Gilmore Girls 5.03 "Written in the Stars"

Gilmore Girls 5.03 "Written in the Stars"
Original Air Date: October 5, 2004 (Recap date: March 18, 2008)
Recap & Discussion [Photos]

Discussion Questions:

• Is it weird that Richard has moved only to the pool house?
• Is Luke embarassed to flirt in front of Rory – or the town?
• Why is Rory living with Paris again?
• Why didn’t Paris let Rory know about Asher?
• Why has Luke never brought anyone to Sniffy’s Tavern?
• Why did Luke’s feelings for Lorelai come as such a shock to him, if he infers later he’d felt that way since the start?
• Do you think Lorelai forgot the diner would be open?
• Did Rory have fun arguing with Logan?
• Why does Logan wish to be called ‘Master and Commander’?
• Why doesn’t Luke & Lorelai’s relationship generate town gossip?
• Does the town have a point about Luke & Lorelai dating being a big deal?
• Does Rory not see Marty has a crush on her?
• Why does Rory go to see Dean?

Gilmore Girls Episode Recap:

Richard is now living in the pool house, and both Rory and Lorelai are with him (and the valet, Robert) for pre-dinner drinks. They haven’t finished their drinks or started their cheese, but now must move on to dinner in the main house. Emily wants Rory to retell everything she told Richard - so she’s not left out. Richard comes to get something from his study, which makes Emily angry. She says he should have called.

Lorelai despises the word potty – is it so much easier than bathroom? Rory suggests that potty is a verb, while bathroom is not. Lorelai is teasingly annoyed that Luke won’t flirt with her in front of Rory. He gives her the head nod to follow. Luke tells Lorelai that her jeans are working for her… and for him. He sets up a date for that evening. Lorelai and Luke try to figure out if they tell the town they are dating yet, or if they hide it. They decide to let the town figure it out on their own. Then Lorelai jauntily walks away.

Lorelai jokes to Rory about wearing glass slippers and a backwards baseball cap on her first date with Luke. Rory answers strongly to the negative when Lorelai hints about her talking to Dean.

Emily is requesting a meeting with Richard to talk about a charity luncheon. Emily yells at the neighbor’s dogs.

Rory is having the movers bring her furniture into her new Yale dorm room (she’s in Branford College residence now). Marty spots her and comes to catch up. Rory unlocks her room, which she’ll be sharing with Paris. Rory calls Paris, finding it weird that she’s not there yet. She’s sitting in mourning – Asher is dead. He died two weeks ago from a heart attack. Paris has been lending a hand settling his affairs.

Lorelai listens in on the latest Stars Hollow gossip. About a man who left his wife for a younger woman – who turned out to be older!

Richard and Emily sit at opposite ends of the table going over household affairs. They argue about who goes to what function. Emily then complains about an oil stain on the driveway. Lots of animosity.

Marty found out that his Uncle is his Dad over his summer. Some pompous guys get annoyed with Marty for being in their way, and one guy sort of recognizes him. Marty has bartended for his parties. Colin, the first rude guy, then makes fun of Marty again. Marty and Rory are not impressed.

Paris is back and has already rearranged everything to her liking. Paris says Asher left her his manuscripts. Paris says she wants to hold a wake.

Luke comes to pick up Lorelai, who was on her way to meet him. They both apologize. Lots of nervous laughing. Lorelai says they’ll get better at it. Luke takes her to a restaurant and they sit at a table Luke has reserved for them. Maisy, the owner, comes to introduce herself and hug Luke. Then Buddy comes over too. They are excited – Luke never brings his girls there. They tell Lorelai that Luke is a special guy. Then go to make them a surprise dinner.    

Luke says he comes there 2-3 times a week. Luke has a Luke’s! Maisy went to school with his mother – he’s known them his whole life. Buddy helped him start the Diner. Lorelai reads the story of Sniffy’s Tavern, in which Sniffy the dog died. Luke and Lorelai toast when the champagne comes.

Lorelai asks Luke if he remembers the first time they met. It seems Luke knows all the details she has forgotten.

"It was at Luke’s. It was at lunch. It was a very busy day. Place was packed. And this person…"

"Oh, is it me? Is it me?"

"This person comes tearing into the place on a caffeine frenzy."

"Ooooh, it’s me."

"I was with a customer. She interrupts me. Wild eyed, begging for coffee. So I tell her to wait her turn. Then she starts following me around. Talking a mile a minute, saying God knows what. So finally I turn to her and I tell her she’s being annoying. Sit down, shut up, I’ll get to her later."

Lorelai bets she took that very well.

"She asked me what my birthday was. I wouldn’t tell her, she wouldn’t stop talking. I gave in: I told her my birthday. Then she opened up the newspaper to the horoscope page. Wrote something down. Tore it out. Handed it to me."

Lorelai jokes that Luke must have written the Sniffy’s menu – inferring he’s being verbose.

"So I’m looking at this piece of paper in my hand and under Scorpio she’d written ‘You will meet an annoying woman today, give her coffee and she’ll go away.’ I gave her coffee."

