t remember these two but they were served ON THE ROCKS WITH SALT!” (Sookie)

31. Say Goodnight, Gracie (Season 3, Episode 20)

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Fran Weston dies, and though Lorelai and Sookie are sad, they realize that this means the Dragonfly will be up for sale, so they accost her lawyer while they’re walking the casket around the town square, and he tells them they can have it. Rory freaks out when Dean tells her he proposed to Lindsey. Jess’s father shows up at the diner, and when Jess finds out who he is, he freaks out at Luke for not telling him. He takes off into the sunset without telling Rory when he realizes he won’t be graduating or taking her to prom

Best Line: “I’m so glad I had all that sex.” (Miss Patty)

30. Driving Miss Gilmore (Season 6, Episode 21)

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Emily has had laser eye surgery, and turns into a major drama queen when she feels the surgeon botched it. She guilts Lorelai into driving her around and helping her with her errands, where it turns out that the house they were looking for in Stars Hollow was for Luke and Lorelai as their wedding present. Lorelai tearfully tells her mother she doesn’t think the wedding will happen. Rory gets Paris and Doyle to take care of Logan, and she gets upset when Mitchum gives an interview where he takes full credit for Rory’s success. Jackson and Sookie are freaking out when they realize the Templeton brothers planted a whole ton of weed on one of Jackson’s properties, and they can’t figure out how to get rid of it.

Best Line: “All because of pickles!” (Sookie)

29. I Get a Sidekick Out of You (Season 6, Episode 19)

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It’s Lane’s wedding, and Mrs. Kim starts freaking out when she realizes her mother has decided to leave Korea for the first time and attend. She starts panicking, and Lane realizes she was not the first Kim to hide her life from her mother. She and Zach end up having two ceremonies: one Buddhist, to appease her grandmother, and one Christian, to appease her mother. Mrs. Kim gives her blessing to have a huge all-night party, where Lorelai ends up giving a drunken speech about how she’ll never get married. The wedding ends early for Rory when she gets a call that Logan got severely injured on his LDB trip and is in a hospital in New York.

Best Line: “Because, there’s 58 seats and 62 Koreans!” (Rory)

28. In the Clamor and the Clangor (Season 4, Episode 11)

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Lorelai and Luke get into an argument when she finds out he moved out of the apartment above the diner and didn’t tell her, but they make up by the end of the episode when they break the church bells that are driving everyone crazy. Gil gets Hep Alien a gig at CBGBs, and not knowing how to get out of the house to attend, Lane ends up just leaving. When Mrs. Kim realizes Lane isn’t there, she goes into a panic, calling the police and the fire department, but when Lorelai tells her Lane showed up at Rory’s dorm at Yale, Mrs. Kim is heartbroken and finds all of Lane’s hidden stuff. She and Lane end up having an honest conversation, and Lane is told that if she wants to live like that, she will have to move out. That last scene with the two of them breaks my heart every time I watch it.

Best Line: “I started it when I was six. The day you told me that the Cookie Monster was one of the seven deadly sins.” (Lane)

27. The Festival of Living Art (Season 4, Episode 7)

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Visually, this is one of the best episodes of the series. Stars Hollow is hosting a crazy event where the townspeople pose as famous paintings, and Lorelai and Rory get roped into helping. Hep Alien finally finds a guitarist to replace Dave, though they’re all a little nervous about how much older Gil is. Giving hope to all of us single people out there, Kirk has actually found love and is showing off his girlfriend Lulu all around town.

Best Line: “You know, an elephant squirted me once at the zoo. Maybe it shot something on me, some kind of elephant gestation juice.” (Sookie)

26. Tick, Tick, Tick, Boom! (Season 4, Episode 18)

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Stars Hollow is suffering from a horrible smell, which turns out to be all the leftover eggs from the Easter egg hunt that were never found, because Kirk didn’t make a map. Luke ends up finding them and telling Kirk to say it was him, so that he can be the hero. Richard and Jason are talking about expanding their business, until Jason’s father announces he’s suing them (outing Jason and Lorelai as a couple in the process). Rory freaks out when she finds out Dean dropped out of school to help support his wife.

