TWENTY-ONE IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER

Gilmore Girls
Season 6 (2005)

Not many WB shows can boast former Secretary of State Madeline Albright as a guest star, but Gilmore Girls was a classy kind of show (Christiane Amanpour and Norman Mailer also logged guest appearances during the show's run)   Early on in this Season 6 episode Rory has a dream in which Madeline shows up to wish her a happy birthday, just one of many reasons to love this birthday bonanza.  

This episode of Gilmore Girls ranks in my Top 25 list for many reasons.  It takes place during one of my favorite seasons, during which Lorelai and Rory were estranged, Lorelai and Luke were engaged, and Rory was living with her grandparents (aka “The Pool House Era”). This episode marks the beginning of their reconciliation, showcases Emily Gilmore at her absolute bitchy best and a trademark lavish Gilmore party.  It’s also the show’s one true Halloween episode, though the Halloween-related scenes are minor (and I’ll keep them in reserve for an October post).  A dollhouse is even featured in the opening scene—all of my favorite things in one episode!

Rory’s 21st birthday is fast approaching, and both mother and daughter are feeling blue.  For years they planned to be in Atlantic City, playing blackjack at midnight and then buying 21 souvenirs and kissing 21 men.  Now, however, they’re not even speaking.  Emily offers to throw Rory a party, and we’re treated to scenes of invitation selection, cake-tasting and Emily ordering around the hired help (always a treat).

Amidst the elaborate party preparations Emily and Richard suspect that Rory is sleeping with her boyfriend Logan. They invite their pastor over to awkwardly interrogate Rory over dinner, a memorable and hilarious scene in which she reveals that the ship has long since sailed in terms of her virginity. 

The party itself takes up the final third of the episode, and it’s a real treat.  Everyone shows up, including “Rory’s Asian friend” (as Emily insists on calling Lane), Paris, Logan, Lorelai and Luke.  Lorelai feels awkward at her own daughter’s party, interacting with Rory’s new middle-aged DAR friends and drinking the signature cocktail, a pink concoction named “the Rory” that Luke describes as tasting like a liquefied My Little Pony.  While Richard sulks in his study and fights with Emily over Rory’s lack of direction, Lorelai and Luke end up leaving early.

Proudly Presenting the Rory!

All parties can be judged by the guests, the food, and the general ambiance, and Rory’s 21st birthday bash delivers on all three counts.  There’s lots of familial drama and awkward interactions between guests.  There is also a lot of emphasis on and discussion about the party’s “chocolate boxes” (which are apparently exactly what they sound like—a sort of dessert/favor for all of the guests), the Rory cocktail and the catered sushi.  Finally, for ambiance there’s the gorgeous Gilmore mansion and Emily’s sparkling silver blouse.  

And for the record, I would LOVE to sip a Rory while attending an Emily Gilmore soiree.  The pinker the drink the better!

Birthday Quotient: 4

See It, Skip It, Own It?
All of Gilmore Girls is worth watching and owning—but feel free to skip Season 7.