Pilot:
October 5, 2000
After Rory is accepted at Chilton, an extremely
prestigious and expensive prep school, Lorelai's difficulty in raising the
tuition money forces her to ask her wealthy parents, from whom she is estranged,
for a loan. The elder Gilmore's happily loan their daughter the money in
exchange for an end to the estrangement and a family dinner every Friday night.
In her last week at Stars Hollow High School, Rory meets a very cute new
transfer student named Dean, which gives her second thoughts about attending
Chilton. When Lorelai discovers that her ambivalence about Chilton centers on a
boy, they argue about her future, but after the first Friday night family dinner
at her grandparents' house, Rory makes up with her mother and decides to go to
Chilton after all when she realizes the sacrifice her mother has made in
agreeing to end the estrangement with her grandparents.
The Lorelais' First Day at
Chilton: October 12, 2000
Lorelai oversleeps on Rory's first day at Chilton,
and discovers that all her good clothes are at the cleaners. She throws on a
tiny tie-dyed top, Daisy Mae shorts, and cowboy boots to the dismay of Rory, the
Chilton headmaster, and Emily, who has shown up for Rory's first day. Lorelai
and Emily leave after some awkward moments in the headmaster's office, bickering
the entire way out. Rory's day goes downhill from there. She's handed a three
inch binder containing one week's worth of notes from one class and meets some
insufferable classmates who are determined to make her life at Chilton
miserable.
Kill Me Now:
October 19, 2000
When Rory announces at Friday night dinner that
she has to pick a team sport to play at Chilton, Emily insists that Richard take
Rory to the club and teach her golf. Although Rory tees off to a rocky start,
she soon gets into the swing of things and has a great time walking and talking
with Richard. Later, Lorelai's mixed feelings as Rory tells her how much she
enjoyed being with Richard at the club provokes her into an intensely stupid
argument with Rory, which is soon patched up with Lorelai realizes that she's
not losing Rory to her parents. At the Inn, Lorelai has her hands full
overseeing all the preparations fro an ornate double wedding ceremony and
contending with a pair of spoiled and quarrelsome twin brides, their exhausted
mother, their twin grooms, Michel, and the rest of her staff.
The Deer Hunters:
October 26, 2000
Max Medina gives Rory the first "D" of her life on
an English paper. Paris taunts her non-stop about being a failure and gets Rory
very stressed about an upcoming test on Shakespeare that will count for 20% of
her English grade. Lorelai spends the week helping Rory study, and they both
collapse exhausted at the kitchen table in the early morning hours of the day of
the big test. Naturally, they oversleep. In her panic to get to school on time,
Rory gets into a car accident -- she gets hit by a deer who runs into Lorelai's
car at a stop sign. When she walks into class late, Max tells her that she can't
take the test, and Rory has a meltdown, finally giving Paris and Tristan the
chewing out they so richly deserve. Lorelai pleads Rory's case with the
headmaster to no avail, and has her own meltdown, leaving with a few
not-so-well-chosen insults to the headmaster and Chilton. On their way home,
Rory insists that they stop and look for the deer to make sure it's all right
and Lorelai reassures Rory that she will be able to make it at Chilton after
all. When they arrive home, Max has left the message that he's talked the
headmaster into allowing Rory to do extra credit work to bring up her grade.
Cinnamon's Wake:
November 2, 2000
Sookie sets Chilton's Annual Bake Sale on fire
with a table of fabulous treats, drawing Max's attention. He takes Lorelai aside
and asks her out on a date. She's conflicted and suggests that they meet for
coffee first, where sparks fly and Lorelai finally agrees to a date. When Max
shows up at their front door before Lorelai has had a chance to tell Rory,
mother and daughter find they have a few things to work out about mothers dating
teachers. Dean and Rory keep running into each other, but a flustered Rory
doesn't encourage his attentions. When Dean finally tells her that he'll stop
bugging her if she's not interested, she gathers up the courage and tells him
that she is interested, and then runs away, much to his amusement. Babette and
Morey's beloved Cinnamon goes to Kitty Heaven, and Stars Hollow gathers to
console them. Emily is less than thrilled when she finds out that Lorelai
ditched the funeral to an unknown cousin to attend a wake for a cat.
