‘Gilmore Girls’: Every Time Rory Gilmore Broke the Law
Everybody makes mistakes — even Rory Gilmore. Gilmore Girls often portrayed the young Stars Hollow, Connecticut resident as a model citizen and wise beyond her years, but she was prone to poor choices, just like everyone else. Rory even broke the law on more than one occasion. To be fair, these incidents were typically accidental or minor one-time offenses, but her list of crimes is longer than some fans might think. Here’s every time Rory broke the law in Stars Hollow and beyond.
Rory Gilmore drove at 15 years old
In Gilmore Girls Season 1 Episode”4, “The Deer Hunters,” Rory (played by Alexis Bledel) woke up late for a massive test at Chilton Preparatory School. Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) had planned to drive her daughter to school, but she realized she had a meeting wouldn’t have time. So, she told Rory to drive the Jeep to school, leading to the hilarious “Hit By a Deer” scene.
Rory driving herself to school was the practical option, but she might not have even had a license. At the time, Rory was 15 years old, and Connecticut drivers could only get a driver’s permit at 16. Rory’s 16th birthday wasn’t for a few more episodes. Even if she did receive her permit early somehow, Lorelai still would’ve needed to be in the passenger’s seat.
OK, so this one was most likely a plot hole or a continuity error. But hey, Rory could’ve been willing to do anything to make it to school on time for her test.
She shoplifted in ‘Gilmore Girls’ Season 1
Rory’s first kiss came with a crime. In season 1 episode 7, “Kiss and Tell,” the teen visited her new boyfriend, Dean Forrester (Jared Padalecki), at Doose’s Market, where he surprised her with a kiss. Rory was so caught off-guard that she ran out the door with a box of corn starch she hadn’t paid for. She ran all the way to Lane Kim’s (Keiko Agena) house, where she delivered the famous line, “I got kissed! And I shoplifted.”
One might have thought that Rory would have returned to Doose’s at some point to pay for the corn starch, but she never did. Instead, she kept the box on her dresser as a souvenir.
Rory and Lorelai devil egged a car
There’s no denying that Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia) drove Rory to do some crazy things. Season 3 episode 6, “Take the Deviled Eggs,” showed Rory committing a crime against Jess with her mother. After driving home from Sherry Tisdale’s (Mädchen Amick) stressful baby shower, Rory and Lorelai decided to blow off some steam by egging Jess’s car with the deviled eggs they received from the party.
The following day, the mother-daughter duo watched as Jess discovered the vandalism. Those deviled eggs probably didn’t do much damage to Jess’s already-clunker car, but it might’ve stunk up the place.
Rory drank underage in college
It’s not uncommon for college students to try out drinking in their freshman year. Rory was no exception, as she completed her spring break experience in Florida with a drunken night out. That was in season 4 episode 7, “Girls in Bikinis, Boys Doin’ the Twist.” At the time, she was probably 18 or 19, while the legal drinking age was 21.
A few more instances of underage drinking would come later. At the end of Rory’s freshman year, she packed up her dorm room while enjoying a lemonade with a mysterious amount of alcohol in it. Later, she spent a few nights partying with her boyfriend, Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry), before turning 21.
The infamous boat incident in ‘Gilmore Girls’ Season 5
Many Gilmore Girls fans likely recall the dark days where Rory and Lorelai were estranged, and it all began with a crime. After Mitchum Huntzberger (Gregg Henry) told Rory she didn’t have what it took to make it in journalism, she spiraled into a bad decision. In season 5 episode 21, “Blame Booze and Melville,” Rory visited Logan at a yacht party and encouraged him to steal a boat with her.
This was Rory’s biggest crime by far, as she spent a night in a holding cell. Then, she went to court, where she was ordered to do 300 hours of community service. Thankfully, this crime was another one-time deal, and she worked hard to get it expunged from her record later.
