A Complete Guide to Every Summery Episode of Gilmore Girls

What to watch during those lazy-hazy-crazy days of summer!

Summer and Gilmore Girls aren’t generally two things that go together. When the show was on the air in the early 2000’s, the seasons would end in May and we’d pick back up with Lorelai and Rory as they ventured into another school year in the fall. But ever since the fandom has grabbed a hold of June 3rd and unofficially made it “Gilmore Girls Day,” it got us relooking at the episodes, and there are in fact some that make an appropriate summer weekend marathon. At rmrk*st, we have covered autumn, winter and spring already, so it was only right to complete this article series by giving you the ultimate guide to the Gilmore Girls summer episodes. When the days get too hot, grab an iced coffee and settle in with the townies of Stars Hollow.

Season 2

Episode 1, “Sadie, Sadie”

Season 2 picks up pretty much where we leave Lorelai & Rory. It is towards the end of the school year, so that is why it feels appropriate to start the summer marathon here. Lorelai is contemplating Max’s proposal, while giving everyone in town some of her thousand yellow daisies. Lane is being shipped off to Korea for the summer - with no return date. At least the suitcase that she is given for the trip makes her assume that she is never coming back to Stars Hollow.

Episode 2, “Hammers & Veils”

In classic Rory fashion, she can’t be away from school. Summer school at Chilton is in session. With a dressed up hammer, Rory decides to help out with building a house, despite Paris desperately trying to get her to not to. It will look good on the college transcript at least. Just don’t ask Rory to change the light bulb in her closet. The episode ends with an engagement party for Lorelai & Max in the town square, and we’ll use any excuse to party with the townies of Stars Hollow.

Season 3

Episode 1, “Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days”

Rory spent the summer in Washington DC with Paris, and she comes back just in time for the end of summer madness in the town square that Taylor Doose has cooked up. You’ll be singing this diddy, originally a Nat King Cole 1962 hit song, all weekend long. At least until you get to the revival… 👀

Season 4

Episode 1, “Ballrooms & Biscotti”

Lorelai and Rory finally get back into town from their European adventures, and desperately want to stay in “vacation land” for as long as possible. Well, Lorelai does. Rory doesn’t listen and opens her mail, and it’s a good thing she does because she wrote the date down wrong for her Yale orientation. She never writes the date down wrong. First time for everything.

*An Honorable Mention* Episode 17 - “Girls in Bikini, Boys Doin’ The Twist” - While this episode was included in the Spring Episode Guide List, if you are a fan of the beach, go ahead and squeeze this one into your summertime watch.

Episode 22, “Raincoats & Recipes”

Finals are done, but Rory is still on that crazy sleep schedule. Laundry and mac & cheese at 2 in the morning, waking up to Post-It notes on her forehead, and playing video games at Lane’s… sounds like the average summer day in Stars Hollow. We love a town gathering, and this one at the Dragonfly Inn’s test run doesn’t disappoint. We get Luke & Lorelai’s first kiss, although interrupted by a naked Kirk running past in terror.

Season 5

Episode 1, “Say Goodbye to Daisy Miller”

Once again, Season 5 picks up exactly where Season 4 left us. While Luke & Lorelai finally talk about the kiss, Rory tries to forget her issues, and hops a plane with Emily to Europe for the summer.

Episode 2, “A Messenger, Nothing More”

It’s not known how much time passes between Episode 1 and 2, but things at the Dragonfly Inn seem to be rolling. As well as Luke is off helping his sister Liz at the Ren Faire. Luke & Lorelai seem to have a tradition of talking on the phone about their days. We get to see a sliver of Rory and Emily enjoying their time in Italy at the corner of Bark & Cheese. Who else wouldn’t mind traveling Europe with Emily? She knows all the best spots to eat, and she takes her afternoon naps giving you time to yourself to explore!

Episode 22, “A House is Not A Home”

The first mention of June 3rd – Rory’s court date. Rory stole a yacht, and doesn’t want to finish her finals due to wondering if journalism is the right path for her. The town is extra crowded due to a bike race rolling through town. Lane, Zach, Brian, and Gil seem to be in a rut with the band, so Lane turns to her mom to help plan a summer tour. It may be all theaters at churches, but Mrs Kim gets them booked solid for 2 months in a solid horseshoe routing. It all sounds pretty neat!

Season 6

Episode 1, “New and Improved Lorelai”

We know that Season 6 is not the go-to season for most fans because you are looking for comfort and the rift between Lorelai & Rory is one that is hard to watch. But if you can get over that, how can you skip this episode where we learn about Kirk and his befriending really old women to then turn around and sell their rings? This might be the creepiest job to date for Kirk, but always respect the hustle.

Episode 2, “Fight Face”

Rory is figuring out how to deal in the world of community service, and Lorelai & Luke are arguing about movies that they have seen months ago. More importantly, the pet fair is happening in the town square and Lorelai adopts the lovable and quirky Paul Anka.

Season 7

Episode 1, “The Long Morrow”

Another season picking up right where we left off at the end of the last. Logan is off to London, Rory is confused with a model rocket, and Lorelai is dealing with the end of her relationship with Luke. But they don’t need to talk about it. Surely they don’t have to talk… nope, they even fail at not talking. Our girls’ sport is talking, not racketball.

Episode 2, “That’s What You Get, Folks, For Makin’ Whoopie”

Luke’s Diner is closed for repairs, thanks to Kirk running Taylor’s car into the side of the building, but we get the newest Kirk business venture, Kirk’s. Zach and Lane are back from their honeymoon, but it didn’t go well at all. Don’t believe everything you see on the internet just to save a buck or two. Since Rory’s summer of travel got canceled due to Logan’s job in London, Lorelai decides to deck her house in all the Asian garb she can find to cheer Rory up. It ends up being a themed movie night with dessert sushi.

Episode 22, “Bon Voyage”

Rory has graduated from Yale, and the girls are in the middle of planning a summer trip to ride all the roller coasters. However, Rory gets her first job, and the planning has to come to a halt. Quite a shame because it’s a trip that we definitely needed to see. We hope they had planned to invite Richard to at least one of the amusement parks. You’ll need some tissues during this episode between Rory & Lane’s heartfelt porch hang, Lorelai’s final words of wisdom, and Luke planning the ultimate going away party for Rory.

Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life, “Summer”

We finally get to see life in Stars Hollow in the summertime thanks to the Netflix revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life. It’s a shame that we had to wait so long to see Lorelai’s fabulous summer wear. Lorelai and Rory are definitely the type to chill poolside, but they wouldn’t dare to actually get in the water. And what is a Gilmore Girls marathon without the part of “Summer” that is the most talked about: the Stars Hollow musical. You either love it or you hate it, but either way it is one way to get “Lazy Hazy Crazy” out of your head. Now – how does one get “Working on Building Stars Hollow” out of one’s head? We might be stuck in a vicious cycle.

What is your favorite summery episode of Gilmore Girls? Tell us in the comments! And enjoy those lazy-hazy-crazy days ahead!

Want more? Head over to our Discord where you’ll find tons of other fans there chatting in our forums about the books, TV shows, movies, music, and games we all love! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, tumblr, and Spotify for more fandom content—and hit that subscribe button so you never miss a thing at rmrk*st!