The Reigning Lorelai is the 16th episode of Season 4 of Gilmore Girls.
Synopsis[]
An unexpected death in the family devastates Richard (Edward Herrmann) and the discovery of a long-kept secret sends Emily (Kelly Bishop) off the deep end, leaving Lorelai (Lauren Graham) to plan the funeral. Elsewhere, Rory (Alexis Bledel) settles in at the Yale Daily News; and Luke (Scott Patterson) has trouble keeping his personal affairs personal.
Plot[]
The rift between Emily and Richard widens when he goes on a golf date with clients instead of accompanying his wife to the funeral of one of her oldest friends. Doyle goes on a theft and plagiarism rant. Trix dies suddenly and stricken with grief and guilt, Richard is inconsolable. Emily calls it quits on arranging Trix's funeral and drops everything in her daughter's lap after finding a letter in which her mother-in-law pleads with her son on the eve of his wedding to Emily to marry Pennilyn Lott instead.
Luke and Nicole have all of Stars Hollow listening in and reading lips as they quarrel. Worried about her parents, and frantic over fulfilling Trix's exacting requirements for her funeral, Lorelai has a meltdown while shopping for Trix's funeral underwear. After the service, cousin Marilyn regales family and friends with tales of Lorelai the First. Emily and Richard finally reach out to each other as he defies one of his mother's last wishes for the sake of his wife.
Starring[]
- Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore
- Alexis Bledel as Rory Gilmore
- Melissa McCarthy as Sookie St. James
- Scott Patterson as Luke Danes
- Keiko Agena as Lane Kim
- Yanic Truesdale as Michel Gerard
- Sean Gunn as Kirk Gleason
- Chris Eigeman as Jason Stiles
- and Kelly Bishop as Emily Gilmore
- special appearance by
- Edward Herrmann as Richard Gilmore
- Special Guest Star
- Marion Ross as Marilyn Gilmore
- Recurring cast
- Liz Torres as Miss Patty
- Ethan Cohn as Glenn Babble
- Guest starring
- Danny Strong as Doyle McMaster
- Tricia O'Kelley as Nicole Leahy
- Tiffany Fraser as Shannon
- Charles C. Stevenson, Jr. as Reverend Wilder
- Co-Starring
- Gay Storm as Darcy
- Richard Voigts as Jenson
- Mary Linda Phillips as Emma
- Josh Holt as Cute Boy
- Elise Robertson as Georgia
Trivia[]
- According to an interview with People, this is Kelly Bishop's favorite episode.
Photos[]
Gilmorisms[]
LITERATURE
- The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
FILM
POP CULTURE
- Rory – Snails?
- Emily – Escargot.
- Lorelai – A slimy thing by any other name…
- Doyle – Can you say Stephen Glass?
- Doyle – I'd rather not have Tobey Maguire playing me in a movie about the Yale Daily News scandal, thank you very much.
- Doyle – Breeding ground for the next Jayson Blair!
- Lorelai – Dad's got a Winona in the family? How cool. Who is it?