Lorelai's stint in the Stars Hollow High School local business success speakers forum gets derailed by some controversial personal questions, much to the delight of Luke and the consternation of some PTA mothers; Luke and Jess argue about the women in and out of their lives (and their closets); Lane alleviates her frustration about the strictures of her household and the future of her band through a colorful, if temporary, display of independence; Rory runs into Shane one too many times and succumbs to a severe bout of snarkiness.

Luke is opposed to having Taylor's attorney Nicole oversee the paperwork for the construction of the new soda shop until he meets the attractive redhead, who takes as immediate a shine to Luke as he does to her; Lane's clever scheme to get her mother's permission to attend the prom horribly backfires; Luke offers to teach Lorelai the fine art of angling after Alex invites her to go fishing; Rory and Lorelai clear out their garage for Lane's band and Lorelai gains a new admirer from the band; Lane and Rory have some hearts-to-hearts about the men in their lives; Paris's ratcheting up the conflict between her and Rory when she calls for Rory's impeachment by the student council is brought to a swift end by Headmaster Charleston, who threatens to revoke the glowing letters he wrote to Harvard for each of them.

Emily guilts Rory into bringing Jess to a Friday night dinner which turns out to be an unqualified disaster; Lorelai, Alex, Sookie and Jackson go to New York for the weekend; Jess gets a black eye in an altercation with an opponent he is too embarassed to reveal to anyone but Luke; Zach and Brian realize that Lane and Dave are hiding something from them, but miss the mark on the true nature of the secret; Rory and Jess have their first argument, and Luke helps patch things up.

The Doose clan invades the Inn for their family reunion; Trix comes for a short visit and drives Emily crazy until Emily finally finds something scandalous to hold over Trix's head; Lane and Dave cook up a fake-date scheme with Young Chui to get Mrs. Kim to allow Lane to date Dave, but neither Young Chui's real girlfriend or Dave is immune to a little jealousy; the Stars Hollow High hockey team reaches the regional semifinals for the first time in 40 years and everyone not attending the monster truck rally turns out to cheer the team on and endure Kirk's hopelessly inept play-by-play; after Jess's too laid-back attitude about going out leaves Rory sitting home alone for most of the weekend, she takes Lorelai's advice and heads for the hockey game, where she discovers that Dean has a new girlfriend.

On their first free Friday night, Lorelai and Rory are at a loss over how to spend the evening, while Emily and Richard cavort at the party they're hosting; Lorelai is appointed Grad Night Treasurer and runs into a playing-it-cool Max at her first Chilton Booster Club meeting; Lane's band gets their first gig at a party and rocks the house, but Dave rocks Lane's world when he flips out after discovering that Young Chui is in love with her; a despondent Lane indulges in a little too much beer, and then drunkenly calls her mother and confesses all; when staff cutbacks at the Inn force Lorelai to do turn-down service, she becomes very unsettled at seeing a cozy Luke and Nicole in the room she's offered as thanks for Luke's help with repairs after the fire; Jess's inability to tell Rory that his frequent absences have caused him to flunk out of school and miss graduation and the prom prompts an argument between Jess and Rory, and then a full-blown brawl with Dean after Dean comes upon a te

Back home for the weekend, Rory has an uncomfortable encounter with Dean, her ex, and ends up getting invited to his wedding the next day. Meanwhile, Lorelai and Sookie visit Michel at his trendy new workplace, but run into problems getting the permit they need to begin construction on the inn.

Sookie and Jackson decide to have a home birth and enlist the services of a formidable midwife; when Stars Hollow mounts a festival of living pictures, Kirk goes way overboard in getting into character for his role as Jesus in ""The Last Supper"", while Lorelai has a bad case of stage fright; Lane, Zach, and Brian finally find an awesome guitarist to replace Dave, but wonder if he isn't too old to join the band; Nicole asks Luke if they can postpone the divorce and start dating again; Jackson's brother Beau, who's come to provide moral support during the delivery, is less than enchanted with Stars Hollow, and is right behind Sookie in expressing extreme frustration with the tardiness of the baby's arrival; as he escorts Lulu through town, Kirk proudly and repeatedly reminds everyone in Stars Hollow that he has a girlfriend.