Best Line: “Eggs... Better get the eggs... Eggs...” (Kirk)

25. Let Me Hear Your Balalaikas Ringing Out (Season 6, Episode 8)

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FINALLY someone gets through to Rory about how insane she’s been acting. Jess shows up at the Gilmore house having written a novella, and when he and Rory go out to celebrate, Logan shows up. Logan ends up acting like a total jerk, and Jess calls Rory out on being with a jerk like that, not being in school, and wasting her life away in the D.A.R. Rory walks out on Logan, and stands up to her grandmother.

Best Line: “What are you doing? Living at your grandparents’ place, being in the D.A.R., no Ya- WHY DID YOU DROP OUT OF YALE?” (Jess)

24. The Prodigal Daughter Returns (Season 6, Episode 9)

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Lorelai can tell something’s going on with Rory, but she doesn’t know what yet. Richard comes home to find Colin and Finn moving Rory’s things out of the house, and we find out she’s moved in with Lane. Rory spends the day trying to get a job at the Stanford Eagle Gazette, and while Lorelai’s sitting at home all alone, she gets a call from Rory and everything immediately goes back to what it used to be between them, with Rory driving up to the house and them hugging. Lorelai runs into Luke’s to celebrate, having no idea that some little kid had shown up looking for Luke, and that he apparently has a twelve-year old daughter.

Best Line: “I love you, Mom.” (Rory)
“Oh kid, you have no idea.” (Lorelai)

23. Written in the Stars (Season 5, Episode 3)

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Richard and Emily are arguing, Asher dies, and Rory meets Logan. But none of that matters, because this is the episode featuring Luke and Lorelai’s first date! He tells her he is all in, and reveals that he has been carrying around the horoscope she gave him the day they met. They end up sleeping together, and when Lorelai wakes up and wants coffee, she goes down to the diner, not realizing that it’s full of people. Later, when they arrive at the town meeting, everyone is discussing the possible ramifications of Luke and Lorelai dating and what would happen if they broke up, and Luke loses it. It’s about damn time, Luke and Lorelai.

Best Line: “Lorelai, this thing we’re doing here, me, you. I just want you to know I’m in. I am all in.” (Luke)

22. But I'm a Gilmore (Season 5, Episode 19)

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Rory tells Logan she no longer wants to do the casual thing, and he takes it as an ultimatum and offers to try and be her boyfriend. When his sister shows up and finds out, she insists that Rory come to the Huntzberger’s house for dinner, which is a complete disaster when Logan’s mother and grandfather tell Rory she’s not good enough to date a Huntzberger. Supposedly feeling bad about the dinner, Mitchum offers Rory an internship, which Logan feels suspicious about, but Rory eagerly accepts. Meanwhile, Sookie has been put on bedrest for the remainder of her pregnancy, and when Lorelai gets Luke to temporarily take over the Dragonfly kitchen, Sookie loses it and ends up moving into a room in the inn so she can test every dish he makes.

Best Line: “Do you remember when Han Solo finds Luke Skywalker in the snowstorm and he cuts open their dead tauntaun to hide inside? That’s what I smell like at this moment.” (Doyle)

21. Those Are Strings, Pinocchio (Season 3, Episode 22)

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Rory’s graduating from Chilton, and Lorelai finds out the Independence is closing down, so she can’t afford to both buy the Dragonfly and send Rory to Yale. Rory ends up asking her grandparents for the money for Yale so that Lorelai and Sookie can buy the inn. Jess keeps calling Rory and not saying anything, so she finally calls him out for being a jerk who left with no warning. Warning: watching this episode without Kleenex and waterproof mascara is a very, very bad idea.

Best Line: “But my ultimate inspiration comes from my best friend. The dazzling woman from whom I received my life’s blood, Lorelai Gilmore.” (Rory)

20. The Reigning Lorelai (Season 4, Episode 16)

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Trix dies and Richard is inconsolable, leaving Emily to take care of everything. She ends up finding a letter from the night before the wedding where Trix begs Richard not to marry Emily, because she’s nowhere near as good as Pennilyn Lott. Emily loses her mind and starts smoking and making inappropriate comments, leaving everything to Lorelai, who has no idea what to do and melts down in a lingerie store. By the time the actual funeral rolls around though, Emily seems to have calmed down.

