Gilmore Girls: 5 Funniest (& 5 Saddest) Moments In Season 4
Season four of Gilmore Girls was a crucial one for Lorelai and Rory. While Rory went off to Yale and Lorelai got used to living alone, the chatty coffee-loving TV mom also watched Luke go through a tough divorce from Nicole. A lot of things changed in this season, especially in Rory's love life, and by the final episode, it was clear that the next season would be even more dramatic.
There were some highlights of the fourth season of Gilmore Girls, from Jess coming back for Liz's wedding day and Sookie and Jackson having their baby Davey. These 22 episodes had some hilarious scenes, along with some difficult moments where fans sympathized with the beloved characters.
10 Funniest: When Emily Made Friday Night Dinner Last Four Hours
The Gilmores often had some drama during Friday Night dinners. Sometimes, nothing awful was happening, and the characters enjoyed some light-hearted banter.
One of the funniest season four moments was in the opening episode "Ballrooms and Biscotti" when Emily made the dinner last four hours. Emily was upset that Lorelai had skipped one of the dinners, so she was making up for lost time. This was Emily at her best, as she often did things her own unique way. She could definitely be intimidating.
9 Saddest: When Lane's Mom Caught Her Sneaking Out
The fourth season episode "In the Clamor and the Clangor" involved Mrs. Kim learning all about Lane's hidden love of music.
While she loved her daughter, she didn't like that Lane had lied to her, and she kicked Lane out of the house. This was an incredibly sad moment but it was years in the making and some fans might have been surprised that it hadn't happened sooner. No matter how much Lane wanted her mom to understand her, she knew that it would take some time before they could have a better relationship. This was very mature of her.
8 Funniest: When Yale Students Loved Lorelai's Method Of Finding Junk Food
"The Lorelais' First Day at Yale" saw Rory and Lorelai getting to know Yale's campus before Rory officially started the school year (and her new life).
"Lorelai" became a verb in this episode, as some of the students were inspired by Lorelai's quest to find the best junk food and take-out near campus. This was another hilarious reminder of how fun and cool Lorelai was. Instead of dwelling on the sad reality that her daughter was moving away, Lorelai tried to make the situation enjoyable, and that meant finding the best food.
7 Saddest: When Rory Became Overwhelmed At Yale
Although Rory made some strange life decisions, she was always considered a smart person. She did become super overwhelmed when she started attending Yale, though, and in the season four episode "The Incredible Sinking Lorelais," a prof suggested that she take one less class.
This was a sad moment for this ambitious character, who had felt that she was made for the Ivy League since she was a kid. While she was never interested in becoming popular or having a large social group, she could never have pictured having trouble with the academic part of her college experience. Rory felt lost and it was a tough time for her.
6 Funniest: When Lorelai And Sookie Catered A Party
Lorelai and Sookie are the focal points of many episodes and they shared many laughs over the years, whether working together at both inns or socializing.
Lorelai and Sookie catered a party with a Lord of the Rings theme in the episode "The Hobbit, the Sofa and Digger Stiles." Since Sookie was pregnant, she was freaking out about becoming a mother. Sookie got really upset about not cooking kid-friendly food: she said, "I make them eat jalapeño-chipotle cream sauce. I'm Mommie Dearest!" Lorelai told her to go into the kitchen and Sookie said, "No I can't go back! I've got hummus in there! God knows what I'll do with it!
5 Saddest: When Richard's Mother Trix Died
In the fourth season episode "The Reigning Lorelai," Richard's mother Trix passed away. Trix was a polarizing character as she was mean but clearly loved her son.
This was one of the saddest moments from this season of Gilmore Girls. Fans had known for a while that Richard was close to his mother and cared a lot about what she thought of him. There was so much bad blood between Trix and Emily that her death had a very tragic impact on the Gilmore family.
4 Funniest: When Kirk Got Really Into The Festival Of Living Art
Kirk played Jesus in "The Last Supper" in the Stars Hollow Festival of Living Art later on in the fourth season.
This was hilarious to see, as Kirk often got very invested in whatever the quirky small town was working on. He enjoyed dressing up and getting into character, as well as taking on various jobs. Kirk was always up for absolutely anything and he didn't mind not fitting in. Stars Hollow was his home and he loved getting involved however he could.
3 Saddest: When Luke Found Out Nicole Cheated On Him
Luke tended to keep to himself, but he had a few romances over the years, although none were as successful as his time with Lorelai. He married Nicole and then Nicole started having an affair. It was a hard time in his life since he wasn't the most secure person in terms of dating.
This was one of the worst moments of the fourth season, although fans of Luke and Lorelai didn't mind seeing this marriage fail since that meant that he was free to finally date his soulmate.
2 Funniest: When Liz And TJ Got Married
"Last Week Fights, This Week Tights" saw Luke's sister Liz marrying T.J., and the Renaissance was the theme.
With a personality that was totally different from Luke's, Liz could sometimes be a little frustrating, as she and T.J. were pretty immature and got on Luke's nerves. This wedding was a funny, light-hearted moment in the fourth season of Gilmore Girls, especially when Liz and Lorelai talked about how Lorelai had never gotten married. Liz asked if she was interested and Lorelai said, "Oh, now Liz, it's inappropriate for you to propose to me on your wedding day."
1 Saddest: When Lorelai Learned About Rory Sleeping With Dean
Rory and Dean slept together in the season four finale "Raincoats and Recipes" and it was pretty shocking that Rory wasn't at all bothered that Dean was married to Lindsay.
While Rory was convinced that her mom would understand why she lost her virginity to her ex-boyfriend, Lorelai was devastated to find out what had happened. This was an incredibly sad moment for the mom and daughter, as it was a sign that they weren't always going to agree about the decisions that they each made. Since they had always been the best of friends, this was a bit unsettling. And by the end of the fifth season, they would stop talking to each other.