5 Best Episodes of Gilmore Girls

Where you lead I will follow, and tomorrow I will stalk you right to Netflix because all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls will be available on their streaming service as of October 1^st. Lorelai Gilmore would undoubtedly have many clever things to say about this news and she would recite her witticisms at lightning fast speed. The snappy dialogue is just one of many reasons to devour Gilmore Girls. The show centers on a mother and daughter, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, and their eventful life in the sleepy but quirky New England town of Stars Hollow.

The small village is the kind of place you fervently wish existed in real life. Okay, maybe I just fervently wish that. I want to wander down a Main Street and get a delicious cup of coffee from a curmudgeonly waiter, take a stroll past the gazebo and talk with Miss Patty, visit Al's Pancake World and sample the vast variety of cuisines, and stop in a store that only sells cat-themed items. Maybe I can have an encounter with the local version of Kirk along the way. Is that so much to ask?

Until I can find an actual Stars Hollow to explore, I'll continue to delight in the one presented in Gilmore Girls. The town is a character, and it's one of many fascinating ones. Lorelai and Rory's relationships with each other and those around them is the bedrock of the series, and it's by turns heartwarming, hilarious, sad, and sassy. I've watched my DVDs over and over again, and I guarantee I'll be streaming some Gilmore Girls on my iPad while I work. I couldn't resist an opportunity to write about the series, so here are my picks for five must-watch episodes (spoilers ahead):

“Raincoats and Recipes”

The fourth season finale is sort of like a highlights reel containing all the best things Gilmore Girls is about. Lorelai's dream culminates as she and Sookie open the Dragonfly Inn with a test-run weekend. Emotions run high as friends and family check into not-quite finished rooms. Emily and Richard are fighting, Lorelai is trying to manipulate them, Rory makes a heartbreaking and surprising decision, Kirk is freaking hilarious as he suffers from his night terrors, the local color is exceptionally colorful, and then there's the matter of Luke and Lorelai's kiss.

Best quote: "But maybe he didn't mean it as a date thing. Maybe he just needed to get out of the house. And since I'm currently one of the women sitting home, thinking 'if I could only find a man like Aragorn,' he picked me." - Lorelai

"We've Got Magic to Do"

While I don't like the period after Rory quit Yale, this sixth season episode has a few scenes I'll never forget. It's another example of Rory living a life that could have easily been Lorelai's, and she excels at it. Overachiever attitudes are nearly impossible to kick to the curb. Richard and Emily both get memorable moments in this episode. When Emily's vicious tongue is on your side, it's a valuable weapon. I loved how she took down Shira Huntzberger, and I admire that Richard did the same with Mitchum and also finally realized he was wrong to let Rory quit school.

Best quote: "Now let's talk about your money. You were a two-bit gold-digger fresh off the bus from Hicksville when you met Mitchum at whatever bar you happened to stumble into. And what made Mitchum decide to chose you to marry amongst the pack of women he was bedding at the time I'll never know. But hats off to you for bagging him. He's still a playboy you know. Well of course you know! That would explain why your weight goes up and down thirty pounds every other month. But that's your cross to bear. But these are ugly realities, no one needs to talk about them. Those kids are staying together for as long as they like. You won't stop them... Now enjoy the event!" - Emily

"The Road Trip to Harvard"

Lorelai calls off her wedding to Max at almost the last possible minute in this second season episode and enlists Rory in a road trip. The event showcases their mother-daughter-best friend relationship at its finest as they head off with no direction in mind and end up at Harvard and also an over the top bed and breakfast. I loved seeing the personality similarities and differences on display in this ep, and it's usually near the top of my list if I'm re-watching the series out of order.

Best quote: "We're not gonna have this fight in a flowery bedroom with dentists singing "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" in the background. It's too David Lynch!" - Lorelai

"The Bracebridge Dinner"

I'm a sucker for themes and that applies to sitcom television. The medieval/renaissance faire-esque dinner at the Independence Inn is a complete winner not only for the humor and gags but also because of a change in Richard and Emily's relationship. He's quit his job and struggles with how to tell Emily;when he does break the news, she handles it with surprising grace.

Best quote: Lorelai: People have too many things.

Rory: Says the woman with 64 pairs of shoes.

Lorelai: Thus proving my point.

"They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?"

Being a teenager is hard but because Rory is so precocious, it's hard to remember she's only a kid. It hits home in episodes like this one from the third season as she is pulled between her feelings for her first boyfriend Dean and the resident bad boy Jess. The struggle comes to a head as Lorelai and Rory try to win the annual Stars Hollow dance marathon (because of course they are – Stars Hollow has the best kinds of gatherings) and I will always cry during the scene when Rory sort of falls into Lorelai's arms in tears towards the end. Sniffle.

Best quote: Taylor: You would kick Tiny Tim's crutches right from underneath him wouldn't you?

Luke: If he asked for a free cup of coffee, gimpy's going down.

Tell me about your favorite episodes!