Best season and why?

[Jfer082887]

Hello! Now that Gilmore Girls is on Netflix, I've been re-watching the series. I was wondering what everyone's favorite seasons are and why. Also, the best and worst episodes of each season. If I were to rank them in order from best to worst: 2,3,4,1,5,6,7

[amensisterfriend]

Hi! We've done this on other threads, but it's always a fun conversation to have :) Like you, I'd definitely go with S2 as my favorite and S3 as my second favorite. S2 is just (nearly!) perfect GG for me. S3 had a few clunkers, but it also had many of the series' very greatest episodes and moments IMO, and the much-loathed Francie nonsense actually takes up far less screentime than I'd feared.

 

I'm always torn between S1 and S4 for that third spot---honestly, it depends on my mood. S1 has some great episodes, some of my very favorite Rory moments and is pretty much the only season during which I find Luke really appealing. But the overall tone is borderline cloying, a little too cutesy and heavyhanded, there's WAY too much Dean and Max for my taste, and I find Lorelai (who I normally love, despite her myriad flaws) pretty insufferable for large stretches of this season. S4, meanwhile, is consistently strong but contains very few episodes that I consider among my special favorites. There's a certain exuberance and sparkle missing from large parts of this season for me, I loathe the reappearance of Dean, and I'll never quite forgive the show for giving us Liz and TJ ;) 

 

I also debate between S5 and S7 for my next choice. S5 is objectively 'better' and has more of the clever sharpness we associate with GG, but it marks a shift in the show's overall tone and characterizations for me that I really dislike. The last handful of S5 episodes are totally unwatchable for me. I actually find many of our characters a lot less shrill and more likable in S7 than I do in S5. 

 

S6 easily earns that last place spot for me. I'll spare you guys another rant about exactly how much I dislike this joyless mess :) 

 

So if no ties are allowed, I'll go with...

 

S2

S3

S4

S1

S5

S7

S6

Edited November 4, 2014 by amensisterfriend

[Jfer082887]

Woops I just saw that this subject was in previous threads! Thanks for replying! I also find myself changing the ranking of seasons 1 and 4 depending on the day. I loved reading your opinions on the seasons. I need to re-watch 6-7 as they are a blur to me. Thanks again!

[junienmomo]

S4

S2

S5 

S1 

S3

S7

S6

 

5 and 1 are interchangeable, based on my mood at the moment. 

Same for 2 and 4. 

[amensisterfriend]

It's always a very fun conversation no matter where we have it! Have your opinions about your favorite and least favorite seasons changed with a second viewing?

 

As for my best and worst episodes from each season (and this is another fun topic that I never tire of!):

 

My three S1 favorites: Rory's Birthday Parties, Double Date and The Third Lorelai (I know...I know. I can't help it! I just love the Paris/Rory scenes, the Rory/Tristan scenes, the introduction of Trix and the interesting message about the link between financial and emotional dependence.) 

 

Honorable mentions: The Lorelais' First Day at Chilton, Emily in Wonderland

 

My least favorite S1 episodes: P.S. I Lo..., Love Daisies and Troubadours and Kiss and Tell 

 

Episode that I used to dislike but now enjoy a lot: That Damn Donna Reed 

 

My three S2 favorites: Like Mother, Like Daughter (love the message about independence vs conformity and the Emily/Lorelai scenes and...well, everything), 

Lorelai's Graduation Day (I adore the Lorelai/Emily/Richard scenes, the Rory/Jess scenes, etc.) and, honestly, like, 16 other episodes! 

 

My least favorite S2 episode: Sadie Sadie (there are parts of Teach Me Tonight, Help Wanted, Nick and Nora, Hammers and Veils, It Should Have Been Lorelai, etc. that I really dislike, but those episodes all have scenes I really love as well!)  

 

Episode that I used to dislike but now enjoy a lot: Presenting Lorelai Gilmore 

 

 

Favorite S3 episodes: Lazy Hazy Crazy, They Shoot Gilmores, Those Are Strings

 

Honorable mention: Let the Games Begin 

 

Least favorite episode: Keg!Max 

 

Episodes I used to dislike but now enjoy a lot: Dear Emily and Richard and Say Goodnight Gracie

 

 

Season 4 favorites: The Fundamental Things Apply, The Hobbit the Sofa and Digger Stiles, TLFDAY (though, ugh, I can do with less of the endless mattress-related blathering and the howling scene!)

 

Least Favorites: The Booms, Nag Hammadi, Girls in Bikinis, about 75% of the trilogy...you know, maybe I should have ranked S1 above S4 after all :) 

 

Episodes I used to dislike but now enjoy a lot: Die Jerk and An Affair to Remember (Can you tell that I vastly prefer the first half of S4 to the second?!)

 

 

Season 5 favorites: Come Home, But Not As Cute as Pushkin, Women of Questionable Morals 

 

Least favorites: You Jump, I Jump, The Party's Over, the final five episodes of this season!

