Some of the best episodes of Gilmore Girls are the ones that focus on the relationship between Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. Gilmore Girls thrives on the daily interactions between the young mom and her teenage daughter. They talk fast as they eat junk food and watch their favorite movies between all their weekly responsibilities.
Lorelai gives Rory everything, and Rory does her best to make good decisions and support her mom, too. After seven seasons with these hilarious, heartwarming women, viewers feel like they know them. These episodes are great for anyone who misses the connection between Rory and Lorelai.
Rory's Birthday Parties
Gilmore Girls creates such a memorable image in "Rory's Birthday Parties." Fans can remember her two very different sweet sixteens. One is a lavish party at her grandparents' home, and the other is a fun, hot pink celebration in Rory's own home with her mom and closest friends present.
Things don't go so smoothly with the Gilmores at the birthday event in Hartford, but Richard and Emily are still invited to partake in the "fun" party in Stars Hollow. This episode depicts Rory and Lorelai's world with great care.
Kiss And Tell
"Kiss and Tell" is a special season one episode for Rory and Lorelai, filled with fall leaves and new beginnings. The mom is adjusting to her daughter hanging around with Dean. Lorelai finds out that Rory and Dean have had their first kiss and tries to get it out of Rory in a not-so-subtle way.
Lorelai points at Dean and says to Luke, "Rory had her first kiss, and that guy did it." The mom and daughter finally talk things out and take a trip to Doose's for some junk food. Lorelai spontaneously invites Dean over for movie night, thereby giving Rory and Dean their first official date.
The Bracebridge Dinner
"The Bracebridge Dinner" is a sweet episode for Lorelai and Rory. They enter a snowman contest by building a snowlady in the likeness of Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk. Then, Lorelai's fancy nineteenth-century dinner at the inn turns into a town affair when the clientele are stuck in Chicago with the snow.
Lorelai and Rory welcome Paris to the event and have fun watching Richard and Emily take it all in. The night is completed by horse-drawn carriage rides. Lorelai goes on one with Luke and then cruises around town with Rory.
They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?
"They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?" isn't the easiest episode of the show to watch, but it is a true testament to Rory and Lorelai's strong bond. They walk into the dance marathon together in their sassy dresses and walk out supporting one another, even after Rory's love life explodes all over everything when Dean can't take the Jess drama anymore.
Lorelai doesn't try to tell Rory what to do when it comes to guys. Even if she's in the middle of things sometimes, Lorelai has Rory's best interest at heart and is always there for her.
The Road Trip To Harvard
"The Road Trip to Harvard" is one of the quintessential mother-daughter episodes of this series. Lorelai wants Rory to pursue her dream of an Ivy League education at Harvard, so the mom takes her to the campus for a tour.
It's much more than that, though. The Gilmore-style road trip is a nice time for Lorelai and Rory to bond and experience new things. Anyone who misses their witty dynamic will want to see them hang out here.
Take The Deviled Eggs
The third season brings an unexpected event for Lorelai. She intends to drop Rory off at Sherry's baby shower but is invited to stay herself. It's great that Lorelai does stay because the shower turns into an important mother-daughter day.
Rory and Lorelai both have to watch Christopher with Sherry, and eventually with a new daughter, G.G. It helps that the Gilmore girls can lean on each other as they go through these adjustments and that Rory can help her tense mom calm down.
The Lorelais' First Day At Yale
This season four episode is so meaningful to longtime fans. Rory is all set to start classes at Yale, even though it means she will live apart from her mom for the first time. Thankfully, Rory is less than an hour's drive from Stars Hollow (thirty minutes by the show's sped-up Connecticut highways).
She still misses her mom as soon as she arrives, though. Lorelai works so hard to help her daughter get moved in, and she is there for Rory the instant Rory asks. Their dorm sleepover is adorable, and everyone feels the warmth of their special connection.
The Prodigal Daughter Returns
Gilmore Girls fans are saddened to think about those months of the show when Lorelai and Rory are estranged. A series of questionable decisions on Rory's part leads to a boiling point and a total separation from her mother. Like the Prodigal Son in the New Testament, Rory finally comes home.
Those who missed Rory and Lorelai during their rift and miss them years later should definitely go back and watch this season six episode. It's also the one that brings April into Luke's life for the first time.
That's What You Get, Folks, For Makin' Whoopee
This season seven episode focuses on Rory's canceled trip to Asia with Logan. Lorelai feels sad for her daughter and wants to cheer her up, so the mom turns the house into an abode of themed activities.
Rory and Lorelai don beautiful kimonos and even eat dessert sushi. The two of them have a way of cheering each other up that is so unique.
Unto The Breach
Rory's graduation from Yale is the penultimate episode of the whole series. It is followed by her going away party in Stars Hollow. Aside from Logan's contentious proposal, "Unto the Breach" is important to the Gilmore family, specifically.
Richard always wanted Rory to go to Yale, but the best thing about the graduation is that Lorelai saw Rory through four years of college. Even when Rory wasn't under her roof, Lorelai did everything she could to help her daughter and continued to help give Rory a better life. It's nice to see everything come full circle.