'Gilmore Girls': The Show’s 20 Best Plots, Ranked
You guys. We are finally nearing the 2-month mark for the release of the Gilmore Girls revival on Netflix. It’s almost here. In approximately 60 days, we’ll get to watch brand new episodes of our favorite mother/daughter duo — and head back to Stars Hollow, where it all began. We can hardly breathe just thinking about it. But there's a lot of things to remember before the time comes. In honor of November 25th’s rapid approach, we decided to take a look back at Gilmore Girls episodes of the past: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Here are 20 of the series’ plot lines, ranked from worst to greatest of all time.
1/20Everything related to Dean.
We’re all in agreement, right? Dean is pretty much THE WORST ever. He was a complete snoozefest – not to mention a terrible boyfriend – in the first couple of seasons, and then he cheated on his wife later in the series. Boy, bye.
2/20Max Medina and the daisies.
In season 2, Lorelai almost got married to Max Medina (AKA, Rory’s high school English teacher). He was obviously totally wrong for Lorelai, but we have to give him props for sending her 1,000 yellow daisies as part of his proposal.
3/20“Mary.”
Remember when Chad Michael Murray appeared on the show for several episodes, and his character relentlessly called Rory “Mary?” Chad’s character, Tristan, was a major jerk, but we kind of felt bad for him anyway when he got dumped by his high school girlfriend. Psst, there’s also rumors that Tristan might be joining the revival.
4/20Jess: Part One
When we first met Jess early in the series, he was portrayed to us as Luke’s troubled nephew. And he was kind of a mean dude. Remember when he just totally ghosted on Rory and straight-up vanished from Stars Hollow without any warning? Not cool.
5/20Paris and Asher Fleming.
During the college seasons, Paris got involved with Professor Asher Fleming, who was Rory’s grandfather’s contemporary. While the relationship was borderline creepy, it’s important to note that Paris wasn’t underage (unlike some other fictionalized student/teacher relationships we know — lookin’ at you, Ezra Fitz.) When Asher died, Paris had to settle his affairs and she took on the role of a grieving widow.
6/20Liz and TJ’s relationship.
Luke’s sister Liz is a bit of a polarizing character. She means well, but she often causes trouble. And...let’s be honest...she’s kind of annoying — but not as annoying as TJ. However, their Renaissance Faire-themed wedding made for a pretty great episode.
7/20Allllll the dogs.
Between Michel’s Chows and Lorelai’s dog Paul Anka, Gilmore Girls certainly delivers on the cute animal front. Who could forget how Paul Anka was afraid of everything, like stairs, hallways, and the letter “Q”?
8/20Lane's obsessions with boys.
Has there ever been a more relatable moment on a television show than the scene when Lane impulsively reached out and touched her crush’s hair? And then she had to call Rory and freak out about it obsessively? She has a thing or two about learning to respect personal space, but the sentiment is so relatable.
9/20Emily and Richard’s (temporary) separation.
Although Emily and Richard were only apart for a brief time, it was still pretty sad. Richard moved out to the pool house and passed his time by joining a men’s quartet singing group. Emily stayed in the main house all by herself and even went on a date during their separation. Sidebar: we’re really going to miss Richard in the revival.
10/20Lane and Zach’s wedding and honeymoon.
Lane and Zach’s wedding ended up being pretty iconic. They slept together for the first time while on their honeymoon, aaaand Lane became pregnant. Yep, from that one time. We have to admit, they make adorable parents – we hope there’s more of their child on the revival!
11/20That time Marty pretended he didn’t know Rory.
We were living for the drama of this storyline when it first aired. For some bizarre reason, Marty decided to pretend that he’d never met Rory before when he was introduced by his girlfriend (and Rory’s roommate) Lucy. The lie went on for days and then finally Logan blurted out the truth while at dinner. So. Juicy.
12/20All the quirky townsfolk.
From Taylor’s town meetings to Kirk’s odd jobs, it’s no wonder that we all wanted to move to Stars Hollow. Raise your hand if you’d love to take a class with Miss Patty or eat breakfast at Luke’s Diner.
13/20Jess: Part Two.
When Jess came back later in the series, he was a totally different person. He had published a book! He was, like, an artist. He still wore his signature leather jacket but he was allll grown up.
14/20Luke’s daughter April.
We’re conflicted about this one. While the introduction of April marked the beginning of Lorelai and Luke’s downfall, it was certainly a drama-filled plotline. I mean, how many kids find out who their father is while conducting a science experiment for school? Pretty sure it’s not an everyday occurrence.
15/20The Rory/Lorelai cold war.
The only reason that this storyline can be considered “good” is because their reunion was so emotional. We know that Rory and Lorelai couldn’t stay mad at each other for long, and when they patched up after their fight, it was worth waiting for.
16/20When Rory and Logan stole that yacht.
Rory committed theft! And then had to do appear in court and do community service! This plot humanized her and made it clear that she was not perfect; she makes mistakes just like the rest of us. We liked seeing this other side of Rory, even though it’s probably good that it didn’t last long.
17/20Lorelai and Christopher getting married in Paris.
While we’re rooting for Lorelai and Luke to get back together, we have to admit that Lorelai and Chris’s elopement in Paris was pretty romantic. Who could forget their private 4 A.M. dinner under the light of the Eiffel Tower?
18/20Lorelai and Luke’s engagement.
It was only fitting that Lorelai and Luke got engaged after Lorelai blurting out, “Will you marry me?” We wouldn’t really have it any other way – and we hope that they’re together in the revival!
19/20The Life and Death Brigade.
We’d be lying if we said that we didn’t want to try that umbrella jump that the Life and Death Brigade took the morning after their weird camping trip. And although we’re pretty sure that most people’s college experience didn’t involve secret society parties, we can’t say that it didn’t seem fun.
20/20Last but not least, there was that time the show casually predicted the future.
In season 5, Lorelai and Rory are having trouble finding time to talk, as they are both super busy. Sarcastically, Lorelai says, “See you when Hillary’s president!” The series ended with Rory joining the Obama campaign, months before the 2008 primary season began. Um, Gilmore Girls? Are you psychic?!
