2nd Season
2001-2002
#1 Sadie, Sadie...
#2 Hammers and Veils
#3 Red Light on a Wedding Night
#4 The Road Trip to Harvard
#5 Nick & Nora, Sid & Nancy
#6 Presenting Lorelai Gilmore
#7 Like Mother, Like Daughter
#8 The Ins & Outs of Inns
 		#9 Run Away, Little Boy
#10 The Bracebridge Dinner
#11 Secrets and Loans
#12 Richard in Stars Hollow
#13 A-Tisket, A-Tasket
#14 It Should Have Been Lorelai
#15 Lost and Found
#16 There's the Rub
 		#17 Dead Uncles and Vegetables
#18 Back in the Saddle Again
#19 Teach Me Tonight
#20 Help Wanted
#21 Lorelai's Graduation Day
#22 I Can't Get Started
Other seasons
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

#1 Sadie, Sadie...: Aired Tuesday, October 9, 2001

Lorelai tells Luke that Max proposed and he calmly congratulates her. Lorelai finally calls Max and tells him that her answer is yes. Richard and Emily have a special celebratory dinner for Rory because she finished the year in the top 3% of her class. They tell Rory to bring a friend, so Rory brings Dean to dinner. While Emily manages to be vaguely polite to Dean, Richard thinks Dean isn't good enough for Rory and makes his opinion rudely known. Rory yells at her grandfather and leaves dinner early with Dean. Sookie calls Emily about a surprise wedding shower for Lorelai, and Emily is horrified that Lorelai is getting married and didn't say anything. Emily insists that Richard apologize to Rory so Rory won't ever get engaged and not tell them. Lane's parents are sending her to Korea with a one-way ticket. Max finally gives Lorelai a ring.

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#2 Hammers and Veils: Aired Tuesday, October 9, 2001

Rory is going to summer school and works on a low-income house-building project with Paris. Rory suddenly realizes that Paris's past charity efforts are incredible, and feels like she needs to work much harder on extra-curriculars to get into Harvard. Dean feels ignored while Rory makes getting into Harvard her top priority during the summer. Lorelai finally tells her mother that she's getting married and Emily gives her a "that's nice, dear." Lorelai is hurt that Emily couldn't even pretend to be happy for her, and after dinner with Max she drags her fiance over to her parents' house to yell at her mother. Emily yells back that it hurt her too when she found out from a complete stranger that her own daughter was getting married and didn't bother to tell her. Sookie's huge engagement party for Lorelai is a great success, although Luke needs some convincing to attend. Lorelai apologizes to her mother and they make peace while discussing what type of veil Lorelai might wear. With all the talk of weddings, Jackson starts to feel pressure and offers to move in with Sookie.

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#3 Red Light on a Wedding Night: Aired Tuesday, October 16, 2001

Taylor, despite Luke's loud protests, puts a traffic light in downtown Stars Hollow. Lorelai and Max start figuring out how to live their lives together, and Lorelai has difficulty fitting Max into hers. During her bachelorette party, Lorelai impulsively calls Christopher, Rory's father. Emily recounts her excitement at marrying Richard, and Lorelai wonders if she feels the same way. After Luke, who has been bad-mouthing marriage as an institution, builds a chuppah for Lorelai's wedding, Lorelai realizes that she's really not ready to marry Max. She and Rory decide to take off on an impulsive road trip, but are stopped by a red light in the middle of town.

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#4 The Road Trip to Harvard: Aired Tuesday, October 23, 2001

Lorelai and Rory take off on a road-trip to Northern New England, and Lorelai calls Sookie to tell her the wedding is off. Sookie, at Lorelai's request, tells Miss Patty so that the whole town will know. Rory makes sure that Lorelai is sure about calling off the wedding. Lorelai is sure. The Gilmore Girls end up at a nightmarishly cute bed & breakfast in New Hampshire and spend a day visiting Harvard. Rory is at first intimidated, but then realizes that she'll fit right in. Lorelai is happy to see Rory there, but at the same time a little sad. Luke is unusually happy after hearing the news about the cancelled wedding. Lorelai tells her mother about calling off the wedding. Lane gets back from Korea and admits that it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Lorelai tells Luke that she wants to open that inn with Sookie sooner rather than later.

