The Autumn season is the perfect time for all things pumpkin spice, cozy sweaters, and rewatching Gilmore Girls. Any random episode or season of the show can be chosen for a cozy and comforting rewatch experience. However, there was something truly special about the first three seasons of the show, when Rory was still at home in Stars Hollow with Lorelai.
The earlier seasons of Gilmore Girls were amazing for their smart writing, the dynamic between Lorelai and Rory, and the heavy focus on the Stars Hollow setting. The third season of Gilmore Girls was a more transitional season, showing Rory growing up for the first time while getting ready to graduate for Chilton. It also saw a complicated emotional ride for Lorelai, ending with her getting The Dragonfly Inn. These are the 10 best episodes of Gilmore Girls Season 3, ranked.
10 “Take the Deviled Eggs…”
Episode 6
The big gut punch at the end of Season 2 came when Christopher found out that Sherry was pregnant, and then he left Lorelai for her. Season 3 brought up a lot of feelings for Lorelai about Sherry’s pregnancy, leading her to relive moments from her own pregnancy with Rory. In Season 2, Episode 6, “Take the Deviled Eggs…” Lorelai got stuck attending Sherry’s baby shower alongside Rory.
This episode was very funny, due to the incredibly relatable scenario of Lorelai being stuck in the last possible place that she would want to be. In this case, she had to watch Sherry go through the same thing that she had, except this time with Christopher as a present and hands-on co-parent. The ending of the episode was very funny, with Lorelai and Rory throwing deviled eggs at Jess’s new car.
9 “Swan Song”
Episode 14
Although he was only a series regular for two seasons, Jess Mariano was a truly excellent addition to Gilmore Girls. He was crucial to both Luke and Rory’s growth, and he made the show even funnier. In Season 3, Episode 14, “Swan Song,” a fight between Jess and Rory revealed an absolutely hilarious subplot. Emily insisted on meeting Jess at dinner, but he ended up arriving very late, with a black eye.
Emily was shockingly on her best behavior, being unnervingly kind and polite at dinner. This was hilarious to watch, especially because the more composed Emily was, the angrier Rory got. Meanwhile, Lane and Dave had to navigate the complicated nature of revealing their relationship to the band, and Lorelai was off on a couples’ trip. The funniest part of the episode was the reveal that Jess had been attacked by a swan, as well as Luke’s reaction.
8 “A Tale of Poes and Fire”
Episode 17
Since she was a little kid, Rory was always dead set on attending Harvard. However, after she got accepted to Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, Rory started to reconsider what she wanted. In Season 3, Episode 17, “A Tale of Poes and Fire,” Rory tried to weigh her options, but ultimately realized that Yale was the right school for her. This was a very meaningful step for both Lorelai and Rory.
On a sadder note, there was a fire at The Independence Inn. However, this led to some very funny moments, with Sookie encroaching on Luke’s diner. There were also a bunch of Edgar Allan Poe impersonators staying at the inn and fighting with each other over who had the most Poe knowledge. This was an episode with a great balance of comedy with a more serious plot, which Gilmore Girls always did well.
7 “Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days”
Episode 1
The second season of Gilmore Girls ended with a bang. At Sookie’s wedding, Rory kissed Jess, and Christopher left Lorelai yet again. This led into Season 3 very well, with Episode 1, “Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days,” picking up at the end of the summer. While still in DC, Rory helps a nervous Paris prepare for her first date with Jamie. Upon returning to Stars Hollow, things got more complicated for Rory.
This episode was the perfect transition into Season 3, bringing everyone together for a big Stars Hollow festival. After ignoring Jess all summer and not breaking up with Dean, Rory was dismayed to see that Jess had moved on with Shane. Meanwhile, Lorelai had a dream that she and Luke were a couple, and she ended the episode by going to the diner and making up with him after their epic fight.
6 “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving”
Episode 9
Gilmore Girls always did holidays well, which was perfectly exemplified in Season 2, Episode 9, “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving.” This was primarily due to the wonderful and dynamic group of people around the Gilmores, and the Gilmore Girls’ penchant for eating. This episode saw the Gilmore Girls strategically planning out their day and their food consumption around attending four different meals.