 

Episode I used to dislike but now enjoy: Tippecanoe and Taylor Too 

 

Episodes I used to dislike but now enjoy a lot: So...Good Talk 

[amensisterfriend]

*********

 

And, oh, what are your 5-10 overall favorites of the series?! I'll go with (in chronological order):

 

Double Date (not objectively the 'best', but one that I find endlessly rewatchable)

Road Trip to Harvard (I get why people dislike this one, but it's a special favorite of mine for a lot of reasons I won't bore you guys with!)

Like Mother, Like Daughter

There's the Rub (I have a far lower tolerance for endless Lorelai/Emily conflict than I used to, but this episode will always have a special place in my GG-adoring heart!) 

Lorelai's Graduation Day 

Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days

They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?

Let the Games Begin 

Those Are Strings, Pinocchio 

The Fundamental Things Apply 

 

 

...these aren't even necessarily the 'best', but they're the ones that resonate with me most and/or which I find myself wanting to rewatch most often! 

[Jfer082887]

My list is almost the same. My favorites are:

The Bracebridge Dinner

A-tisket a-tasket

There's the Rub

Lorelai's Graduation Day

I Can't Get Started ( Great season finale even though it's pro-Christopher)

Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days

They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?

Those Are Strings, Pinnochio

Last Week's Fights, This Week's Tights

Raincoats and Recipes

So most of my favorites have to do with quirky Stars Hollow events and Rory/Jess. Go figure!

[BC Mama]

Personally, I am a season one fan! I love the sweet naivety of Rory! Lorelai's sexual tension with Luke is present, but not the crux of the season! Rory's bonding with her grandparents, and the ice thawing between the Gilmores and Lorelai is fun to watch! The quirkiness of the Stars Hollow is charming, without verging on ridiculousness! Mrs Kim in all her glory is always wonderful (like in "Kiss and Tell," when Mrs Kim overhears Rory talking about her first kiss, or in "Emily in Wonderland," when Emily takes on Mrs Kim). There are some weaknesses (Drella, the inconsistency of Kirk) but overall it is my favourite! 

 

My favourite episode of the series is probably "The Break-Up: Part 2," particularly the first half of the episode. I LOVE the slap fight between Luke and Dean, and Luke's justification for his reaction ("he was coming in")! 

 

My next favourite is probably "The Big One." No one can have a meltdown like Paris! The episode would have been magic if it were not for boring Max.

[amensisterfriend]

BC Mama, I agree that S1 has some great things about it---as I noted, I like Luke a lot more in S1 than any other season and find S1 Rory utterly awesome :) 

 

To make this even more challenging: If you had to narrow your list of favorites down to just 3-5 episodes, which would they be?! And what would you pick as your 5-10 least favorite episodes?

Edited November 5, 2014 by amensisterfriend

[junienmomo]

Finally I made my favorite episodes list. Took forever, but I learned the following:

- Season 1 has the most episodes in my "Must Watch" list. It would be very easy to choose S1 as my favorite, but the bad episodes are really bland.

- Some Season 2 episodes and the Trilogy rank higher than all of the Season 1 episodes on my list

- I make too many spreadsheets

 

Here's my list. The top Ten are all MUSTS for me, and are in order of current favorites. The rest are episodes I love, sometimes for just a short segment.

 

Episode Favorites
217  Dead Uncles
421  Last Week Fights, This Week Tights
422  Raincoats and Recipes
209  Run Away Little Boy
420  Luke Can See Her Face
110  Forgiveness and Stuff
112  Double Date
205  Nick and Nora
114  That Damn Donna Reed
107  Kiss and Tell
402  The Lorelai's First Day at Yale
308  Let the Games Begin
309  Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving
413  Nag Hammadi
516  So...Good talk
219  Teach Me Tonight
207  Like Mother, Like Daughter
503  Written in the Stars
518  To Live and Let Diorama
517  Pulp Friction

[amensisterfriend]

- I make too many spreadsheets

 

There's no such thing!!! 

 

 

 

Some Season 2 episodes...

 

S2 really is terrific, isn't it?! 

 

I'm struggling to answer my own question about favorite 3-5 episodes, but I'll go with Like Mother Like Daughter, Lorelai's Graduation Day, Lazy Hazy Crazy, They Shoot Gilmores, and Those Are Strings. 

 

I have no idea what those five have in common other than validating my obsessions with Seasons 2 and 3 as my personal high point of the series :) As a general rule, I tend to love episodes with great Lorelai/Rory scenes, some sort of quintessentially GG-esque event (a festival, a mother-daughter fashion show or even Rory's graduation!) and, apparently, at least a little bit of Rory/Jess! 

 

How about your least favorites from each season?! 

Edited November 5, 2014 by amensisterfriend

[junienmomo]

I'm currently in denial about the least favorites, so will have to ponder that. I do know I hate

Season 1 - Anything with a lot of Max makes the list, with the exception being the one moment when he tells Lorelai she should think about others sometimes. That means 1.20 and 1.21 make the list. Just to make it easy, I'll add Love and War and Snow, because Max one-ups hapless Luke with Lorelai.

 

Season 2 - I'm underwhelmed by Lorelai's graduation and I dislike Tisket more each time I watch it, primarily because Lorelai is too busy having to help Lane and Dean to live her own life. Richard in Stars Hollow is a one-note show, and I get their point long before the 43rd minute of pounding it into me.

