The Prodigal Daughter Returns

Season 6, Episode 9, Aired
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Episode Summary

Luke becomes jealous when Lorelai receives a phone call from Christopher. Luke makes a big deal about being honest with each other, but when he discovers that he has a daughter he never knew about, he is unsure of how to tell Lorelai. After Rory moves into Lane's apartment, re-enrolls in Yale, and scores herself a job, Rory and Lorelai take the first steps towards reconciliation.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (61)

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  • Lorelai and Rory FINALLY reconcile and Luke discovers a life changing secret.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By LucyEA12345, Nov 18, 2008 Report Abuse
    I really enjoyed this episode. Luke really shot himself in the foot with his whole hissy fit about the Christopher thing. He is angry with Lorelai for not being honest with him about Christopher, although there was not much for her to be honest about. I think he overreacted a bit, and by the end of the episode he found out he has a long lost daughter! Was not expecting that, but now he has to have a difficult conversation with Lorelai or face being a huge hypocrite!
    I actually felt sorry for Emily in this episode, although scenes between her and Lorelai always manage to be funny and moving at the same time.
    Rory has finally seen the light, thank God for that, although she's still a little annoying, (as is Zack, why is Laine with him? But anyway....)
    In conclusion, an enjoyable episode which moved the story along. It was inevitable that something as big as Rory coming home had to overshadow Luke's news and stop him from telling Lorelai about his daughter there and then.moreless

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  • Rory gets her life back on track and Luke discovers he has a 12 year old daughter. She's back, the Luke thing was out of the blue but was done in a very Gilmore girls way.moreless

    9.8
    "Superb"
    By stewie1423, Aug 22, 2008 Report Abuse
    So I'm not going to say much but she's back, Rory finally decides to go back to Yale, gets a part-time job as a writer and moves back in with Lorelai for the time being. It was great to see her so focused and making up with everyone she should. Emily was upset but I don't care, she deserves all she gets.

    Christopher called, does this Mean he'll be back in the girls life again soon? The way lUke found out about his daughter was amusing, you could think it was a joke but no....Luke Danes has a 12 year old daughter. How will he tell Lorelai?

    Rory and Lorelai's reuion was brilliant, they apologised, hugged and things are on the mend. Can't wait to see more!moreless

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  • Well where to start! Lorelai and Rory finally reconcile! Luke discovers that he has a 12yr.old daughter. and Lane has some trouble with the band and Zach.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By adrinicky, Apr 02, 2007 Report Abuse
    OMG! This is one of the best episodes of the entire series!! Lorelai and Rory are finally back together after the longest time apart!! Luke finds out that he has a 12 year old daughter named April, which in my opinion sucks! Everything with Lorelai is gonna go spiraling down the drain! Besides I find April's character to be somewhat annoying!! Zach gets jealous that Brian is writing a song called Lane and gets him in a crappy mood. Right before a gig where there will be record people Zach freaks out and he and Lane break up. Rory moves back in with Lorelai. This is one of the episodes that can be watched millions of times, it is thoroughly revealing and foreshadows the episodes to come.moreless

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  • One of the best!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By rorylogan_LL, Mar 08, 2007 Report Abuse
    This episode is by far, one of the best. It is cleverly plotted and shows that Rory is realizing her mistakes. She moves out of the pool house and in with Lane, enrolls in school again, looks for a job, and my favorite, re-unites with Lorelai after a long awaited parting! It is clear that Rory took a great long detour that took her off the main road, but in this episode, she is starting to come back to the main road! I especially love the part at the end when Lorelai and Rory are talking about how Rory's getting a job and going back to Yale, then she pulls into the driveway and they run to meet eachother, throwing their cellphones to the ground!moreless

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  • In this episode, Rory finally reunites with her mother, and Luke and Lorelai have a great communicative connection. Also, Luke finds out he has a 12-year old daughter.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By GilmoresRock5, Mar 06, 2007 Report Abuse
    I really love this episode. It just comes together so beautifully. Lorelai is really on top of her game, she has two great stellar moments. Why Lauren Graham has not won Emmy awards for her amazing portrayal is beyond me! She is top of line! Anyway, I loved that moment between Luke and Lorelai. It was one of the truest moments they ever had. They really understand each other and are still completely committed to each other. But then that perfect moment you know is about to be shattered when they bring in April, Luke's 12-year old daughter. You just know Luke is going to mess it all up!