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#5 Nick & Nora, Sid & Nancy: Aired Tuesday, October 30, 2001

Rory returns to school and starts working the school newspaper, the Franklin, with Paris as editor. Paris tries to undermine Rory as much as possible, but Rory digs in and says that nothing Paris can do will make her leave the paper. Paris even gets wind of awkwardness between Rory and Max Medina, and so assigns Rory to interview the popular teacher. Rory and Max come to a sort of peace over their interview. Luke's sister sends her troublesome son Jess to live with Luke, and Lorelai tries to help Luke deal with the sullen 17-year-old. Luke argues that he doesn't need help, but finally comes to Lorelai freaking out when he doesn't know what to do. Luke tries to put his foot down with Jess, but Jess just walks out. Jess and Rory bond over their mutual love of literature.

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#6 Presenting Lorelai Gilmore: Aired Tuesday, November 6, 2001

Emily and Richard fight openly when Richard keeps cancelling social engagements for them because he's too busy with work. Emily decides to present Rory as a debutante, and Rory goes along with it because she sees how happy it makes her grandmother. Lorelai calls Christopher to come present his daughter and is surprised when he shows up from Boston in a sensible Volvo and talks about his nine to five job. Rory's coming out in society goes off without a hitch, and Dean up with the tuxedo and dancing involved in his escorting duties in exchange for Rory watching Battle Bots with him. Richard and Emily have another blow-out fight at the ball in which Richard admits he's upset because he's being phased out at work. Lorelai asks Christopher if he'd like to stick around for awhile and he admits that he has a live-in significant other back in Boston to go back to. Lorelai tries to reach out to her mother when she worries that the older woman doesn't have anyone to talk to about her troubles with Richard. Jess is still torturing Luke.

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#7 Like Mother, Like Daughter: Aired Tuesday, November 13, 2001

Through the guidance counselor, the headmaster expresses his concern that Rory is anti-social, and when Lorelai goes to complain, the headmaster recommends that she, too, should get involved in more of the parent groups. Rory tries sitting at new table at lunch and suddenly finds herself swept up in a secret society called the Puffs of which Paris desperately wants to be a member. Rory manages to get Paris in too, but when both girls are kidnapped from their bed in the middle of the night and brought to the headmaster's office, Rory wonders what she's gotten herself into. When the Puffs are busted breaking into the headmaster's office, Rory complains to headmaster that she was only trying to do what he asked and be more social. Meanwhile, Lorelai joins the Booster Club and ends up single-handedly planning their fall fund raiser, a fashion show at the Independence Inn where the moms are the models. Lorelai talks her mother into participating, but is humiliated when she and her mother are given matching outfits. Lorelai becomes a little insecure when one of the other moms in the Booster Club mentions that she thinks Luke is cute.

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#8 The Ins & Outs of Inns: Aired Tuesday, November 20, 2001

Emily has an oil painting done of Rory for Richard's study. Lorelai and Sookie are pleased to find out that the friendly old bakery lady owns the inn property that they're interested in, but are disappointed when she says she can't sell for sentimental reasons. When the beloved owner of the Independence Inn, Mia, comes to town from her new home in California, Lorelai is nervous to tell her about her and Sookie's plans to open their own place. Mia takes the news very well, saying that she was thinking of selling her own inn anyway, but didn't want to sell it out from under Lorelai and Sookie. Suddenly Lorelai becomes terrified about the venture, and also becomes insecure about losing what she considers to be her real home. She lashes out at Sookie and they have the first big fight of their friendship. After a heartening discussion with Luke and how he started his own diner, Lorelai goes back to Sookie and apologizes and promises her she'll never do anything like that again. Jess keeps causing trouble for Luke, not only in his own diner but around town, causing Taylor to rally the town against the two sullen guys. Rory lectures Jess on making life more difficult for Luke and later Jess fixes Luke's broken toaster without telling him and won't take the credit. Emily comes by the inn to meet Mia, the woman who raised her daughter.