 

Season 3 - Here comes the son doesn't even get on my iPad anymore and it may be UO to find Pinocchio too slow in some parts and too maudlin in others. Beyond that I'd choose whichever episode has the most minutes of Nicole.

 

Season 4 - the formula is easy - measure the number of Jason minutes. Top 3 are my least favorites. I don't hate him, he's just too neurotic for Lorelai, too much competition for the are like two drug addicts falling in love - no real chance of survival unless they change.

 

Season 5 - Kropogs. It was an utter absurdity for Lorelai to go back to FND just for a single chance to meet Logan. Tippecanoe and Taylor, too, got old really fast.

A Messenger, nothing more, was just too sad for me. 

 

Season 6 - throw a dart at any episode after 6.09 that has the word April in it, and it's at the bottom of my list. 

 

Season 7 - French Twist, Planetarium and Whoopee. 

[lulu1960]

I used to for the longest time say season 2 was my favorite then I switched to season 4. I seem to always grab f if I want to rewatch the show.

So I'd say

4

2

5

1

3

6

7

[amensisterfriend]

I'm always intrigued by responses to S5, the season which seems to be the most polarizing when we do these fun polls---unlike, say, S2, which nearly all fans seem to love or at least really like (or S6, which always seems to rank near the bottom of most lists), the responses to S5 seem to vary wildly from love to ambivalence to relative dislike. 

 

Which S5 episodes were your favorites and least favorites? (I already stated mine in an above post, so I won't bore you by doing it again!) Which aspects of that season did you like most and least?

Edited November 6, 2014 by amensisterfriend

[junienmomo]

I won't repeat my single episodes either. However, I did go through the episode guide and the following things occurred to me:

1. Almost every episode has someone's favorite character doing something absolutely horrible to someone else's favorite character. The evilness is spread around to so many characters it's easy to think that your favorite was treated badly
2. Compared with the first four seasons, I think that several characters either got dumber or eviller
3. The Rory sex theme was uncomfortable for many people, and was only worsened by the final breakup with Dean
4. It was the first season I noticed that the writers weren't going to give us much lovey dovey stuff, which I adore. An L&L gap of 7 friggin' weeks!! Unthinkable.

In summary, I see this season as the one that jumped the shark, at least in the tone. It was easy to love most of the characters in the first four seasons, even if I had favorites. In Season 5, it's easy to not like most characters or even hate pretty much everyone. 

It's not fun anymore.

How little I suspected the hell that awaited me in S6. :(

[amensisterfriend]

Almost every episode has someone's favorite character doing something absolutely horrible to someone else's favorite character. The evilness is spread around to so many characters it's easy to think that your favorite was treated badly

Compared with the first four seasons, I think that several characters either got dumber or eviller

 

This so perfectly captures the issues I have with S5!

 

For me, a huge part of what made S1-S4 special was GG's unique gift for wringing so much humor, insight and poignancy from seemingly minor, everyday events and interactions. In S5, there seemed to be a deliberate and, for me, misguided resolve to go "bigger"----even more shrilly exaggerated, over-the-top townie ridiculousness, more 'dramatic' conflicts and soapy scheming (Emily takes a particular turn for the worse here, IMO), formerly levelheaded characters responding to adversity by, like, stealing yachts and dropping out of the college they'd loved up until a couple of months ago.  The heartwarming charm, slyly sharp wit and subtly beautiful moments that makes GG my most beloved show of all time (despite my complaints about it!) was replaced by more of the plot-driven OMGDRAMA! that you see on other WB/CW shows. I also think they really dropped the ball in depicting Luke and Lorelai as an affectionate, connected couple. As a lot of us have commented, though, this show was always fairly weak at writing romance---they're far better at breakups and pre-relationship yearning---so that's not quite so specific to S5 :) 

One common criticism of S5 that I'm not quite sure I agree with is that the focus shifted from familial relationships to romantic drama and angst---whenever I rewatch s1, I'm always unpleasantly surprised by just how much Max and Dean stuff dominates our show's first season.  Or maybe I just feel that way because I can't stand them, so their scenes tend to feel longer than they actually are ;) 

 

Don't get me wrong: There are some moments, scenes and even episodes from S5 that I love, but overall there's a shift in tone and characterizations that really doesn't work for me. Every season has some angst and conflict, of course, and---because this is GG---even some frustratingly over-the-top character exaGGeration, but it feels like S5 replaced some of the show's unashamedly huge heart and cozy charm with something I found less pleasant to watch. 

Edited November 6, 2014 by amensisterfriend

[lulu1960]

Junie your top ten is very similar to mine except for a couple exceptions

[junienmomo]

Junie your top ten is very similar to mine except for a couple exceptions

 

 

Cool. Why did you choose your top ten? 

My choices mostly revolved around the relationship between Luke and Lorelai, but I tried to choose episodes that nicely exemplified the GG spirit.

For example Run Away Little Boy is critical for me because it's the first time Lorelai really acknowledged the need for her friendship with Luke. But if the Rory/Tristan/Dean triangle had not been so strong and the brilliant comic relief from Paris, it might not rank so high. 