Lorelai and Rory bounced around between Thanksgiving at the Kims’ house, Luke’s, Sookie’s, and Emily and Richard’s. They tried to eat less than their usual amount so that they could eat all four meals, and it was very funny. Additionally, Kirk got a very aggressive cat. On a more serious note, Lorelai struggled when she heard the news that Rory had applied to Yale.
5 “Let the Games Begin”
Episode 8
The Stars Hollow dance marathon was an iconic event that had ramifications on the town for a while after it happened. In Season 3, Episode 8, “Let the Games Begin,” Lorelai and Rory suffered from soreness after the marathon, and Kirk continued to gloat over his victory. Rory sorted out her complicated love life. She finally properly kissed Jess and entered a relationship with him, and she aired things out with Dean.
Richard surprises Rory with a Yale admissions interview, upsetting both the Gilmore Girls. Rory’s reaction was especially interesting, as she and Richard always got along very well. The dynamic between the Gilmore family was always very compelling, and this was a great example, with Lorelai and Rory being upset for completely different reasons. It was also sweet to see the beginning of Rory and Jess’s relationship.
4 “The Big One”
Episode 16
There is perhaps no Gilmore Girls moment that brings more secondhand embarrassment than Paris’ disastrous speech on live TV after she got rejected from Harvard. In Season 3, Episode 16, “The Big One,” Paris took her relationship with Jamie to the next level, with support and advice from Rory. Unfortunately, Paris then found out that she did not get into Harvard, which led her to fall apart from the whole thing on live television.
This was a great episode, primarily for the way that Rory supported Paris even after how badly Paris had treated her this season. There was also the brief reunion between Max and Lorelai, as well as Rory finding out that she got accepted to Harvard, Princeton and Yale. While it was sad to see Paris so upset, it was beautiful and exciting to watch Rory get everything that she had worked so hard for, for so long.
3 “Dear Emily and Richard”
Episode 13
Gilmore Girls was almost always a cozy and comforting show. However, Lorelai and Rory’s life in Stars Hollow was built out of a much more painful and tragic story. In Season 3, Episode 13, “Dear Emily and Richard,” fans finally got to see the devastating story of Lorelai’s pregnancy with Rory. Lorelai got stuck helping Sherry with her labor, which led her to think back on her own pregnancy.
This was a really incredible episode, as it did not hold back in getting to the core of the show. Fans got to see Lorelai Gilmore before she found her confidence and her independence, as a lonely and out of place teenager. It was really powerful to see Lorelai’s unwavering devotion to Rory before she was even born, as well as Emily’s devastating reaction to Lorelai’s note when she left home. In the present, Lorelai sweetly bought a DVD player for Emily with some of her favorite movies, and even helped her set it up.
2 “Those Are Strings, Pinocchio”
Episode 22
The third season of Gilmore Girls was very solid, with a great beginning and a nearly flawless ending. In Season 3, Episode 22, “Those Are Strings, Pinocchio,” Rory reinstated Friday night dinners so that Emily and Richard would pay for Yale. This left the money free for Lorelai to buy The Dragonfly Inn and finally pursue her dream. Additionally, Rory graduated from Chilton and gave the most touching valedictorian speech.
“As she guided me through these incredible eighteen years, I don’t know if she ever realized that the person I most wanted to be was her.” Rory’s words to Lorelai in her speech were very sweet, and emblematic of why their relationship is so beloved by fans. This episode also gave Rory sweet moments with her grandparents and with Luke, and it showed her finally letting Jess go… for now.
1 “They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They?”
Episode 7
The greatest episode of Season 3 of Gilmore Girls is also a strong contender for the greatest episode of the entire show. Season 3, Episode 7, “They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They?” perfectly encapsulates all the very best things about Gilmore Girls. It had a massive Stars Hollow event that brought out silliness from all the townspeople. It was an important and painful moment of growth for Rory, as Dean publicly broke up with her.
There were also sweet moments for the show’s romances, with hints of Lorelai and Luke, as well as Jess and Rory finally acknowledging their feelings for each other. It was so much fun to watch the dance marathon bring out the weirdest in everyone, with Lorelai hilariously dead set on winning. The best image was definitely Rory crying in Lorelai’s arms over the breakup, as Kirk held up his trophy and did a victory lap around them.
