A House Is Not a Home

Season 5, Episode 22, Aired
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Episode Summary

After receiving a call from her, Lorelai goes to pick Rory up from the police station and takes her home. While on the way home Logan calls Rory and Lorelai orders her not to talk to him and she does anyway. Rory explains that the boat theft was not Logan's idea and Lorelai should not blame him. Lorelai goes to Luke and freaks out about what to do and how to act and Luke plays the fatherly type toward Rory while talking to Lorelai. Logan finds out that his father upset Rory and says he will have a talk with his father, but Rory begs him not to. Rory tells Lorelai that she decided she won't be going back to Yale next year. Lorelai doesn't like this idea and goes to her parents for help. Somewhere in between, Rory goes to her grandparents house to talk to them about her situation and ends up convincing them to support her decision. They then tell Lorelai that Rory will be living in their poolhouse until she decides she wants to go back to Yale. On the other hand, Mrs. Kim helps Lane and her band get gigs and stay together. Show ends with a proposal from Lorelai.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (55)

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  • We've seen the best in Rory Gilmore time and time again, and with this tearjerker episode, the time has come for us to see the worst.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By ecgirl08, Apr 19, 2010 Report Abuse
    This episode hits home for me in a very powerful way every time I watch it. Quite frankly, seeing Lorelai head to the jailhouse to pick up her formerly near-perfect daughter Rory is more than a little disturbing. As can only be expected with shows that start off portraying a main character as responsible and levelheaded, "Gilmore Girls" fans must now realize that Rory is not the innocent young girl she was in episodes past. After two years in college, she has found her niche and blossomed in her newfound independence, but in this case, spending some time in jail after stealing a yacht with her boyfriend is anything but glamorous.

    I guess I can appreciate the fact that the writers wanted to "humanize" Rory's character and flesh her out a little bit more by showing audiences that while she is a good kid for the most part, she is capable of making huge mistakes. These final episodes of Season 5 have brought out a Rory Gilmore that most of us do not like, and sadly, her new attitude remains right through to Season 6. I can't say that it was my favorite part of the series, but in most ways, it was a well-written and true-to-life account of what can happen to even the best kids out there.

    The only major scene that truly, truly bothered me was the one between Lorelai and Rory, when Rory announced that she was not returning to Yale the following year. All she did was whine and complain that the big, scary Mitchum Huntzberger told her she didn't "have it" as a journalist, and if Mitchum Huntzberger says she can't do it, then by golly, she better pack her bags and figure out something else to do. Are we expected to believe, then, that this extremely intelligent, hard-working girl can only thrive when she is being garnered with praise and positive feedback? I never got the impression that this was what kept Rory going all these years, specifically when she had such a rough start at Chilton and eventually rose to the top of her graduating class. She got plenty of criticism there, and the Headmaster even told her at one point that if she couldn't take the pressure of a college-prep school, then she should get out pronto. But oh no, that's not part of Rory's go-getter personality, and she used that criticism constructively to improve herself. That's what her character has always done, and now, all of a sudden, because her boyfriend's father is being a jerk to her, she is ready to throw everything away? This does not seem very likely to me, and if I were Lorelai, I would have given her a good shaking, reminded her that life is about dealing with negative people, and told her to pull herself together. Of course, if that were the case, we wouldn't have much of a plot here. For the moment, though, Rory is no longer a bright, industrious girl who knows what she wants and fights to get it, and she is acting like a spoiled baby who can't cope with a little bit of adversity in her life. I'm sure that when this episode aired for the first time, viewers everywhere were wondering who this character was and what she did with the original Rory.

    By episode's end, Lorelai's worst nightmare comes true when her parents, after promising to help her talk some sense into Rory, go against her and offer Rory their lavish poolhouse as she drops out of school and contemplates her next step. To say that this is a slap in the face to Lorelai is a tremendous understatement, and for the time being, she has lost her daughter to two of her biggest enemies. The final scene between Lorelai and Rory, with the gorgeous song "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" in the background, will certainly have your eyes welling up within seconds. You can sense exactly what's going through Lorelai's mind, and while you find yourself practically begging her to knock on that door and get Rory out of there, you know that unfortunately, it's not going to happen that way.