Rory's Birthday Parties:
November 9, 2000
It's Rory's birthday, and her grandmother and
mother each plan a party representative of their respective styles; Emily's
elegant party so discomfits Rory that they argue; to make peace, Emily and
Richard attend Lorelai's informal bash the next evening.
Kiss and Tell:
November 16, 2000
Dean gives Rory her first kiss; fearful of her
mother's disapproval, Rory decides not to tell Lorelai for a little while;
Lorelai gets stressed when she hears about the kiss from Mrs. Kim instead of
Rory; Rory freaks out at first when Lorelai invites Dean over to watch videos
and eat junk food, but ends up having a good time after all.
Love and War and Snow:
December 14, 2000
The first snow of the season falls heavily,
stranding Rory at Emily and Richard's house and their cook at home, leaving Rory
to make dinner and introduce her grandparents to the joys of frozen pizza with
extra cheese. Luke is obsessing about the silliness of the re-enactment of the
Battle of Stars Hollow in the town square, which basically consisted of twelve
men who stood waiting all night for Redcoats who never arrived. He finally
relents and makes amends to all by brining them coffee. Lorelai is enjoying a
walk alone in the snow when she comes upon Max, whose car has died in Stars
Hollow on the way home from Stamford. She whisks him off for fiesta burgers and
the movies, and they have a marvelous time on their first date. Luke gets a very
pained expression on his face as he sees them walk through town arm-in-arm and
kiss. When they arrive at Lorelai's house, their passionate embraces are
interrupted by a distraught Lane, who was waiting there for Rory. Lorelai has a
heart-to-heart with Lane, who is afraid she can never go back to school again
because she ran her fingers through a cute boy's hair in front of everyone. In
the morning, Rory returns home to find Max asleep on the couch and Lance packing
up after her overnight stay in Rory's room. Rory apologizes to Lane for not
being there for her enough lately, and they vow to spend more time with each
other. Lorelai and Rory talk about Lorelai's dating again, and Rory reassures
her mother that she wants her to be happy, even though it's still a little
stranger to her that Lorelai's dating her English teacher.
Rory's Dance:
December 20, 2000
During dinner at her mother's, Lorelai finds out
that not only is there a formal dance at Chilton, but that Rory doesn't want to
go. On the way home, Lorelai convinces Rory that she needs to have this
experience, and even offers to make Rory a dress. Lane prods Rory into asking
Dean to go, and she nervously does. Even though he says he doesn't really like
dances, he agrees to go with Rory. When Emily arrives at Lorelai's the night of
the dance to see Rory off and take some pictures, she finds that Lorelai has
thrown her back out. She decides to stay and take care of Lorelai, and they
manage to get in some nice mother-daughter bonding during the course of the
evening. The dance starts off well; Rory's dress is complimented, Dean is
admired, and Paris is embarrassed when everyone finds out that her date is her
cousin and that he insisted upon being paid to escort Paris. Unfortunately,
Tristan baits Dean, and they almost get into a fight before Dean warns him never
to come near Rory again. Rory and Dean leave, take a walk around Stars Hollow,
decide that they are girlfriend and boyfriend, and fall asleep reading poetry in
Miss Patty's studio. In the morning, Rory's absence causes Lorelai and Emily
great alarm, and they have a major argument about Lorelai's parenting, her past,
and Emily's parenting. Rory arrives home to hear her mother order her
grandmother out of the house. Lorelai vents her fear and anger at Rory, and Rory
yells back, accusing Lorelai of actually being upset that she failed in front of
Emily.
Forgiveness and Stuff:
December 21, 2000
Things are still chilly between Rory and Lorelai;
Lane gives Rory advice about the right Christmas gift for Dean; Emily and
Lorelai have a tiff about Christmas dinner, leaving Rory to go by herself; Dean
and Lorelai patch things up; Luke makes a lonely Lorelai a Santa burger; Richard
collapses and is rushed to the hospital; Luke gives a car-less Lorelai a ride to
the hospital; relieved that Richard's collapse was only a bout of angina, the
Gilmore's settle their differences.
