Season 1, episode 20
P.S. I Lo…
Lane has to do a science project with her lab partner, who happens to be Dean. Max calls Lorelai at work to ask her out. It's Rachel's birthday, and after seeing that he plans to give her cat-shaped potholders, Lorelai offers to buy gifts for Luke to give her. Max reveals that he knows about Rory's break-up, and learns that Lorelai hasn't told her they're back together. Rory gets so upset she runs away to her grandparents'.
Max is concerned that Lorelai hasn't told anyone they're back together. Lorelai blames Dean for Rory's mood and tries to call him out, only to learn that he didn't actually hurt Rory. She and Rory make up and go home. Rory apologizes to Lane. Lorelai calls everyone in her phone book to tell them she's back with Max.
Tropes:
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Subverted as Lorelai contemplates her revenge on Dean: key Taylor's car and tell him Dean did it. Luke chips in with suggestions to tell Taylor that Dean litters and walks his dog wihout a leash.
- Birthday Hater: Rachel hates birthdays but, irony of ironies, it's her birthday, and Luke wants to get her a gift.
- Brick Joke: After she found out who Lane's biology partner is, Rory admits she doesn't like biology.
- Casting Gag: Rory says she likes Spanish, reminding people it's Alexis's first language.
- Comically Missing the Point: Rory wonders why Lorelai didn't stop her from going to a hypothetical Hanson-concert.
- Dramatically Missing the Point: Lane does this deliberately when Rory tells her to stop protecting her, declaring she'll stop protecting her by shoving her in front of a bus.
- Foreshadowing: When playing "1-2-3 he's yours", Lorelai passes on the first two, and then Luke comes over.
- Getting Crap Past the Radar: Invoked in-universe, Mrs. Kim thinks Lane is doing this when she says Dean is her biology project partner.Mrs. Kim: (suspiciously) Reproduction?Lane: Mold, spores and fungus.
- Hidden Depths: Emily is the president of the horticultural society, but subverted since she only cares about endangered plants out of duty.
- Hypocrite:
- Lorelai feels Mrs. Kim is this when she "hah"s at Lorelai not knowing where Rory is as she doesn't know where Lane is either.
- Rory is this for letting Dean take all the blame and be subjected to the ire of everyone in the town for their break-up.
- Like Mother, Like Daughter: Discussed by Lorelai, who doesn't want Rory to inherit her lack of commitment skills.
- Must Have Coffee: Lane figures Rory wants coffee, because she always does.
- Not What It Looks Like: Lorelai buys Luke clothes that are "six trillion percent off", and Rachel walks in just as she helps him fasten the belt.
- Plot Hole: Rory pokes these in Lorelai's hypothetical that Rory dates Taylor Hanson, finding it completely implausible that she would even go to a Hanson concert.
- Right Behind Me: Lane and Dean break their very unspoken agreement not to discuss Rory just as Rory walks into the room.
- Shout-Out:
- Whatever else she is, Lorelai is not Anna Nicole Smith.
- Lorelai wants to play "Wild Kingdom".
- Rory reads Ulysses.
- Lorelai refers to Luke as political activist "Emma Goldman" for how much he hates birthdays and malls.
- Dean wonders if Mrs. Kim has seen Patton.
- Meryl Streep was in Out of Africa, which Rachel wants to read the book of.
- Lorelai suggests a shirt will make Luke "too sexy for his shirt".
- Max tells his class they should read The Art of Fiction
, but is not assigning it. - Rory's class has to read a novel by Henry James.
- A guy at the diner calls Luke "Fabio".
- Lorelai sorts Rory's moods into Goofus and Gallant.
- Air Supply was Lorelai's breakup music in school.
- The Gilmore mansion reminds Lorelai of The Amityville Horror (1979).
- Rory doesn't get why she's dating Taylor Hanson in Lorelai's example.
- Lorelai explains that the Hansons are still together because they're the new Bee Gees.
- Stage Magician: Lorelai tells the story of how a magician ripped her twenty-dollar bill apart and failed to put it back together, so had to pay her back in coins.
- Stalker with a Crush: Inverted by Rory, who makes a list of Dean's work hours, so she can avoid him.
- Take That!: Lorelai refers to her childhood home as Hell. Rory indirectly agrees.Rory: It was the first place that came to mind.
