Rory and Lorelai return from their European backpacking trip full of plans for Rory's last week in Stars Hollow before she leaves for Yale. Unfortunately, a scheduling error leaves the college freshman with just two nights at home, and her final evening booked for dinner at Emily and Richard's. Emily is upset when Lorelai misses Friday night dinner, and so turns it into a four-hour extravaganza. Luke reveals a surprise about his summer vacation cruise with Nicole. Sookie reveals the sex of her unborn child. Taylor goes to war with Luke over the new soda shoppe and disapproves when Rory turns down the honor of being the Stars Hollow Ice Cream Queen.

The Gilmore girls share Rory's first day at Yale University by moving Rory into her dorm, which is complicated by a stubborn stick shift, countless photo ops, a shopping emergency, and a troublesome mattress. Rory meets her strange new roommate, Tanna and learns that her old adversary, Paris, will also be sharing her room. Overwhelmed with excitement, Rory is also embarrassed to find that she isn't quite ready to let Lorelai go. Meanwhile, Luke continues to wrestle with the aftermath of his disastrous cruise with Nicole.

Rory is shocked to discover that Emily has completely redecorated her dorm room without her permission. At her first Yale party, Rory finds herself trapped by twins who were instructed by Emily to find Rory and look after her. Lorelai and Sookie take a job catering a kids' "Lord of the Rings" birthday party to make ends meet while their new inn is under construction. Richard announces that he is taking on a new business partner named Digger Stiles, who is the son of Richard's former business partner.

Back in Stars Hollow for the weekend, Rory runs into Dean, who awkwardly invites her to his wedding the next day. During his bachelor party that night, Dean stumbles into Luke's diner and drunkenly confesses how much he misses Rory. Meanwhile, while trying to get construction started on the new Dragonfly Inn, Lorelai and Sookie are driven crazy by Taylor, who controls the permit procedures for every building in town.

Rory goes on her first date since breaking up with Jess and finds that college dating is not going to be easy. Lorelai invites Luke over for the traditional movie night she used to share with Rory. Meanwhile, Lorelai freaks out when she learns that the designer she just hired for the Dragonfly Inn used to work for Emily. Suitemates Paris and Janet engage in a war of wills.

When Emily plans an elaborate launch party for Richard's new company, she hires Lorelai and Sookie to cater the affair, then makes them jump through hoops to prove they are worthy of her trust. However, when Richard's partner, Jason hurts Emily by insisting that her party idea is outdated, Lorelai confronts him about upsetting her mother, and is surprised when he asks her out to dinner. Meanwhile, Rory has a tough time finding a decent place to study at Yale.

When Stars Hollow becomes the last-minute host of the "Festival of Living Art," an event in which the townspeople stage famous paintings, Rory appears in "Portrait of a Young Girl Named Antea," Lorelai plays the beauty in Renoir's "The Dance at Bougival," and Kirk, who takes his role a little too seriously, is Jesus in "The Last Supper." Lorelai tries to rewrite a bad review. Sookie panics about going past her delivery date and Lorelai calms her down with stories of the night Rory was born. Sookie decides to have her baby at home and hires a midwife. Nicole tells Luke she wants to hold off on the divorce and give their relationship a chance. Lane finds a great guitarist, but he is a good deal older than everyone else in the band.

When the editor of the Yale newspaper tells Rory her articles are dull, she writes a scathing review of the Yale ballet and becomes the target of the vindictive lead ballerina. Jason impresses Lorelai when he manipulates Emily into inviting him to Friday night dinner so he can continue his efforts to get Lorelai to go out with him. Surprised to see Nicole at the diner, Lorelai forces Luke to admit that he and Nicole have put their divorce on hold and are dating again, and Lane freaks out when her mother gives her a "marriage jug" to send to Dave in California.

Rory has reservations about Luke's new waiter. When Richard and Emily invite Rory and Lorelai to their very fancy tailgate party at the Harvard/Yale football game, Lorelai's innocent conversation with Richard's ex-fiancé Pennilyn Lott leads Emily to deduce that Richard and Pennilyn have been meeting secretly for lunch for many years. Emily blows up at both Richard and Lorelai, prompting Lorelai to stop worrying about her mother's feelings and finally accept Jason's invitation to dinner. Meanwhile, Richard introduces Paris to his old classmate who is now a distinguished Yale professor, Asher Fleming, and Rory is astonished when she later spots Paris and the professor kissing. Special musical appearance by The Whiffenpoofs.

