Recently, fans everywhere had a collective freakout when they learned that Gilmore Girls is coming to Netflix, and it's been a non-stop Lorelai and Rory marathon-fest since that exact moment. The first season of Gilmore Girls aired in 2000, and I grew up watching the show with my mom, after school, during all the times I told people I was totally watching Lost(#sorrynotsorry). So believe me, I was one of the many people thrilled that Netflix was giving us an extra dosage of the show, so I could once and for all watch Team Jess and Team Dean duke it out on-screen.
In preparation for the revival's upcoming premiere, I searched, toiled, and found the 17 greatest Gilmore Girls cold opens of all time. For some reason, these great GG scenes never get nearly as much attention as they should have, and the reason why is honestly a total mystery to me. Because those first few minutes of the episodes below are phenomenal television, let me tell you. So here, in order of season, are the 17 greatest Gilmore Girls cold opens that the show ever featured.
1. Season 1, Episode 1: "Pilot"
Viewers get the first glimpse into the coffee addiction of Lorelai and Rory. Lorelai begs and begs for it. Meanwhile, a man begs and begs for both Lorelai and Rory, and we see the mother-daughter dynamic in full swing.
2. Season 1, Episode 5: "Cinnamon's Wake"
The Gilmore family starts coming together for Friday night dinners, and it's sarcastic AF. In this cold open, Emily casually convinces Lorelai that she and Richard are friends with a Nazi. Great times had by all.
3. Season 2, Episode 2: "Hammers And Veils"
Lorelai is about to marry Max, and is trying to figure out her veil length.... with newspaper. Rory tries to read her mom's newspaper veil.
4. Season 2, Episode 10: "The Bracebridge Dinner"
A glimpse into Stars Hollow's events, via Lorelai and Rory participating in the snowman building contest which they, per usual, take far too seriously.
5. Season 2, Episode 12: "Richard In Stars Hollow"
A true classic. This cold open features the Gilmore family discussing who should be kicked out of the family mausoleum when everyone dies. You will never find better television.
6. Season 3, Episode 1: "Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days"
Lorelai dreams that she's pregnant with Luke's baby. Can you say foreshadowing?! (At least I hope.)
7. Season 3, Episode 3: "Application Anxiety"
Rory's application to Harvard shows up... while the Gilmore gals are watching the Brady Bunch movie.
8. Season 3, Episode 8: "Let The Games Begin"
After the dance marathon, it takes Lorelai and Rory hours just to get to Luke's. Rory has just broken up with Dean, and Lorelai's coming to terms with the fact that she will never again convince her daughter to be in an all night dance marathon with her. Oh, and they try to combine psychic powers to bring the diner closer to them, and it doesn't work.
9. Season 4, Episode 4: "Chicken or Beef?"
Rory comes back from college for the first time only to find that Lorelai now has an alarm that she doesn't know how to turn off.
10. Season 5, Episode 2: "A Messenger, Nothing More"
Rory and Lorelai are fighting, and Lorelai is dashing madly through town because she's drowning herself in work to forget about the fight. She runs by Luke's and then to Miss Patty's, where her apple-clad dancers are practicing for the Cider Mill festival. And then comes this great line: "Apple down."
11. Season 5, Episode 3: "Written In The Stars"
Grandpa moves into the pool house and gets a valet who brings him Hungarian cheese. He tells the girls: "He attends to my needs." Well, then.
12. Season 5, Episode 7: "You Jump I Jump Jack"
Lorelai tries to explain that she was late to Friday night dinner because she has been testing people who have "Honk if you like —" bumper stickers. The resulting conversations goes like this:
Rory: "Honk if Emily Gilmore views your mind as her personal playground."
Lorelai: "Honk honk."
13. Season 5, Episode 15: "Jews And Chinese Food"
Paris and Doyle discuss whether they're lovers in front of Lorelai. Paris asks Lorelai if she'll be part of her paper about how women of a certain age cope with loneliness, after she and Luke break up.
14. Season 6, Episode 6: "Welcome To The Dollhouse"
The cold open is a town meeting featuring Kirk as 1779 Stars Hollow citizen. Nuff said.
15. Season 6, Episode 17: "I'm OK, You're OK"
The crowning Paris and Rory moment: "No men, just lots and lots of Chinese food."
16. Season 7, Episode 10: "Merry Fistcuffs"
Lorelai and Chris are together (at last) and looking for their dream home. They reenact a cute little husband and wife scene in the perfect kitchen, and it's so cute you'll want to throw up.
17. Season 7, Episode 22: Bon Voyage
The Dream Of Dreams: Christiane Amanpour shows up at the Dragonfly. The Gilmores pull out all the stops for the season finale.
This show needs to come back ASAP.
Images: Giphy (17), Warner Bros