[lulu1960]

I admit my favorite episodes are L/L centric. From your top ten I'd omit Run Away Little Boy. I dislike Tristan so much. also Kiss and Tell isnt a top ten for me. I'd add Written in the Stars and Poes. I might switch Double Date with Lost and Found. But they are comparable

Oh and Dead Uncles is my all time fave.

[junienmomo]

Man! How did I forget Lost and Found?!? It's in my top five. 

Ok, here are my changes: Pulp Friction falls off the bottom and Lost and Found goes just before Raincoats. L&F can't compare to the waltz, but it's better than Kirk's night terrors.

 

Let me get those changes made, watch L&F as penance, then we can hold hands and skip. ;)

[JAYJAY1979]

Been rewatching the series on.Netflix...finished season 1 and one episode away from finishing season 2.

Season 2 has been flawless...love the slow connection developing.between.Jess/Rory and the gradual decline of Rory and dean.

Plus love the slowly developing friendship.between Paris and Rory. Even like Paris' side kicks (same they didn't last beyond season 3 or 4).

I also like Emily and Lorelei gradually forming a bond...before the show regressed them.

To me lorlei and Rory seem unrealistic.. so I think the later estrangement was needed.

[readster]

Season 2 and 3 are my favorite. Followed by season 1 and 4. Season 5 is so rocky and season 6 is the worst!

[amensisterfriend]

S2 and S3 are still my special favorites, in that order. I'm a little scared at how much more I like S7 now. And by how much less I love S4 (less than I used to, that is---as compared to most non-GG TV, I still pretty much adore it!)  S1 is a sentimental favorite and features Luke at his (IMO) most appealing and interesting, but parts are just too heavy-handed and overly cutesy and treacly for me..and there is way, way, way too much Dean and Max! S5 is a weirdly whiplash-inducing season for me---it has certain scenes and themes that I really, really love, and I actually think in many ways it's a more interesting, sparkly and thought-provoking season than s4, but it has way too many scenes and episodes that have me cringing and lamenting the loss of "my" show. Season 6 will always occupy that bottom spot for me, though the passage of time, the lowering of my expectations and an increased affection for Logan has allowed me to find at least some scenes from that season more enjoyable than expected, so...yay?! 

 

Honestly, at the moment S1, S4, S5 and S7 are all in a bizarre tie for me---I love (and don't love) each of them about the same right now, albeit for very different reasons. 

Edited February 4, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[readster]

Season 2 was my favorite because we had the tone of the series now. Even with Jess being brought in as the new "bad boy" I always felt his introduction and use kept far from the cliche storylines as done before. Season 3 is next due to it wrapping up the first three years and getting the show ready for the next chapters such as: Rory going to Yale, Lorelai and Sookie with the Dragonfly and kind of a nice moment between the Gilmore Clan at the end. That said, season 3 also has it's major problems such as getting things with Dean and Jess sent "off" due to the showrunners weird ideas of things. The 75k situation which I thought was majorly contrived way for Rory who would have a scholarship or other universities asking for her to attend after graduating at the top of her class at Chilton or Luke running off to get married on the cruise, when Nicole wasn't that great to begin with. Also, Christopher should have been at his daughter's graduation! Season 2 hit all the right marks and even the ending with Christopher running off due to Sherry getting pregnant. It was a nice and settle end to the season and a cliffhanger that really worked. Otherwise seasons 1, 4 are nice but 5 is goes south to fast. Season 6 is a disaster and season 7 they tried to end on a nice note.

[amensisterfriend]

After revisiting the series a bit, I think my opinions changed a tiny bit again.

 

Season 2 is my favorite, still and always :) That said, Season 3 is a VERY close second, at times even mildly threatening to overtake that top spot. It has lower lows, but it also has many the series' very best episodes, at least according to my admittedly weird taste! After those two seasons, there's a fairly large gap for me. S1 and S4 tend to switch places for me in their race for the bronze medal, depending on my mood. Then comes S7, albeit partly by default---and also because, for me, it features at least a partial return of the Rory I once loved and related to and a general feeling of warmth that I felt was lacking through much of S5 and S6. Then comes S5, though at this point I'm pressed to name more than a few episodes from that season I ever really want to rewatch. And bringing up the rear is S6, which...*sigh* 

 

I'm curious to hear whether other people's rankings have changed! 

[Katherine]

I have trouble ranking all the seasons but my top spot definitely goes to 2. After that, it's kind of a toss-up between 1, 3 & 4. I think I might actually prefer 1 and 4 over 3, for some reason. While I think that 3 is objectively better than 4, I seem to enjoy 4 more on rewatch. It's strange, because I'm a Rory/Jess fan, so I feel like I should enjoy 3 more than I actually do.

As for the last three seasons, 6 is my least favorite--it's not even close. I despise almost everything that happens in 6. I think season 7 gets a bad name because of ASP leaving, but IMO it's a big improvement over 6. As others have mentioned, ASP left a mess behind. She was the one responsible for my most hated storyline: April. And while I agree that the dialogue wasn't as sharp in 7, and the first part of the season felt a bit off, I think they did about as well as could be expected. I hated the rushed marriage between Chris and Lorelai, but at the same time, I felt like that storyline needed that kind of finality. Another thing I liked about 7 was Rory's characterization. It was the first time since the end of season 4 that I started to like and root for her again.