Lorelai makes Jason promise not to tell her parents about their budding romance, but she is still shocked to hear that Richard and Emily attended a charity event and saw Jason there with a date. When Rory and Paris take part in an all-night hazing ritual for new staffers of the Yale newspaper, Rory finds herself making excuses to the paper's neurotic editor, Doyle (Danny Strong), after Paris sneaks out to meet Professor Flemming, (Michael York). Meanwhile, Lane gets a job working for Luke at the diner and Michel babysits for Sookie's son. Scott Kaufer wrote the episode directed by Peter Lauer.

Rating: 3.5/5

Lorelai is upset to discover that Luke has gotten an apartment with Nicole (Tricia O'Kelley) in Litchfield, but when it becomes clear that he is reluctant to actually move, Lorelai admits to him that she doesn't want him to leave Stars Hollow. Rory keeps running to William (Peter Klausner), the guy who turned her down when she suggested they go out, and she is humiliated when she hears he has been spreading stories about her obsession with him. Meanwhile, when Lane sneaks out of the house to play a gig with her band, Mrs. Kim finally discovers her daughter's double life and kicks her out of the house. Sheila R. Lawrence & Janet Leahy wrote the episode directed by Michael Grossman.

Rating: 3.1/5

Luke is wary when his ditzy sister Liz (Kathleen Whilhoite) shows up for an unexpected visit. Lorelai promises Jason that she will tell her parents about their relationship, but changes her mind after Emily jokes about how laughable it would be if Lorelai and Jason began dating. When Paris confesses to Rory that her affair with the professor is becoming serious, Rory reminds her how badly she is treating her boyfriend Jamie (Brandan Barash), so Paris breaks up with him. Lane gets a taste of dorm life. Finally, Luke discovers Jess's car is missing and reports it stolen, but discovers that Jess has come back to town to pick up the car. Rory comes upon Jess sleeping in his car but walks away without speaking to him. Daniel Palladino wrote the episode directed by Kenny Ortega.

Rating: 3.3/5

Stuck in Stars Hollow while his car is being repaired, Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) keeps running into Rory, but he walks away from her every time they meet. Luke tries to talk to Jess about Liz's (Kathleeen Whilhoite) new boyfriend T.J. (Michael Deluise), but Jess angrily tells Luke to stop interfering in everyone's life. When Lorelai does Emily a favor by attending a charity dinner, she is pleasantly surprised when Jason also shows up and Emily asks them to pretend they are a couple. Finally, when Rory and Jess run into each other for the third time, Rory tries to be the one to walk away, but Jess stops her and makes a shocking confession Amy Sherman-Palladino wrote the episode directed by Chris Long.

Rating: 3.3/5

Although she is completely exhausted by her heavy workload at Yale, Rory is still horrified when a professor suggests she drop a class, and she confesses her self-doubt to her former boyfriend Dean, who is working in the construction crew at the Dragonfly Inn. Meanwhile, frustrated because she can never get Rory on the phone and by the nonstop work involved in getting the Dragonfly ready to open, Lorelai first accuses Sookie of not pulling her weight, then turns to Luke for help and advice. Finally, Richard is infuriated when he and Lorelai both get a taste of the nastiness that Gran (Marion Ross) usually reserves for Emily (Kelly Bishop). Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino wrote the episode directed by Steve Clancy.

Rating: 3.6/5

Rory runs into Dean for the second time at the Dragonfly Inn and gets a glimpse of his new life. Later, Lorelai and Rory decide to spend a day window-shopping together at the mall, but they run into Emily and are caught up in her wild shopping spree. When Lorelai questions her mother on her out-of-control spending, Emily breaks down and admits that she is getting back at Richard, who has been ignoring her to concentrate on his new business. Meanwhile, although Lane is excited to be moving into her first apartment with two of her bandmates, she is also hurt by her mother's coldness. Luke loans Lorelai the money she needs to finish renovating the Dragonfly. Daniel Palladino wrote the episode directed by Chris Long.

