10 Essential Gilmore Girls Episodes That Defined The Show

Running for seven seasons and packed with hilarious and heartfelt installments, picking just a few Gilmore Girls episodes that are the most important is a tall order. While there are very few episodes that can be considered true filler, there are also installments that go above and beyond in communicating the stakes, tension, and character development of the series. Unlike the Gilmore Girls episodes you can skip, these are must-watch episodes of the TV show and are some of the highest-rated for a reason.

These are Gilmore Girls episodes we can’t live without. Full of the magic and romance that keeps us returning to Stars Hollow many times over all these years, these episodes are more than significant to the plot. Whether they communicate the distinct tone and ability to balance comedy and drama or showcase the specific relationship between Lorelai and Rory, they’re all incredible. Gilmore Girls wouldn’t be the same without the storylines and relationships of the greatest episodes that serve as a testament to why we love the series.

10

Pilot

Season 1, Episode 1

No viewing of Gilmore Girls would be complete without watching the pilot episode. Everything about the episode, from the music to the dialogue, immediately throws us headfirst into the offbeat but immersive world of the Gilmores. It’s a near-perfect pilot, as it sets up the stakes and tension of the entire series, establishes the key relationships, and foreshadows many of Lorelai and Rory’s eventual conflicts without losing our attention. Though Gilmore Girls changes as the show progresses, it stays true to the heart of the pilot.

Revisiting the pilot all these years later isn’t just nostalgic but also shockingly fresh and relevant. There’s romance, family drama, and hints of the cracks already forming in Rory and Lorelai’s enmeshed relationship. However, it’s also funny, sharp, and full of pop-cultural references: all the things Gilmore Girls is known for. Though they evolve, the Rory and Lorelai we meet in the pilot are the people we spend the rest of the series with.

9

Dear Emily And Richard

Season 3, Episode 13

Flashback episodes aren’t always effective, but when it comes to “Dear Emily and Richard,” Gilmore Girls knocks it out of the park. Rory spends the episode with Sherry, Christopher’s fiancée, as she prepares to give birth to Rory’s half-sister. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t take long for Rory to become overwhelmed and ask her mother to be there despite the pain this causes Lorelai. As the plot progresses, the audience gets an insight into the dynamic between the young Lorelai and Christopher for the first time.

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The viewer watches Lorelai discover that she’s pregnant and immediately feels boxed in as her parents plan out her life for her in the wake of the discovery. “Dear Emily and Richard” also features the moment when Emily discovers the note Lorelai left when she left home with Rory, breaking her heart and cementing their strained relationship for years to come. These memories flow as Lorelai watches Christopher build a family with someone else, showcasing why Lorelai guards her heart so closely.

8

Those Are Strings, Pinocchio

Season 3, Episode 22

Rory’s two graduation episodes, one from Chilton and one from Yale, are big moments in her development, but it’s “Those Are Strings, Pinocchio” that’s the most important to watch. Gilmore Girls did a great job of transitioning from high school to college, which is usually a narrative change that can throw a series off course. However, “Those Are Strings, Pinocchio” is able to pay tribute to the past three years and wrap up these arcs while paving the way for the coming season.

Rory and Lorelai have both grown up a lot since they first set foot in Chilton.

Rory and Lorelai have both grown up a lot since they first set foot in Chilton. When Rory reflects on the fact that it isn’t so scary anymore, it’s incredibly touching. However, Rory isn’t the only one going through a major life change throughout the episode, as she’s forced to reckon with her own dream of owning an inn as the Independence Inn closes. Despite this, a lot works out for the Gilmores as Rory’s high school life ends, subtly setting up the struggles and uncertainty of season 4.

7

Friday Night’s Alright For Fighting

Season 6, Episode 13

The Gilmores have a lot of explored anger, resentment, and tension that often go unsaid or are communicated through cutting remarks and thinly veiled criticism. However, in “Friday Night’s Alright For Fighting,” the two generations of the family finally have it out the way they’ve always needed to. Though Rory and Lorelai have reconciled by this point in season 6, Rory is still on the outs with her grandparents. To fix this, Lorelai takes matters into her own hands and brings everyone together for a classic Friday night dinner.

Of course, it’s not just the events of the past season that the Gilmores are working through, but everything that’s happened, including Lorelai’s pregnancy. Serving as both a recap of everything that’s happened and a way to reset the clock, returning the show to the status quo in some ways before the shocking events of the rest of the season, “Friday Night’s Alright For Fighting” accomplishes a lot. The episode also demonstrates the closeness and love that exists between the family members, effectively reuniting them.

Title	Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score	Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
Gilmore Girls (2000–2007)	N/A	87%

6

The Lorelais’ First Day At Chilton

Season 1, Episode 2

Comparing the way Lorelai and Rory view the hallowed halls of Chilton in “The Lorelais’ First Day at Chilton” to their relationship with the school by the time of Rory’s graduation is like night and day. However, when the young women first set foot on the formidable campus, it was intimidating for both of them. There are many conflicting and complex dynamics throughout the episode, from Lorelai trying to prove herself as a good mother in front of the overbearing Emily to Rory realizing that she’s out of her depth academically.

Lorelai and Rory both place a lot of stock in Rory’s education and success, and this is palpable in the narrative.