Between 5 and 7, I think I do prefer 5, probably mostly because I've always been a Luke/Lorelai fan. I was okay with their brief break-up in that season, and I was really hoping they would leave them together after that. Unfortunately then 6 happened.

Overall, if I had to pick, my rankings would be:

2

1

4

3

5

7

6

[Aloeonatable]

 

As for the last three seasons, 6 is my least favorite--it's not even close. I despise almost everything that happens in 6. I think season 7 gets a bad name because of ASP leaving, but IMO it's a big improvement over 6. As others have mentioned, ASP left a mess behind. She was the one responsible for my most hated storyline: April. And while I agree that the dialogue wasn't as sharp in 7, and the first part of the season felt a bit off, I think they did about as well as could be expected. I hated the rushed marriage between Chris and Lorelai, but at the same time, I felt like that storyline needed that kind of finality. Another thing I liked about 7 was Rory's characterization. It was the first time since the end of season 4 that I started to like and root for her again.

 

I think season 7 is boring. I was never invested in Christopher and Lorelai, and the Rory/Logan relationship was tediously boring. I can hardly remember anything about their relationship or the issues/problems they faced. Season 6 may have been a disaster plot-wise, but at least it still felt somewhat like the earlier seasons, IMO. 

 

My favorite seasons are still 2 & 3, with 1, 4 and then 5 next and 6 & 7 a distant tie for last. 

[amensisterfriend]

Okay, so you're banished to a desert island (albeit one with a DVD player!) and can bring just 10-12 GG episodes with you to watch for the rest of your life. No restrictions here: They can be whichever episodes you love for whatever combination of reasons and as many (or few!) from each season as you wish :) Ready, set, choose! 

[Taryn74]

Double Date - because I love Sookie and Jackson

 

Those Are Strings, Pinnochio - because everything about it is great

 

Concert Interruptus - because seeing Madeline and Louise get smacked down by "the cool mom" is golden

 

A Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving - because everything about it (excluding Lorelai's ridiculous behavior at the elder Gilmores' house) is great

 

Run Away, Little Boy - because the casual date stuff is hilarious, and this is pretty much the only time I really like Tristan

 

I'd have to look over the episode list to pick more.  Those are off the top of my head.

[amensisterfriend]

I absolutely love your choices, Taryn! You'll see a couple of them on my own list---which, unlike yours, I could not narrow down to 6. I could barely follow my own request to narrow it down to 12. 

 

Are your daughter's picks similar to your own, by the way?

 

In chronological order:

 

Double Date (I think Rory's Birthday Parties is the 'better' S1 episode, but DD is eminently rewatchable to me---fabulous dialogue even by this show's standards, great moments for the Lane/Rory and Lorelai/Sookie friendships, Mama Kim at her Mama Kimmiest, and among the few times I see tons of romantic chemistry between Luke and Lorelai!)   

Road Trip to Harvard (I get why many dislike this one and it's true that Lorelai and Rory are impossibly snotty and self-superior and rude at the inn...but, honestly, they're often that way, and at least this time they can use Lorelai's needing post-breakup solitude as something of an excuse :) This episode is a sentimental favorite of mine that has so many wonderful moments---Rory's glee at being in a college classroom, Lorelai wistfully wondering how her own future might have turned out differently, Lorelai determinedly moving forward with her dream of opening an inn and one of my very favorite L/L scenes of the whole series)

Run Away, Little Boy (awesomely witty dialogue even by this show's standards, some great Paris stuff, a really well-written exist for Tristan...I don't think I realized just how attached I am to this one until it was just eliminated from our elimination game!)  

Like Mother, Like Daughter

There's the Rub (Dean is particularly maddening to me here and some of the Emily/Lorelai stuff loses its potency now that we now just how ridiculously often their relationship took one step forward and three back, but the stuff I love about this episode---most involving Rory, Jess and Paris---is so sublime for me that I can't NOT include this one!) 

Lorelai's Graduation Day 

Lazy Hazy Crazy (I love Lorelai and Luke in that dream--if only they had been able to be as happy in reality! Beyond that, this one has classic Paris/Rory stuff, a nicely done Rory and Lorelai conflict with a perfect reconciliation scene, the classic "come again, Mimi" scene, etc.) 

They Shoot Gilmores

Let the Games Begin 

Those Are Strings, Pinocchio 

Lorelais' First Day at Yale (for sentimental reasons as it's such a valentine to the Lorelai/Rory crazily but lovingly codependent relationship in many ways despite how many parts of this one annoys me during more recent rewatches!) 

Bon Voyage (For when I'm craving a sentimental sobfest!) 

