Gilmore Girls 6.07 "Twenty-One Is the Loneliest Number"

Gilmore Girls 6.07 "Twenty-One Is the Loneliest Number"
Original Air Date: October 25, 2005 (Recap date: April 24, 2008)
Recap & Discussion

Discussion Questions:

• Does Richard think Rory is turning into Emily?
• Do you think Rory can be bribed or coerced by the trust fund to return to Yale?
• Does Richard think Rory must be forced to return to Yale?
• Do you think Lorelai believes Rory would have gone back to Yale if she and her parents had followed her original plan?
• Is there any significance to Madeleine Albright being in Rory’s dream?
• Are you surprised Logan had no big party planned for Rory’s birthday?
• Why don’t Rory and Lorelai use this birthday as a way to reconcile? An incentive to speak?
• Does Rory hope that inviting Lorelai to her birthday will patch things up?
• Why doesn’t Rory invite more of her friends, and more Stars Hollow people, to her birthday?
• Does Lorelai want to change her Hallowe’en traditions in envy of Babette & Maury’s traditions as a married couple? Or does she just want to be less lame than the caramel apples?
• Are you surprised that it took Emily & Richard so long to realize Rory was getting physical with Logan?
• Why does Lorelai assume the invitation is not from Rory? Should it matter? Shouldn’t she reach out to Rory anyway?
• Do Emily & Richard assume they can control Rory’s sex life by making her live in the main house?
• What made Rory want to call her mom about the invitation? Are her grandparents’ tactics starting to wear on her?
• Why doesn’t Rory look pleased to learn that Paris is editor of the Yale Daily News?
• Why does Rory excuse herself from the conversation just after Lorelai got there? Was she uncomfortable that the topic had turned to Yale?
• Are you surprised Emily didn’t know about Lorelai’s engagement somehow?
• Is Lorelai more sympathetic to Richard now?
• Why do Emily & Richard see sex as a failure to keep Rory?
• Have Rory and Lorelai grown apart? Is that why Lorelai seems sad at the end?

Gilmore Girls Episode Recap:

Lorelai walks outside with her arms crossed saying "What about Rory?" to her father. Richard doesn’t like what he sees in Rory – that she’s lost focus. All she talks about are seating charts and Logan, and he doesn’t like the direction Rory is headed. Richard says they need a plan.

Lorelai reminds Richard that she had a plan and that he changed it. Lorelai is getting snarky, but Richard won’t let it go. He thinks Rory never plans to return to school. Richard has a few suggestions, such as setting Rory’s trust fund payout to be contingent on going back to Yale. He even considers buying Rory a townhouse to bribe her back. Richard thinks something "in it" for Rory would change her mind. Lorelai thanks Richard for the dollhouse. Richard gets annoyed and reminds Lorelai that Rory turns 21 in ten days.

"She’s twenty-one! That’s not a child! Twenty-one-year-olds need to be working toward something."

Then when Lorelai says Rory will figure it out, Richard says she’s twenty-one and he couldn’t even tie his shoe at that age, kind of contradicting what he just said. Richard gets annoyed, but Lorelai is more annoyed. Lorelai says she’s not interested in his plan to buy Rory off – it won’t work, she can’t be bought. As much as she wants Rory to go back to school, Rory has to want to go back. She has to rekindle her love of learning and studying on her own, and when Rory wants help, she’ll ask for it – and then Lorelai will fly in. Richard calls Lorelai impossible. Lorelai retorts that it’s her Native American name.

Lorelai is venting about her father while Luke tries to bring in the heavy dollhouse, mulling about how Richard had heaved it up there on hiw own. Lorelai says that Richard caused all this to happen.

"It’s just like my parents, you know, to double-cross me and then get mad when I won’t help them undo the double-cross."

Lorelai says it was a low blow to bring up Rory’s birthday. She pouts and says that she and Rory had plans to go to Atlantic City to sit at a blackjack table at 11:59, order martinis, and be playing 21 when Rory turned 21. And if they won, they’d buy 21 things with their winnings. The 21 guys wouldn’t be appropriate anymore. Lorelai is not sure Rory even remembers the plan. Luke assures her that she does. Then Lorelai tells Luke the top comes off the dollhouse before going to order pizza.

It’s 4:03am in dream world, and Madeleine Albright wakes up a sleeping Rory in her Stars Hollow bedroom to say happy birthday. She gets into bed with Rory and goes through the traditional birthday "I can’t believe how fast you’re growing up" moment, asking Rory how her life is so far. Rory, as she does every year, asks if she looks older. Madeleine says what a great kid and best friend Rory is, then begins to retell the story of Rory’s birth.

Rory wakes up, startled, in bed with Logan. Rory tells him she just had a dream that Madeleine Albright was her mother.