    In short, this episode ended with a huge bang and presented a lot of emotional baggage to come in the now-troubled relationship between mother and daughter, and of course, a lot of pain, joy, and turmoil that is in store for Luke and Lorelai. In general, it is a truly sad moment in Gilmore Girls history, but it's some genuinely solid drama from beginning to end, with a plot, characters, and actors who know how to get the job done.moreless

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  • Lorelai picks up Rory from jail, things go downhill from here. But she also has a proposal for...... Another excellent finale, poor Lorelai!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By stewie1423, Jul 22, 2008 Report Abuse
    Brilliant finale! All the way through all I could do was feel sorry for Lorelai. Her pride and joy stuns and devastates her, her parents stab her in the back after she comes to them for help. Thank god for Luke, he was just the best he could be during the bad times here. You could just see how disappointed she was with Rory and what she was doing.

    I liked the scene when she went to visit Emily and Richard in desperation, so she could get help getting through to Rory. They seemed just as stunned as Lorelai and agreed to help by all talking to Rory in the upcoming Friday night dinner. But then when she arrives to this dinner, there they are just sitting there wanting to talk.

    As Richard told her what was going to happen, Rory would be tasking a break from Yale, moving into there pool house and getting a job, Lorelai's face just dropped. They back stabbed her. She was great throughout the episode, especially when she walked around the large house just not believing what they were telling her. For once Emily actually seemed sort of ... I don't know, guilty?

    Luke being Luke helps her through it, telling her it'll be okay and that they'd stop it all. Then she does something brilliant, proposes to a shocked Luke. It was an excellent ending to the episode and I just hope he says yes. Now onto Rory, after being picked up from jail she gets a call from Logan and takes it even though Lorelai tells her she can't. Logan was supportive, she told him about his dad which angered him. Then she stuns us by telling Lorelai she's not going back to Yale next year. I agree with Lorelai, it's about Logan's dad.

    I admit I felt a small bit sorry for her when she broke down with Richard. But to move into there pool house, what is she thinking? And when she saw Lorelai looking in at her, she just looked away, get yourself together Rory!
    Mrs Kim shows a new side to her by helping Lane and the band go on a tour. She was funny here and I liked how she and Lane have sort have made up.

    Overall it was an excellent finale with a big cliff-hanger, will Luke say yes? And what will Rory do now she's at her grandparents. I can't wait for season 6!moreless

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  • A pivotal episode, with some great acting by Lauren and Alexis

    10
    "Perfect"
    By leo23dc, Apr 16, 2008 Report Abuse
    This was a painful episode, in some ways. Rory is so hurt at what Logan's father said to her that she decides to take some "time off" from Yale. Lorelei is totally opposed to this, and tells Rory that she won't allow her to just stay at her house goofing off. Then Lorelie goes to her parents' house to get them to assist her in "triple teaming" Rory to get her to return to Yale. She also goes to Luke for support, which of course he gives her. But when Lorelei arrives for Friday night dinner she finds that Emily and Richard have changed their minds. Rory has got there in between, and has collapsed sobbing into her grandfather's arms, saying she "made a mess of everything". So Richard and Emily agree that she will be allowed to say at the poolhouse and sort things out. Lorelei feels she has been stabbed in the back, and rushes over to Luke's. He has lots of suggestions on how to get Rory back at Yale, though it's more of a rant than anything else. Lorelei realizes how much she needs Luke in her life, and asks him to marry her. His answer is left as a cliffhanger until next season.moreless

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  • This is the episode that really freaks me out! Rory and Lorelai start a rough patch when she moves in with Richard and Emily. And Lorelai proposes to Luke, so OF COURSE, then he just leaves us hanging on with no response!!moreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Roxanne27, May 15, 2007 Report Abuse
    This was absolutely the episode I have been waiting for and dreading. We all saw it coming - Logan is not right for Rory, yet she still fends for him. I personally can't stand Huntzberger, but he really played the good guy more than anyone (except perhaps Luke) in this episode.

    Luke really seemed to blow it when he tried to talk Lorelai out of the job she was offered with the classical "What about the kids?" line. It was to late when he realized they didn't exist. Yet.

