If you’re new to my page—I think there’s a quite a few new faces, which I’m so happy about but also baffled as to how that happened since I’ve been too busy to post, but still so so excited!—you probably don’t know about my love, hate relationship with the iconic, early 2000’s TV show Gilmore Girls.
In the past, I’ve written two articles that attempted to convey why it annoys me to no end, and yet, just can’t seem to get enough of it. If you’re interested, you can read both posts here 👈 and 👉 here.
It has a special place in my heart as a comfort show that I periodically cycle through, and yet it’s flaws only become even more glaringly obvious every time I watch it—the biggest, in my opinion, being the writer’s glorification of the wealthy class. But I think my love for this show lies somewhere in the mess. It’s a show about people, families, and all the difficult, messy things that come with them. It lets it’s characters get dirty, and follows them through the mud and sludge because real people are grimy, but oftentimes, that’s what makes them great.
But, for those who are unfamiliar with the premise, it’s basically a show about a mother-daughter relationship. It centers on the mother, Lorelai, and her daughter, also Lorelai but nicknamed Rory, and their life in the little, Connecticut town of Stars Hollow.
With the start of the series, it’s made obvious that Rory is ✨not like the other girls✨ with her classically, pretentious reading material and genuine interest in school assignments, but all this is balanced out by her quirky, cool mom. They’re like two halves of a whole, each complimenting and completing the other, but as the show goes on, we are given insight into this seemingly perfect mother-daughter duo. We find out that Lorelai didn’t just have Rory at 16, but she also ran away from home and has a strained relationship with her very wealthy parents.
The pilot episode sheds a new light on the teen pregnancy narrative by starting 16 years into Lorelai and Rory’s life together and the bond they share rather than focusing on the struggles they endured at the beginning. But it also revolves around the first of many fights between the two that sets the foundation for the rest of the series as Rory grows up and new problems arise with the turning of the seasons. That’s another thing I love about this show: how even the seasons play prominent characters throughout the series.
Although this show is iconic during the fall, it’s honestly perfect any time of year. There’s an episode for every season, but there’s nothing quite like watching it during the holidays.
Lately, I’ve been rewatching all my favorite fall episodes in an attempt to prolong the warm, autumn feelings, especially with Thanksgiving right around the corner and Christmas not far behind. So, if you’re not quite ready to say goodbye to fall and have heard that Gilmore Girls is THE fall show to watch, don’t worry, I got you covered. Every year, I go through lists that claim to know “the best” Gilmore Girls fall episodes, and am almost always disappointed. So, this year, I decided to do my own research and narrowed it down to these five—ordered based on “most fall vibes”. Hope this is helpful!
P.S. Gilmore Girls is available on Netflix where you also have access to the revival Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Although I enjoyed the revival, I wouldn’t recommend it.
1. Kiss and Tell (Season 1 Episode 7)
For me, “Kiss and Tell” is THE episode for fall vibes. The fall decor and warm-colored leaves can be seen at nearly every turn, and when they’re no longer being shown near the end of the episode, we’re compensated with a cozy movie night.
Although many may despise this episode because it signals the beginning of Dean and Rory (the most hated of Rory’s boyfriends), I truly don’t care. I love this episode so much. It’s the first episode I watch when I start to feel in the fall mood, and one of the first episodes I turn to for comfort. It’s nothing but feel-good, fall vibes, but it also contains one of my favorite first kiss storylines. Not because it was the most romantic, but because it was awkward, silly, and a little stupid. Everything a first kiss should be for a 16-year-old.
2. They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They? (Season 3 Episode 7)
I almost put this one much lower on the list, but upon rewatching, I was reminded why it’s often considered one of those classic Gilmore Girls episodes. Not only is the fall decor an ever-present backdrop, but it also showcases one of the most quintessential Stars Hollow events that always makes me wish I lived in a small town.
