‘Gilmore Girls’ Season 7: 5 Must See, Absolutely Essential Episodes

In the first Palladino-less episode Lorelai wakes up in Chris’s bed after their unfortunate romp. Rory wakes up following Logan’s departure for London to find that he left her a toy rocket ship as a gift. When Luke realizes that he was an idiot not to heed Lorelai’s ultimatum he rushes to her, his truck packed and ready to go, offering to drive off and elope that very minute; but instead of agreeing Lorelai reveals her tryst with Christopher.

This episode finds Rory in a funk of epic proportions due to the fact that her sometimes okay, but usually douchebag-prone boyfriend departed for London. Adding to her melancholy is the fact that she can’t figure what a model rocket ship left for her by the young Huntzberger means. Turns out it’s a super romantic nod to a Twilight Zone episode. Riding that high, Rory decides to immediately jet off to London to visit her beau only to discover that he’d already planned a trip for her — in December, months away.

The season six finale left viewers with something many of them never wanted to view: Lorelai in bed with Christopher. There was no good way to bounce back from that, but perhaps the worst result possible happened. It led to a heartbreaking breakup between Luke and Lorelai. After a truly devastating monologue where Luke apologizes and expresses his love and regret, Lorelai simply blurts out “I slept with Christopher.” With that Luke turns around, gets back in his truck, and closes the door on his and Lorelai’s relationship for the near future. It’s a bummer of a way to start the then final season of Gilmore Girls — Rory and Logan are on the fritz and Luke and Lorelai are done.

[Watch “The Long Morrow” on Netflix]

Chris and Lorelai jet off to Paris to drop Gigi off with Sherry, who has decided that she wants to be a mother again. While there they have a romantic, magical time and end up tying the knot. As Rory’s time as Editor-in-Chief at The Yale Daily News comes to an end she heads to Stars Hollow with her new friends Lucy and Olivia where she starts to question what she wants to do with her life post-graduation. Upon her return to Yale, Rory discovers that Lucy’s boyfriend is none other than Marty and that he’s, well, kind of a jerk now.

This episode is why people don’t like season seven. Christopher and Lorelai get married. In Paris. Without Rory. It’s a rash choice for Lorelai (who has only been officially dating Christopher for weeks at this point) and one that it’s hard to believe she’d make after having fairly recently reconciled with Rory. With that being said, there are some truly sweet moments between the duo — the reminiscing about high school and the pizza in the coat pocket anecdote chief among them — that could make you briefly forget about Luke.

After stepping down from her post on the paper Rory faces an existential crisis of sorts, which results in her breaking down in tears on the bathroom floor. It’s something that anyone who’s faced an unknown future can viscerally relate to. After rejuvenating with some hair dye and junk food the trio of girls head back to New Haven where they run into Lucy’s boyfriend — who has thus far only affectionately (annoyingly?) been referred to as “Boyfriend” — and he’s Marty! One thing Rosenthal did right: bringing the lovable friend-zoned boy back into the story. One thing Rosenthal did wrong: making the lovable friend-zoned boy into a giant lying ass. Marty pretends not to know Rory and thus sets into motion one of season seven’s worst plots, behind only Lane and Sookie’s. With as many problems that I have with this episode due to personal feelings, it’s highly important as it sets up Rory’s uncertain future and foreshadows the already bleak outcome of Lorelai and Chris (Rory wasn’t at the wedding, there’s no way it can last).

[Watch “French Twist” on Netflix]

Luke’s in the midst of a custody battle with Anna over April and, as such, he asks Lorelai to write him a character reference to be used in court. Lorelai writes a truly fantastic letter all about how Luke was a great father figure to Rory for her entire life when her own father wasn’t up to the task. Christopher finds this letter and has a bad reaction to the completely true things that are written about him in it. Meanwhile we find out that Sookie’s pregnant (no you didn’t imagine the plot line where Jackson got a vasectomy), Rory reconciles with Lucy after the Marty debacle, and Richard has his second heart attack of this series this time while teaching a class at Yale.