Rating: 3.6/5

When Gran (Marion Ross) suddenly dies, Richard falls apart over the loss of his mother. Emily handles the funeral arrangements with her usual efficiency, until she finds a letter Gran had written to Richard years earlier, begging him not to marry Emily. Lorelai is forced to take over the funeral arrangements, leading to her own small breakdown while buying new underwear for Gran to be buried in. Meanwhile, Rory is concerned that she doesn't feel more emotion over Gran's death, and Luke has a fight with Nicole (Tricia O'Kelley). Jane Espenson wrote the episode directed by Marita Grabiak.

Rating: 3.2/5

Tired of the freezing Connecticut weather, Rory and Paris take off for Florida and their first taste of spring break. Amid sun, sand and too much partying, they run into Madeline and Louise, their old pals from Chilton, and Rory is shocked when Paris makes an unexpected bid for attention at a nightclub where The Shins are performing. Meanwhile, Lorelai's relationship with Jason takes another step forward when he gives her a key to his place, and Luke needs Lorelai to bail him out of jail when he reacts badly after learning that Nicole is seeing another man. Amy Sherman-Palladino wrote the episode directed by Jamie Babbit.

Rating: 3.4/6

Jason's father, Floyd (Lawrence Pressman), brings a lawsuit against Jason and Richard for taking his clients. Floyd also reveals that Jason and Lorelai have been dating secretly for months. Meanwhile, Dean upsets Rory when he admits he has dropped out of college to work full time so he and Lindsay (Arielle Kebbel) can buy a townhouse. Lindsay demands that Dean stop seeing Rory, but Dean and Rory make an agreement to keep seeing one another secretly. Guest starring Lawrence Pressman as Floyd Stiles, Jackson Douglas as Jackson Melville, Jared Padalecki as Dean Forester, and Arielle Kebbel as Lindsay Lister Forester. Daniel Palladino wrote and directed the episode.

Rating: 2.9/5

When Jason reveals that he and Richard are no longer in business together, Lorelai has an ugly confrontation with her father about his treatment of Jason. Later, after an extremely uncomfortable Friday night family dinner, Lorelai and Rory spy on Emily and make a shocking discovery about the state of the elder Gilmores' marriage. Luke tells Lorelai that he and Nicole are getting a divorce. Lane believes that Mrs. Kim has replaced her with a surrogate daughter. Rory questions a grade from Prof. Flemming (Michael York). Guest starring Michael York as Asher Fleming, John Cabrera as Brian, Shelly Cole as Madeline Lynn, Emily Kuroda as Mrs. Kim and Todd Lowe as Zack. Sheila Lawrence wrote the episode directed by Michael Zinberg.

Rating: 3.1/5

Depressed over the failure of his marriage, Luke resorts to a self-help tape and suddenly realizes that he already knows who his soul mate is. Later, when his sister Liz (Chloe Wilhoite) returns to town and announces that she and T.J. (Michael Deluise) are getting married, Luke finds Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) and convinces him to attend the wedding. Meanwhile, Lorelai is completely stressed out as opening day at The Dragonfly Inn approaches, and Rory pretends not to be interested when Lorelai tells her she overheard Dean and his wife Lindsay (Arielle Kebbel) fighting. Paris rethinks her relationship with Asher (Michael York) after a health scare lands him in the hospital. Amy Sherman-Palladino & Daniel Palladino wrote the episode directed by Matthew Diamond.

Rating: 3.1/5

All of Stars Hollow turns out for Liz's (Kathleen Wilhoite) Renaissance-themed wedding. Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) walks Liz down the aisle, and Lorelai and Luke share a romantic dance, after which Luke asks Lorelai out on a date. Meanwhile, as Yale lets out for the summer, Rory attends a drunken party and has to call Dean to drive her back to the dorm. Dean tries to explain his unhappy marriage to Rory, but they are interrupted when Jess arrives and makes Rory a surprising offer. Daniel Palladino wrote the episode directed by Chris Long.

Rating: 3.1/5

Season finale

Lorelai suspects that Luke's intentions toward her have become serious, but she doesn't have time to dwell on it as she prepares for the opening of the Dragonfly Inn by inviting friends and family to a test run. Using the opportunity to force her parents to reconcile, Lorelai is shocked when it becomes obvious that the damage to their marriage is deeper than she had suspected. When Jason arrives at the Inn to convince Lorelai that their breakup was a mistake, Luke tries to declare his true feelings for Lorelai. Meanwhile, after their last awkward encounter, Rory goes to great lengths to salvage her friendship with Dean. The episode was written and directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino.

Rating: 3.8/6