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The episode opens at Friday night dinner. Emily mentions to the girls that her lawyer is coming by tomorrow and so they should put post-its on things they would like them to leave for them in their will. As dessert is served, Lorelai is amazed that the crystal bowls contain pudding. Rory says she's never had pudding out of a crystal bowl before and Emily says if Rory likes the bowl she should put a Post-It Note on it afterwards. Later, Rory and Lorelai are in the living room holding Post-It Notes and debating over a giant vase. Emily walks in and asks how they're doing."Great. Just getting ready for the big day," Lorelai tells her. Lorelai motions for Rory to leave so she can talk to Emily about next week’s Friday night dinner, which happens to fall on Rory’s birthday. Lorelai wants to move the dinner to Saturday but Emily won’t give up her Friday night dinner. Lorelai tries to put her foot down and says that she’ll have Rory’s birthday at Rory’s house. The scene cuts to Rory and Lorelai sitting in their Jeep and Lorelai asks Rory how she’d like having two parties this year. Rory is disappointed that Lorelai couldn't get Emily to change the dinner date to Saturday. Lorelai tries to cheer her up by saying, "But she did agree to make the string quartet learn Like A Virgin." Lorelai promises that the Saturday party will be a blast and tries to convince Rory that her party at Emily’s won’t be a big deal but banks will be closed, the flags will fly at half-mast, and that Barbara Streisand will give her farewell performance. She adds that the Pope has previous plans, but that Elvis and Jim Morrison will show up, and they're bringing chips.
At the Inn, Sookie is going down the menu for Rory’s party. Lorelai tells Sookie about the pudding and how it’s a step in the right direction towards trying to reach out to them. Jackson walks in and tells Sookie to open her mouth and close her eyes. He pops a berry into her mouth. Sookie is amazed by the berry and can’t figure out what it is. Jackson tells them that he figured out how to cross-pollinate a kumquat and a raspberry. Michel walks in and Lorelai invites him to Rory’s party and he tells her that he’ll be out of town. Lorelai tells him he used that excuse last year.
Lorelai walks into her kitchen to find Rory on the phone ordering pizza. Rory goes off to do her homework as the phone rings. Emily is on the other end and wants Lorelai to go shopping with her tomorrow to help her pick out a birthday present for Rory. They make plans to meet the next day.
At Chilton, Rory is at her locker getting books as Tristan comes up to her to wish her a happy birthday. She asks how he knows it’s her birthday and he shows her the invitation to her birthday party at Emily’s. Rory is horrified and walks away. As Rory walks down the hall she sees the other kids whispering and staring at her, complaining that their parents are forcing them to go to her party.
Lorelai and Emily are walking through a department store and Emily is trying to pick out something for Rory. Each thing Emily picks out, like a string of pearls or a cashmere sweater, Lorelai shoots down. Each thing that Lorelai picks out, like a guitar shaped purse or a day timer with a funky pen, Emily shoots down. Emily starts to give up but Lorelai reminds her of the pudding and to think pudding. Emily looks around and finds some bracelets. Lorelai says they're perfect and Rory will love them.
At the dinner, Lorelai sits down at the counter by Luke. He tells her Rory isn’t here yet and Lorelai tells Luke that he’ll have to entertain her and says “Okay, Burger Boy, dance.” “Will you marry me?" he asks. Lorelai gasps but Luke says he was "Just looking for something to shut you up." Lorelai then invites Luke to Rory’s birthday party and he says he’ll see. Rory walks in and is in a horrible mood. Lorelai shows her the dresses that Emily bought them for her party and recaps the shopping experience and how her and her mother actually got along. Rory is shocked that they got along and decides not to tell her about Emily inviting the school to her party.
Lorelai wakes Rory up a 4:03 AM to wish her a happy birthday. Lorelai tells Rory how fast she’s growing up and launches into the story of Rory’s birth, which Rory has heard many times before. As Lorelai continues, Rory falls asleep on Lorelai’s shoulder.
Rory and Lane have breakfast at Luke’s and Luke made Rory coffee cake and blew up balloons for her birthday. Lane listens to Rory explain how bad the party at Emily’s is going to be and why she didn’t tell Lorelai about the invitations. As they talk, Dean comes into the diner for coffee. He smiles at Rory and mouths “happy birthday” to her on his way out.