    Rory chooses to move in with her grandparents, and to drop out from Yale. Of course, we should have known the truce between the elder Gilmores could last only so long, but I didn't expect Richard and Emily to drop the bombshell in such a horrible fashion.

    This episode is ended with Luke insisting to help Lorelai with Rory, and as he raves, she decides that she knows just what she wants. I can't wait for series six, and Luke's response to the question we have all been waiting for!moreless

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  • LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By wwwbebe432, Apr 18, 2007 Report Abuse
    LOrelai has to pick rory up from jail after her and loganstole a boat after mitchum huntzberger told her she didn't have it to make it in the journalism business.LOrelai thought it was logan's fault but Rory told her that it was her idea. When logan calls the next morning Lorelai gets mad and tells him it's all his father's fault. When rory gets back to yale logan's waiting there and he asks her what his father did. She tells him what happenened.Rory tells lorelai that she's dropping out of yale.Lorelai freaks out and goes to her parents to think of a plan to get rory back into school. They both agree until rory comes to them crying. When Lorelai comes to dinner to discuss what there gonna say to rory when she comes to dinner. They tell her that Rory's gonna take some time off of school for a while and she's gonna live with them until she goes back to school since lorelai doesn't want her staying there.Lorelai rushes out. She watches rory through the window as she puts her stuff in the room in Emily and richard's house. She goes to luke's diner after and tells luke what's happening with rory.He freaks out and says they need to get her back in school. Whatever they have to do to get her to go back to school.Lorelai sees how much he cares about rory and asks him to marry her.Then it ends. I liked this episode I had the sixth season on dvd if I didn't I wouldd've wanted to know what happens now. That's how I feel right now because I just ended on the last part of season six where Lorelai sleeps with christopher.I'll do anything to watch the seventh season. I've been stuck there for about three months.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • This is the first time that Mrs. Kim seems to show any support for Lane and her music. Edit
    • Lorelai proposes to Luke at the end of the episode. Before he has a chance to answer, the episode fades to black leaving a cliff-hanger as to what will happen next season. This is also the first time the show has ended on a cliff-hanger since the first season which ended with Lorelai contemplating Max's marriage proposal. Edit
    • When Lorelai says "Weston is the place we always 'talk'", she refers to her talk with Rory about Rory starting a new relationship with Logan in the episode "So... Good Talk" Edit

  • Notes

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    • French episode title: "Coup De Tête", meaning "Impulse". Edit
    • The Futon Critic ranked this episode #30 of the top episodes of 2005. Edit
    • Music: - "I Think It's Going To Rain Today" by Claudine Longet - "Big Blue Buzz" by Ric Menck - "Chain Gang" by Sam Cooke Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Lorelai: (Referring to the gift basket Mike Armstrong sent her) Michel, take something. What do you want? Michel: The memory of those bikers poking each other in the buttocks "Eternal Sunshined" out of my mind. Edit
    • Rory: Don't let the TV shows fool you, kiddies. Crime doesn't pay. Edit
    • (after Rory has been arrested for stealing a yacht; Lorelai's telling Luke about it) Lorelai: Rory never even shoplifted. Not a candy bar, not a lipstick. She forgot to return a library book once. And she was so guilty about it that she grounded herself. I mean, can you imagine? She's just sitting there in her bedroom yelling at me, "Now no-one else got to read the Iliad this week because of me!" Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS

    • Lorelai: I need to call a lawyer, maybe that guy who got Robert Blake off. What was his name, Houdini?

      Robert Blake is an actor who was tried and acquitted for the murder of his wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley. His attorney, M. Gerald Schwartzbach, stated that the prosecution failed to prove their case.

      Edit
    • Episode Title: A House Is Not a Home The title of this episode is an allusion to the popular song entitled "A House Is Not a Home" composed by Burt Bacharach and performed by many singers including Ella Fitzgerald, Perry Como, and Cher. Edit
    • Lane: Zach? Zach: Well, geez, Dorothy, if Tinman and Lion are going to go, I guess I have to go too. Dorothy, Tinman and Lion are characters from The Wizard of Oz. Edit

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