Paris is Burning:
January 11, 2001
As Lorelai and Max grow closer, Rory begins to get
attached to the idea of Max in their lives, which freaks Lorelai out; Sookie and
Lorelai have a frank talk about relationships; Lorelai tries to ease out of her
relationship with Max during Parent's Day at Chilton, but ends up passionately
kissing him in his classroom just as Paris walks by; stung by the details in the
newspapers about her parents' messy divorce, Paris tells everyone in the
lunchroom about Max and Lorelai to deflect gossip away from her and towards
Rory; Rory confronts Paris, gets an apology, and offers a sympathetic ear, which
is grudgingly accepted; Sookie asks Jackson out on a date and he accepts.
Double Date:
January 18, 2001
After Lorelai encourages Sookie to ask out her
produce man, Jackson, she soon finds herself on the double date from hell with
Jackson's very odd cousin, which makes Luke jealous enough to finally work up
the courage to ask Lorelai out. Meanwhile, Rory and Lane get into trouble when
they double date with Dean and his friend Todd without telling their moms.
Concert Interruptions:
February 15, 2001
Lorelai organizes the Stars Hollow Charity Rummage
Sale and buys a sweatshirt donated by Luke. When she wears it into the diner, he
goes ballistic, much to her shock. Sookie tells her later that the sweatshirt
belonged to his odd girlfriend Rachel, who broke his heart. When Lorelai's
curiosity gets the better of her and she demands details from Sookie, Sookie
teases her about being jealous of Rachel, which Lorelai denies a little too
strongly. Lorelai returns the sweatshirt to Luke, reminding him that it's okay
to hold onto some good memories. To the delight of Lorelai and Rory, Sookie gets
great tickets to a Bangles concert in New York City. When Lane's mother won't
let her join them, Lorelai suggests that Rory invite Paris, Madeline, and
Louise, who have gathered at the house to prepare for a school debate. The girls
accept and take Sookie's good seats while she and Lorelai head for seats in the
nosebleed section that they bought at the door. During the concert, Madeline and
Louise meet some cute guys and leave with them to go to a party, over Rory's
objections. Lorelai is freaked when she finds out, but finally manages to track
them down with the help of Sookie, Rory and Paris.
That Damn Donna Reed:
February 22, 2001
An evening of "The Donna Reed Show" reruns infects
Dean and both Gilmore Girls -- Dean expresses a longing for the type of family
represented by the show, Lorelai helps Luke spruce up the diner with a fresh
paint job and new curtains, and Rory dresses up like Donna and fixes a 1950s
style dinner for Dean while pet-sitting Babette's new kitten; when the baby
chick that's the subject of Rory's midterm project gets loose in the house,
Lorelai frantically calls Luke to help her search the house; both Sookie and
Emily force Lorelai to confront her feelings for Luke; Christopher roars into
town on his motorcycle, and agrees to stay at Lorelai's and Rory's during his
visit.
Christopher Returns: March 1, 2001
Wanting to play a greater role in Rory's life, Christopher settles in
for his visit and lets Rory give him the grand tour of Stars Hollow. When his
parents arrive in Hartford for a visit, Emily invites everyone to Friday night
dinner, which turns out to be an unqualified disaster after Richard nearly comes
to blows with Christopher's father over critical comments about Lorelai. In the
aftermath of the ruined dinner party, Richard retreats to his study to calm
down, Emily makes a plate for Rory in the kitchen and reassures her how much she
is loved and regarded, and Christopher finds Lorelai on the balcony of her old
bedroom and comforts her by repeating a little romantic history. The next
morning, Lorelai awakens with a start, horrified that she forgot to help Luke
paint the diner after dinner on Friday night. Grabbing a jacket, she races to
the diner still clad in her pajamas, and begs Luke's forgiveness. He shrugs it
off at first, but appears somewhat wounded when he realizes that Lorelai was
with Christopher the night before. When Lorelai returns to the house,
Christopher asks her to marry him and she regretfully turns him down, claiming
he's not ready for the responsibility of a family quite yet. Christopher returns
to California with the promise of doing a better job of staying in touch. The
next morning, Lorelai surprises Luke by having the diner completely repainted
when he arrives to open up for the day.
