Gilmore Girls Episode Recap:

The Chilton Winter Formal is coming up. Rory doesn’t want to go. Lorelai wants to make sure Rory doesn’t want to go for the wrong reasons – that she is simply not just afraid. Rory says she has no dress. Lorelai is being supportive of Rory coming out of her shell.

Rory tells Lane she is afraid Dean will say no. Rory goes to ask Dean – she’s nervous and makes sure to tell him she’s not too eager to go. Dean says he’s never been to a dance before – he’s not a ‘joiner’. She looks disappointed – he sees that. He agrees – though is not super excited about the attire.

Lorelai is making Rory’s dress. It made a ‘pass’ at her and toppled Lorelai over. Sookie offers something from her bag-o’-pain-killers. Emily calls, fearing Rory is not going to the dance. Emily begs for pictures, so she is not so left out… *hint*. Lorelai invites her over to see Rory get ready.

Tristan buys his dance tickets – Paris tries to flirt with him (he realizes this and his ego is obvious). He goes to flirt with Rory in the line. He makes fun of her for buying a ticket – the guys are supposed to do that. Rory tells him she has a guy – but Tristan does not believe her, and tries to ask her to go.

“You’d have to be stupid to think that, given our history, I would ever, barring a piano or a safe falling on my head, wanna go anywhere with you, ever.”

Ouch. But, his ego will not let him admit she is telling the truth.

Emily is truly enjoying the ‘mom’ role to Lorelai. Wants to be as helpful and needed as she can.

Paris calls Rory an idiot for being mean to Tristan. Paris says there is no way Rory could bring anyone better than Tristan, and will probably come down ’sick’ the night of the dance. Rory says she does not need her change:

“Money makes people shallow.”

Rory comes out in her beautiful dress. Lorelai’s back is still out from her tango with the dress. Emily arrives and Rory comes out with bib and taco in hand. Sookie lets leak about Lorelai’s back spasm – Emily becomes concerned. Emily thinks Lorelai bought the dress. Emily insists that Dean come to the door for her – but Rory told him to honk and she’d go out. So, she insists they wait for him to figure it out.  After Rory goes, Emily goads Lorelai into moving, convinced she’s not fit to be alone. Lorelai loses that battle.

Rory seems quite nervous about the dance. She tosses between wanting to go and chickening out. Dean is good either way. After paying Rory a compliment, she’s satisfied to go.

Emily is seeking out the crystal candlesticks she bought Lorelai last Christmas – but Lorelai exchanged them for a monkey lamp.

“You traded my lovely gift for a semi-pornographic leering monkey lamp? How could you?“

Lorelai avoids direct questions with a cute pout and ‘my back hurts’.

Rory and Dean arrive at the dance. Louisa and Madeline come to ogle (flirt) Dean – whom Rory can’t quite yet call her boyfriend. He notices and doesn’t like it – for him or Rory. He goes to cuddle her. They hit the dance floor for a slow number, and Dean gives her a kiss. Tristan is looking on, all sad.

Emily is truly enjoying the ‘mom’ role to Lorelai. Wants to be as helpful and needed as she can.

Paris apparently came with her cousin to the dance. Said cousin is trying to hit on Rory. With that information, Rory is thrilled. Paris had a pity date!
Emily and Lorelai are bonding over movies and thoughts of Rory.

“You did a lovely job. With Rory and the dress.”

Lorelai is so pleased she tries the horrid banana on toast Emily brought her. Gross. So, Emily tries it. Disgust. And she made that for Lorelai each time she was sick! Poor Lorelai!

Dean suggests they go for coffee with what time left they have of the night – enough of the dance. While he gets the coats, Paris storms on Rory. She is afraid Rory told everyone about her cousin. But, in her anger, is so loud that she ends up telling them!

Tristan confronts Dean, who thankfully already knows that Tristan is an ass. So, when Tristan calls Rory a princess in need of a big strong protector, saying he ‘doesn’t like’ Rory, it’s really obvious that he does. He’s just asking for a fight. He starts insulting Dean – saying he drives a buggy and must get home for a barn raising.

Tristan blocks Rory’s path (perhaps to say how much better he is) and Dean shoves him. Tristan attacks him. Dean says Tristan does not want to fight him. Dean is, after all, quite a bit bigger. And then Dean tells Tristan not to come near Rory again.

Emily tucks Lorelai in and she says ‘thank you mommy’.

Dean and Rory are walking around the snowy Stars Hollow with coffee. Rory apologizes to Dean. But Dean insists Tristan has a thing for Rory. Rory then says she’s not sure about how she feels having her boyfriend defend her honor – boyfriend! Dean catches the phrase and Rory babbles trying to hide her confusion. But Rory then asks if he is her boyfriend. And she says she wants him to be.

They are walking by Miss Patty’s and notice that the door is ajar. They go in to look around at all the memorabilia. Rory drops her purse and Dean comments on its heft – she has everything from lipstick to a book in there! They sit down to read it together.

Unfortunately, they fall asleep! Miss Patty wakes them up when she comes in.
Rory takes off at a run, not even putting on her shoes. She tells Dean not to come with her.

At the same time, Emily has woken up to find Rory not at home. She and Lorelai go into a panic. Miss Patty calls just then. Emily wants to know in ‘what state’ they were found sleeping. Emily assumes that they slept together – perhaps not unfounded after Lorelai became pregnant at the same age. Emily calls Lorelai stupid for letting Rory ruin her life.

“She’s doing the same thing you did. She’s going to get pregnant.”

Lorelai refuses to hear that Rory is going to ruin her life. She says Rory is not her. Emily asks what kind of mother Lorelai is to allow this to happen... Lorelai counters by asking what kind of mother Emily was. Emily says Lorelai will lose Rory the same way she lost Lorelai.

“Even if I hadn’t gotten pregnant, you still would have lost me. I had nothing in that house. I had no life. I had no air. You strangled me.”

Emily is fed up hearing that she was controlling – she gave Lorelai only the best opportunities.

“If I was so controlling, how come I couldn’t control you getting pregnant and throwing your life away.”

“Get out. You will not come into my house and tell me I threw my life away. Look around mom, this is a life!”

Lorelai is just saying if she had not gotten pregnant, she would not have Rory, when Rory comes in. Rory stops to listen while Lorelai says how trustworthy Rory is and tells Emily to leave if she thinks otherwise.

So, Emily leaves and Rory comes to the kitchen. She’s starts to say thank you to Lorelai but Lorelai immediately starts yelling. Lorelai was terrified. And insists Rory go on the pill. While Lorelai may tell Emily she trusts Rory, she’s telling Rory quite another thing. And Rory is upset about that. And accuses Lorelai of being irrational. Rory says Lorelai is mad because Emily was there and saw Rory’s mistake and it made things worse. But that Lorelai knows it’s a mistake. She goes to her room and slams the door.

Discussion Questions:

• Why does Tristan treat Rory the way he does, if he likes her?
• Why is Emily so quick to judge Lorelai’s parenting skills?
• Was Dean chivalrous or a brute in his fight with Tristan?
• Why is Lorelai mad at Rory? Is it because she fears her own mistakes repeating? That Emily accused her of being a mad mom? Or something else?

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