9.3/10 13 votes#1 - Wake Up
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/10/2020
A year after her mom passed away, Julie plays one of her old CDs. Suddenly, three ghosts appear — the guys from the '90s band Sunset Curve!
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writer: N/A
8.3/10 6 votes#2 - I'm Going to the Beach With Josh and His Friends!
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 1/25/2016
Rebecca rents a party bus to take Josh's friend group to the beach in order to impress them. On the trip, she learns more about her new friends than she expected and makes a surprising revelation herself.
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writer: Doug Mand
7.5/10 2 votes#3 - Inherit the Wind
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 6/25/2012
When Fanny's attorney gives her shocking news, she takes it hard and makes the situation more awkward for Michelle. Making matters worse, Michelle has a run-in with the law when she takes off in Hubbell's car to blow off steam, only to break down in the driveway of a handsome, local recluse. Meanwhile, the girls compete against other dance studios in an "ugliest feet" contest.
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writer: Sarah Dunn
7.2/10 8 votes#4 - They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?
Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 11/12/2002
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. Dean sits on the sidelines to cheer his girl on, and is soon joined by Jess and Shane, who spend their time making out while Jess keeps his eye on Rory. Lorelai breaks her heel, and Dean takes her place while Luke plays shoe repairman. On the dance floor, Dean realizes that Rory is attracted to Jess and breaks up with her. Rory tearfully runs off, followed closely by Jess, and Kirk is declared the winner once again.
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writer: Amy Sherman-Palladino
7.2/10 6 votes#5 - Written in the Stars
Season 5 Episode 3 - Aired 10/5/2004
Luke and Lorelai go on their official first date at a restaurant owned by old friends of Luke's parents. Luke reminds Lorelai of how they met, shows her a horoscope she gave him for good luck that he's kept in his wallet, and assures her that he intends to go the distance with her. Lorelai spends the night at Luke's place; in the morning, she goes down to the diner to get coffee, and the breakfast crowd sees her wearing only Luke's shirt. There's suprisingly little gossip about Luke and Lorelai until the next town meeting, where Taylor uses charts to show how disasterous a breakup between them would be for Stars Hollow. Meanwhile: Rory meets a rich Yale student named Logan and chews him out for being rude to her friend Marty; Paris holds a wake for Asher that all the guests assume is a keg party with a weird theme; and Emily freaks out when she discovers that Richard has a social life she doesn't know about, so she invades Rory's dorm during the wake.
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writer: Amy Sherman-Palladino
7.2/10 6 votes#6 - You Jump, I Jump, Jack
Season 5 Episode 7 - Aired 11/2/2004
After Kirk spills the beans that her daughter is dating Luke, Emily demands that Lorelai bring him to dinner so that they can get reacquainted; although Lorelai tries to warn him away, Luke goes anyway and is subjected to an evening of oblique insults from a passive-aggressive Emily; after Zach announces that he's ready to start going out with Lane, they spend a cozy first date at home after banishing Brian to Lane's bedroom; having not learned his lesson with Emily, Luke agrees to accept Richard's invitation to go golfing, and both men turn a deaf ear to Lorelai's pleas to cancel; Rory gets her story on the ""Life and Death Brigade"" by being blindfolded and whisked away by Logan and his friends to observe the elaborately staged weekend in the woods, and finally, after Logan encourages her to take a risk, to participate in the event's breathtaking finale.
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writer: Daniel Palladino
7.0/10 7 votes#7 - Face-Off
Season 3 Episode 15 - Aired 2/18/2003
The Doose clan invades the Inn for their family reunion; Trix comes for a short visit and drives Emily crazy until Emily finally finds something scandalous to hold over Trix's head; Lane and Dave cook up a fake-date scheme with Young Chui to get Mrs. Kim to allow Lane to date Dave, but neither Young Chui's real girlfriend or Dave is immune to a little jealousy; the Stars Hollow High hockey team reaches the regional semifinals for the first time in 40 years and everyone not attending the monster truck rally turns out to cheer the team on and endure Kirk's hopelessly inept play-by-play; 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 discovers that Dean has a new girlfriend.
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writer: John Stephens
6.9/10 7 votes#8 - Let Me Hear Your Balalaikas Ringing Out
Season 6 Episode 8 - Aired 11/8/2005
Rory is pleasantly surprised when her old flame Jess appears at her grandparents' house and reveals an amazing development in his life. Rory agrees to go to dinner with Jess, and when Logan unexpectedly joins them, an ugly confrontation develops, leaving both Rory and Logan to face the choices they have made. Emily is concerned about Rory's sudden evasiveness and tries to exert some parental discipline. Meanwhile, Luke agrees to sponsor a local girls’ soccer team and Lorelai channels all her concerns about Rory into caring for her dog, Paul Anka
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writer: Daniel Palladino
6.9/10 7 votes#9 - Friday Night's Alright for Fighting
Season 6 Episode 13 - Aired 1/31/2006
Friday Night's Alright for Fighting is the name of an episode for the American comedy-drama series Gilmore Girls.