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#9 Run Away, Little Boy: Aired Tuesday, November 27, 2001

With some urging from Sookie, Lorelai goes out on a date with a younger guy from her business school class. When her date comes into Luke's a few days later, Luke mercilessly mocks Lorelai for dating a "kid." Sookie points out to Lorelai that Luke totally has a thing for her, and is probably tired of watching Lorelai date every other man instead of him. Lorelai carefully reaffirms her friendship with Luke. Rory works on a school project in which she has to play Juliet to Tristin's Romeo. Dean is jealous and Rory is terrified that somehow her kiss with Tristin is going to come out. At the last minute, Tristin is yanked from school by his father because he broke into a friend's father's safe, and Paris ends up playing Romeo. Henry and Lane continue their secret phone romance with help from Rory.

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#10 The Bracebridge Dinner: Aired Tuesday, December 11, 2001

Christopher tells Lorelai he wants to invite Rory to spend some time with him over winter break and a jealous Lorelai doesn't tell Rory about it right away. Richard retires from the job that is making him miserable without telling anyone. Emily enjoys his new good mood until she finds out where it comes from. Richard apologizes for not telling her and Emily forgives him. Lorelai and Sookie are planning a big 19th century-themed dinner for a company that gets snowed into Chicago. Since the dinner is already paid for, they decide to throw it for their friends instead. Dean tries to break up a fight that Jess is in and is pissed when Jess starts throwing punches at him. Jess tells Rory that he thinks she and Dean have nothing in common. Jess tells Rory he thinks she and her mother should win the snowman-building contest, but Rory points out a snowman she thinks is better. The next day the better snowman is mysteriously destroyed. Dean notices the way Jess looks at Rory.

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#11 Secrets and Loans: Aired Tuesday, January 22, 2002

Lorelai finds out her house has termites and between the extermination and the foundation damage she needs $15,000. She starts asking for loans, but doesn't have enough collateral and everyone turns her down. Luke tries to trick her into a taking a loan from him, but although she appreciates it she can't accept it. Against Lorelai's wishes, Rory tells Emily about their predicament and Emily contacts a bank CEO that she knows. Lorelai reluctantly goes in for the meeting Emily sets up, but can only get the loan with Emily as a co-signer. Rory is shocked to find out that Lane is a cheerleader. Paris schemes to find out what Rory got on the PSATs.

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#12 Richard in Stars Hollow: Aired Tuesday, January 29, 2002

A newly retired Richard is driving Emily crazy, so Emily calls Lorelai and begs her to take Richard of her hands for day. Lorelai invites Richard to spend the day with her, but dreads it and begs Rory to stay home from school and help her. Rory not only won't skip school, she has to spend the afternoon after school helping Paris because Paris is obsessed with the school newspaper winning the prestigious Oppenheimer award. Paris has decided to do a human interest story on the seedy underbelly of small towns, and thinks Stars Hollow would be perfect. Paris is frustrated when Stars Hollow seems to have no seedy underbelly, but finds her story when the local video story starts to put just about every movie that isn't rated G behind a velvet curtain. Kirk and Taylor tell Rory that she's responsible for the censorship because she pointed out that a video with half-naked woman was on the bottom shelf where kids were staring at it. Rory is mortified. Meanwhile, Richard drives Lorelai nuts all day, criticizing her breakfast, her shirt, and the way she does her job. Lorelai finally loses it when Dean comes by with Rory's finished car and Richard forbids Rory to accept it because he thinks it isn't safe. Richard and Dean do a little bonding while getting the car rechecked by the town mechanic.

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#13 A-Tisket, A-Tasket: Aired Tuesday, February 5, 2002

Jackson proposes to Sookie and she accepts. Dean and Lorelai are both more and more worried about Rory's blooming friendship with Jess. Lorelai and Luke have a romantic picnic lunch together. Henry doesn't want to try to date Lane anymore because they have to be too secretive.

