The Gilmore Girls revival is so close now you can almost taste Luke's coffee, but you still have quite a few hours left between now and your return trip to Stars Hollow. The best way to fill those hours is with more Gilmore Girls . As soon as you read that sentence you probably started mentally queuing up "They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?" or "Raincoats and Recipes," and I get it, I really do. Those are amazing episodes, but there are so many underappreciated Gilmore Girls episodes in the show's original seven year run that deserve to be rewatched too.
Instead of picking an episode you can recite by heart, venture deeper into the Gilmore Girls canon and choose an episode you have not seen since it first aired — or since you first marathoned the show on Netflix. There are so many amazing moments tucked into the smaller episodes. From Lane following in Lorelai's footsteps to Rory's quarter life crisis, Gilmore Girls' underrated episodes are a treasure trove of forgotten emotional beats and quotable dialogue.
Use the time you have between now and the revival to better reacquaint yourself with all the wonders of Stars Hollow. If you need a place to start, here are 17 Gilmore Girls episodes deserving of way more love than they get.
1. "Kill Me Now"
As the third episode of the entire series, "Kill Me Now" is Gilmore Girls when it was still figuring itself out. Growing pains aside though, watching Richard and Rory's bond form is just as rewarding as watching Lorelai and Michel become increasingly freaked out by two sets of twins marrying each other.
2. "Cinnamon's Wake"
There is a lot to unload in this episode, but despite its busyness it provides a real showcase for Babette and all the unique ways the people of Stars Hollow come together to support each other.
3. "Double Date"
The beginning of Sookie and Jackson, some truly amazing simmering tension between Luke and Lorelai, and the hilarious horribleness of Rune make this episode a forgotten classic.
4. "The Ins And Outs Of Inns"
The big draw here is the meeting between Emily and Mia. Seeing Lorelai's mother and surrogate mother together is one of the show's most poignant moments. For the Jess and Rory fans, there is also Jess driving Taylor crazy though, which is always fun.
5. "Secrets And Loans"
Any episode that finds so many compelling ways to combine the women of Gilmore Girls is excellent as far as I'm concerned. You have Rory going to Emily for help without Lorelai's blessing, Rory and Lorelai arguing, conflict between Lane and Rory, and some good old-fashioned Rory/Paris competition all in one hour.
6. "Help Wanted"
The aftermath of Jess and Rory's car accident leads to an honest, heartbreaking scene between Luke and Rory that will leave you in awe of just how hard it hits despite its simplicity.
7. "Application Anxiety"
Lane meets Dave, that alone earns this outing a gold star. Adding in Rory and Lorelai realizing how little time they have left before Rory goes off to college is a bonus.
8. "Take The Deviled Eggs..."
Sherry's baby shower is comedy gold, but in true Gilmore fashion it also stirs up unresolved feelings for both Lorelai and Rory. And then there's the deviled egging of Jess' car...
9. "Dear Emily And Richard"
What was, what is, and what can never be are all themes of this remarkably underrated episode interspersed with flashbacks of Lorelai dealing with the reality of her pregnancy with Rory.
10. "Ted Koppel's Big Night Out"
Looking back, the Yale/Harvard game was a major turning point for Season 4. It marked the true beginning of the rift between Richard and Emily, Lorelai officially begins dating Jason, and Rory discovers Paris' relationship with Asher.
11. "In The Clamor And The Clangor"
Lane and Mrs. Kim finally have a real talk about what Lane wants out of life, and the result will leave you sobbing.
12. "Scene In A Mall"
Emily has a melancholy arc in Season 4, one that I suspect will inform her revival story. This episode reveals how Emily sees herself and features one of the best moments between Lorelai and Emily ever.
13. "We Got Us A Pippi Virgin"
It is possible my love for this episode is entirely based on Luke and Dean's volatile Bop-It battle, but there's plenty of interesting relationship stuff going on between Rory and Dean, Luke and Lorelai, and Emily and Richard here too.
14. "Emily Says Hello"
Kelly Bishop should have earned an Emmy for this episode. Enough said.
15. "The UnGraduate"
The degree to which Rory has lost her way at this point is astonishing, but also way more relatable than you probably remember.
16. "Super Cool Party People"
For one brief moment, April fit beautifully in the world of Stars Hollow, and for that reason alone, this episode deserves to be treasured.
17. "To Whom It May Concern"
Season 7 is hard to watch, but the show deserves props for producing such an eloquent ending for Christopher and Lorelai and a new beginning for Luke and Lorelai all in a single episode.
You are totally in the mood to watch such some underrated Gilmore Girls episodes now, aren't you?
Images: Warner Bros. TV; oywiththepoodles/Tumblr (16); itwasagreatkiss/Tumblr
