Today we continue our Gilmore Girls discussions by starting the series over once again, heading back to where all our fond memories started! In the Gilmore Girls premiere ‘Pilot‘, we’re introduced to Rory Gilmore as a very studious girl with a great mom and best friend. But she’s also a girl whose head is turned by the new boy in town, Dean. She crushes so much that she actually considers not going to Chilton, the private school she was just accepted into.

Image Credit: TheWB.com

Are you surprised that Rory had doubts about Chilton just because of a boy she just met? Perhaps it’s more surprising, given what we’ll later know of Rory, but at this stage, perhaps it’s normal. Just a teen girl putting her heart first and defying her mother.

To me, the pilot episode shows Rory as a real teen girl, undergoing real problems and emotions. It’s not just about designer fashion (heck, Rory even wore oversized, frumpy clothes sometimes) or being perfect in everything, though it is obvious Rory is smart. To me, this is why I loved Gilmore Girls, and why I loved it less later. For the realism of it all.

Here are the Rory & Dean moments from the Pilot Episode:

Watch this episode of Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

In ‘Bon Voyage‘, Rory accepts a job going on the road with Barack Obama as he campaigns for the Presidency. This means she’s going away in just 3 days - no special roller coaster trip with Lorelai, no lingering moments in Stars Hollow… and she could be gone for a long time! Rory, who wasn’t very happy to hear about the re-enactment graduation party that Stars Hollow had planned, now plans to leave Stars Hollow without a goodbye party.

Photo Credit: Bruce Birmelin / The CW ©2007 The CW Network. All Rights Reserved.

Luke, in a particularly intuitive moment, realizes that Stars Hollow needs a chance to say goodbye to Rory, as much as she needs a better way to say goodbye to all of them. It’s very unlike Luke to spearhead any town activity, particularly one of this size and with this kind of rush. We all know he loves Rory like a daughter, but what prompted Luke to make a big Stars Hollow party?

Why was it so important, even when rain threatened, for Luke to throw this party? Why didn’t he want credit for it? How much, if any, of the party idea was Luke’s way of getting Lorelai back? Or was that just an afterthought?

Watch this episode of Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

BuddyTV recently put together a list of “TV’s 50 Coolest Dads“, counting down such TV dads as Al Bundy, Homer Simpson

Coming in on the list at #37 is Luke Danes on Gilmore Girls! But even higher, we have Christopher Hayden at #8!! So, I’m guessing “coolest” doesn’t mean “best” dad

Photos: TheWB.com & Patrick Ecclesine/The CW /©2006 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Why did they choose Luke? “Somehow his daughter became a genius, but Luke is at his coolest when he’s the surly proprietor of greasy food and bottomless cups of coffee.”

Why did they choose Christopher? “He might not always be there for his kid, but Christopher is cool whether he’s on a motorcycle or in a family-friendly sedan. He’s young and hip and can banter with the best of them, an important skill to have when you’re surrounded by Gilmores.”

What do you think of making Christopher more ‘cool’ than Luke?

Also making the list is Harry Wilson on 90210, played by Gilmore Girls alumn Rob Estes.

In ‘Unto the Breach‘, so much happens that it’s hard to decide what to talk about in this discussion post! But, among all the things that we could discuss, I’ve decided to ask just this: Why does Logan propose at Rory’s graduation party?

Photo Greg Gayne/The CW © 2007 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved

Logan proposing - obviously a HUGE deal. Though Logan had told Rory to not factor him into her decision about what to do with her future, he’s evidently changed his mind (ok, that’s a whole other discussion, I know). Perhaps he’s scared of losing Rory, I don’t know. After asking for Lorelai’s permission in the previous episode, we’ve been waiting for him to pop the question to Rory ever since.

Where Logan chooses to propose to Rory…. at the graduation party that Emily & Richard throw for Rory! Of all places! The proposal (written out here) is truly very sweet. But should Logan have done it in front of so many people, some of whom Rory barely knows?

Why did Logan propose at this exact time? Was it just about the ‘grand gesture’? Did he perhaps feel he was losing time? Do you think maybe that social pressure was involved? That Logan perhaps thought Rory would be more likely to say ‘yes’ if her family were there to witness it? I’d love to know what you think motivated Logan to choose this place and this time for his “grand gesture.”

Here’s the scene where Logan proposes to Rory:

Watch this episode of Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

On ‘Lorelai? Lorelai?‘, the episode begins with a dream sequence. All dream sequences seem to have special meaning on Gilmore Girls, and this one is no different.

In the dream sequence, Rory dreams that she’s back in Chilton. In her dream, the principal comes in to interrupt the class to have the teacher ask Rory to leave. That there’s been a “mistake” and she must leave. When she leaves class, Rory doesn’t end up in the hall… instead, she ends up back home. But there, Lorelai is heading off for a “break”, leaving to Hawaii. As if that wasn’t weird enough, Rory enters her kitchen to find Paris, Doyle & their 2 kids having dinner! Paris is a doctor and Doyle is an associate editor - they now own Lorelai’s house.

And Rory? They take pity on her. Call her “confused” and give her money. And what is she doing for her living? They hand her a trash poke, like she used during her community service!

What does Rory’s dream mean? Is she simply expressing her uncertainty about her future? That everyone has a path laid out but her? Or is she also feeling excluded? If so, why? I think, perhaps, Rory is also feeling that her future is out of her control, and Rory never likes that. She likes to be the one to make her own decisions, not to have them made for her.