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#14 It Should Have Been Lorelai: Aired Tuesday, February 12, 2002

Rory is in a debate with Paris, and they crush the competing school. Christopher shows up to watch the debate with his girlfriend Sherry. Sherry is beautiful, elegant, and desperately wants to get to know Rory. With Lorelai's permission, Sherry takes Rory out that Friday night so they can get to know each other better, and Lorelai brings Christopher to dinner with her parents in Rory's place. Emily freaks out when she hears why Rory isn't there, and Lorelai tries to figure out what's wrong. It turns out that Emily is actually freaking out because she always thought Lorelai and Christopher would end up together, and now it's becoming clear that that will never happen. Rory and Sherry have a nice time together, and Rory reports back to her mother that Sherry is definitely family-oriented and looking to marry Christopher and have kids. When Sherry and Christopher come to say goodbye, Lorelai privately tells Christopher that she has realized that she was sort of waiting for him, which is why she's never been able to have a real relationship in her life, and now she thinks she'll be able to move on. Christopher feels like she's blaming him for never being able to have a real relationship, blows up at her, and leaves. Lane is super-grounded after the fiasco with Henry, and Rory orchestrates a complicated "drop-scenario" so that Lane can get a copy of a new CD she desperately wants.

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#15 Lost and Found: Aired Tuesday, February 26, 2002

Luke is feeling cramped in his small apartment with Jess, so at Lorelai's suggestion he starts apartment hunting. After much deliberation, he settles on a place, but when he finds out Taylor owns it, and much of the rest of the town, he is horrified. When Taylor mentions he's about to buy the building next to Luke's diner, Luke buys it out from under him. Lorelai hires and Jess to clean out her rain gutters and Rory encourages Lorelai and Jess to get along, which they start to do. Things are a bit weird between Rory and Dean, and Rory is horrified when Dean notices she's not wearing the bracelet he made her and she doesn't even know where she lost it. Rory frantically searches all of Stars Hollow for the bracelet. Lorelai is suspicious when she comes home and Jess isn't cleaning gutters, he's in Rory's room. Rory finally finds her bracelet under her bed, even though she looked there many times before. Lorelai confronts Jess with her suspicion that Jess stole the bracelet.

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#16 There's the Rub: Aired Tuesday, April 9, 2002

Emily tricks Lorelai into coming to a spa with her for the weekend, and Lorelai tries to make the best of it even though her mother is getting on her nerves. Finally they escape from the spa and the tofu menu for the evening and hit a chop house to get a steak. Emily and Lorelai actually start to have a good time, until a handsome older man asks Emily to dance. She does so, and then freaks out that she's being unfaithful to her husband and blames Lorelai. They cut their weekend short, and Emily laments that she'll never have the relationship with Lorelai that Lorelai has with Rory. Lorelai bonds with her mother by both stealing their soft fuzzy robes from the spa. Rory has the house to herself while her mother's at the spa and is excited to sit around in her pajamas, do laundry, and eat Indian food even though Dean was hoping they'd spend the evening together. Paris descends upon Rory's night of solitude, insisting that they study chemistry, and then Jess appears with a care package of food from Luke. Rory, Jess and Paris eat dinner, and then Rory freaks out when Dean calls and says he's coming over with ice cream. Dean catches Jess leaving and starts yelling at Rory until Paris lies that she thought Jess was cute and got Rory to invite him over for her. Rory and Paris decide they might just be friend. Dean is still suspicious of Rory and Jess.

