The Top 5 ‘Gilmore Girls’ Episodes to Watch on Netflix
So have we all heard the news that all SEVEN SEASONS of Gilmore Girls are headed to Netflix? When I found out, I heard church bells ring and a choir of angels sing and it took me several seconds to realize it was all just in my head. Seriously, you guys, I’m pumped about this news. Starting Oct. 1st, all of 154 episodes of Gilmore Girls will be waiting for me on Netflix Instant, ensuring I never have to plan something to do on Friday night EVER AGAIN. I can’t wait, I can’t wait, I can’t wait. But I HAVE TO WAIT, like seventeen more days. While I’m counting the milliseconds, let’s take a trip back down Stars Hollow Memory Lane and let me pick out the five episodes I’m for sure queuing up the INSTANT they hit the interwebs.
1. “Pilot” (Season 1, Episode 1)
You know how some shows take a few episodes to get started? You know how some shows take, like, a straight-up season to get started? (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I love you hard, but sister, you were slow as molasses in January until Buffy made Angel lose his soul. Girl, you know it’s true.) Well, Gilmore Girls doesn’t have that problem AT ALL. Right out of the gate, it knows exactly who it is and what it’s going to do for 42 minutes every week and the pilot is a pitch-perfect introduction to the mother-daughter magic times that is Stars Hollow.
2. “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” (Season 2, Episode 13)
I was a little tempted to just put “Every Jess Episode Ever” in this slot, but that would be cheating, and I cannot abide by cheating, so I’ll pick the episode where Jess outbid Dean for Rory’s picnic basket at the Stars Hollow Charity Picnic Basket Auction because it combines so many of my favorite Gilmore Girls tropes, Jess and Dean fighting, Jess doing anything, and Stars Hollow being just STUPID CUTE on the regular.
3. “Raincoats and Recipes” (Season 4, Episode 22)
Oof. This was a tough one. Rory, the poster child for good girldom, loses her virginity to her ex-boyfriend Dean. Her MARRIED EX-BOYFRIEND DEAN. And gets a deserved talking-to from her mother. It was so hard to watch Rory make this BONKERS mistake. But people make mistakes, and Rory couldn’t be all dusty-old-library-books and super-cute peacoats forever. Growing up is about doing dumb things, not always as dumb as sleeping-with-your-married-ex-boyfriend things, but still, dumb things must be done and our Rory had to grow up sometime. Okay, I have to stop writing about this plot point now, I feel the same way about this episode the way most people feel watching a character in a horror movie go down into the basement with a flashlight to check on all those weird noises. You can yell “Don’t DOOOOOOOO it!” at your TV screen until you straight-up lose your voice. It doesn’t matter. They never listen.
4. “A House Is Not A Home” (Season 5, Episode 22)
LORELAI PROPOSES TO LUKE, WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM TELEVISION????? Also, this was the season cliffhanger and they made us wait ALL SUMMER LONG to find out what happened to our favorite free spirit and her handsomest of grouch-loves. Amy Sherman-Palladino was so mean. So awesome. But so mean.
5. “They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They?” (Season 3, Episode 7)
There’s an old-fashioned dance marathon (it’s not Stars Hollow if there isn’t some stop-it-hurts-so-cute community event going down in town hall), Dean and Rory break up because it’s SUPER OBVIS she’s all about the Jess with his SEXY REBELLING and his even SEXIER READING and the episode ends with a mother/daughter slow-dance. I mean, if you’re going to watch one episode of Gilmore Girls, you have to watch this one, and if you’re not in this series to win this series after “They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They?” then what kind of monster are you?
Happy Almost Gilmore Girls Day To Everyone! Well, everyone with Netflix accounts. Happy Almost Gilmore Girls Day To A Lot Of Us!