"But she didn’t go away."

Luke reaches into his pocket.

"She told me to hold on to that horoscope. Put it in my wallet, carry it around with me. One day it would bring me luck."

Luke hands Lorelai the horoscope. She can’t believe he kept it. For 8 years.

"Lorelai: this thing we’re doing here. Me, you. I just want you to know, I’m all in. I am all in."

He asks if she’s scared by that. Lorelai looks down with a big smile, then looks over at Luke.

Lorelai is in bed with Luke. There is an empty champagne bottle on the night stand. Lorelai says she can’t believe Luke kept the horoscope. Luke says she’s lucky he doesn’t clean out his wallet. But Lorelai tells him he can’t take it back – she’s his Ava Gardner. Luke then says they have to get something out of the way. Luke pulls out paper and has Lorelai list CDs he needs to get to avoid all that. It’s been a great date – 8 years coming.

Early the next morning at 6am, Luke’s alarm goes off. Lorelai needs coffee, but it’s all downstairs. Lorelai kisses Luke, gets up, and puts on his plaid shirt. And goes in search of coffee. Unfortunately, the diner is not empty. She backs up and runs back to Luke. Now people are going to know. They expect to be hearing about this for months now. Luke goes to get Lorelai her coffee.

Paris is setting up for the wake. Rory goes to hang posters. Finn, Colin and the other rich guy show up looking for a familiar building where some girl lives. They go to Rory’s door. Not the one they were looking for, it would seem. They notice the poster and Rory has to assert she was not doing Asher. Rory makes it clear that she dislikes the guy in her hall – she ‘knows’ him. And is irritated by him. Because he speaks to people as if they are below him. Then the guy, after her agrument, proceeds to argue that he does have a right to talk to his bartender like a servant. They pick apart each other’s arguments, and he seems to enjoy it.

Finn comes to tell Logan, the guy, that he found his mystery girl. Logan is beaming – he had fun arguing with Rory. Logan leaves and says "Master and Commander" – it’s what he wants Rory to call him.

Paris is smoking a pipe so she can smell like Asher again. Rory gives her a hug.

Lorelai goes up to the gossiping girls with a look of expectation – but she and Luke are not the hot topic in town gossip! Even the free parking is getting more buzz. Lorelai seems disappointed and confused. Lorelai calls Luke thinking perhaps nobody knows or that they don’t care. Lorelai is weirded out by it, but at least they can stop hiding.

Emily is having a meal all by herself. She checks on a funny smell with the maid and then, yes, she compliments the maid on her cooking! Emily blows out the candles and tries to find something to do. Emily hears Richard’s car leave past the dinner hour – she drops her jaw. Lorelai is dragging Luke to a town meeting. Emily calls with her ‘gossip’ about Richard going out at 7:30.

The free booze is a good draw to the wake. Paris is not aware that’s why they are there, so she’s very sentimental. Marty makes sure the guys with the keg don’t bring it inside. Paris wonders how their relationship would have progressed if Asher had not died. Now she’ll always be in love with him.

Lorelai, eating marshmallows, is enjoying the town meeting. Next item up: a ’serious matter’ involving the Inn Owner and the and Diner Owner dating – and the negative ramifications therein. The relationship they ‘feared’ for some time has emerged. Taylor asks whether the town should support it or not. Many people have input.

Taylor opens with how important both businesses are to the community. What will happen when the relationship goes sour – which he ‘knows’ it will? People would have to choose to be a Luke or a Lorelai. Or neither, in Kirk’s case. Bad for the economy and town. Taylor votes against it. Apparently, there was a relationship in the town with similar issues. Faye and Art – candy and flower stores. Their breakup divided the town and shut down businesses for a year. Lorelai gets worried that they have a point.

Emily calls to say Richard came home at 8:30 then went out again. So she got in her car to go out too. And she’s going to stay out past when he gets home too – just to make her point. She tries to beg Lorelai to come out with her. Lorelai can’t leave, and she says Rory just got to school.

Luke gets fed up with the graphs and charts and maps of ‘territory’ – he says that it is his relationship, and Lorelai’s relationship. Not their relationship. Luke gives his word that in the case of a breakup he’d move away to solve the issue – though he says there won’t be a breakup.

Lorelai has a realization and calls Rory – just starts saying she’s sorry. Rory is saying for what, when she hears Emily speaking from behind her. That’s what. Paris breaks down crying when Emily shows up. Rory thanks Marty for all his help.

"For you, anything."

Marty asks Rory why she doesn’t have a boyfriend - and if she has one. What’s the deal? Rory says she doesn’t know. And Rory doesn’t know why she doesn’t know.

Rory drives to see Dean. He opens the door and stands aside. Rory goes in.

Tags: gilmore girls, written in the stars, gilmore girls season 5, gilmore girls 5.03, 5×03, gilmore girls episodes, gilmore girls recaps, gilmore girls discussions

Image credit: TheWB