Babette and Maury are gathering supplies to hang Maury in the gallows, a yearly tradition. Lorelai’s yearly tradition is to hang caramel apples in the tree, but Babette doesn’t think that is very scary (she sounds disappointed).

Logan and Rory are making out on Rory’s couch, while she’s still grabbing onto her Birkin bag. Rory had lost her keys and they’d become distracted. Logan suggests ordering in instead of going out for dinner. Rory drops her purse to continue making out with Logan. However, there’s a knock at the door. It’s Emily. She’s missing a blouse and wonders if it’s in Rory’s closet by mistake. Emily talks about the incompetence of hired help.

While Rory is off in her bedroom, Emily turns in a panic to Logan asking if he has anything special planned for Rory’s birthday next week. Logan looks surprised and says no. Emily is relieved – she wants to throw Rory a party. She didn’t want to order a bunch of crab legs if Logan was going to whisk her off somewhere. When Rory comes out, Emily asks her if she wants a birthday party with some of her friends and the DAR ladies. Rory says sure.

Once Emily leaves, Logan says it would have been nice to know about Rory’s birthday. Logan doesn’t believe Rory when she says she’s not into birthdays. She’s into every other festive holiday. Logan knows something is wrong and Rory is avoiding telling him what. She eventually tells Logan about the plans that she and Lorelai had for her birthday.

"My mom and I had been planning for my twenty-first birthday since – well, my first memory is kindergarten, but I have a feeling she was talking about it before then. We had this whole big thing planned…"

Rory tells him the Atlantic City plan in much the same way Lorelai described it to Luke. Rory says she’s bummed it’s not going to happen now. Logan sits and says he knows Rory misses her mom, despite not understanding the concept. Rory says her mom is pretty cool, he just didn’t get to know her. Logan says he can take Rory to Atlantic City and fulfill the plans. Rory says it’s sweet, but she’s prefer to just let this birthday pass. They start to make out instead.

Rory is sitting at the dining room table sampling cakes while Emily looks over invitation samples. On Emily’s 21st birthday she had insisted on invitations with real pearls lining them, and it was her dream come true. Rory is very distracted – even forgetting to sample all the cakes. Emily suggests a buffet and sushi as young ideas for the party, and asks Rory if she wants a special drink. Rory is daydreaming again so Emily asks if Rory wants her to plan it on her own – Rory thinks that’s a good idea.

Emily goes over the guest list which includes Lane, Logan and Paris as Rory’s "friends", the rest are family and DAR people. Emily wants to know if they should put Lorelai on the list or not. Rory says yes, and smiles a little. Rory brightens up a bit and chooses a cake – the chocolate praline crunch cake.

Maury and Babette are done preparing their gallows - it looks fantastic! Maury does a demo of his hanging for Lorelai. Luke is inside making dinner, and has discovered Paul Anka is also scared of peas. Lorelai adds it to the list.

Lorelai tells Luke she wants to do something new for Hallowe’en. That the caramel apples are not scary enough. Lorelai says she wants to do a skit instead, and needs Luke’s help. She wants to be a mad scientist with the whole front yard as the laboratory. With an electric chair and an operating table and test tubes and wires. She wants to bring Luke into the skit:

"You’re strapped in an electric chair! And I’m going to throw the switch and I’m going to totally electrocute you! And you’re flailing around, and we’ll rig something where it’s smoke and sparks shoot out of your nose, and once you’re dead, I’ll throw you onto the operating table and I’ll cut you open and I’ll pull linked sausages out of you and I throw them into the crowd."

Luke asks some logistical questions, the last of which is how she expects to get him to do those things for her. Luke agrees to help her build stuff, that’s it. The guilt-trip to have "married couple" traditions does not work on Luke.

Logan is dropping Rory off at home, and no amount of pouting can keep him over. He has to meet Mitchum early in the morning. Rory tries to kiss Logan to get him to stay. Logan accidentally bites Rory’s lip when Richard knocks on the car after having heard a noise. Rory and Logan look uncomfortable.

Richard goes inside and tells Emily he saw Logan and Rory engaged in a "serious round of necking". Emily suggests that Rory is almost 21 and may be considering having relations with Logan. Richard scoffs at that, saying there is little room in Logan’s car for that. Emily says she walked in on them in the pool house. Richard and Emily decide to do something about this issue tomorrow.

Sookie is helping Lorelai choose sausages for Luke’s intestines. Lorelai gets her mail, including the invitation to Rory’s birthday party. Lorelai doesn’t think the invitation is from Rory - she thinks it’s her dads way of minipulating her to manipulate Rory. Talking about Rory bums Lorelai out.