Best Line: “I don’t know why everybody in this town always thinks I’m crazy.” (Kirk)

19. Scene in a Mall (Season 4, Episode 15)

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Lane is moving onto an apartment with Zach and Brian, and goes to get her things from her mom’s house, where her aunt does all the talking. Luke tries to be all casual as he gives Lorelai the money she asked for to keep things moving forward on the Dragonfly. Tired of being poor, Lorelai and Rory decide to go window shopping, but run into Emily who is causing a scene by buying everything in site at a department store because she’s upset with Jason and Richard and Richard’s mustache. She finally calms down when Rory and Lorelai introduce her to the wonders of food court food.

Best Line: “Well I did not foresee your burning loin.” (Lorelai)

18. Lorelai's Graduation Day (Season 2, Episode 21)

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Lorelai’s graduating from her community college business class, and even though she doesn’t want anyone but Rory, Sookie, and Jackson there, Rory invites Richard and Emily. Emily shows up with a professional photographer, and she and Richard look proud as she gets her diploma. Rory though has decided to take off from Chilton and spend the day with Jess in New York, and doesn’t make it back in time. Rory tries convincing her mother that she’s not into Jess, that she loves Dean, but it’s obviously not true.

Best Line: “You’re drawing me into your drunken world.” (Rory)

17. The Ins and Outs of Inns (Season 2, Episode 8)

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Mia comes to Stars Hollow for a visit, and though Lorelai and Sookie were talking about names for the Dragonfly and asking Fran Weston about the property, Lorelai still freaks out when she finds out Mia is wanting to sell the inn. Jess is causing trouble around Stars Hollow, and the town meeting starts early so they can discuss the issue without Luke or Lorelai. Rory gets mad at Jess about him making everyone upset with Luke, so Jess ends up trying to help out around the diner more. In a completely heartbreaking scene, Emily shows up at the Independence to talk to Mia and ask for photos from her early years with Lorelai and Rory.

Best Line: “Tell me it’s not that bastard Donald Trump.” (Sookie)

16. To Live and Let Diorama (Season 5, Episode 18)

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Old man Twickam has finally actually died, and he leaves his house to the town of Stars Hollow so they can turn it into a museum of the town. Paris ends up joining Rory in Stars Hollow, and the two of them get drunk with Lane on Miss Patty’s Founder’s Day punch, complaining about the men in their lives. Feeling guilty about everything she said about her mother, Lorelai asks the magazine to pull the article about the Dragonfly. Dean (in his very last appearance) tells Luke that Lorelai will only end up dumping him, because that’s what the Gilmore girls do. Real winner, that Dean.

Best Line: “I want to live my life so that I’ll be able to read an in-depth biography of myself in later years and not puke.” (Paris)

15. Wedding Bell Blues (Season 5, Episode 13)

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After reconciling, Richard and Emily decide to have a vow renewal party. Rory gets jealous when Logan shows up to it with a date, and pulls him into a different room to hook up with him. Christopher shows up, drunk, and won’t leave Lorelai alone, causing Luke to get extremely upset. Both Luke and Christopher get extremely protective of Rory when they find her with Logan, and when Luke leaves in a huff, Lorelai tells her mother she’s done with her.

Best Line: “Please make your mother stop talking to me.” (Gypsy)

14. Double Date (Season 1, Episode 12)

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Sookie and Jackson are acting strangely toward each other, because they haven’t had their date yet. When Lorelai finally gets Sookie to ask him for a specific dinner, she ends up getting dragged along with Jackson’s creepy cousin Rune. Though Rune does his very best to ruin everything, he ends up going home so Sookie and Jackson can finally enjoy their date, which seems to go well after that. It’s really sweet to see them laughing together, and Luke looks like he might ask Lorelai out, but ends up chickening out. Rory agrees to arrange for a double date with Lane, who has a crush on one of Dean’s friends, but it turns out to be a total disaster because Todd is a dud.

Best Line: “I’m a sexual harasser!” (Sookie)

13. Last Week Fights, This Week Tights (Season 4, Episode 21)

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With everyone leaving Yale, Rory realizes she went through a dating dry spell, and feels kind of bad. When Emily shows up with one of her friend’s grandsons, Rory agrees to go out to a bar that night with him and his friends, but ends up calling Dean to rescue her when the guy turns out to be a bit of a creep. When Dean later drops her off, Jess shows up and asks her to run away with him, and she tells both of them to leave. Liz and T.J. are getting married, and Luke brings Lorelai as his date, and tells her they should do it again sometime. Took you long enough, Luke! Also, no matter how many times I see that scene where Mrs. Kim comes to Lane, Brian, and Zach's apartment for the first time, and just shakes her head and runs, I still laugh my ass off.