Though the pilot does a great job of showing the audience the central relationship dynamics and the rules of the story, it’s in “The Lorelais’ First Day at Chilton” that the plot takes off. Lorelai and Rory both place a lot of stock in Rory’s education and success, and this is palpable in the narrative. Additionally, we begin to see more of how Rory has to step in and parent Lorelai at times, fast-tracking her development. Though Chilton is scary in this episode, meeting characters like Paris is a great reminder of what’s to come.

5

You Jump, I Jump, Jack

Season 5, Episode 7

Of all Logan and Rory’s biggest moments throughout their relationship, “You Jump, I Jump, Jack” features some of the most iconic. During the bad times, looking back at their early courtship and seeing how good Logan is at pushing Rory out of her comfort zone is a reminder of why they are a great couple. All the plot lines with the Life and Death Brigade in season 5 are intriguing, and the fact that Logan is part of this exciting other world makes him even more attractive.

There are some great set pieces in “You Jump, I Jump, Jack” that keep the viewer visually interested, but it’s Rory’s evolution that takes center stage. In the episode, she begins to realize how big she wants her life to be, and the viewer witnesses how much college is changing her. Though it’s a Rory-heavy episode, with Lorelai’s plotline taking a backseat, many seeds are planted in “You Jump, I Jump, Jack” that will come back to haunt both women as the season progresses.

4

Wedding Bell Blues

Season 5, Episode 13

Richard and Emily are arguably one of the best couples in Gilmore Girls, and it’s a relief when they finally reunite after their separation in seasons 4 and 5. “Wedding Bell Blues” delivers a vow renewal worthy of the Gilmore clan and sees Lorelai and Emily have one of their biggest clashes of the series. In yet another attempt to control Lorelai’s life, Emily invites Christopher to the renewal, and he effectively destroys everything Lorelai and Luke have been building so far.

Everyone is on their worst behavior in “Wedding Bell Blues.”

Everyone is on their worst behavior in “Wedding Bell Blues,” with Lorelai scrambling to save her relationship with Luke and Rory, stepping outside of her comfort zone by admitting her feelings for Logan. It’s a messy, complicated affair, even though the episode begins with Lorelai and Emily bonding on the night before the renewal. Their relationship is an excellent foil to Lorelai’s dynamic with Rory, and “Wedding Bell Blues” demonstrates the differences in how the mothers and daughters communicate and try to help each other.

3

I Can’t Get Started

Season 2, Episode 22

Gilmore Girls season 2 is when the series fully finds its footing and voice, and the season finale exemplifies this. There’s little better than a wedding in the final episode of a season, and “I Can’t Get Started” uses this romantic setting to push Rory and Lorelai to their limits in their relationships. After beginning to trust Christopher again, he quickly breaks Lorelai’s heart, and Rory is shocked to discover the intensity of her feelings when Jess returns. This is the beginning of Rory’s long history of cheating on her partners.

Despite the harsh realities of Jess’ character in Gilmore Girls, the moment when he and Rory kiss for the first time is devastatingly romantic. The audience has been waiting for this scene since the first time Jess appeared in the show, and the fact that he moved back to Stars Hollow for Rory is swoon-worthy. While both of the Gilmore girls are seemingly back where they started as they prepare to walk down the aisle at Sookie’s wedding, everything has changed since the beginning of season 2.

2

Raincoats And Recipes

Season 4, Episode 22

The Gilmore Girls season 4 finale is simultaneously satisfying and devastating. As Lorelai prepares to officially open the Dragonfly Inn, Luke attempts to make his feelings for her clear, and Rory makes one of her biggest mistakes of the series. It was a stroke of genius that the Palladinos chose to show the audience Luke and Lorelai’s romantic first kiss just before Lorelai discovers Rory and Dean cheating together. Though Rory has made bad romantic choices in the past, her cheating with Dean in “Raincoats and Recipes” defines her view of relationships.

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Though the fight between Lorelai and Rory that unfolds in the wake of “Raincoats and Recipes” isn’t as damaging as their estrangement in season 6, it’s clear foreshadowing. After Rory left for Yale, her dynamic with Lorelai began to shift, and she started exploring the more rebellious and experimental territory she had never considered in high school. As Lorelai attempts to play the mom card, Rory won’t hear her criticisms, and the pair enter season 5 in rocky territory. However, audiences can find solace in the fact that Lorelai and Luke finally admit their feelings.

1

They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They?

Season 3, Episode 7

When a seemingly random episode of Gilmore Girls season 3 turned out to be arguably the best episode of the entire series, it was surprising. However, I can’t imagine the series without “They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They?” which perfectly sums up the tone and conflicts of the first few seasons. Set against the backdrop of a classically Stars Hollow event, the dance marathon, the love triangle between Jess, Dean, and Rory finally comes to a head as Lorelai and Luke share a serious moment of consideration about their future.

Everything about “They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They?” is quintessential Gilmore Girls. Even for audiences who aren’t the biggest fans of Jess and Rory, it’s thrilling to watch the tension of their dynamic finally boil over and to see Lorelai step up for Rory in the wake of this. This is a turning point for Lorelai and Rory in Gilmore Girls, as the series forces them both to reflect on what they want out of their futures. Lorelai admits to herself that she might want to grow her family, and Rory is honest about her feelings for Jess.