Anyone who hasn’t seen Gilmore Girls but has been on the internet since 2004 probably assumes that the show is exclusively set in fall. How many images still circulate with that iconic Stars Hollow gazebo surrounded by beautiful leaves, or Lorelai and Rory strolling the town in deep brown coats, coffee cups in hand? While true fans know that Gilmore Girls takes place across all four seasons, its association with fall is certainly earned.
Some of the most iconic episodes don’t just happen to take place during the autumn, but feature a town event or holiday that puts the season front and center. So if you’d like to lean into the coziness, vibes, and festivities of fall, here is an episode from each season of Gilmore Girls that’s as autumnal as a Sweater Weather candle.
Season 1, Episode 7: “Kiss And Tell”
The main plot of this episode is, of course, Rory’s first kiss with Dean and the fact that she doesn’t tell Lorelai about it. But if you look past the kiss itself, you’ll see that Stars Hollow is hosting an Autumn Festival, and there are glimpses of pumpkins, leaves, corn stalks, and other seasonal decor. You’ll also see Rory and Lane dressed up for Thanksgiving while collecting donations for the “cornucopia can drive.”
Season 2, Episode 13: “A-Tisket, A-Tasket”
This beloved episode for Jess fans isn’t technically set in fall, and it doesn’t have the obvious decor of “Kiss And Tell.” But you can’t deny that the thought of a picnic in those jackets doesn’t immediately inspire fantasies of apple pie, cozy blankets, and crisp leaves.
Season 3, Episode 9: “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving”
Lorelai and Rory are expected to be at four different Thanksgiving dinners, which takes us into the lives of almost all the series’ main characters. We see a chemistry-filled meal with Luke and Jess; a stiff dinner with the Kims; a hectic, outdoor Thanksgiving with Sookie and Jackson’s family; and an elegant affair at Richard and Emily’s. There are countless beautiful decorations, along with gorgeous fall looks, plenty of food, and that ultimate Thanksgiving tradition: fighting with your family.
Season 4, Episode 9: “Ted Koppel’s Big Night Out”
The fourth season marks Rory leaving home to start college at Yale, which is almost as beautiful as Stars Hallow in the fall. In this episode, Richard, Emily, and Lorelai visit Rory at school for some tailgating ahead of the big Yale-Harvard game.
You get the expected — though still stunning — foliage of a New England Ivy League school, paired with crowds of people in thick scarves and hoodies as they prepare for a football game. This is the only football-adjacent episode of the show, so if that’s important to you, it’s the one to watch. If not, it’s still worth it to see Emily Gilmore in a college crewneck sweatshirt and visor, indulging in Bloody Marys.
Season 5, Episode 2: “A Messenger, Nothing More”
This is the season with the least amount of fall flavor. There are still some cozy vibes to be found in the second episode, which features Stars Hollow’s Cider Mill Parade, complete with some of Miss Patty’s dance students dressed as apples. We also see Luke go to a Ren Faire with his sister, Liz. You’ll have to look past a lot of Dean drama, but you can still add this to your lineup of fall episodes without breaking the spell.
Season 6, Episode 10: “He’s Slipping Him Bread … Dig?”
This is another Thankgiving-focused episode, though one with a very different tone than Season 3’s “Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving.” We see less of Stars Hollow with much more happening at the Dragonfly Inn, and instead of the classic family drama, lots of relationship drama thanks to a Lane and Zack fight — and Logan, who manages to deeply hurt Rory without even being in the episode.
Still, the charm of the Dragonfly and a table heaped with Sookie’s incredible-looking food bring a definitively fall aesthetic, as do Lorelai and Rory’s wildly 2005 skinny scarves and layers upon layers.
Season 7, Episode 9: “Knit, People, Knit”
In an attempt to endear Christopher to her beloved townspeople, Lorelai has him spend time with a hodgepodge of residents. This is all set against the backdrop of a knit-a-thon meant to raise money for the restoration of the “Old Muddy Water Bridge,” which might be the most Stars Hollow sentence of all time. The quaintness of the town is made even more seasonally appropriate when knitters sit around hay bales to work on their creations, and Taylor and Kirk rock some over-the-top knitwear.
A Year in the Life: Episode 4: “Fall”
Each episode of the four-part Gilmore Girls revival series, A Year in the Life, is set during a different season, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that “Fall” was saved for last. The first major set piece is the Life & Death Brigade’s Across The Universe-inspired, steampunk experience, which has a dark aesthetic that could only fit in the same season as Halloween. Then there’s Lorelai’s Wild adventure, which takes her into actual nature (a first for her) that puts the smattering of trees in Stars Hollow to shame.
But the most significant moment of this episode — or really, the entire revival — is Luke and Lorelai’s long overdue wedding, which could only happen in the town square when it looks its best. Every building is covered in white lights and autumn leaves, and the square itself becomes a wonderland with flowers, candelabras, and more that only Kirk could dream up.
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