Lorelai's Graduation Day
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| “Lorelai's Graduation Day” | |
|---|---|
| Gilmore Girls episode | |
 |
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| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 21 |
| Guest stars | Jackson Douglas Seth MacFarlane Ralph P. Martin Mel Rodriguez Alicia Bergman David Sutcliffe |
| Written by | Daniel Palladino |
| Directed by | Jamie Babbit |
| Production no. | 227471 |
| Original airdate | May 14, 2002 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "Help Wanted" | "I Can't Get Started" |
Lorelai's Graduation Day is Episode 21 of Season 2 of the television series Gilmore Girls. It originally aired on May 14, 2002.
[edit] Plot
It's another weekday morning in Stars Hollow, and Lorelai and Rory are facing yet another non-Luke breakfast. Lorelai says not to fear, however, she is leading them to a Mystery Breakfast Spot that will provide them with an amazing meal. As they walk, Lane catches up to them. She wants to know if she can use their pots and pans to practice her drum-playing again this morning. Lorelai says that will be fine, since they are obviously not being used for anything else. Lane leaves. The Gilmore girls take a few more steps, then Lorelai announces that they have arrived. Today's breakfast spot is: Sookie's house.
Sookie's in the kitchen, serving up a full breakfast. Rory protests, but Sookie said she is glad to do it, and joins them at the table. Jackson is there, too, but not quite all there. Sookie explains that her intended is not a morning person, and Jackson responds by grunting sleepily. Lorelai makes a suggestion for the upcoming wedding -- aspirin instead of Jordan almonds -- but Sookie says it'll be a few days before Jackson can respond to it coherently.
Back at home, Lorelai is in the kitchen, studying for her final exams at business school. She is a bit frantic because she feels her brain is full even though she has more knowledge to cram in. At least, she says, this will be the last time, since her graduation is finally just around the corner. Rory realizes that this means a graduation ceremony should be coming up, too. Lorelai says yes she did hear something about a ceremony, but she's really not enthusiastic about it. Rory convinces her mother that she has to go, and invites herself, Sookie and Jackson to attend. She wants to invite Richard and Emily, too, but Lorelai won't hear of it. She is certain that they won't want to attend, so she doesn't want to bother asking.
The next day, Lorelai, Rory and Dean are walking through town. The girls are making fun of Dean's family's tradition of skeet shooting when Lorelai realizes she has to stop at Doose's Market. She is shopping inside when she turns a corner and runs into Luke. They speak to each other, awkwardly. Lorelai tries to address the bigger issue of their fight, but Luke shuts her down and walks off.
At Richard and Emily's home, the doorbell rings. It's Rory. She has come to talk to her grandmother face-to-face about something. Richard, who got a call from Emily about Rory's visit, joins them as well. She sits them both down and begins to tell them about Lorelai's graduation day. Even though it is against her mother's wishes, Rory says she is sure that Lorelai really wants them both to come. She gives them the tickets, tells them the date and time, and leaves it all up to them to decide.
Exams are finally over, and Lorelai is celebrating with a few margaritas while Rory reads a book on the couch. Lorelai is elated that the pressure of studying is off and she can relax. They are looking through a "life-planner" from the community college when the telephone rings: It's Jess, calling from a pay phone in New York. Rory, stunned, makes some excuse to her mother, and takes the phone into her bedroom. Her conversation with Jess is short and fairly innocuous, although he does mention that he has been hanging out in Washington Square Park a lot. After they hang up, Rory flops back onto her bed.
Graduation day has finally arrived. Rory is getting ready to leave for school while Lorelai is trying to decide what to wear to the ceremony. Her level-headed daughter helps her through this fashion crisis, and then they outline the plan for the rest of the day: Rory has to work on the Franklin after school, but will arrive at the college no later than 6 p.m. Then, they will end the evening with dinner, Rory's treat. With one last look at her "little graduate," Rory heads off for school.
Later, at Chilton, Rory and Paris are talking between classes -- well, Paris is talking, Rory is mostly listening. Just as Paris gets to the end of a story about how she made a faculty adviser cry, a strange look comes over Rory's face. Instead of continuing into the school with Paris, she turns around and walks out again.
At the Independence Inn, Sookie is bringing a surprise to Lorelai in the kitchen: A mortarboard cake filled with chocolate-covered espresso beans. Sookie also has pictures of her high-school graduation; one is the traditional pose of the graduate flanked by proud parents. As Michel is describing his high school graduation ceremony, Lorelai's cell phone rings: It's Christopher. He can't make it to Hartford today, but he did send Lorelai a gift basket. She goes out to the lobby to find it.
Chris's basket is chock-full of "useful" gifts for the college grad: a US savings bond, a youth-hostel card, an application for the armed forces. But, then, Lorelai comes across a velvet-lined box. It contains a beautiful genuine pearl necklace. Chris says she deserves it, for doing such a great job of raising Rory and still finding time to pursue her education. Lorelai is greatly touched by this.
