The Lorelais' First Day at Yale
written by Daniel Palledino, 2003
A sort of reprise to season one's "The Lorelais' First Day at Chilton," except the stakes are higher here. Rory's moving out of Stars Hollow into the scary world of New Haven, Connecticut. Allusions to season one are in place, and the way Daniel Palledino writes the exchanges between Rory and Lorelai as they try to hold back their fears is quite exquisite. As a high school junior, maybe the thread about leaving for college isn't hitting as hard as it will in the near future, but, strangely enough, this episode's subtext is almost too personal for reasons I will not go into right now. Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson are great as usual, but Alexis Bledel's damaged expressions steal the show. In its own way, "The Lorelais' First Day at Yale" approximates the greatness of one of my favorite Gilmore girls episodes, season one's "Rory's Birthday Parties," in which Lorelai deals with the fact that her little girl is growing up. And then there's always Paris, who turns out to be one of season four's greatest attributes.