This episode is the final straw in the crumbling of Chris and Lor’s marriage and the first step in the subsequent rekindling of Lorelai and Luke’s romance. When Luke asks Lorelai for help she agrees immediately, but decides to hide it from Christopher. When Chris discovers the letter on his own he takes it to mean that Lorelai is still in love with Luke (she is) and that Chris is her second choice (he is). He angrily storms out of the house and doesn’t reappear until much later in the next episode, not even when Lorelai calls to say that her dad had a heart attack and is having surgery. Rory witnesses Richard’s heart attack while in class and the episode ends with her running to his aid.

Although the Rory storyline breeds positive feelings, the rest of the episode —from the discovery that Jackson lied about getting a vasectomy to Richard’s health issues — is highly emotional and upsetting. Despite that, for many this is where season seven turned a corner. Chris is nearly out the door, Luke and Lorelai are kind of speaking again, and Rory is done being the mopey version of herself that she’s been for a few episodes.

[Watch “To Whom it May Concern” on Netflix]

Stressing out about graduation following her rejection from The New York Times fellowship, Rory calls upon Lorelai to cheer her up. Lorelai does just that with shopping, eating, and by performing a slightly drunk rendition of “I Will Always Love You” (the Dolly version) at karaoke night. Meanwhile Zach gets an offer to go on tour with a band, April cancels her boat trip with Luke in favor of science camp, and Logan asks Lorelai for Rory’s hand in marriage.

The last three episodes of season seven are actually really good and completely chock full of plot, the latter of which is a rarity for Gilmore Girls. When Rory is rejected for basically the first time in her life she doesn’t handle it well and insists that her mom do shots and sing to her to make her feel better. Lorelai complies and what’s fun and sweet one minute turns sad, desperate, and full of longing the second Luke walks through the door. If you don’t cry when Luke nods acceptingly as Lorelai sings “But above all, I wish you love” you must be a literal monster because it’s so freaking emotional.

Thoroughly cheered up Rory heads back to Yale. As soon as Rory is gone, none other than Logan Huntzberger appears on the Gilmore front porch. Welcomed in by a confused Lorelai, Logan confesses that his business meetings in California went well, he’s moving to the west coast, and he wants Rory to come with him — as his fiancé. A flabbergasted Lorelai is unresponsive prompting Logan to utter the title of the episode, “Lorelai? Lorelai?” and it cuts to black.

[Watch “Lorelai? Lorelai?” on Netflix]

After turning down Logan’s proposal, Rory and Lorelai are focusing on planning a multi-week trip to ride many a roller coaster. Their plans are thrown off, however, when Rory lands a job going on then Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign trail and has to leave town in three days. The sudden job also ruins the party that the townies in Stars Hollow were putting together for Rory, but Luke saves the day! He even stays up all night to sew a tent together when the rain threatens the party a second time. (He. Sews. A. Tent.) The surprise party goes off without a hitch, Lorelai and Emily have a moment that’s seven seasons in the making, Richard expresses his pride for Lorelai, and Luke and Lorelai finally get back together.

In terms of a series finale this is a pretty good one. Luke and Lorelai are back together, though not a great deal of time is spent celebrating that fact. Emily and Lorelai seem to have grown at least a little closer over the years. Richard is healthy and finally proud of his daughter. The townies get their time — from an incredibly awkward speech courtesy of Taylor to a gross homemade gift from Kirk. And, above all, Lorelai and Rory are there for each other just as they’ve always been. In the show’s final minutes when Lorelai can’t seem to fathom Rory moving away she begins rambling about shorts, Ziploc bags, and seats on the bus only to have Rory sweetly respond, “Mom, you’ve given me everything I need.” The pair take off for Luke’s, have one last coffee together, and the series ends the same way as the pilot: with the girls’ framed in twinkle lights and enjoying a cup of coffee as a crane shot zooms out on Stars Hollow.

Fairly successful as the finale was, fans were disappointed that they didn’t get the real ending that Amy Sherman-Palladino would’ve provided along with her notorious final four words. That complaint is going to be moot starting tomorrow as the series is back with Sherman-Palladino at the helm. A Year in the Life picks up nine years after the events of the then series finale and finds the Gilmore women coming together after Richard’s passing, Rory still scrambling to make it in journalism, and Lorelai, with Luke by her side, facing a mid-life crisis of sorts.

[Watch “Bon Voyage” on Netflix]