Lane sneaks out of the house when Gil gets the band a 1:00 a.m. gig at CBGB's; Luke and Lorelai take matters into their own hands when newly restored church bells turn out to be less welcome than originally anticipated; Rory gets personal with William during a political discussion when she suspects that he's been spreading embarassing stories about her; Lorelai is initially distressed when she learns that Luke has moved to Litchfield to live with Nicole, but a visit to his apartment over the diner dispells her worries; Lane and her mother have a long-overdue talk with life-changing consequences after Mrs. Kim discovers her daughter's secret life.

Kirk branches out from dog sitting for Lulu into a new canine-centered career; Paris goes into germ-phobic overdrive when Rory gets a cold; Lane gets an apartment with Zach and Brian and faces a frigid reception from her aunt and mother, and an overly-eager, non-stop-talking cousin when she packs up her things and moves out; when they realize that their relationship is increasingly being conducted over email and the phone, Lorelai and Rory decide to play hooky and go window shopping in the mall, where they run into Emily in the middle of a shopping binge meltdown; Luke lends Lorelai the thirty thousand dollars she needs to finish construction on the Inn; after Emily confesses that the shopping binge and bickering with Richard stems from her anger at being ignored, neglected, and made to feel useless by her husband, Lorelai reassures her of how much she's accomplished and urges her to talk to Richard, but Emily can't seem to make the connection with her husband she so desperately desire

Luke finalizes his divorce; the band's latest gig is a big hit, but leaves Lane feeling lonely; as the Dragonfly Inn nears its opening date, Michel gives travel agents the grand tour and Sookie is back in the kitchen, if not on her feet; Doyle clues Rory in on Asher's reputation as a serial student dater; Lorelai and Richard have it out over his treatment of Jason; Lane is upset to discover that her mother has taken in a Korean exchange student who could be her double, and confronts the girl when she sees her wearing her old clothes; when Jason decides to sue Richard after discovering his treachery, Lorelai breaks up with him; afraid that Richard's actions will put a rift in their relationship with Lorelai and Rory, Emily asks her husband to reconsider, but he brushes her off; Asher is displeased when Rory questions whether the ""A"" he gave her for a paper she thought she did poorly on has any connection to her friendship with Paris; after Richard and Emily act very strangely during Fri

As Stars Hollow prepares for the Renaissance-themed wedding of Liz and T.J., Kirk feels slighted when Miss Patty chooses someone else as the maypole dance captain; Lorelai discovers an equine visitor in the Dragonfly Inn's lobby; Rory's suite mates depart for summer vacation; Lorelai urges Mrs. Kim to call Lane; Lorelai unsuccessfully attempts to get Emily to admit to the separation during Friday night dinner; T.J. revels in the wonders of tights, but discovers their main drawback during the ceremony; Mrs. Kim gets some good advice from Lorelai after initially fleeing in horror at the sight of Zach and Brian and Lane's shabby apartment, and eventually returns for tea armed with a game plan; Rory calls Dean to rescue her from the disastrous date Emily has arranged for her with the son of a friend; Luke and Lorelai share significant glances during a slow dance at the wedding, which prompts Luke to ask Lorelai out on a date; Jess expresses his gratitude to Luke before saying goodbye; Ro

Things are still testy between Lorelai and Rory, and Rory's refusal to discuss the Dean situation causes Lorelai anguish; Emily announces that she and Richard have separated; Sookie is ecstatic when Kirk tells her that Luke and Lorelai kissed; Rory's attempt to meet Dean and discuss what happened leads to a lot of action, but no talk; Dean provokes an argument with Lindsay after leaving Rory's house; Emily decides to go to Europe and invites Rory to accompany her; Lorelai and Luke are very tentative with each other the day after until they are able to reassure each other that they're on the right path; Luke heads off to Maine for a week to help Liz and T.J. with their Ren Faire booth; Rory decides that she needs a break from both Dean and her mother, and decides to take her grandmother up on her invitation to go to Europe.