Emily has invited Rory over for dinner, and Rory drools over a meal of pot roast and mash potatoes – something not supersized! And her favorite meal. There is a reverend over for dinner as well. Emily excuses herself to find the salad (obviously overplaying her intended exit) and Richard leaves too, to get some butter. That leaves Rory alone with the reverend, who immediately starts talking about being a young woman and having "crazy feelings" for a boy. Rory looks uncomfortable.

"You know, Rory, being a young lady comes with many gifts. Your virtue, for example, is a gift, a precious gift. Possibly the most precious gift you possess."

He goes on to tell Rory to give that gift carefully because if she gives it to the wrong man, when the right one comes along, she’ll have to give him a sweater instead. Rory is getting confused, but then it clues in what he’s talking about. Rory thanks him for coming to talk to her, but that…

"the ultimate gift ship has sailed. A while ago. It’s probably in Fiji by now."

Rory then asks the Reverend if he’s seen The 40 Year Old Virgin".

Rory is wearing a Hartford Zoo Maintenance uniform when she comes back to the pool house, but she can’t get in. The pool house is packed with stuff for Rory’s party. Rory goes to Emily to ask what happened to the pool house. Emily says that because of the rain, she put the rentals in the pool house and moved Rory’s things to her old room upstairs. The room right next to theirs.

"We can knock secret code messages to each other at night, like we’re at camp"

Rory asks if Lorelai has RSVP’d, but checks the list and find she has not. Rory gets all bent out of shape about how rude it is to not RSVP if you do plan on coming.

Lorelai is covering her pancakes with whipped cream. The phone rings, it’s an annoyed Rory. Lorelai gets all excited that Rory is calling for her. Rory says no, and sounds annoyed. She just wants to know if Lorelai is coming to her birthday party. Lorelai says she didn’t know she was invited. Rory yells she sent an invitation (Lorelai can overhear from Luke’s phone, and vice versa). Lorelai says yes, she’s coming, she wants a chocolate box.

"Rory called!"

"I know, she called and yelled at me!" – Luke

"No, she called and yelled at me."

Luke is surprised Rory was mad and said "Hell". but Lorelai just smiles radiantly. Rory called.

At 4:03 in the morning, Rory looks at her alarm clock. She looks up at the ceiling sadly. Lorelai is awake too, staring at her own ceiling.

It’s the night of the party, and Emily is grumbling about the early guests, though politely telling them to have "a Rory." Rory herself comes downstairs in an elegant black dress. Emily had bought it for Rory without telling her. Emily grabs Rory her signature drink, which has champagne, vodka, pineapple juice and grenadine. Logan comes over to greet the "two most lovely ladies in the room," but gets the cold shoulder from Emily.

Rory tells Logan that Emily is just mad because she found out they were having sex. Logan says dealing with her family is stressful. Getting Logan "a Rory," Rory tells him there’s more – that she’s also been moved out of the pool house. Logan asks if her grandfather knows also, then doubles the drink order when Rory says yes.

Lane shows up with Zack and Rory finally can introduce Lane to Logan. Lane is overwhelmed with the mansion and Rory having her own drink. Rory tells Lane the guest soap in the bathroom even has her face on it!

Luke and Lorelai are preparing to knock on Luke’s least favorite door. Lorelai has a present. They go inside, drop off the gift and grab some drinks immediately. Luke is staring at his drink wondering what it is. They don’t see Rory yet, but Emily sees them. Emily tells Luke he’ll have to share Lorelai’s chocolate box, but Lorelai says no he won’t – it’s good chocolate. Emily practically orders Luke to drink his drink, which he does with a grimace. Emily is soon gone and Luke can then complain about how pink his drink tasted.

"God, that’s terrible. It’s like drinking a My Little Pony"

Rory is making her rounds and spots Paris and Doyle, who arrived late. They have big news. As senior, Doyle has decided to step back as editor on the Yale Daily News and go back to writing. Paris will be the new editor! She campaigned hard and the fact that she’s now broke got her some sympathy votes. They joke that now Doyle is sleeping with the editor. Rory doesn’t look super pleased for Paris, instead just smiles politely.

Lorelai and Luke walk up to the conversation and say hi. Lorelai smiles at Rory with a "hey, birthday girl!" Rory smiles back with her own "hey". Paris tells Lorelai the big news, but Lorelai’s response is as guardedly happy as Rory’s was. Lorelai notices Rory’s reaction to it all. Rory excuses herself.

Luke is attempting to eat the sushi and Lorelai is ranting that only martini’s should go into martini glasses – that they were supposed to be drinking martinis. Some of Rory’s "friends" from the DAR come to introduce themselves to Lorelai to say they are eternally grateful to Rory for introducing them to buffalo wings. Luke asks what a DAR is, and they just laugh. Paris and Doyle are telling their "sleeping with the editor" bit for the umpteenth time to some guests at the party.