Edited June 13, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[junienmomo]

My list made as fast as I could, just to find out which episodes are on the top of my mind:

• Run Away, Little Boy - for all the reasons mentioned earlier, but especially Paris and 'always be a part of my life'
• Lost and Found - for the apartment hunting and Rory's efforts to get Lorelai and Jess closer together
• Dead Uncles - L/L perfection
• You Jump, I Jump - love the L&DB storyline and how Rory overcomes her nerves to join in
• Pushkin - the practical joke on Logan and Luke's Dark Day
• Twenty-One is the Loneliest Number - for the pain and the acting effort
• Just Like Riding a Bike - for the signs of L/L reconciliation and Rory losing the fellowship
• Rory's Birthdays - pretty much always has to be on my faves list
• Forgiveness and Stuff - same as Rory's B-days
• PS I Lo... - a balanced episode, and we get to play Ken-doll dress up with Luke
• WITS - naked Luke. I'll admit it. The single best source of pretty Luke pictures

[amensisterfriend]

It's so fun to see how we all gravitate to different episodes for different reasons! P.S. I Lo...is always an interesting one in that some of us (*looks in mirror*) rank it as one of the worst S1-S4 episodes of the series while adore it. 

 

Twenty-One is the Loneliest Number - for the pain and the acting effort

 

I've come full circle on this one: I loved it initially, later thought it wasn't nearly as great as I'd remembered, and now kind of love it again. There's a lot of really interesting stuff here, some very funny lines, and---brace yourselves---I actually LOVE the Luke/Lorelai interactions here! This is one of just 2-3 post-trilogy episodes where I totally see them working as a couple.  

 

In general, I think most of my favorites have classic Lorelai/Rory and/or Rory/Paris scenes...but good Rory/Jess stuff usually helps elevate an episode for me as well :) 

Edited June 14, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[amensisterfriend]

ETA:

 

I'm a little (okay, A LOT!) late in posting this one, but do you guys agree with the reviewer's grade of each season? They're on a scale of 1-10:

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/10/01/gilmore-girls-on-netflix-a-refresher-and-ranking-on-each-season/

[LeafontheWind]

ETA:

I'm a little (okay, A LOT!) late in posting this one, but do you guys agree with the reviewer's grade of each season? They're on a scale of 1-10:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/10/01/gilmore-girls-on-netflix-a-refresher-and-ranking-on-each-season/

I completely disagree with the season 7 ranking. A three? Come on, it was not that bad! Plus, she said it didn't make sense that Rory turned down Logan's proposal because she felt she was too young to get married. I feel like it is perfectly reasonable that a 22 year old would not feel ready for marriage. That was not at all weird to me. I did agree with most of the stuff she said until season 6, though.

[Katherine]

I would switch around the rankings of seasons 6 and 7, and I would also rate season 4 higher than season 5.

[Taryn74]

Important side characters: ....Peyton (Jon Hamm), who goes on one date with Lorelai and is only important because he’s played by Jon Hamm;

 

 

That made me LOL.

 

Good lord....best episode of S6 is A VINEYARD VALENTINE?  What the actual eff?

[junienmomo]

<Jon Hamm quote>

That made me LOL.

 

Good lord....best episode of S6 is A VINEYARD VALENTINE?  What the actual eff?

Taryn, you covered my exact opinion of the whole WP list. WTF?

[Gilmorefan]

My season rankings:

2

3

5

7

4

6

1

[amensisterfriend]

I'd love to hear more about why you (or anyone else!) ranked them in that order! I totally agree with S2 and S3 as your top two...and while S1 isn't last for me, I do like it less than most fans do :)

[Gilmorefan]

Well, for me, season two and three are just golden and are really what I think of when I think Gilmore Girls (that sounds dumb lol). Those were the two Jess seasons and I adore Jess. I enjoy five even though I'm not a huge Luke/Lorelai fan, but it has a lot of episodes that I enjoy rewatching. I also like Logan (although I wasn't a fan at first) and I loved the life and death brigade episode (the name escapes me even though I just watched it a couple of days ago). Season seven was nice because I liked Christopher, and while I knew it was always going to be Luke and Lorelai, I enjoyed Chris and Lor while it lasted. I skipped four in my original watch of the show (only because the library didn't have it) but once it hit Netflix I made sure to watch. Rory at Yale was nice to see, and I liked Marty and Digger (the return of Dean was pathetic and lame, but Dean is always pathetic and lame). Six is the only one I actually own, and even though it's not the best season, I enjoy certain parts of it (The Friday night dinner fight montage, Jess's reappearance, Christopher, some of Luke's rants ;), and Logan being more likable.) I don't really hate one, but I also never saw it in my original watch of the series (I actually started with Jess's first appearance, maybe that's why I like him so much) I've watched most of the season one episodes though, and there's only a few that I like (TDDR, Rory's birthday parties, the pilot). I'm not a fan of Dean or Max, and since they're such a big part of this season I'm not a big fan of it.

[Taryn74]

Well, for me, season two and three are just golden and are really what I think of when I think Gilmore Girls....

 

Good point, and I agree!

 

(the return of Dean was pathetic and lame, but Dean is always pathetic and lame)

 

Legit LOL'd.

 

I've watched most of the season one episodes though, and there's only a few that I like (TDDR, Rory's birthday parties, the pilot). I'm not a fan of Dean or Max, and since they're such a big part of this season I'm not a big fan of it.

 

There's more of S1 that I truly adore, but I totally agree about Dean and Max.  They drag that season down for sure.