At the elder Gilmore’s, Emily yells at the staff to get everything just how she wants it. Lorelai and Rory arrive and change into their party dresses that Lorelai had altered. Later at the party, Emily drags Rory around to meet people and Lorelai gets bombarded with questions from Mitzi, a woman Lorelai went to high school with. After Mitzi asks a bunch about Christopher and Lorelai’s pregnancy, Lorelai excuses herself to talk to someone else. Emily grabs Rory and tells her that it's time to say a few words to all of her guests, thanking them for coming. Lorelai tries to get Rory out of the job, but Emily says it's what Rory is supposed to do since it's her party. Rory freaks out on Emily and says, "I am not the hostess. You are." She yells at Emily and then excuses herself. Lorelai finds Rory, who immediately apologizes for yelling at Emily, in her old bedroom. Rory tells her about Emily inviting the Chilton kids without her knowing and not telling her because she and Emily were getting along so well. Lorelai tells Rory about her last birthday in that house and about telling her parents she was pregnant. Emily walks in and tells them that they are being very rude. Rory tries to apologize, but Emily tells her to leave the room.
Emily stands at the door and says goodbye to all of the guests. Lorelai and Rory thank her for the party and Richard gives Rory another envelope “for Fez.” Richard tells Rory that she's a good girl, and wishes her a happy birthday then Emily tells Rory and Lorelai that they should get going. Rory invites her to her party tomorrow, but Emily tells her she has other plans. Lorelai tells Rory to go to the car without her and heads off to talk to Emily. Lorelai talks to Emily about the party and how she should have asked Rory before inviting all of the Chilton kids. Lorelai tells Emily that she's doing the same thing to Rory she used to do to Lorelai, in that she tries to control her but when she can't she just shuts her out. Lorelai brings up the pudding again but Emily tells Lorelai that she did all of this work on this party for Rory, and Rory didn't care. Lorelai says that all Rory needs is for her to come to her party and that she doesn’t know Rory at all.
The next morning, everyone is preparing for Rory’s Stars Hollow party. She comes out of her room to tell everyone that she’s going to the college fair to get a new Harvard brochure. While at the Harvard table, Paris walks up and tells Rory that ten generations of her family have gone to Harvard so she has to go too. She tells Rory to go to Brandeis. Rory tells Paris that she's only ever wanted to go to Harvard. She says that it's a big school and that they'd probably never see each other. As Paris walks off, she turns around and asks Rory if she’s dating Tristan. She says no, which pleases Paris, and then turns to leave again but stops to tell Rory it was a nice party.
At Rory’s second party, Rory is dressed in a tiara and boa and opens her present from Lorelai—an iBook. Sookie walks in with a birthday cake. Rory's face is represented in the icing. Everyone sings to Rory. After Rory blows out the candles, Lorelai stands up to propose a toast. She says that Rory is the reason that she gets up in the morning. As they start to cut the cake the doorbell rings. "Geez, who the hell is ringing the bell? It's a party, get your ass in here!" Its Richard and Emily and Rory runs up to give them a hug. She shows Emily that she’s wearing the bracelets that she bought and Lorelai introduces them to everyone. In the kitchen, Lorelai tells Sookie that her parents are here and how they’ve never been to their house before. Emily walks in and compliments the food and asks Lorelai who the caterer is. Lorelai introduces Sookie, and tells Emily that she's the chef at the inn. Emily tells Sookie that she'll have to cater her next party. Later, Sookie runs up to Lorelai to tell her that they’re out of ice. Lorelai says she'll go to get some more, but as she hits the door she walks into Luke who has just arrived and brought two bags of ice with him. Lorelai gives him a big hug as Emily watches from the hallway. Lorelai introduces Luke to Emily and he says he should get the ice to the freezer before it melts.
In the living room, the guests tell stories about Rory and things she did when she was younger. Emily sits on a chair behind them and listens, smiling. As they continue swapping stories, Emily gets up and walks upstairs. Lorelai sees this and follows her up. Emily asks about the guests and how long Lorelai’s been seeing the man with the ice. Lorelai quickly tells her that Luke is just a friend. Emily walks around the bedroom and finds a picture on Rory's dresser of Lorelai in crutches with a cast up to her thigh. She says she didn't know that Lorelai ever broke her leg. Lorelai tells a quick story about a yoga class gone bad, and concludes by saying that if she had been really sick she would have let Emily know. As Emily starts to leave, Lorelai tells her it was very nice of her to come tonight and that it means a lot to Rory. Emily says that Rory is her granddaughter and that she should be there.
Emily finds Richard and tells him that it’s time to go. She thanks Rory for the party and Lorelai tells them that the mud wrestling starts in ten minutes and that they shouldn't go yet. Lorelai and Rory watch them walk away and then announce that it's time for a food fight. In the car, Emily watches the party from the street and says, "She's right. I don't know my daughter at all."
Later, Lorelai and Sookie clean up from the party and talk about how much of a success it was. Lorelai looks out the window to see Rory with Dean. He gives her a bracelet that he made for her birthday. Rory says it’s amazing and has him help her put it on. After he ties it on, they hold hands and smile at each other. Lorelai turns away realizing just how much Rory has grown up.