The moment I felt a slight crisp breeze in the air, I knew fall was kicking into action, which means it was time to do one thing: turn on Netflix. Searching for the perfect autumn series to watch, I was disappointed by the options.
“Wednesday”? Too gen alpha. “Nobody Wants This”? Close, but not exactly what I was looking for. Finally, I knew what I had to do.
Clicking the “Continue Watching” section of my Netflix profile, I surrendered and returned to the one fall series that has never failed me: “Gilmore Girls.”
Even actress Lauren Graham, famous for playing Lorelai Gilmore in the iconic show, said it herself at the Emmy Awards: “25 years ago, a show called “Gilmore Girls” premiered and apparently took the season of fall hostage.”
With its warm colors, sweater-weather fashion and quaint little East Coast town, “Gilmore Girls” is truly the superior show to watch in harvest months. Here are the episodes that emulate the season of autumn the best.
Season two, episode eight: “The Ins and Outs of Inns”
In this episode, Lorelai and Sookie decide to finally make their dream come true of opening their own inn together. But when Mia, the inn’s owner, comes to town, Lorelai gets cold feet, which causes a fight between the two friends.
Despite the friendship troubles this episode brings, there’s no denying the prominent fall vibes, with vibrant of reds and oranges popping up throughout the different scenes.
The town is decorated with pumpkins, and we see a confrontation between Jess and Rory, in which Jess sports an adorable denim jacket with a sherpa fur on the interior. Needless to say, it’s an episode representative of the early “Gilmore Girls” autumn energy.
Season four, episode nine: “Ted Koppel’s Big Night Out”
Boola Boola! The college fall energy is radiating in this episode in which the Gilmores attend the annual Harvard-Yale football game, a massive tradition where Yale families tailgate and dress in blue to show support for their school.
Richard Gilmore, proud of his alma mater, takes the event extremely seriously. Lorelai hesitantly joins the family despite her disinterest in football. .
We see intriguing characters interact with the Gilmores, like Pennilyn Lott, Richard’s ex-girlfriend from his college glory days. Family drama proves to be more intense than the school rivalry.
I thoroughly enjoyed the collegiate, warm feeling each scene brought with the characters dressed in festive Yale sweaters and gear.
Season three, episode eight: “Let the Games Begin”
On a crisp fall weekend, the Gilmore clan takes a trip to New Haven. Excited to show his granddaughter around Yale’s campus, Richard relives his memories of Yale. But Lorelai remains skeptical of her parents’ intentions, accusing them of interfering with Rory’s college decision process.
Yale’s campus pops in the autumn months. Lorelai, in her iconic leather jacket, and Rory, in a cozy grey sweater, sport the perfect looks for chilly fall weather. Although a frost remains between Lorelai and her parents, by the end of the episode, we see Rory run to Jess as they share a passionate kiss in the cool air of the fall night.
Season one, episode six: “Rory’s Birthday Parties”
“Rory’s Birthday Parties” is a favorite episode of mine. All of season one is iconic, but something about this episode completely encapsulates why the early seasons of “Gilmore Girls” are superior to the later ones.
Rory celebrates her sixteenth birthday — first at an awkward soirée at her grandparents’ house and then by having a light-hearted, upbeat party in Stars Hollow. Rory’s autumn birthday suits her perfectly — she’s quite literally an iconic fall girl of the 2000s. At Luke’s, she eats coffee cake made by Luke in her Chilton uniform, and for some reason, that scene just screams autumn to me: a cozy fall morning in the local diner, having a seasonal dessert in a quaint little fall town.
Season three, episode nine: “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving”
The fall episode of all episodes has to be “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving.” In this episode, the Gilmore girls make a record of attending four different Thanksgiving dinners. Hopping from a traditional Korean meal at the Kim’s to an energetic family BBQ in Sookie’s yard, we get to see the town of Stars Hollow in its prime autumn setting.
Of course, Lorelai and Rory saved room in their stomachs to join Luke at their annual Thanksgiving meal at the diner. After all, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the traditions that make the holiday what it is. Flowers, turkey-shaped chocolate and deep-fried turkey are the items of the day.
It’s never an ordinary fall day in Stars Hollow, where the town puts on numerous traditions, such as the Autumn Festival, the Town Hayride and the 24-hour Dance-a-Thon. Maybe you’ll find that cozying up with a cup of coffee and a pumpkin muffin and putting on one of these episodes will transport you to the picturesque New England town the Gilmores reside in.
Or maybe watching these episodes will inspire you to create your own fall traditions and pastimes. Either way, make sure to take in the autumn months and make the cozy days last long, because fall is often too short — I know I wish it would last forever.
