The Road Trip to Harvard

Season 2, Episode 4, Aired
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Episode Summary

To escape everyone's reaction to the news of the broken engagement, Lorelai and Rory hit the road, and stumble upon the bed and breakfast from hell before eventually arriving at Harvard, where Rory gets a taste of college life and Lorelai muses over what might have been; Lane comes home loaded with bootlegs from Seoul; Lorelai breaks into tears when she sees the chuppah that Luke made for her; Luke commiserates with Lorelai even though he's secretly overjoyed to hear that the wedding's off; Lorelai decides to get serious about making her dream of opening an inn a reality.moreless
9.1
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Fan Episode Reviews (11)

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  • Lorelai and Rory go on a road trip. Really good episode.

    9.3
    "Superb"
    By stewie1423, May 24, 2008 Report Abuse
    Another great episode. It was good to just have a Lorelai and Rory based one. I liked how it was kind of how Lorelai had to move on, get her head around Max and the wedding. It was funny when Lorelai was complaining about having no music, while Rory was worried about being lost. The hotel was really amusing, the whole bell thing. The receptionist was strangely chipper, a bit weird. Rory's comment about the cat was funny, plus Lorelai's reaction to the overly flowery room was good.

    Liked that Luke was happy when he found out about Lorelai and Max's broken engagement. Rory and Lorelai trying to sneak out without being seen by everyone at the B&B was brilliant, Rory's disgust at being left alone was amusing, a nice touch. It was cool to see Rory fit in so well at Harvard . Lorelai was funny throughout there time there, talking to the college guy and taking a picture of Rory in the dorm. The Susie thing was really funny.

    Emily's disgust at the slide show, this was great. The present thing was good to, actually good to see them having a sort of friendly fight for a change. Lane is back, yay! Glad to see Lorelai making the choice to start doing things about opening her own in with Sookie, Luke giving her advice was nice, when are they going to get together? Great episode.moreless

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  • Masi Oka!!!

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By VGFreak8, Dec 27, 2007 Report Abuse
    Rory and Lorelai stop at a bed and breakfast. It's creepy and called the Chesire Cat. Lorelai decides to take a trip to Harvard to Rory's surprise. They have a great time there! Lorelai tells Sookie to spread the word that she and Max aren't getting married. Everyone feels very sorry for her. Lane is back! She says that Korea wasn't really all that bad. Lorelai decides to start her inn with Sookie. Luke offers to help.

    This was a very good episode! Masi Oka was in it! He's so awesome! I give this episode a 9.0 out of 10!moreless

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  • The wedding is cancelled. Rory and Lorelai go on a road trip and end up doing an impromptu tour of Harvard.

    9.7
    "Superb"
    By Ashley_382, Oct 02, 2007 Report Abuse
    This was a very good episode. I was sad when Lorelai broke up with Max, but I do think it was for the best. I though the whole Cheshire Cat B and B sequence was funny. The inn was weird in some ways. Those flowers on the wall of their room were insane, that is for certain. Rory and Lorelai are definitely not that kind of people after seeing this. I was quite impressed with the Harvard campus. Rory could have really done well there if she had chosen it instead of Yale. I was really surprised when she chose Yale instead of Havard considering how obssessed she was with Harvard.moreless

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  • Knowing Harvard and a fresh start

    9.6
    "Superb"
    By karatiz, Sep 04, 2007 Report Abuse
    The Gilmore Girls are on a road trip and end up going to Harvard.
    The get to see all the campus, the dorms, the library, they even break into a room and take pictures.
    Rory watches a class and answers the teacher's questions right.
    She fits in.

    Lorelai sees the photos of the ones that finished Harvard and gets sad, she never got that chance.

    Meanwhile the word is out and everyone know about the wedding, Sookie tells Luke and he offers a round of free coffee.

    Then they come back...
    Lorelai sees the huppah in the garden and she cries...

