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It's Just Like Riding a Bike is the 19th episode of Season 7 of Gilmore Girls.

Synopsis[]

LORELAI AND LUKE HAVE AN ARGUMENT / RORY AND PARIS MAKE PLANS FOR LIFE AFTER YALE — Lorelai (Lauren Graham) stops into Luke's (Scott Patterson) diner for breakfast for the first time since their break-up, but finds they are awkward and uncomfortable together. Later, Lorelai's Jeep breaks down and she asks Luke to help her shop for a new car. While they look at cars, Lorelai and Luke's irritation with one another finally explodes into a fight, which Lorelai secretly takes as a good sign. Meanwhile, Paris (Liza Weil) gets accepted to numerous law schools and medical schools, and decides she must break up with Doyle (guest star Danny Strong) so their relationship won't influence her choice of a graduate school. Finally, Rory (Alexis Bledel) gets a surprising letter that will impact her future plans.

Plot[]

The episode begins with Lorelai, though clearly hesitating, going to Luke's diner for breakfast for the first time since the breakup, which happens in very awkward fashion. On her way from there, Sookie calls her to inform her that both her kids have chicken pox and that she's trying to find Jackson a place to stay, as he never had chicken pox, to which Lorelai says he can come stay with her. Suddenly, Lorelai's car breaks down and she says she's going to call Gypsy.

Elsewhere, Rory comes home to the apartment, where anxious Paris awaits her as she wants her to be there for opening her letters she's got from the schools she applied to. They open the letters and Paris is excited to find out she got into six different medical and law schools, and her dilemma sets in, not knowing how to decide.

Lorelai is on the phone with Gypsy, who tells her she is not going to fix her car, as she believes it's beyond repair and suggests she should get a new car. Meanwhile, Jackson comes and she asks him for advice, but Jackson admits he's not much of a car guy.

The next morning, Rory calls Lorelai and confesses she's feeling kind of uncertain about her future while she sees people around her making plans. Lorelai tries to comfort her and also shares the news about the car with her. Later at the inn, Lorelai is looking through a magazine trying to pick a car, accompanied by Michel with his sarcastic remarks and Sookie with well-meant, but not really helpful advice. Lorelai says that back before they dated, she would have asked Luke for help with such thing, but now she's not quite sure where they are in their relationship. Sookie advises her to call him, so that hey can slowly move past this weird state they're in. Lorelai decides to give it a chance and calls Luke, who agrees and they arrange for them to go look for the car on that day. He come pick her up, they talk for a bit, but it's very awkward and the conversation stands still.

Rory come back to the apartment and runs into Doyle, whom Paris just broke up with and threw him out of the apartment. Rory asks her why and she says she cannot have him influence her decision making and adds that she got three more acceptance letters - she seems upset about the breakup, though. Rory then listens to a message from Lucy, who invites the girls to come toast hers and Olivia's new apartment in Manhattan, which they've named Glenda.

Jackson calls Sookie over to Lorelai's house and shows her Lorelai's broken dollhouse, which he broke by accident. Sookie acts very cold and Jackson realizes that she still hasn't forgiven him for not getting the vasectomy and getting her pregnant again and she confesses there is a part of her that's still mad at him and that she gets scared about having this baby, but she wants to forgive him. Jackson confides in Sookie saying he's mad at himself too, but he wants her to forgive him.

Meanwhile, Luke and Lorelai are looking for cars, although it's obviously kind of tense and Luke's getting frustrated, because Lorelai's taking her time picking. Sookie calls to check in and Lorelai tells her it's a disaster and that she can't see this friendship working out again. Soon after, Luke and Lorelai start fighting, Luke's pent-up frustration comes out, while Lorelai finds it somewhat amusing. She says she is not going to pick a car and they leave. Lorelai meets Sookie and Jackson back at he house, tells them about the fight and says she's glad it happened, because they were kind of walking on eggshells around each other and this felt more familiar. Sookie and Jackson tell her about the dollhouse and say they found someone who can repair it.

Rory, Paris, Lucy and Olivia meet in a pub and talk, but seeing that Paris is clearly not quite present, Lucy and Olivia go play darts so that Rory can talk to her. They then have a conversation where Paris gets upset over ending her relationship with Doyle and having to make all the decisions. They also both realize they're willing to make certain sacrifices in their relationships for their starting careers.

That same night, Luke comes over to talk to Lorelai and tells her he found her a car she'd love and already made arrangements for her, which she's happy to hear. He also tells her to bring him her bike so that he can check it out and make some improvements for her. As he's leaving, Lorelai is smiling, obviously glad the things are starting to look up again.

Back at the apartment, Paris tells Rory she decided on her career choice - a physician, to which Rory says she thinks is a good thing. Suddenly, Doyle enters the apartment and tells Paris he loves her, he doesn't want to break up with her and that he'll go wherever she goes, while also handing her two more acceptance letters. She finds it absurd, but realizes she loves him and is glad he wants to be with her.

At the end of the episode, Rory opens a letter from New York Times and finds out she got rejected from her dream position there.

Starring[]

Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore
Alexis Bledel as Rory Gilmore
Scott Patterson as Luke Danes
Melissa McCarthy as Sookie St. James
Yanic Truesdale as Michel Gerard
Liza Weil as Paris Geller
Sean Gunn as Kirk Gleason
Recurring cast
Danny Strong as Doyle McMaster
Liz Torres as Miss Patty
Sally Struthers as Babette Dell
Jackson Douglas as Jackson Belleville
Michelle Ongkingco as Olivia Marquont
Krysten Ritter as Lucy

Trivia[]

  • Lorelai comes to Luke's for the first time since the breakup, which, according to Babette, has been about nine or ten months.
  • Martha and Davey have chicken pox. Jackson has never had chicken pox.
  • Lorelai's car breaks and Gypsy says it' ś beyond repair, so she asks Luke to help her find a new car.
  • Jackson accidentally breaks Lorelai's childhood dollhouse.
  • Paris gets into 11 different medical and law schools and decides on her profession - a physician. She also temporarily breaks up with Doyle, saying she does not want to base her decision on him, but gets back together with him at the end of the episode.
  • Rory gets rejected from New York Times.

Show references[]

FILM

  • Blades of Glory

TELEVISION

  • 24

POP CULTURE

Sookie – Oh, history, schmistory. Couples have been breaking up and becoming friends. I mean look at Ryan O'Neal and Farrah Fawcett, huh?
Lorelai – Really? Ryan and Fawcett? That's the most well-adjusted relationship you can come up with?
Sookie – I mean, I'm sorry. He's been in the news lately – that whole shooting-a-gun-at-his-son thing.
Lorelai – Yeah, you know how Jack Bauer should torture terrorists? Make them go car shopping with their exes.
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