Amidst her sadness about Christopher, Lorelai has an intriguing dream about Luke. Rory returns from Washington to realize that she still may have feelings for Jess. Rory once again guides Paris through the rocky shoals of preparing for a date.

Christopher shows up uninvited at Friday night dinner and quarrels with both Lorelai and Rory before Emily asks him to leave. Rory runs into Jess and they each betray their hurt feelings. Francie targets Paris and Rory for a world of trouble if Rory doesn't stop Paris from running the student council like a dictatorship.

Rory's application for Harvard arrives, plunging Rory, Lorelai and Emily into a frenzy. Taylor steamrolls Luke into opening a soda shop next to the diner. Lane places an ad in the paper for a band and finds a musical soulmate. Dean has a talk with Rory about their future after she goes to Harvard.

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. Lane alleviates her frustration about the strictures of her household and the future of her band through a colorful display of independence.

After a disastrous first date, Lorelai turns down an invitation to another, not realizing that Emily and Richard have invested a lot in her dates. Jess comes to Rory's rescue.

Lorelai chauffeurs Rory to Sherry's baby shower in Boston and finds herself dragged into the festivities against her will. Jess comes home with a car and Luke tries to find out where he got the money to pay for it. One of Stars Hollow's more eccentric citizens requests a permit to mount a demonstration in the town square.

Lorelai is determined to win the Stars Hollow Dance Marathon and wrest the trophy from four-time champion Kirk, but has trouble getting a partner until she finally convinces Rory to help her dance her way to victory.

In the aftermath of the Dance Marathon, Kirk parades around Stars Hollow with the trophy until someone steals it, while Lorelai and Rory painfully inch their way towards Luke's. Lorelai and Rory reluctantly agree to accept Richard's invitation to accompany him and Emily to his Whiffenpoof reunion at Yale.

It's Thanksgiving, and Lorelai and Rory have dinner at four different places: the Kim's, where Lane has managed to get Dave invited; Luke's, where Luke and Jess make it a foursome with Lorelai and Rory; Sookie's, where Jackson and his family have deep-fried the turkey, the lawn and just about everything else; and Emily and Richard's, where, to Lorelai's horror, Rory reveals that she has applied to Yale.

Lorelai's grandmother arrives in Hartford unexpectedly on Richard's birthday and announces that she's moving back, throwing Emily into a tizzy. Rory declares war on Francie after she pulls a runaround on Paris with the Student Council. Jess gets Dean alone at the Christmas carnival.

Offers of dates ensue when Lorelai and Sookie attend a seminar on operating an inn and run into two handsome men. After Rory and Francie butt heads at the student council meeting, Francie proposes a truce and then immediately lies to Paris who then believes Rory has betrayed 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 fishing after Alex invites her to go fishing. Paris' and Rory's conflict is brought to a swift end by Headmaster Charleston, who threatens to revoke the glowing letters he wrote to Harvard for each of them.

Sherry goes into labor with only Lorelai and Rory for company. Lorelai reminisces about her pregnancy and Rory's birth. The war between Paris and Rory continues when Paris picks a photo of the "Franklin" staff for the yearbook that has the worst possible shot of Rory.

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.

The Stars Hollow High hockey team reaches the regional semifinals for the first time in 40 years. 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 meets someone unexpected.

Rory and Paris compete for the honor of speaking at Chilton's Bicentennial. Lorelai runs into an ex and it's apparent that they're not quite over each other yet. Rory's college acceptance letters finally arrive.

A fire at the Independence Inn forces Lorelai to relocate its guests. Sookie invades Luke's with staff in tow to prepare breakfast for the Inn's guests. Questions arise about Jess's attendance at school when he receives the Employee of the Month award from WalMart. Lorelai and Rory start picking up on weird and somewhat unfriendly vibes coming from Nicole and Lindsay.

Emily and Richard rejoice when Rory announces her decision to attend Yale. Richard gives a very good surprise to Lorelai for her birthday, causing Emily's anger. Luke makes a bad impression on Nicole's parents.

On their first free Friday night, Lorelai and Rory are at a loss over how to spend the evening. Lane's band gets their first gig at a party and rocks the house. Lorelai runs into Max at a Chilton reunion.

Fran Weston dies and Lorelai and Sookie try to buy the Dragonfly Inn. Rory and Jess try approaching each other but fail to talk. Dean tells Rory unexpected news. Jess's father comes to Stars Hollow.

Jess heads out to Venice California to see his father. The rift widens between Lorelai and Emily. Luke tells Lorelai that Jess took off for good and Lorelai waits for the right moment to break the news to Rory, who is stressing over finals and graduation.

Rory finally learns her mother can't afford to buy the Dragonfly Inn since financial aid for Yale didn't come through. Luke has second thoughts about a trip with Nicole after something Lorelai tells him. Jess makes silent contact with Rory.