Best Line: “There were boys. At Lane’s, two boys, one with hair. And, and the place, broken furniture and dirt and boys, and a broken window and boys and a tiny fridge and guitars and boys.” (Mrs. Kim)

12. The Party's Over (Season 5, Episode 8)

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When Emily and Richard find out Rory is dating Dean again, they throw her a party under the guise of introducing her to all their Yale alumni friends, but it turns out to be them with all of their twenty-something sons. Logan rescues Rory and pulls her out to the poolhouse where he and friends are having a real party, and when Dean comes to pick her up, he realizes he doesn’t belong in her world, and breaks up with her. Lane takes pity on her hungry clone, and feeds her some french fries at Luke’s, but Kyon ends up telling Mrs. Kim about Lane and Zach, and Mrs. Kim confronts Zach on the streets in an epic fashion.

Best Line: “You! You dirty, filthy devil boy! You will pay for this, you will burn in a hellfire for this! You will swim in the sludge with Satan’s helldogs, and feed them your innards for eternity!” (Mrs. Kim)

11. So... Good Talk (Season 5, Episode 16)

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Luke is angrier than usual and keeps burning the food and kicking the customers out of the diner. Emily can’t understand why Lorelai keeps hanging up on her every time she calls, and ends up arguing with Rory when she shows up to Friday night dinner and is friendly with Richard but hostile towards Emily. In an attempt to reconcile, Emily goes to the diner and tells Luke to go after Lorelai. Though he doesn’t speak, he does go to the house and kiss Lorelai, finally making up with her.

Best Line: “His eyes... Red, like the fires of Mordor.” (Zach)

10. A Tale of Poes and Fire (Season 3, Episode 17)

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A group of Edgar Allen Poe aficionados is staying at the Independence Inn, and Rory is working on her pro/con lists for the universities she got into, surprised that Yale seems to be in the lead. Lorelai gets a phone call in the middle of the night saying the Inn has had a fire, and ends up finding people all around town to take in the inn guests, while Sookie takes over Luke’s kitchen. Worried about how she always wanted Harvard, Rory and Lorelai talk about how Yale wouldn’t be the worst thing, and Lorelai changes Rory’s Harvard wall over to all Yale stuff, and Kirk’s latest topical t-shirt is “rory’s going to yale”.

Best Line: “babette ate oatmeal.” (Kirk's t-shirt)

9. The Bracebridge Dinner (Season 2, Episode 10)

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The Independence Inn is planning a huge, fancy event that ends up getting snowed in, and rather than canceling it completely, Lorelai and Sookie arrange for the citizens of Stars Hollow to come over for dinner and a night at the inn. Richard, who has been upset for weeks, shows up in a wonderful mood, and announces at the dinner that he has in fact retired, to the surprise of everyone. This is easily one of the best episodes of the show, encompassing everything there is to love about Stars Hollow; the kookiness, the camaraderie, the laughter... It’s a really great episode.

Best Line: “Oh, that makes me so mad. And so sad. I’m smad!” (Sookie)

8. To Whom It May Concern (Season 7, Episode 12)

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Anna and Luke finally have their custody hearing, where the letter that Lorelai wrote is read out in court, at the same time that Christoper finds a copy of it and reads it. Luke ends up getting shared custody of April, and Christopher ends up losing it on Lorelai, saying the letter sounds like a love letter, and he takes off. To lighten the mood of the drama a little bit, Sookie finds out that Jackson didn’t get his vasectomy after all, and that she’s pregnant with her third child. The episode ends with a scene that is really hard to watch, when Richard is just beginning his lecture, and ends up falling down at the lectern, apparently having another heart attack. Watching this episode last December and then finding out that same day that Ed Herrmann died has scarred me for life.