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writer: Amy Sherman-Palladino
6.8/10 6 votes#10 - A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving
Season 3 Episode 9 - Aired 11/26/2002
It's Thanksgiving, and Lorelai and Rory have dinner at four different places: the Kim's, where Lane has managed to get Dave invited and Lorelai is forced to eat tofurkey; 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. Kirk gets a cat, with disastrous results; Dave asks Lane out, and then kisses her; Paris is afraid her difficulty getting into a shelter will impact her acceptance to Harvard; and Dean faces off with Jess and lets him know that it's no more ""Mr. Nice Guy"" for Mr. Forester.
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writer: Daniel Palladino
6.6/10 7 votes#11 - He's Slippin’ ‘Em Bread... Dig?
Season 6 Episode 10 - Aired 11/22/2005
After a long absence, Christopher reappears in Lorelai and Rory's lives. Luke struggles with what the new person in his life will mean to him and his relationship with Lorelai. Lorelai and Rory enjoy their first Thanskgiving at the Dragonfly Inn, and Rory receives surprising news about Logan. Meanwhile, on the eve of an important gig for the band, Lane has to deal with Zach's jealousy over a song Brian wrote about her.
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writer: Daniel Palladino
6.5/10 6 votes#12 - Knit, People, Knit!
Season 7 Episode 9 - Aired 11/28/2006
Chris and Lorelai tell Emily and Richard about their marriage. Lorelai becomes determined to make Christopher liked by the people in Stars Hollow. Anna tells Luke that she is moving across the country and taking April with her, in which Luke tells Anna he will fight for custody. Rory moves in with Paris, after moving out of Logan's apartment. She attends a party at Lucy's apartment; Marty reveals to Rory that he still has feelings for her. Luke's evident feelings for Lorelai are still apparent in his behavior.
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writer: N/A
6.3/10 7 votes#13 - A Family Matter
Season 4 Episode 12 - Aired 2/3/2004
Luke has his hands full as family members return to Stars Hollow: Liz for her high school reunion, and Jess for his car; Lane busies herself at Yale by being the suite's Helpful Hannah; Lorelai agrees to accompany Jason on an office furniture shopping trip on his morning off, but the press of international business calls keeps getting in the way; Jamie's in town, and Paris keeps avoiding him; Lorelai and Jason agree that Emily and Richard need to be told about their relationship, but Lorelai just can't bring herself to do it after Emily mocks both Jason and the idea that he would ever hit it off with her daughter; Rory's finally speaking her mind on Paris's romantic entanglements backfires when Paris decides she has a future with Asher and breaks up with Jamie; Rory becomes concerned that her mother is having financial problems; when Lorelai and Rory discover Jess sleeping in his car in the freezing cold after an argument with his uncle, Lorelai intercedes on his behalf with Luke, who
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writer: Daniel Palladino
6.2/10 4 votes#14 - Come Home
Season 5 Episode 12 - Aired 2/1/2005
Rory offers to help Logan write an article for the Yale Daily, but she is disappointed when he doesn't invite her to be his date at a book signing party thrown by his father. When Richard sees Emily talking to man she dated, he rear-ends her car, forcing her to ride home with him. The Gilmore's reconcile and decide to renew their wedding vows. Emily warns Christopher that Lorelai and Luke are getting serious and he had better do something quickly if he hopes to end up with Lorelai.
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writer: Jessica Queller
6.0/10 4 votes#15 - Emily Says Hello
Season 5 Episode 9 - Aired 11/16/2004
Jackson is the soul of patience as Sookie suffers from mood swings and pregnancy food cravings; Paris's decision to fast for Ramadan to bring authenticity to her writing takes its toll on Rory and Marty; against Lorelai's advice, Michel persists with his plan to foil the bathrobe bandits and nearly gets arrested; Emily decides to start dating again, and calls on a reluctant Lorelai for advice; Jackson is so overwhelmed by his duties as selectman that Miss Patty is forced to resort to a ruse to get him to preside over the town meeting; Lorelai invites Christopher to lunch at the Inn and decides to surprise Rory by inviting her as well, but it's Lorelai who's surprised by the tension between father and daughter, which erupts into a heated argument out of Lorelai's earshot; Lorelai feels guilty for lying to Rory when her daughter asks about Luke's reaction to the lunch date with Christopher; Luke helps T.J. with some plumbing problems at the new house; Emily appears to have a wonderful t
Director: Kenny Ortega
Writer: Rebecca Rand Kirshner
The Best Episodes Directed By Kenny Ortega
Every TV Episode Directed by Kenny Ortega Ranked from Best to Worst by Thousands of Voters
Kenny Ortega Ratings Summary
The best episode directed by Kenny Ortega is "Wake Up", rated 9.3/10 from 13 user votes. It was "written by N/A". "Wake Up" aired on 9/10/2020 and is rated 1.0 point(s) higher than their second highest rated, "I'm Going to the Beach With Josh and His Friends!".