Episode Report Card Pamie: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Lucky Swan
By Pamie | Season 3 | Episode 14 | Aired on 02.10.2003
Cut to Rory and CuteDean leaving the studio, the strobe light still flashing behind them. Rory tells CuteDean that it was nice of him to step in and keep Miss Patty from hitting Kirk with a podium. Rory says that "work in progress" was the key phrase concerning that show. They make more small talk until they split into two different directions, sweetly and without a hug. I'm not buying that they don't even hug goodbye.
Rory's studying. She hears a strange noise at the front door. She turns off the television and goes to the door. She opens it, even though you can see through the glass that her mom's kissing Alex. But Rory opens the door and interrupts their kiss good night. Rory apologizes and offers to shut the door again. Alex and Lorelai decide that they've carried on enough. Lorelai tells Alex that she'll call him about the weekend. They kiss goodbye again, right in front of Rory. Alex leaves. Rory tells Lorelai that they need a signal to prevent this from happening again. Lorelai offers to shoot off flares before she starts kissing men on her porch, or she could bang on the door and announce the necking before they start. Before a signal is decided, Lorelai tells Rory that she wants to go away for the weekend to New York with Alex. He's got four tickets to a show and wants Jackson and Sookie to come along. Moving pretty fast here, huh? Anyway, this means they have to leave during the day for some reason that makes no sense, since Hartford is close to New York, and Stars Hollow is only a half-hour drive from there. Whatever; it means that Lorelai will be shacking up in New York with her new beau, leaving Rory and Jess to brave it alone at Emily's. Rory isn't fazed at all by this news, and in fact thinks this'll mean the dinner will go more smoothly. Lorelai can't believe that she's loud when Rory studies and makes social gatherings worse. She's just now figuring that out? The phone rings as Rory goes on about how much she loves Lorelai and knows that Lorelai has the best of intentions. It's Jess on the phone, and Rory walks into the other room to take the call.
Intercut with Jess in his room. He says that work was fine. He immediately wants to know what Rory did with her day -- every moment, every second. This is because he's already heard that Rory spent the day with Dean, and when she doesn't mention it and lies instead, he calls her on it immediately. She asks how he heard about it. He says it's all over town. He saw a flyer advertising Miss Patty's new show, which declares rave reviews from Rory and CuteDean: "Rory and Dean couldn't stop talking about it." Even the postman says that this show delivers, regardless of postage. Rory says that's an outright lie, because the postman isn't that witty. Rory and Jess then start that Cha-Cha and Danny "We did not go together, Sandy, we just went together" song and dance we all got so familiar with back when Rory was making the same excuses to Dean. Jess says he wants to punch Dean. Rory claims she was kidnapped. Jess asks her again to tell him first when these things happen so he doesn't have to read about them on telephone poles. She promises again. No apologies. Jess asks how the show went. Rory says it will need a lot of postage. Jess asks why the bottom of the flyer reads "Not in any way affiliated with Kirk." Rory says they had a "showbiz spat." Jess then asks in a way that sounds like he's only asking because he's supposed to: "Fill me in." And then, strangely, awkwardly, we fade to commercial, leaving the job of ending the scene to the Smallville promo.