    After talking to Luke, she decides to start moving with the Inn...moreless

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  • This eposide was great epsoide. When Rory and Lorelai go visit to Harvard. I enjoying watching this eposide. Rory was very smart person when professor ask her a question. This is the best eposide in 2nd season. This is one of my favorite eposide in GG.moreless

    9.3
    "Superb"
    By xxrediexx, May 31, 2007 Report Abuse
    This eposide was great epsoide. When Rory and Lorelai go visit to Harvard. I enjoying watching this eposide. Rory was very smart person when professor ask her a question. This is the best eposide in 2nd season. This is one of my favorite eposide in Gilmore Girls. Lorelai was wonderful mother to Rory. Lorelai made her daughter dream to go to Harvard. Lorelai was the best mother in Gilmore Girls. I think this eposide was a also like a life lesson. This eposide tell me how harvard universty is going to be how is college life. This eposide was very special eposide.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • When Lorelai goes into to Luke's after they return from Harvard, her serves her a cup of coffee to go. When she leaves the diner, she has the cup in her hand but when she approaches Rory and Lane, seemingly immediately after leaving Luke's, she no longer has the cup in her hand. Edit
    • While there have been several things that have indicated Luke's feelings for Lorelai, this episode marks the first occasion that he has blatantly let his feelings show. Immediately after hearing of the broken engagement, a crabby Luke becomes instantly chipper and announces that coffee is on the house! Edit
    • When Rory tells Lane about the Harvard trip, she mentions seeing "where I might live next year." But at this point in time Rory is only starting the 11th grade, it's still another two years before she move out for college. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • German episode title: "Auf und Davon" means "Up and Away" Edit
    • This episode was originally titled "Leaving Home" Edit
    • Edward Herrmann (Richard), Jared Padalecki (Dean), Yanic Truesdale (Michel) and Liza Weil (Paris) do not appear in this episode. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Lorelai: I think it's time to make a move. Luke: Meaning? Lorelai: I'm diving in. Sookie and I are finally gonna open that inn. Luke: Yeah, I know. Lorelai:: No. I mean now. We've been talking about it and dreaming about it and it's time to finally get going on it. Luke:: Well, if the time is right. Lorelai: It is. You think I can hack being a business owner? Luke: I think you can hack anything. Edit
    • Lorelai:(walking into a dorm room at Harvard) Suzie... Suzie... Rory: What are you doing? Lorelai: If anyone catches us in here, that is our excuse. Besides, there is a thirty-percent chance the girl who lives in here is named Suzie. Rory: Okay, this is breaking and entering. Let's go. Lorelai: Wait! Let me get a picture of you at the desk. (Rory sits down) No! Look at the book like you're studying. There. (Takes picture) Rory: Okay, now let's go. Lorelai: Fine. (Leave dorm room, run into another girl right outside) Oh, hey Suzie! Edit
    • (Lorelai and Rory are sitting on stairs at the B&B) Rory: Why can't we just run out the door past all those people? Lorelai: Oh, not unless you want to be stopped and answer questions for an hour about Chilton, living in a small town, and your hunky hunky boyfriend. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Lorelai: I may never get married. I may be a free spirit my whole life, or fall in love with a separated Catholic guy like Katherine Hepburn did and then not get to go to his funeral when he dies. Legendary actress Katherine Hepburn (1907-2003) had a long romance with her frequent co-star Spencer Tracy (1900-1967), who was a devout Roman Catholic and thus never divorced his estranged wife. Edit
    • Lorelai: (reading from a Harvard brochure) "Past graduates: Henry James." Isn't that a beer? Rory: And a novelist. Go on. Lorelai: "John Adams." That's a beer. Lorelai may have been thinking of James Page (a microbrew from Minneapolis) and Samuel Adams (made in Boston). Edit
    • Rory: (to Lorelai) You do realize that all of your college kid jargon comes from Happy Days and the Valley Girls song. Happy Days is a sitcom centered around the Cunningham family that aired from 1974 until 1984. Valley Girls is a 1982 Frank Zappa single featuring his daughter speaking typical 'Valley Girl' phrases. Edit

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