A Family Matter
Lorelai amuses herself by making Kirk uncomfortable. Luke's sister Liz comes to visit. Jason tries to persuade Lorelai to tell her parents about their relationship. Rory confronts Paris about two-timing Jamie. Jess returns to town.
Tropes
- Bilingual Bonus: Jason speaks Japanese on the phone, and tries some Dutch too.
- Blatant Lies:
- Lorelai claims Luke's a Jew who likes to start his sabbath on Friday mornings instead of evenings to avoid taking Jason to his diner.
- Paris insists to Jaimie that she's studying when she's with Asher Fleming. Rory denies any knowledge of it as well.
- Luke vehemently denies making out with "Crazy" Carrie Duncan at the homecoming dance, in a not very convincing way.
- Lorelai frantically claims she is not trying to save money.
- The Bus Came Back: Jess reappears for the first time since he left town the previous season.
- Call-Back: Liz and Luke discuss Jess living with his father and Luke's attempt to straighten him out.
- Continuity Nod: Paris calls Rory "Mary" like they used to at Chilton her first year there.
- Continuity Snarl: Subverted. Rory says she hasn't missed the Stars Hollow firelight festival since she was one. It has been stated on the show that she moved to Stars Hollow when she was two, so it is technically true.
- Dark Humor: Lorelai jokes that she heard that the Disney company had all the prostitutes in Times Square killed.
- Distinction Without a Difference: Jess says Luke kicked him out, but Luke retorts that Jess got himself kicked out.
- Dramatically Missing the Point: Rory comes home and turns off the music, making Lorelai think for a second that she suddenly went deaf.
- Hypocritical Humor: Jason tries to call Lorelai on speaking on the phone when she's been complaining about him talking on the phone all morning, but she thinks it's more hypocritical not to let her talk on the phone when he's been talking on the phone all morning.
- Informed Judaism: Lorelai claims Luke is Jewish to get out of taking Jason to Luke's.
- Literal-Minded: Defied by Rory when she tells Jamie Lane is cold turkey, then clarifies that she means Lane is going cold turkey.
- Mathematician's Answer: When Jason presses her on what she means by "near", Lorelai replies that it's closer than "far".
- May–December Romance: Paris (19) and Asher (60), but Rory thinks it's more like May–Ming dynasty.
- Must Have Caffeine: Jason is like Lorelai on this, but will claim to drink time-released coffee to avoid meeting the guy he just tailgated.
- Neologism: Rory is not a fan of Lorelai's word for hot chocolate, "ho-cho", nor her summer favorite "nicecold".
- No Social Skills: Kirk can't tell flirting from not-flirting. Lorelai has to tell him.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
- Rory is very worried that her mother has bread in the house. Not to mention vegetables, like a cucumber. And a tomato!
- Emily notes that Lorelai takes her joke about her and Jason being perfect together without her usual quick wit.
- Scapegoat: Paris blames her canceling her date with Jamie on Lane going off LSD.
- Shout-Out:
- Paris does a Good Morning, Vietnam thing in the morning.
- Luke is the most complicated guy Lorelai knows who also owns a The Doobie Brothers record.
- Rory thinks it's like Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider.
- Paris tells Jamie that Lane is "Nancy Spungening" it.
- Lorelai summarizes the world as Europe, Asia, Africa, and "wherever Björk is from".
- Lorelai quotes Alley Cats' Puddin' 'N Tain at Emily.
- Lorelai is uncomfortable dating a Trekkie.
- Luke thinks Bobby McFerrin would write a song about his day.
- Luke tries to quote Leo Tolstoy on happy families.
- Right Behind Me: Subverted. The phone version happens twice with Emily calling Jason and Lorelai and almost hearing the other's voice.
- Take That!: Lorelai calls Luke the most complicated guy she knows who also owns a Doobie Brothers record.
- Writers Cannot Do Math: Liz mentions to Luke that Jess is living with his father, meaning Los Angeles. From Los Angeles, Jess couldn't have gotten to Connecticut in the same day without catching an immediate cross-country flight, which would cost quite a lot which means he must really love that car his mother told him Luke had despite giving up looking for it a year ago.