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#17 Dead Uncles and Vegetables: Aired Tuesday, April 16, 2002

When Luke's Uncle Louie dies, Lorelai and Rory help out at the diner while Luke's busy with funeral plans. Rory hunts down Jess and forces him to help out a little too. Luke is horrified when he finds out his family won't be coming in and the war re-enactment guys refuse to re-enact for his uncle's funeral even though his uncle was a war veteran. Everyone says that Louie was a grump, and no one really misses him. Luke worries that he's turning into his Uncle Louie. Lorealai assures Luke that people like him, and the town does end up pulling together for the funeral at the last minute. Emily tries to help Sookie plan her wedding, but Sookie's simple wedding quickly gets blown into a huge affair. Jackson comes to Lorelai for help and Lorelai helps Sookie realize that this huge expensive wedding isn't what she wants at all. Emily, thwarted from wedding planning, again suggests to Lorelai that she and Luke are more than just friends. Taylor freaks out when a farmer's market opens across the street from his store.

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#18 Back in the Saddle Again: Aired Tuesday, April 23, 2002

Richard helps Rory and her classmates with a project for a business fair and realizes that he wants to go back to work, but for himself. Sookie's wedding invitations are printed with her name incorrect. Michel's mother, with whom he has a remarkably fabulous relationship, comes to visit, but she suddenly starts asking him difficult questions when Lorlelai lets it slip that Michel doesn't eat carbs. Dean is driving Rory crazy with multiple calls and pages and stopping by all the time. Lorelai advises Dean to back off a bit and give Rory a chance to miss him. Dean is insecure because he thinks Rory likes Jess.

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#19 Teach Me Tonight: Aired Tuesday, April 30, 2002

While Dean is out of town visiting his grandmother, Luke finds out that Jess is flunking out of school and asks Rory to tutor him. Rory agrees, but Jess isn't an easy student and convinces Rory to go for a drive to get ice cream instead. While Jess is driving Rory's car, he swerves to avoid an animal in the road and they end up crashing into a pole. Rory breaks her arm, and Lorelai flips out, screaming at Luke that it's all his fault for bringing Jess to Stars Hollow in the first place. Lorelai calls Chris who immediately comes to town to be with Rory and avoids the subject of Sherry. Lorelai and Chris make up after their fight from the last time they saw each other. Lorelai gets the honor of picking the movie for the annual Movie in the Square Night, and realizes why Taylor picks "The Yearling" every single year. Luke sends Jess back home to his mother.

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#20 Help Wanted: Aired Tuesday, May 7, 2002

Luke leaves town on a fishing trip and Lorelai and Rory are at a loss without the diner being open. Lorelai shines as she helps her dad setup his new consulting business. Dean takes the news about Rory's broken arm and the story behind it surprisingly well. Rory is sad to realize that all the town residents, including her own mother and grandmother, blame Jess for the accident. It isn't until Luke returns home that Rory finds the one person that will believe her when she says that it wasn't Jess's fault. Lane discovers a love for drumming when a new music store opens in Stars Hollow.

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#21 Lorelai's Graduation Day: Aired Tuesday, May 14, 2002

Rory convinces her grandparents to attend Lorelai's business school graduation ceremony, and they embarass their daughter, but Lorelai is touched by their presence. Meanwhile, Rory misses the ceremony herself because she spontaneously decides to take a bus to New York to visit Jess and gets stuck in traffic on her way back home. Rory apologizes profusely to her mother, and Lorelai realizes that Rory may be falling for Jess. Christopher sends a touching and special gift to Lorelai for her graduation. Lorelai runs into Luke at the grocery store and tries to start to make peace, but he walks away.

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#22 I Can't Get Started: Aired Tuesday, May 21, 2002

Lorelai makes a sincere attempt to mend fences with Luke, but he continues to be cold towards her. Paris is running for school president and talks Rory into being her vice-president. Rory is surprised when they actually win the school election and then faces the possibility of spending six weeks of the summer in Washington D.C. Christopher starts hanging around Stars Hollow more and tells Lorelai that he's breaking up with Sherry. Christopher and Lorelai spend the night together and decide they're going to give a serious relationship a try. Christopher finds out that Sherry is pregnant and goes back to her. Jess asks Luke if he can move back in and Luke agrees. Rory is so pleased to hear that Jess is moving back that she surprises him and herself by kissing him. Sookie and Jackson get married.

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