Best Line: “Once Luke Danes is in your life, he is in your life forever.” (Lorelai)

7. The Road Trip to Harvard (Season 2, Episode 4)

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Driving around aimlessly after running away from the wedding in Stars Hollow, Lorelai surprises Rory by bringing her to Harvard, where they spend the day wandering the campus and planning ahead to her time there. Rory is completely in her element, and Lorelai finds herself looking at a wall of photos, focusing on the year she would have graduated. When they get back to Stars Hollow, everyone is sympathetic toward Lorelai, and Luke seems happy.

Best Line: “You were a good cake, Clyde. Never should’ve named you.” (Sookie)

6. The Big One (Season 3, Episode 16)

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There are a lot of episodes with some funny moments, but Paris melting down on live television because she didn’t get into Harvard takes the cake. She and Rory are supposed to be giving a speech about Chilton’s bicentennial, but convinced she didn’t get in because she had sex with Jamie, she assures Rory she’ll get in because she’s still a virgin. It is heartbreaking though to see Paris crying afterwards, worried about her future and everything she’s wanted for herself. This is also the episode where Sookie finds out her taste buds are backfiring because she’s pregnant, and Jackson’s panicked reaction is also amusing to watch.

Best Line: “Pack your chastity belt, Gilmore! You’re going to Harvard!” (Paris)

5. Raincoats and Recipes (Season 4, Episode 22)

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This one was a difficult one to rank. Yes, it’s the episode where Lorelai and Sookie’s dream first comes true - the Dragonfly has a stellar test run and is officially ready for business. Yes, Luke and Lorelai FINALLY share their first kiss. Yes, Kirk’s night terrors are amusing, and it’s hilarious to watch him running out of the inn, naked and screaming. But it’s also the episode where Rory makes the second biggest mistake of her life (after dropping out of Yale), and sleeps with Dean. It both rules and sucks.

Best Line: “Will you just stand still?” (Luke)

4. Bon Voyage (Season 7, Episode 22)

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The finale! I’m still sad that this series is over. And even though it ended without Amy and Daniel, and didn’t end the way it probably should have (we all would have loved to see Luke and Lorelai get married), I still think they did a good job with it. Rory’s moving on to huge things with her new job, Luke and Lorelai appear to reconcile, everything is good between Lorelai and her parents, Lane is content, Sookie is happy, and Stars Hollow throws one hell of a going away party, despite the rain.

Best Line: “Mom. You’ve given me everything I need.” (Rory)

3. Dear Emily and Richard (Season 3, Episode 13)

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Lorelai and Rory are starting to plan their trip to Europe, and Emily and Richard are horrified to find out they’re planning on staying in hostels. Emily sends Lorelai her travel books, and that combined with Sherry going into labour, leads Lorelai to reminisce about Rory’s conception, telling her parents, and giving birth herself. We get to see what it was really like firsthand, and the scene where Emily finds the note Lorelai left behind when she took off is enough to thaw even the coldest heart. Ending with Lorelai showing up at the Gilmore house with a DVD player and collection of DVDs for her mother, it’s wonderful to see how they’ve moved on. *tear*

Best Line: “It’s heavy. Must be her hopes and dreams for me.” (Lorelai)

2. Friday Night's Alright for Fighting (Season 6, Episode 13)

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Paris is going completely mental at the paper, and everyone is either quitting or calling in sick. Rory comes in to find the paper won’t be getting out, and immediately springs into action, getting everyone to work and making sure they at least have a chance at getting the paper out. Logan shows up wondering where she is, and helps her and the rest of the staff get the paper out on time. Fed up with everyone still fighting, Lorelai tells Rory they’re going to Friday night dinner, leading to the best scene of the whole series. Switching between fighting and laughter and arguing and eating, the Gilmores get through Friday night dinner, with everything finally back to normal between them all.

Best Line: “Well, I think we’ve officially reinstated Friday night dinner.” (Lorelai)

1. You Jump, I Jump, Jack

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This episode marks a huge turning point in Rory’s life. She faces her fears in a huge way, jumping from the platform at the Life and Death Brigade event, almost symbolically leaving behind her old life. This is the exact moment where she goes from being the quiet girl at Stars Hollow High who wanted to be a war correspondent, to the woman who could actually be strong enough to make it happen. There are a lot of great moments in this series, but this episode, and this moment, is the show at its finest.

Best Line: “Well I’ll bring ‘Dick’ up on the internet and see what comes up.” (Richard)