T.J. is milking his injuries for all he's worth, but Luke decides that it's time to go home after seven weeks on the Ren Faire circuit; Rory calls to apologize and to ask her mother to deliver a letter to Dean; Sookie accurately diagnoses Lorelai with a bad case of management burnout, and the two friends decide to decompress with a girls-day-out; Emily and Rory come home exhausted from fending off the attentions of randy European men; Michel is wildly unenthusiastic when he's pressed into babysitting for guests whose children take an inexplicable shine to him; after Lindsay finds Rory's letter, she throws Dean and all his possessions out of the house, and her mother has an angry confrontation with Lorelai in the town square; Lane realizes that she's falling for Zack; Rory is saddened when Dean expresses regret for the shift in their relationship and the harm it caused to his wife and their families.

Lorelai confesses that part of the charm of breakfast by Luke is breakfast at Luke's; Rory is less than thrilled to discover that the common room in her suite has been overtaken by a huge antique printing press Paris inherited from Asher; Lorelai and Sookie head up Jackson's campaign committee when he decides to run against Taylor for town selectman to put an end to the grocer's petty tyranny over Stars Hollow, but Lorelai has second thoughts when she sees how Jackson's projected landslide victory is affecting Taylor; Rory and Dean have difficulty finding a comfortable place to be alone, compounded by Dean's having to share a car with Lindsay and his reluctance to make his relationship with Rory public; Lane confesses her true feelings to Zack; after all the votes have been counted, Jackson isn't quite certain he wants the job, and Taylor vows not to go away quietly.

The demands of the electorate are beginning to get to Jackson; Lorelai and Rory delicately nudge Richard and Emily closer together; Lorelai decides that a double date with Rory and Dean is the way to smooth over the bumps in her relationship with Dean, but the evening goes awry when Luke can't get over feeling that Dean isn't good enough for Rory; Richard takes up a new hobby, and Emily buys a panic room; failing to get a response from Zack about the declaration of her feelings, Lane rescinds them, which finally gets Zack talking; Lorelai introduces Luke to ""Pippi Longstocking"" as Kirk gets much better acquainted with Lulu during movie night at the Black & White & Read Bookstore.

After Kirk spills the beans that her daughter is dating Luke, Emily demands that Lorelai bring him to dinner so that they can get reacquainted; although Lorelai tries to warn him away, Luke goes anyway and is subjected to an evening of oblique insults from a passive-aggressive Emily; after Zach announces that he's ready to start going out with Lane, they spend a cozy first date at home after banishing Brian to Lane's bedroom; having not learned his lesson with Emily, Luke agrees to accept Richard's invitation to go golfing, and both men turn a deaf ear to Lorelai's pleas to cancel; Rory gets her story on the ""Life and Death Brigade"" by being blindfolded and whisked away by Logan and his friends to observe the elaborately staged weekend in the woods, and finally, after Logan encourages her to take a risk, to participate in the event's breathtaking finale.

Rory offers to help Logan write an article for the Yale Daily, but she is disappointed when he doesn't invite her to be his date at a book signing party thrown by his father. When Richard sees Emily talking to man she dated, he rear-ends her car, forcing her to ride home with him. The Gilmore's reconcile and decide to renew their wedding vows. Emily warns Christopher that Lorelai and Luke are getting serious and he had better do something quickly if he hopes to end up with Lorelai.

Lorelai picks Rory up from the police station and takes her home. Rory explains that the boat theft was not Logan's idea and Lorelai should not blame him. Logan finds out that his father upset Rory and says he will have a talk with his father, but Rory begs him not to. Rory decides that she will not go back to Yale next year. Lorelai does not like this idea and goes to her parents for help. Rory moves in with Richard and Emily. Show ends with a proposal.

Sookie creates a S'mores wedding cake, so what more does Lorelai need to set a date? Logan comes home, Lane and the band come home and Paul Anka eats three pounds of chocolate while under Luke's care.

After months of separation, Sookie tries to reconcile Rory and Lorelai by asking them to be the godmothers of her two children. However, they both end up fighting when Lorelai realizes that Rory didn't see fit to share her new cell phone number with her.