This episode is peak comfy, cozy, small town vibes, but it’s also filled with drama. Between the dance marathon, the tension between Rory, Dean, and Jess, and the whole Lane and Dave situation, there’s more than enough going on in this episode to keep you glued to the couch no matter how bad you you need a bathroom break. But even though this episode ends on a sad note (at least for the few Dean supporters out there), it also signals a new beginning as Rory moves onto another chapter in her life.
3. A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving (Season 3 Episode 9)
Honestly, I’m not that crazy about this episode. It’s good, not great, but is the most obvious one this list as one of the only Thanksgiving episodes of the entire series. So of course, you can count on fall being at the center.
Throughout the episode, Lorelai and Rory can be seen be walking through the town, buying autumnal bouquets, and attending four different Thanksgiving dinners. Aside from everything going on with the four dinners and other town antics, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. I like that it’s a very modern portrayal of Thanksgiving with the two girls attending dinners with different groups of loved ones—a nice balance between traditional and found family—but it can be a little annoying with the Jess and Dean tension and Lorelai’s outburst. However, this episode is still a must-see for the fall. Plus, the progression of Lane and Dave’s relationship is so sweet it’s still worth watching every year.
4. Let The Games Begin (Season 3 Episode 8)
I liked this episode a lot more than I remembered, but fall takes a bit of a backseat. The opening scene is our main source of fall vibes with pumpkins scattering the ground and warmly colored leaves dangling from the trees, but with the bulk of the episode taking place outside of the town, this scenery doesn’t get much screen time. Still, the east coast college setting delivers on the warm, cozy feelings.
Taking place after the drama that unfolded in the “They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They?” episode, I expected this one to be shrouded in it’s ugly aftermath. Instead, the two Gilmores tag along with the grandparents on an outing to Yale, taking a much needed break from the town and giving viewers a moment to breathe. Of course, there’s almost never a breathable moment between Lorelai and her parents, but this episode is as close as it gets for them (at least until the end of the trip). While I wouldn’t say I’m a Jess fan—though I don’t think I’d say I’m a fan of any of Rory’s boyfriends—this episode also contains one of the sweeter moments between Jess and Rory as the two sneak off to meet in town with the harvest decor and lights illuminating the crisp, fall night behind them.
5. Honorable Mention: The Festival of Living Art (Season 4 Episode 7)
Although more of a personal favorite, “The Festival of Living Art” is still technically a fall episode. The fall decor is less prominent, as seems to be the theme with the later seasons, which is why this is the only episode past season three to be mentioned. However, it also contains another one of those classic Stars Hollow events that makes it a comfort episode for me.
There’s just something about all the art that makes it feel like fall. Maybe it’s the warm colors, I’m not sure, but my favorite part is the end of the episode when Lorelai and Rory go running off into the night with the festival lights and autumnal decorations trailing behind them. Aside from that, the costumes and makeup that go into making the festival of living art happen is stunning to say the least. While I mostly watch for that reason, the interaction between Lorelai and Sookie as Sookie attempts to jiggle her baby out of her in frustration is both funny and sweet. Plus, this is the episode when one of my favorite characters, Gil played by Sebastian Bach, is introduced to the show.
Hope you enjoyed this list of what I, personally, feel are the best autumn Gilmore Girls episodes! There are others, but these were the ones that I felt had the most “fall vibes” to them.
I’m now currently working on getting through all the winter episodes so that I can share which ones I think are the best very soon! Stay tuned for more on this and other topics.🫶🏻
🍂I would love to know…🍂
What’s your favorite Gilmore Girls episode? Do you have a favorite fall episode? Is it on this list or did I miss it?
Have you ever seen Gilmore Girls? If so, do you watch it every year around the holidays too?
most of these picks being season 3 👏 I feel similarly in that I love gilmore girls but every time I watch it, it almost becomes a slog to get through because I become more aware of its glaring flaws. Lorelei and Rory can be quite insufferable 😂 there were so many good episodes on this list! The dance-a-thon episode is one of my absolute favorites, for the vibes and for all the drama. The first kiss episode is a favorite too. Although I can’t stand Dean later on in the show, I still always get all giddy in the beginning of his and Rory’s relationship.