Gilmore Girls

After driving around for hours, Lorelai stops in at Rory's apartment to tell her about the break up of her marriage. She knocks on the door to find Paris and Doyle engaging in their latest obsession…yoga. It is early in the morning but she finds Rory awake due to her roommate's chanting rituals. She hurries Rory out of the apartment so that they can speak in private. In the car, Lorelai blurts out the news about her and Chris. As always, Rory is supportive and loving. Lorelai explains that both she and Chris knew it wasn't right and that pretending it was right was going to hurt everyone concerned. Rory explains that she's not surprised by their decision because she didn't think it felt right either. Lorelai reassures Rory that her dad will always be in both of their lives.

At Friday night dinner, a new maid mumbles a welcome to Rory and Lorelai. They walk into the living room to find Emily sitting alone, drinking a 'mocktail'. Emily is struggling to maintain her calm. As always, she is having difficulty with the people she hires from the maids to the nurse attending to Richard. Since Richard's heart attack, alcohol and red meat have become verboten in the Gilmore house, so Rory and Lorelai have to make due with their mocktails. Richard is being a rather difficult patient. He sits around all day watching golf. When he finally came down for dinner, he complained about the food being served and left the table to continue watching television.

In Logan's apartment, Rory has prepared him a fancy 25th birthday breakfast. Logan learns that birthdays in the Gilmore girls' house were momentous occasions and celebrated with a flourish. On the other hand, in the Huntzberger house one did not celebrate that which one did not achieve.

In Luke's diner, Babette and Patty are gossiping about Chris and Lorelai's break up using animal code. They are careful not to let Luke hear …

Babette: Yeah, it's true. He's definitely moved out. Last time I saw the…'beagle's' car in the driveway was days ago. Then I saw the mover's truck…so only the …'hen' is living there now.
Patty: So did the hen break up with the beagle or the beagle break up with the hen?
Babette: I don't know.
Patty: (Gasp) The poor hen.
Babette: Yeah, she's been through so much.
Patty: You know, I was just kinda getting use to him…the beagle.
Babette: But he's not right for her. He's a beagle you know and beagles…beagles belong with beagles.
Patty: And the hen belongs with the rooster. (She nods her head towards Luke)
Babette: Maybe…
Patty: Well…does the rooster know about the hen and the beagle?
Babette: Oh yeah, eastside Tilley was in here blabbing her big mouth off.
Patty: Oh…and how did he take it? Did you see his face?
Babette: Well yeah but you know the rooster. It's like looking at Stonehenge. I don't know what he thinks.
Patty: Oh…I hope he gets his act together because I think they're perfect.
Babette: Yeah. But maybe the hen belongs with someone else…like a penguin or an ostrich.

Kirk, who has been listening in on this rather strange conversation, interrupts, commenting on the perversity of such unlikely unions. T.J., Liz and the baby come in and greet Luke warmly. They need to stay with him until their house has been fumigated for moths. Of course, Luke generously allows them to stay.

After Emily called Lorelai to pick up his medications at the pharmacy, she brings them by to find Richard is once again refusing to eat what the chef has been instructed to prepare for him. Richard continues to be difficult about his new healthy life leaving Emily exasperated. Richard's ill temper provokes the chef to quit, much to Emily's chagrin. In addition to his irritation over his dietary restrictions, Richard is also refusing to take care of the financial requests of his accountant. In order to relieve some of the burden from her mother, Lorelai recruits Sookie to make some healthy and tasty meals for her father.

Luke is coping with a rather crowded living situation with good humor. Liz is using some of Luke's fishing line to make some of her jewelry. T.J. and Liz find out that Luke went to the hospital to help when Richard had his heart attack. When Liz finds out that Lorelai and Chris split up, she suggests maybe there is something happening between Luke and Lorelai. Luke insists that he and Lorelai are just friends.

Mitchum Huntzberger disrupts Rory's plan for Logan's birthday party by inviting them out for dinner. His attitude towards Rory has changed considerably. He now refers to her as a talented writer and appeals to her to help him keep Logan on the right path.

Lorelai continues to help her mother deal with her petulant father. She uses her business experience to help her mother figure out some of the financial information the accountant is requesting for the tax preparations. Emily decides to pull out her hidden stash of alcohol and offers Lorelai a drink. After a big gulp of vodka, Lorelai quickly confesses her marriage breakup to Emily. Surprisingly, Emily is without words and for this Lorelai is grateful. They continue to work on the computer looking for the required information.

At Luke's apartment, Luke lies awake listening to Liz and T.J. whisper loudly about whose turn it is to take care of the crying Doula. While T.J. gets the baby, Liz expresses concern that Luke seems lonely. She thinks that he is lovesick over Lorelai. Even though T.J. doesn't agree, Liz believes they belong together. T.J. reminds her of her theory that Luke and Lorelai are in two space-time continuums but Liz counters with her 'wormhole' theory. She believes that if they just find the wormhole they can be together on the same plane and ultimately spend their lives together. Luke stares up at the ceiling, seemingly contemplating this theory.

Lorelai continues to give Emily her computer lesson while they imbibe vodka and scotch. Both women are a bit tipsy. Emily begins to compare her life to a canoe. She believes that she is in a canoe with Richard paddling their canoe through life. They have a partnership so that when one of the partners stops paddling or drops the paddle (in this case Richard) the canoe just goes in circles. Then Emily compares Lorelai's life to riding in a kayak, which is steered by one person. Lorelai has learned how to get through life by herself; she knows how to do all the things that Emily has relied on Richard to do for all these years. Emily has always believed it was her role to run the house and support her husband in his endeavors but now that Richard is refusing to perform his duties Emily feels adrift. She compliments Lorelai for how independent she is and how she has always done very well without a husband. Lorelai expresses regret that she still wanted her marriage to work out. Emily explains that as she was growing up, divorce was such a disaster because the woman then had to go out and find herself another rich husband. With Lorelai, however, she can take care of herself so her divorce isn't such a tragedy. Then for perhaps the second or third time in the past seven years, we see Emily showing affection, compassion and admiration for Lorelai. She put her hand on Lorelai's shoulder and showing great warmth spoke these comforting words…

Emily: I mean it's not such a horrible thing that you're going to get a divorce. Not really. You're going to be fine.
Lorelai:(Obviously grateful for these kind words.) Thanks mom.
Emily: You may even marry someone else some day. Who knows?

Rory and Logan arrive at his apartment and Logan sees all the birthday preparations. He is more than a little impressed. Logan gets a call from his business partner telling him that he is being sued for copyright infringement and that his new company is now worthless. He hides this news from Rory and they head out for their next birthday activity.

The next morning at the Elder Gilmore house Lorelai sits down for a cup of coffee. Lorelai, bubbly as usual, asks her mother what she is going to do today. Without taking her eyes off her newspaper, she coldly gives Lorelai a list of her activities for the day including canceling the wedding party for which they will only have 60% of their deposit returned. In a rather nasty, tone she says that she guesses that 60% will be better than nothing. The effects of Emily's scotch have obviously worn off and her cold and distant mien is back. Hurt and chastened by Emily's reprimand, Lorelai gets up to leave.