The Prodigal Daughter Returns is the name of an episode for the American comedy-drama series Gilmore Girls.

After a long absence, Christopher reappears in Lorelai and Rory's lives. Luke struggles with what the new person in his life will mean to him and his relationship with Lorelai. Lorelai and Rory enjoy their first Thanskgiving at the Dragonfly Inn, and Rory receives surprising news about Logan. Meanwhile, on the eve of an important gig for the band, Lane has to deal with Zach's jealousy over a song Brian wrote about her.

Lorelai offers to help Christopher out by babysitting his 4-year-old daughter, G.G, and is horrified by the toddler's terrible behavior. The next day, Rory and Logan attend the wedding of Logan's sister, Honor. While helping the bride and her three bridesmaids get ready, Rory is devastated to learn how Logan spent his time during their recent breakup.

Rory forgives Logan, then needs some time for herself, so she pays a visit to Lorelai in Stars Hollow. Although Lorelai refuses to admit that she is upset, Rory can tell that she is bothered by the news that Luke will be gone for a few days on a field trip with his daughter, April. And, against Lorelai's wishes, Rory pays a visit to the store owned by April's mother, Ana, to spy on her. Meanwhile, when Zack finally works up the courage to ask Mrs. Kim for permission to marry Lane, he is surprised at the deal she makes with him.

Lane and Zack's wedding is coming up and since Luke is busy, Michel is Lorelai's first choice as a date for Lane and Zack's wedding, but he gets Celine Dion tickets and bails. Rory suggests that Chris go as Lorelai's date and Chris is totally psyched to do it. Grandma Kim is a Buddhist and doesn't know that Mrs. Kim is a 7th Day Adventist. At Lane's wedding, Lorelai collapses and Christopher is there to take care of her.

Luke punches Christopher after finding out Lorelai slept with him. After not being able to go on the trip to Asia with Logan, Lorelai throws Rory an Asian-themed party, but Rory finds out that Lorelai slept with Christopher and gets upset. Lane and Zach return from their less-than-perfect honeymoon in Mexico. Lane reports to Rory that sex is overrated; learning that she is pregnant does not help her opinion. Luke and Lorelai begin to deal with their break-up.

Lorelai begins to wonder if all the choices she's made have been due to her trying to rebel against her mother. Christopher tells Lorelai that he loves her.

Lorelai and Chris fly to France to take Gigi to see her mother, Sherry. Once there, Chris proposes to Lorelai and the couple return to Stars Hollow as Mr. and Mrs. Hayden. The joy of Rory's trip to the country (Stars Hollow) with Lucy and Olivia is dampened by Rory's breakdown regarding her fears for the future, and the unexpected appearance of a past friend who disavows having known Rory. Zach and Lane find out they're having twins and break the news of their impending parenthood to Mrs. Kim, with unexpected consequences.

Luke asks Lorelai to be a character reference in his custody case. Rory comes back from London from Chirstmas with Logan, where she and Logan have made amends. The Gilmore girls celebrate Christmas a month late. April sneaks out to see Luke.

Lorelai and Rory throw Lane's baby shower, but Lorelai has to settle a fight between Lane and her mother first. Rory has an interview with the New York Times. Luke sells his father's boat to Kirk and buys a new and bigger one. Logan finally tells Rory about his business situation, and she tries to help out even though there's nothing she can do. She offers to come home from Lane's baby shower early to be with him, but Logan decides to go to Las Vegas with Colin and Finn to blow off some steam.

After getting into a science camp, April tells Luke that she cannot go on the boating trip with him over the summer. Zach is asked to go on tour with another band. A drunk Lorelai serenades Luke at Karaoke night. Logan gets a job in San Francisco, where he then goes to Lorelai's home to ask permission to propose to Rory and take her with him. Lorelai, shocked, gives no answer.

Rory lands her dream job as a political reporter in Ohio. Luke enlists the help of everyone in Stars Hollow to throw her a graduation party in order to say goodbye. Luke's thoughtfulness brings out a long-awaited reaction from Lorelai.