Love was in the air at the beginning of the second season of Gilmore Girls, as both Gilmores found themselves in the midst of perfect, giddy relationships--or so they thought. Lorelai (Lauren Graham) had accepted the proposal of English teacher Max (Scott Cohen) and was excitedly planning her first wedding; Rory (Alexis Bledel) was back on happy footing with townie hunk Dean (Jared Padalecki) after a dust-up near the end of season one that prompted a mini-break for the teen twosome. However, series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino had anything but smooth sailing on the horizon for her heroines, giving Lorelai a severe case of cold feet and Rory a major distraction in the form of Jess (Milo Ventimiglia), the bad boy newly arrived in town. Soon, Rory found herself extremely attracted to Jess, while Lorelai rekindled the flame of passion that once burned long ago with Rory's father, Christopher (David Sutcliffe), who made his way back into her life despite a girlfriend in the wings.
After the minor romantic speed bumps of the
first season, the introduction of actual conflict into
the second season of Gilmore Girls helped give the
happy-goofy atmosphere of Stars Hollow a decided tension, as
Rory tangled with her emotions over Jess and began the first
tiny steps away from her good-girl persona. The episode "A-Tisket,
A-Tasket," centered around the annual town auction of picnic
baskets, was a wonderful portrait of Rory's conflicting
adolescent feelings for both Dean and Jess. However, it was
Lorelai's simmering chemistry with former flame Christopher,
only hinted at in the first season, that gave the show its
energy as well as its heartbreak, culminating in the stellar
season finale "I Can't Get Started." But lest you think
Gilmore Girls was centered only on romance, the second
season also gave the expansive ensemble cast many hilarious
moments, ranging from the hallway politics of Rory's private
school to the town antics that shaped the Gilmores' daily
lives. Through it all, the appealing Bledel and the radiant
Graham exuded wit, charm, and a way with snappy patter not
seen since the golden days of '30s screwball comedy.
--Mark Englehart
Product Description
Those acclaimed Gilmore Girls are back for a second season
of warmth, charm, zingy repartee and heart-stopping moments
of drama. In this 6-disc set are all 22 irresistible
year-two episodes about the people you've grown to love:
young single mom Lorelai, her super-achieving daughter Rory,
her elitist parents Emily and Richard, and a whole town of
dreamers and eccentrics. New faces also come to Stars
Hollow, including Luke's nephew Jess, whose rebelliousness
offends the town, but whose passion for books attracts Rory.
Hearts break and mend, careers end and begin, folks stumble
and pick themselves up in a series that's "blissfully
brilliant" (Ken Parish Perkins, Fort Worth Star-Telegram).
Season 2: 2001-2002
| # | Title | Original airdate | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | "Sadie, Sadie" | October 9, 2001 | 227451 |
| Lorelai accepts Max's proposal. Lane is being sent to Korea, with no return in sight. Dean joins Rory and Lorelai at Friday Night dinners, in which Dean is interrogated about his education and his intentions by an angry Richard. | |||
| 23 | "Hammers and Veils" | October 9, 2001 | 227452 |
| Rory volunteers to build a house, hosting panic due to her lack of extracurricular activities. Lorelai tells Emily about her engagement yet Emily responds coldly. Sookie throws Lorelai and Max an engagement party. | |||
| 24 | "Red Light on the Wedding Night" | October 16, 2001 | 227453 |
| Lorelai and Max continue planning their wedding, until at the last moment Lorelai realizes she doesn't love him. Luke builds Lorelai a chuppah. | |||
| 25 | "The Road Trip to Harvard" | October 23, 2001 | 227454 |
| After canceling the engagement, Rory and Lorelai take a road trip to Harvard. After hearing the news about Lorelai and Max, Luke gives everybody in the diner free coffee. Lane returns from Korea. | |||
| 26 | "Nick & Nora/Sid & Nancy" | October 30, 2001 | 227455 |
| Paris uses her fury about the supposed date Rory and Tristan had to make Rory miserable on the school paper. Luke's troubled nephew, Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) comes to stay. | |||
| 27 | "Presenting Lorelai Gilmore" | November 6, 2001 | 227456 |
| Rory, under obligation to her Grandmother, formally comes out to society. Richard, growing increasingly hostile, vents his frustrations about being "phased out" of his job. | |||