Star-Crossed Lovers and Other
Strangers: March 8, 2001
Luke's ex-girlfriend Rachel arrives in Stars
Hollow unexpectedly, and immediately picks up on the attraction between Luke and
Lorelai, which they deny. Rachel decides to stay for awhile, which leaves Luke
and Lorelai with mixed feelings. Lorelai and Rory are amazed when Emily agrees
to excuse Rory from Friday night dinner so that Rory and Dean can celebrate
their three month anniversary. When Lorelai arrives for dinner, she discovers
the source of Emily's largesse -- her mother has invited another guest -- a man
with whom she secretly hopes to fix Lorelai up. After a painful dinner with one
of the world's most boring men, Lorelai attempts to escape through the window of
her old bedroom, but is caught in the act by Richard. When he is forced to admit
that even he is bored by the man, he uncharacteristically covers for her and
lets her make her getaway. Back in Stars Hollow, Dean treats Rory to a
wonderfully romantic dinner, and then gives her a present -- a car that he's
restoring for her. As they sit in the car, Dean professes his love, but Rory is
unsure how to respond. Crushed, Dean breaks up with Rory, who is heartbroken.
The Breakup, Part 2:
March 15, 2001
Rory decides to engage in a flurry of activity to
avoid thinking about Dean, despite Lorelai's advice to wallow; Lorelai runs
interference as the residents of Stars Hollow reach out to console Rory and Luke
attempts to bar Dean from the diner; Rachel pitches in to help Luke out at the
diner; Jackson prepares dinner for Sookie, and has a tough time keeping her out
of the kitchen; Rory decides to attend Madeline's party and takes Lane along for
company; Lorelai decides to visit Max when she realizes how much she misses him;
Lane is torn when she meets the perfect guy at the party; Rory attempts to
befriend Tristan after he has a very public breakup with his girlfriend at the
party, and when he apologizes for his past bad behavior towards her and kisses
her, she bursts into tears; at home, Rory sobs to Lorelai that she's ready to
wallow now.
The Third Lorelai:
March 22, 2001
Emily becomes unhinged at the prospect of a visit
from Richard mother, Trix; Paris is outraged when she discovers that Tristan
asked her for a date at Rory's urging; fearing that she'll never see Lorelai
again, Emily opposes Trix's offer to set up a trust fund for Rory.
Emily In Wonderland:
April 26, 2001
Rachel finds an abandoned inn that Lorelai and
Sookie fall in love with; Lorelai and Rachel spend the afternoon getting to know
each other and Rachel asks Lorelai to put in a good wordfor her with Luke; as
Rory takes Emily on a tour of Stars Hollow, Emily hits it off with Mrs. Kim and
Michel, but becomes distraught when she sees Lorelai and Rory's first home; at
Sookie's urging, Lorelai gives Jackson's cousin Rune a job at the Inn.
P.S. I Lo...:
May 3, 2001
Lorelai helps Luke shop for a birthday present for
Rachel and goes wild outfitting him with a new wardrobe; overwhelmed by sadness
at her breakup with Dean, Rory is distressed to discover that Lane and Dean have
become science project partners, and incensed to find out from Max that Lorelai
has neglected to mention that they are dating again, so she argues with Lorelai
and then takes off for Hartford to spend the night at her grandparents' house
without telling her mother; when an angry Lorelai confronts Dean and discovers
the truth about his breakup with Rory, she fears that she has taught Rory not to
commit to a relationship.
Love, Daisies and Troubadours:
May 10, 2001
Paris wreaks her revenge after Tristan lies about
going to a concert with Rory; Rachel leaves Stars Hollow after she becomes
convinced that despite his protests, Luke is in love with Lorelai; Rory's
defense of the Stars Hollow troubadour during a town meeting brings her back
together with Dean, enabling her to finally say, and mean, the words that he's
been longing to hear; Luke and Max meet and engage in a little not-so-friendly
rivalry as Max begins to suspect, despite her protests, that Lorelai and Luke
were once an item; Max proposes to Lorelai with a thousand yellow daises.