    Another perfect moment was when Rory finally calls her mother and they reunite. I love that they can just come together and reunite, no bumps, no things to work out. It is as if the last few months never happened! Those two have amazing rapport!moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • When Luke tells Lorelai that he's not sure whether he can handle having Christopher around, she says he'll always be there because he's Rory's father.
      Yet, in "Say something", while Lorelai is trying to reconcile with Luke she tells him that she can cut Christopher out of her life. Edit
    • In this episode, the writers once again put in counterbalance a happy event with some trouble to come. Lorelai reconciles with Rory but at the same time we see Luke hiding from Lorelai his knowledge about his daughter. We can only assume that things will get sour between them. This is a recurrent dramatic tool used in the show. In season 1: Lorelai & Max get back together but Dean breaks up with Rory. In season 4: Lorelai & Luke share their first kiss while Richard & Emily split up. In season 5: Emily & Richard renew their vows but there is a new rift between Emily and Lorelai and Luke and Lorelai break up. In season 6: Lorelai & Rory get into a terrible fight but Luke & Lorelai get engaged. Edit
    • In this episode, Rory is persistent and secures a job as a writer at a newspaper. This job is never mentioned again, and Rory soon goes back to work at the Yale Daily News, a volunteer run student paper, which clearly takes up a large portion of her time. So what is the point of getting this job in the first place? Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • French episode title: "Petits Secrets Entre Amants", meaning "Lovers Keeping Little Secrets". Edit
    • This episode drew in 6.19 million viewers. Edit
    • Matt Czuchry (Logan) does not appear in this episode. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Richard: (looks in box) Wait, this is my tennis racket. Colin: (to Finn) I told you she wasn't pointing at that closet! Finn: Then which closet was she pointing at? Richard: Take this stuff upstairs. Finn: Can't we just take it? I'd tell it about you every day and show it a picture of you on Christmas! Edit
    • Luke: They're gonna get cold. Lorelai: Are they different? Luke: Different than what? Lorelai: They seem different. Luke: They're nachos, now eat them. Lorelai: You used baked chips. Luke: What? Lorelai: You did, didn't you; you used baked chips and low fat cheese. Luke: I did not use...low fat cheese. Lorelai: HA! Luke: How can you tell!? Lorelai: How could you lie? Luke: They taste the same! Lorelai: (sighs) Oh the trust. Luke how are we gonna make it if you're constantly trying to keep me healthy? Luke: Fine, die at 60. Lorelai: Bring me a doughnut while I wait! Edit
    • Sookie: How do you like the house? Lorelai: It's uh...great! Sookie: It uh, is? Why do you hate it? Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Jackson: I crown thee, Burger King. This may not be intentional, but Burger King is a major fast food franchise. Edit
    • Lorelai: Go back to Wisteria Lane you major drama queen!! This is a reference to the place where all of the women from "Desperate Housewives" live. All of the women are drama queens and Lorelai was comparing them to the way Luke was acting. Lorelai also says: 'Wrap yourself in a towel and trip over a hedge on your way out!' This refers to one of the most memorable moments in Desperate Housewives history. In Season 1 Episode 3 ('Pretty Little Picture') Susan Mayer locks herself out of her house wrapped only in a towel. Trying to climb in through a window, she ends up falling, naked in to a row of bushes. Edit
    • Lorelai: No. Land Shark. Candygram. Here's Johnny. Ugh! Luke, open the door! Land Shark and Candygram are references to a very famous skit from the first season of Saturday Night Live. The land shark (played by Chevy Chase) is always trying to use various ploys to get into someone's house, including "Candygram". "Here's Johnny" is a reference to The Shining starring Jack Nicholson. The line is said while Johnny is hacking his way through a door with an axe. That in itself was an allusion to Ed McMahon's introduction of Johnny Carson during his run on "The Tonight Show" Edit

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