Given Rory’s uncertainty about her future, and what Logan surprises Lorelai with later in the episode, should we be surprised that Rory, once again, later decides that she needs to stand on her own feet and decide her own future?

Here’s Rory’s dream sequence:

Watch this episode of Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

Image: TheWB.com

On ‘It’s Just Like Riding a Bike‘, Lorelai decides to take the first step in restoring her friendship (or relationship?) with Luke by returning to Luke’s Diner. However, Lorelai and Luke end up awkwardly talking about the weather before Lorelai gives up and leaves with her coffee.

Determined to make progress, despite their history, Lorelai takes Sookie’s advice and asks for Luke’s help to pick out a new car, after her Jeep breaks down. They don’t seem to know how to act with each other, and Luke gets frustrated by Lorelai needing to ‘get the feeling’ of a car (why this should surprise him, I have no idea). All of this ends up turning into non-stop bickering, which is apparently what they needed. Lorelai looks radiant!

Lorelai tells Sookie that the bickering was more ‘normal’ to them, something better than the frustration they were feeling. It was something that got them past the ‘hump’ in their relationship. Luke, though we don’t see his reaction as immediately, seems to feel the same way. It’s like he realized that the memories that Lorelai had for her jeep were the most important thing - so he finds a way to get Lorelai a new engine for her old Jeep!

Why do you think bickering got Luke & Lorelai back on track? What was the ‘hump’ in their relationship that needed to be gotten over?

Watch this episode of Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

Photo: Bruce Birmelin/The CW ©2006 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

TV Addict put together a list of the “Top 5 TV Bosses Who’d Be Easiest To Work For,” including Lorelai Gilmore in that list.

1. Michael Scott, The Office
2. Angela Bower, Who’s the Boss
3. Charlie Townsend, Charlie’s Angels
4. Col. Sherman T. Potter, M*A*S*H
5. Lorelai Gilmore, Gilmore Girls

They say, “given the personal traumas she experiences on a weekly basis, no boss would be more sympathetic to whatever excuse you come up with upon arriving late each day.” However, I do disagree with that assessment! I think, though Lorelai would be a fantastic boss to work for, she has very exacting standards and expects a lot of those whom she employs.

What do you think? Would Lorelai be an easy boss?

CREDIT: MARK LIDDELL/THE CW © 2006 THE CW NETWORK, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

In ‘Hay Bale Maze‘, Rory is confronted by a difficult decision about her future. She’s offered a job with the Providence Journal Bulletin, one of the “best jobs” out there for journalists just starting out. But, it’s not the best. It’s not the 6 week unpaid Reston Fellowship with the New York Times.

Photo Bruce Birmelin /The CW © 2007 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved

Rory seems to have all her confidence back now - fully sure she’s in the running for the Reston Fellowship. Logan encourages Rory to “screw the 401k” and gamble on the Fellowship. Lorelai, who thinks Logan is financially irresponsible (doing a business deal behind his dad’s back, only now dealing with bills, and expecting his ‘contacts’, not ‘work’, to get him back ‘on top’), reminds Logan that “gambling is his thing, not her thing.”

Rory tries to sit down for a pro/con list, but it seems to be frustrating her, rather than calming her. A big issue for Rory is Logan - should he be a factor on the list? Logan tells Rory that she should do what she wants, that he will “factor her in” after (ahem, does he forget saying this later??). And then Rory decides to take the risk and say no to the job offer.

I’ve never understood why Rory didn’t accept the job offer. If she’d gotten the Fellowship, should could have ‘changed her mind’ and dropped the job, after all. But that’s beside the point I was trying to make - I’m curious if Logan, and his risk-it-all personality, have influenced Rory’s decision to go for the Fellowship?

Watch this episode of Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

CollegeNews recently put together a list of “Fictional guys we wish were real“, and included on that list none other than Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia). Ok, he’s not in their top 5 (what’s with that), but is given a mention. Here’s there top 5:

1. Zack Morris
2. Jim Halpert
3. Edward Cullen
4. Van Wilder
5. Ferris Beuller

After this list, they ask who you’d bring to life if given the chance, giving Jess from Gilmore Girls as an example. And I think there are a LOT of you who’d choose Jess!

So, let me swing this a little - who would you choose to bring to life? Jess, Dean or Logan??

Image: TheWB.com

On ‘Gilmore Girls Only‘, we start to see people in Rory’s life realize that perhaps she won’t always be there. Lorelai, probably anxious for more alone time with Rory, tries to get Rory to come to Mia’s wedding. Rory wasn’t planning on going, being busy with her interviews and with Logan’s immaturity. However, after finally standing up to Logan, telling him she’s “not going to support every stupid decision” he makes, she decides she needs to get away from him.

Photo: Bruce Birmelin/The CW ©2007 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Overhearing about the road trip, Emily decides she too wants to get away from Richard and to spend time with Rory. Lorelai is anxious that Rory may move far away to join a paper, though Emily takes it as a natural thing that may happen. She even asks Rory how Logan will take it - because they take it for granted that Rory would put her career before any boy. Rory is also anxious that Emily & Lorelai “bond” more, in case she moves away.

Meanwhile, while Emily & Lorelai are individually trying to picture life without Rory, Logan travels all the way to the wedding to see Rory. Rory wants nothing to do with him; since Logan ditched Lane’s baby shower to go to Vegas, she’s annoyed that he’d simply show up when it was Rory who needed time off from everything (ie from Logan). Perhaps this was obvious to Logan? That Rory was pulling away from him? Only then did Logan take charge of his own life… making me wonder… did he do it for himself, or for Rory?

Watch this episode of Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.