‘Gilmore Girls’: The Realization of Lorelai and Luke’s Love Is the Most Highly Rated Episode of the Entire Series
Over the course of seven seasons, fans of Gilmore Girls watched and connected with Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. While the characters were far from perfect, most fans found themselves rooting for the mother-daughter duo and everyone that surrounded them. As is the case with any show that has a lengthy run, some episodes are more beloved than others. IMDB collected ratings for every single one of the show’s 154 episodes, and there is a clear favorite. That clear winner is “Raincoats and Recipes,” the final episode of season 4.
“Raincoats and Recipes” is the top-rated episode of Gilmore Girls
It is official, “Raincoats and Recipe” is the highest-rated Gilmore Girls episode. According to IMDB’s rankings, the episode has a rating of 9.3 out of 10, beating out the series finale by just .1 of a star. The 13th episode of season 6 tied the finale for the second most highly-rated episode.
While the top three episodes are unique in their own ways, they all have one thing in common. Each of the highest-rated episodes expertly ties-up longstanding loose ends. “Raincoats and Recipes” focused intently on romantic relationships. The season finale, entitled “Bon Voyage,” gave fans a glimpse into Rory’s future after she turned down Logan Huntzberger’s proposal, while the season six favorite, “Friday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” pushed Rory and Logan back together, and aired out the drama between Rory and her grandparents.
The episode unpacked a lot of issues
Amy Sherman-Palladino sure wanted to pack a lot of information into the season 4 finale of Gilmore Girls. In the episode, fans watched Rory lose her virginity to her married ex-boyfriend after a season of odd flirtation. They also saw Lorelai and Sookie St. James realize their dream by opening The Dragonfly Inn.
Lorelai’s relationships were sorted out, too. It was the final time in the original series that fans saw Jason Stiles, and Luke Danes and Lorelai finally kissed. Additionally, Kirk Gleason’s quirkiness was on full display as he ran naked from the inn after a night terror, and Richard and Emily Gilmore were finally forced to admit they were separated.
Luke and Lorelai’s first kiss likely propelled the episode to the top
While the episode moved several storylines forward, fans probably rated the episode so highly because it includes the moment that Luke and Lorelai finally expressed their feelings for each other. During the first three seasons, fans wondered when the duo would get together, or if they ever would. While several shows have employed the will-they-won’t-they trope, few have done so as subtly as Gilmore Girls.
Fans were so heavily invested in Luke and Lorelai finally getting together, that, it would seem, any episode that propelled their romantic relationship forward would have been a fan favorite. Even now, nearly 13 years after the original series wrapped, fans debate the pros and cons of every one of Rory’s serious boyfriends. Yet, few fans argue that Lorelai belonged with anyone other than Luke.