[amensisterfriend]

Well, for me, season two and three are just golden and are really what I think of when I think Gilmore Girls (that sounds dumb lol).

 

Not the least bit dumb to me :) I agree that those seasons are quintessential GG for me. 

 

Season seven was nice because I liked Christopher, and while I knew it was always going to be Luke and Lorelai, I enjoyed Chris and Lor while it lasted.

 

Same here :) 

 

I enjoy five even though I'm not a huge Luke/Lorelai fan, but it has a lot of episodes that I enjoy rewatching. I also like Logan (although I wasn't a fan at first) and I loved the life and death brigade episode (the name escapes me even though I just watched it a couple of days ago).

 

I always want to like S5 so much more than I do :) Since you're a fellow non-Luke/Lorelai fan, I'm curious as to which other episodes/parts of S5 you love! 

[Guest]

2

4

1

5

3

6

7

 

A few of these seasons move in order from time to time. 

 

Season 2 is not only my favorite season of Gilmore Girls but one of my favorite seasons of any television show period. There are a few duds (It Should Have Been Lorelai, Road Trip to Harvard), but it also has such great scenes and episodes that I forgive them for those. ;)

 

Season 4 has at times been my favorite, but overall, I dislike some of the episodes and arcs.  Jason is definitely my favorite non-Luke romance Lorelai has, so that gives the season a boost. However, I dislike Liz/TJs prominence this season.  I also felt they rushed a lot of plots at the end of the season to get to where they wanted to be.

 

Season 1 hooked me.  It sets up so much for the series.  It also has a lot of good mixture of angst, comedy, drama, etc. And I don't hate Max Medina, so that helps.

 

Season 5 - what can I say! I like Logan!  I hate though when Emily goes from a meddling judgmental mother into a supervillain.  (Her visit to Christopher was so ridiculous and over the top).  The uneven characterization of many characters this season got on my nerves.  I couldn't stand most of Sookie's plotlines.  But it had some episodes I really enjoyed - Tippecanoe and Taylor too, Written in the Stars, Daisy Miller, The Party's Over, So.... Good Talk, etc.

 

Season 3:  It had some great episodes (They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?, Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving) and I loved Lane and Dave. I loved Rory's speech in Those are Strings, Pinocchio. However, Alex and Lorelai were so bland. I hated Paris' ending arc.  Rory being valedictorian makes no sense nor does the financial aid situation.  Nicole was introduced. Application Anxiety, Keg! Max!, Here Comes the Son, Face Off, Lorelai Out of Water, Take the Deviled Eggs, Eight O'Clock at the Oasis - I don't like any of these. Rory and Lorelai both were more entitled and bratty then usual (in my opinion).  The Jess / Dean stuff was mostly dumb.

 

Season 6 was mediocre. More TJ and Liz, the long-lasting feud between Lorelai and Rory, Rory takes her brattiness to another level, Emily and Richard being re-written week by week to suit the plot, and then of course APRIL. No.

 

Season 7 was, to me, an example of a show trying and failing to recapture it's kooky charm. The episodes pretty much shouted "Look how quirky we are!"  And I thoroughly disliked the Gilmore Girls in many episodes.  Logan's business successes and failures were too overblown.  It just was a very disappointing final season to such a great show.

[amensisterfriend]

Has anyone's order changed?!

 

S2 is still my definite favorite. I've already rambled about all the reasons why!  

 

S3 still comes in second---there were some definite lows, but also some of my favorite episodes of the series. I'd say that at least four of my top 10 come from S3. And the nonsense with Francie and the silly Dean/Jess testosterone wars take up less screentime than I always fear they do...especially when one repeatedly hits the fast forward button :)  

 

This is where things always get tricky for me. I have a lot of issues with the remaining seasons (though obviously there's a lot I love as well!) Right now, I'll surprise myself by ranking S1 next. My list of complaints about S1 is surprisingly long: There's way too much Dean and Max, a lot of the scenes are really heavyhanded, drawn out and ugh-we-get-it-already-please-stop-spelling-it-all-out-for-us, there's a real tweeness and preciousness that can be grating, Lorelai is often incredibly vain and immature even by her standards this season...etc. But there's something so lovely about going back to a time before things got so messy, you know?! This is also the season  where I really like Luke and think he has terrific chemistry with Lorelai. I adore S1 Rory and her slow thaw with Paris, Sookie/Lorelai have many of their best friendship scenes in this first season, and episodes like Double Date, Concertus Interruptus (don't even ask why I'm so obsessed with this one!) and Rory's Birthday Parties are still somehow more rewatchable for me than nearly anything from S4-S7.