Luke runs into Rory on his way to get a beer, and they joke about the Rory. Not a drink for either of them, and Luke says Lorelai will be glad to hear that. Luke points out they haven’t talked yet, but Rory says she’s really glad both of them came. Luke gives Rory a present, though he points out the present from Lorelai on Rory’s present mountain. Luke has given Rory a pearl necklace that used to belong to his mother.

Emily checks in on Lorelai and says something about Luke that may or may not be an insult. Emily then notices the ring on Lorelai’s finger and Lorelai realizes what she’s seen.

"Well, it seems congratulations are in order."

"Well, that wasn’t exactly congratulations, but sure, close enough."

Richard is still not to be found, but it’s time to cut the cake. Emily sarcastically mentions that Richard will sit all night in his study moping and leave her to host the party, and leaves to cut the cake. Lorelai goes to Richard’s study and invites herself in. Richard is brooding over his drink and tells Lorelai to go away. Lorelai asks Richard what’s wrong.

"You know what’s wrong. Rory’s wrong. It’s all wrong… She’s not going back to Yale, and it’s my fault."

Lorelai sits down and tells Richard that Rory made a choice. Richard says he could have stopped Rory and didn’t, instead he cleared a path for her to walk away from her goal and her life.

"She’s having sex, Lorelai. He’s having sex under my roof. I paid $40,000 to redecorate her sex house. I bought her her sex mattress. Her sex box springs. I provided everything she needs to waste her life."

Lorelai says that Rory having sex is not his fault. That she was having sex way before that. Richard says he made a terrible mistake. Lorelai is trying to say it’s not his fault when Emily bursts in to insist Richard make an appearance at the party. She doesn’t understand why Richard has been in his study for two days. Lorelai says it’s because of Rory. Emily doesn’t know what the problem is.

"What do you mean, ‘What about Rory?’ We’ve lost her!"

Emily doesn’t know what Richard is saying, she says she got Rory out of the pool house. Emily says fine, she’ll have the place fumigated and checked for mold, anything to delay Rory moving back to the pool house. Emily thinks she’s where they can watch her. Richard says it doesn’t matter, that they have lost her. Emily yells back that they haven’t. They have not failed.

"We have not failed. We have not failed until that girl comes home pregnant. Then we’ve failed."

Lorelai takes this as her cue to leave. Emily and Richard continue to argue. Emily says aside from the sex issue that everything has been fine. Richard says it has not been fine.

"The minute we went against Lorelai, we lost."

Emily reminds Richard that it was his idea to go against Lorelai. Emily says she was fine with Lorelai’s plan. Richard begins to mumble:

"Running around with Logan, joining the DAR, planning parties!"

Emily asks what’s wrong with the DAR, that Rory needed a job. Richard says fundraisers and tea parties are frivolous. And meaningless.

"She has more to do. More to be. I don’t want that life for her!"

Richard is clearly very upset now. Emily looks sad and stunned.

"You mean my life. You don’t want her to be me."

Richard says that’s not what he meant, but Emily walks out.

Lorelai spots Rory alone and waves at her, Rory waves back. They meet in the hall and say "so" back and forth. Lorelai says her drink is disgusting, Rory agrees. Lorelai says it’s a nice party though. They trade compliments about how each looks. Rory notices that Lorelai looks thin, and Lorelai says it’s the construction diet. Lorelai tells Rory about the renovation of the bedroom. Rory thinks it’s nice that they’re going to live at the house.

Rory says her community service hours are down to 104 hours left. Lorelai jokes that they should make a statue of Rory when she’s done, after all that service. Lorelai tells Rory she got a dog, which startles her. Lorelai knows what Rory is going to say, and cuts her off with "stop, he’s fine." He’s alive and the hamster is not up for discussion.

Rory says a lot has changed. Lorelai agrees, but as much as some things have changed, others have not. Rory seems awkward and they go back to talking about how pretty the party is. Logan and Lane come in singing happy birthday and whisk Rory off to her cake. Lorelai stands back to watch, somewhat sadly. Luke comes up to Lorelai, and she asks if he’s ready to go. 

In Luke’s truck on the way home, Lorelai is staring straight ahead with a mixture of what seems like sadness and annoyance. Or disappointment. Luke notices and tells her that she can pull link sausages out of him if she wants. That gets a small smile from Lorelai. 

Images: TheWB.com

 Tags: gilmore girls, gilmore girls season 6, gilmore girls season six, twenty one is the loneliest number, gilmore girls recap, gilmore girls recaps, gilmore girls episodes, rory gilmore, birthday, birthday party, the rory