Meanwhile, Rory is getting off a bus at the Port Authority Terminal in New York City. She tries to catch the attention of several passersby, and eventually gets directions to Washington Square Park. There, on a bench, reading a Tom Wolfe novel, is Jess. They exchange hellos, and then Jess takes Rory to get something to eat. As they walk, they banter, mostly about Rory and how she feels "urban" today. Jess can't quite bring himself to ask after Luke, but Rory tells him anyway. After they get their two hot dogs with everything, Jess tells Rory about a great record store that she should see. They go down into the subway together.
It is several hours before graduation, but Lorelai already has arrived. She wanted to have time to relax and prepare herself before the ceremony. As she is looking through the racks of gowns, she catches a glimpse of a well-dressed older woman passing by. Lorelai shakes her head in disbelief, but then goes out to find the woman. Yes, it's Emily. She, too, has arrived early but, in this case, to oversee setup of the film equipment. She plans to have the entire event recorded for posterity. Lorelai is mortified. Emily tells her not to worry, she will take care of everything.
In New York, Jess and Rory are flipping through stacks of wax at the little hole-in-the-wall record store. They are having fun looking at albums from bands they've never heard of when Rory makes a great find: A Go-Gos LP signed by Belinda Carlysle herself. She explains that the Go-Gos were one of her mother's favorite groups when she was 16, and that the record should make a great graduation present.
All too soon, though, the visit to New York is over. Jess takes Rory back to the bus depot to see her off. As she boards the bus for home, Rory hears Jess ask her a question, but she can't quite make it out. She opens the bus window. Jess asks again: Why did she come here? She skipped school and everything to make the trip, he says. Why would she do that? Rory is quiet for a moment, and then tells him why: Because he didn't say goodbye.
"Bye, Rory," says Jess.
"Bye, Jess," says Rory.
Back in Hartford, Lorelai has struck up a conversation with Liza, a fellow graduate, who borrows her makeup mirror. Liza has a boyfriend, Zach, who is also graduating, but they don't really seem to get along. After Zach leaves the room following an insult session, Liza invites Lorelai to join her and the gang for pizza after the ceremony. Lorelai politely declines since she has dinner plans with Rory. Zach then comes back to report that "some blue-blooded rich woman" was seen in the auditorium setting up film equipment. Liza and Zach proclaim their hatred for people with money, and Lorelai is compelled to agree.
It has been several minutes since Jess left Rory, but her bus still has not left for home. Rory asks the driver what the situation is, and he gives her the bad news: An accident on the interstate is affecting all outbound buses. He doesn't know when they will get underway again. She goes back to her seat to wait.
The graduation ceremony is not far off, and Sookie and Jackson come back to visit Lorelai before it begins. She quietly asks them to keep an eye on her parents, and make sure they don't do anything too outrageous. A woman comes in asking for Lorelai and brings over a box of corsages for her to choose from. Lorelai doesn't want one at first, but grabs one quickly when told Emily would come in there and pick one for her. Unfortunately, the woman also lets it slip that Lorelai's mother is the one with the film equipment. Zach and Liza rip into her and walk off. Just then, Lorelai's pager goes off: It's Rory. She says she is running late but will be there as soon as she can. Sookie offers to sit in the back and save Rory a seat.
Rory's bus has finally gotten underway, but it is making more stops on the return trip than it did on the way to New York. It seems Rory has gotten on a local instead of the express. She begins to realize that she might not make it, and curses herself for making the impulsive trip.
The moment finally has arrived. Lorelai is just seconds away from realizing a dream three years in the making. Sookie and Jackson are there, looking proud. Richard and Emily are there; she is fussing over the film coverage and he is complaining about the quality of the commencement speaker, but they are there. Then, a name is announced: "Lorelai Victoria Gilmore." Lorelai crosses the stage, cameraman and sound guy trailing behind. She takes her diploma and then stands there, looking out into the audience. Emily is actually moved to tears. Lorelai moves her tassel from left to right.
Later, as her parents are leaving, Lorelai asks them to take a picture with her, the traditional pose, of course. Emily says her goodbye, but Richard hangs back. He hands Lorelai an envelope, presumably one with a check inside. He congratulates her, and tells her to use the money on something fun. Sookie and Jackson come up to congratulate Lorelai as well. Unfortunately, it is still just the two of them: Rory never arrived. She called her mother's cell phone and told Sookie that she got "hung up" and would meet Lorelai at home. The graduate is greatly disappointed, and turns down Sookie's offer to go out and celebrate. As they turn to leave, Jackson says:
"Wait a minute! Aspirins instead of Jordan almonds?! But we already bought the almonds!"
Lorelai arrives home to see Rory sitting on the front porch. She runs up to her mother and begins what well may be the longest and most contrite apology in the history of mother-daughter relationships. Lorelai wisely cuts through Rory's self-castigation to get to the heart of the matter: Rory cut school to go to New York to see Jess. Rory says she would rather talk about all the ways she plans to punish herself and make up for missing the graduation than even consider the fact that she may be falling for Jess. Lorelai says she would rather have dinner with her best friend. Rory goes inside to shower, leaving Lorelai to contemplate just how Jess may be complicating their lives again.