 

S4---Consistently good. It was nice to see Rory single for most of the season, I loved seeing Lorelai's dream of owning an inn come to fruition, I enjoy Digger, and I actually really like a lot of the Lane stuff this season. But there's just something about this season that's less sparkly, vibrant, witty and charming than the earlier seasons for me. The Rory/Dean stuff is a train wreck for me, and I'm not a big fan of the way Lorelai and Luke first got together. Plus, I can never quite forgive this season for making TJ and Liz a regular part of the series :)

 

S7

 

S5 

 

S6 

 

I went through a phase where I preferred S6 to S5, but I'm over that now :) 

[pawneerangers]

I can't pick just one! Like other people said it depends a lot on my mood. The first season will always be special to me and sometimes I just like remembering when things were simpler then and there was so much potential for all the stories to turn out like we wanted them to back then. I agree that Luke and Lorelai are really great that season and I love Lane and Sookie then too. Seasons 1, 2 and 5 are tied at the top for me. Then 3 and 4 are tied for the next spot. Then 6 and 7 but I like even a lot of episodes in those seasons too. I have to look up episode titles but think I have a lot of the same favorites that other named. I love the one where Emily and Lorelai give Rory separate parties in the first season, the one where Lorelai dates a younger guy and Rory and Paris do Romeo and Juliet, the sleepover at the inn where Lorelai gets the horses and carriages, the one where Rory graduates from high school, the dance marathon episode and the one where Luke and Lorelai have their first date and Rory meets Logan. There aren't that many episodes I hate. Even most of the really bad ones have a few scenes that I like. 

[whateverhappened]

The first season still tops the list for me. It's so warm and sweet and just makes me feel great about life.  It has a lot of my favorite Java Junkie moments, and it's the season that makes it easiest for me to love Rory. I also think it offers us the most nuanced and balanced look at Lorelai and Emily's dynamic before their relationship became so exhaustingly repetitive. As others have pointed out, it's also when Luke was written to be at his most intelligent, savvy and quick-witted. 

Season 4 comes next. I love it so much that I considered ranking it even above S1, though introducing Liz and TJ and the need to bring back Dean were dealbreakers for me. I love Lorelai's storyline about bringing her dream of owning an inn to fruition, Rory's relatably rocky adjustment to Yale, and the buildup to LL finally getting together. I like Marty and Rory's freshman roommates and what we see from Lane and Paris this season. I even love Jason, though I understand why many others don't. It's just really great to rewatch straight through and actually has even fewer episodes I'll ever skip than Season 1 does. 

After that, I would go with S2, S3, S5, S7 and S6. I didn't finish the revival yet but I feel comfortable predicting that it will finish even lower than S6 in my personal rankings! 

[lulu1960]

For the longest time it was season 2 as my favorite. Dead Uncles is my all time fave and that is in season two. Plus, Bracebridge, Lost and Found. Season two would have actually been a good season for Luke and Lorelai to have gotten together. But then there was the sadness of there fight at the end of the season and it all went to hell.

So actually Season 4 is my favorite. Even with Jason being involved with Lorelai and Nicole around you can tell that they are only there to kill time. Plus I never had a problem with Jason. I love that Lorelai is getting her dream of an Inn, that Luke is supportive. Notice how she didn't ask Jason for money? I find myself grabbing the DVDs for Season 4 the most.

[whateverhappened]

Quote

Dead Uncles is my all time fave 

Now I keep wondering what my all time favorite is. I don't think I can choose fewer than 15. I do think my underrated fave, meaning an episode that most other people don't mention as a favorite, is The Fundamental Things Apply. There's something about that episode that I can watch again and again. It's got great moments between LL, Lorelai and Rory, Lorelai and Emily and Sookie and Lorelai. It's one of those episodes where I can relate very well to Rory, shows Lorelai inching forward towards getting her inn up and running, and deals with Lorelai's fear of becoming too connected to Emily in a way that worked.  Before I decided that I don't have the talent to write fanfic, I wanted to write one based on Lorelai first exposing Luke to Casablanca! 

[tarotx]

Season 1 and 5 equally.

I love Lorelai and Luke the best in these seasons. Separately and together.

I love the Early dynamic of Lorelai and her parents in 1 and I love the change up with Richard&Emily's separation and separate Friday night dinners in season 5 and then the renewed Lorelai anger after the wedding renewal.

I love the watching the true mother/daughter bond in season 1 and the changing dynamic between Rory and Lorelai s5. Lauren just knows how to play it like she hates it but understands it has to happen. 

I love watching Rory adapt to Chilton s1 and her and Paris falling in love with Doyle and Logan. I love watching Rory&Logan try new things for each other. And I love Rory with the LDB except the first meeting and at the Chinese restaurant. Colin bugs me in those scenes. 

In a lot of ways, season 5 feels like the show had a soft reboot. Either way, I love it just as much. 

[Taryn74]

I'm currently doing a slow rewatch, and I've hit that stretch of episodes (mid-S2) where I just love everything -- L/L are great, she annoys him but only enough to be cute and then she straightens up and they really communicate like friends; Jess and Rory are great to watch and Dean's being pushed to the background (which always makes me happy, ha);  Emily still figuring out this "new" relationship with her daughter and granddaughter is relatable and enjoyable to watch; Richard has an interesting storyline beyond being Lorelai's father; Sookie and Jackson's growing relationship is a joy to watch; Christopher is brought up just enough to make you wonder where this is all going to go; Paris and Lane are both interesting and amusing; townies are funny and not so OTT.........it's just all great.  

The show really doesn't start to go downhill for me at this point until S5 or so, so I'm going to enjoy this while I can.