Yahoo Lifestyle The Streamer’s Guide to a ‘Gilmore Girls’ Thanksgiving
The holiday-themed episode of television is an art form lost in the streaming era. In an era of appointment television, these episodes became almost ritualistic, holding a distinct place in the annual rhythm of our pop culture consumption. Before we shared streaming passwords, we watched weekly and traveled by horse and buggy. Your favorite show had a holiday episode— sometimes overt, like every Christmas-timed episode of Glee, and sometimes they were less so.
The holidays offered a time for our favorite shows to reflect on family dynamics and seasonal rituals. For Gilmore Girls, a show entirely based on family dynamics and seasonal rituals, the Thanksgiving holiday was a vessel through which to serve more Stars Hollow kitsch and crispier leaves.
That said…there are a mere two episodes of Gilmore Girls dedicated to Thanksgiving. In truth, the entire series feels like apple pie and stuffing, so any episode will do for Friendsgiving background noise. If you want to do the holiday right, these are the two best episodes to watch on turkey day.
Watch every episode of ‘Gilmore Girls’ on Netflix
“A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving,” Season 3, Episode 9
In perhaps the most iconic Thanksgiving episode of Gilmore Girls, Rory and Lorelai have a Four Christmases holiday, attending four different celebrations in one day. At the Gilmores, it’s lavish, traditional fare. At Mrs. Kim’s house, it’s a strict, no-nonsense, Korean Thanksgiving. At Sookie and Jackson’s, it’s a farm-to-table feast, and at Luke’s diner, it’s a heartfelt bite.
Like any good Thanksgiving dinner, the main course is not the poultry, but the discourse happening at the table. In this episode, Rory reveals to Lorelai that she’s applied to multiple colleges beyond Harvard, opening the door for her to follow her grandfather’s footsteps, straight onto the campus of Yale. Other episode highlights include Lane’s first kiss and growing pains between Human Kirk and Cat Kirk. If you know you know, and if you don’t, thanks for reading this far.
“He’s Slipping Him Bread...Dig?,” Season 6, Episode 10
It took three whole seasons to recover from the four-pronged holiday episode, but the girls came back to the table in season 6 with a much more weighted episode. The sixth season of Gilmore Girls is largely marked by the divide between Rory and Lorelai, but this holiday-timed episode marks their reunion after a monthslong feud. The drama this time is between Luke and Lorelai, with Luke hiding a major secret from his dream girl—he has a daughter named April, whom he’s just met.
In the spirit of journalism, we can’t definitively call any other episode of Gilmore Girls an official Thanksgiving episode. That said, there are more than a few autumnal picks that scratch the same itch. If you start streaming now, you’ll be feeling festive by Turkey Day.
“They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They?,” (Season 3, Episode 7)
For the autumnal vibes.
“Ted Koppel’s Big Night Out,” (Season 4, Episode 9)
For the football.
“A Year in the Life: Fall,” (Season 1, Episode 4)
For the cozy nostalgia.
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