| 28 | "Like Mother, Like Daughter" | November 13, 2001 | 227457 |
| Rory is told that her antisocial tendencies at Chilton are frowned upon and she must better socialize herself. She does so, accidentally tangling herself up in a secret sorority known as The Puffs, and however unwanted the connection is; it reconciles Paris and Rory's damaged relationship. Sookie and Lorelai decide to move forward in opening their own inn. | |||
| 29 | "The Ins and Outs of Inns" | November 20, 2001 | 227458 |
| Mia, the owner of the Independence Inn, visits Stars Hollow. Lorelai and Sookie look into buying the Dragonfly Inn, a disheveled property inside Stars Hollow. Mia's intentions to sell the Independence Inn blow Lorelai off-balance. | |||
| 30 | "Run Away, Little Boy" | November 27, 2001 | 227459 |
| Rory and Tristan must play Romeo and Juliet in a school project; yet the night of the performance Tristan is sent to military school. Lorelai dates a younger man from business school, which upsets and amuses Luke. | |||
| 31 | "The Bracebridge Dinner" | December 11, 2001 | 227460 |
| The Independence Inn throws a dinner party for Stars Hollow friends. Emily and Richard attend, the evening goes awry when Richard reveals he quit his job a few days ago. | |||
| 32 | "Secrets and Loans" | January 22, 2002 | 227461 |
| Lorelai's house has termites, and despite Lorelai's protests, Rory spills the financial aspects of the situation to Emily. Lane has become a cheerleader, which shocks Rory. | |||
| 33 | "Richard in Stars Hollow" | January 29, 2002 | 227462 |
| Richard's newfound free time drives Emily crazy, so she sends him to Stars Hollow for a day where he finds and points out Lorelai's faults. | |||
| 34 | "A-Tisket, A-Tasket (Gilmore Girls)" | February 5, 2002 | 227463 |
| A yearly festival (Bid-A-Basket) in which the women make picnic lunches and men bid on them and enjoy the lunch and the basket-makers presence. All couples go awry; Kirk bids on Sookie's, Jess bids on Rory's, and Luke buys Lorelai's. Jackson gets down on one knee to Sookie. | |||
| 35 | "It Should Have Been Lorelai" | February 12, 2002 | 227464 |
| Christopher visits, bringing his girlfriend Sherry to Stars Hollow. Sherry is desperate to spend time with Rory, and Emily is upset by the fact that "it should have been Lorelai." | |||
| 36 | "Lost and Found" | February 26, 2002 | 227465 |
| Rory, who lost her bracelet in episode "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" and was found by Jess, gets panicked when Dean notices its absence on her wrist. Lorelai knows Jess had stolen it. | |||
| 37 | "There's the Rub" | April 9, 2002 | 227466 |
| Lorelai and Emily spend a weekend at a luxurious spa which goes awry. Rory has the night to herself which also takes a turn for the worse when Dean discovers Jess at Lorelai's house. | |||
| 38 | "Dead Uncles and Vegetables" | April 16, 2002 | 227467 |
| Luke's uncle dies, but the funeral is poorly attended, as nearly everyone has a grudge against the antisocial old man; Luke worries he has followed his uncle's example. Emily helps Sookie plan her wedding, and it becomes too much for Jackson. | |||
| 39 | "Back in the Saddle Again" | April 23, 2002 | 227468 |
| Richard helps Rory with a project for her business class, and it confirms how much he misses the business world. | |||
| 40 | "Teach Me Tonight" | April 30, 2002 | 227469 |
| Rory, attempting to tutor Jess, ends up with a fractured wrist when Jess crashes her car. Lorelai and Luke get into a fight while she looks for Jess. Luke sends Jess home to New York. | |||
| 41 | "Help Wanted" | May 7, 2002 | 227470 |
| Richard starts a consulting business, and Lorelai helps him find a new secretary. Lane decides that drums are her destiny. Carole King guests. | |||
| 42 | "Lorelai's Graduation Day" | May 14, 2002 | 227471 |
| Lorelai graduates from business school, but Rory misses the ceremony because she skipped school to visit Jess in New York and find out why he never said goodbye. | |||
| 43 | "I Can't Get Started" | May 21, 2002 | 227472 |
| Sookie's and Jackson's wedding. Christopher breaks up with Sherry, and spends a romantic night with Lorelai at the Inn, after which they make plans to reunite. When Chris discovers the next day that Sherry is pregnant with his child, he tells Lorelai he cannot fail the new baby the way he did Rory. Rory is surprised to see Jess at the wedding; she kisses him and runs off, telling him to keep it all a secret, ending the season. | |||
