Since we last met, Netflix’s Gilmore Girls continuation has received an official title and debuted a poster. I know. Exciting, right? The revival is called Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Hopefully they’ll drop word about a premiere date soon so we can all schedule our lives accordingly. In the meantime, we shall continue our look back at the series with supercaffeinated recaps.

The re-watch has brought us to season five. The Dragonfly Inn is about to open to the general public, Rory has to deal with the consequences of what happened with Dean, and Luke and Lorelai start to date. Aww. Let’s look at the best of the best from the first part of Gilmore Girls’ fifth season.

Running Away from Problems

Season four of Gilmore Girls ended with two romantic encounters. Lorelai and Luke kissed (yay!) and Rory and Dean hooked up (boo!). The latter event stole the spotlight from the happiness of L+L because oh yeah, Dean’s married to Lindsay. “Say Goodbye to Daisy Miller” marked a milestone for Rory. Up until now, she’s been goody two-shoes–and there’s not anything wrong with that. She’s been a tad selfish now and again but having an affair with a married man went well beyond the offense of selfishness.

It was difficult as hell to watch the perfect Rory lose control. I like the way they handled her initial roller coaster. She went from rationalizing what she did to Lorelai to confusion to despair in the course of minutes. Emotions move that fast. It was all raw. Of course, then Rory made the wrong decision with Dean again. She ultimately removed herself from the situation by going to Europe for the summer with Emily. Smart decision or cowardly decision? You tell me.

Favorite quote: “Stop being so dramatic. I just came in for lunch. It’s not like I did anything truly terrifying like telling you that butt crack-baring jeans have gone out of style.”

The Definition of Sentimental

Luke and Lorelai have kissed already, but they had their first date in “Written in the Stars.” It was precious and basically everything I wanted after seasons of pining for a Lorelai and Luke romantic entanglement. I knew Luke was a softie at heart, but he might have won the prize for being the most sentimental ever since he kept the horoscope Lorelai gave him the day they met. For years! Cute as him pocketing the memory is, he really should clean out his wallet once in a while.

Another interesting aspect of this episode was considering just how much their relationship could affect the town. Stars Hollow is small, and L and L are both key members of the community. I don’t think Taylor should have brought up the development with the duo in a town meeting, but the ripples their hook-up creates is something to keep in mind.

And hey, “Written in the Stars” featured the first meeting of Logan and Rory. Logan dropped a reference to Master and Commander, so he basically won my heart from the get-go. I’m easy.

Favorite quote: “Lorelai, this thing we’re doing here me, you I just want you to know I’m in. I am all in.”

Umbrellas Mean Living

Oh, the Gilmores. If you ever want to feel better about a less than successful first meeting with your significant other’s parents, watch “You Jump, I Jump, Jack.” Lorelai took Luke to a Friday night dinner with Emily so she could get to know him as Lorelai’s boyfriend. As you can imagine, it was a disaster. Emily was painfully condescending; she deserved to kicked in the shins repeatedly. Then, Richard took Luke golfing and the outing was possibly worse than dinner. I desperately want Richard and Emily to simply be happy for Lorelai without passing judgment and I keep thinking it’s going to happen but… why do I bother?

While Lorelai wrestled with her family, Rory investigated a secret society at Yale. Said investigation involved Logan. The Life and Death Brigade hosted a cool event, but damn, what it must like to be wealthy and to be able to put together a fully themed extravaganza like that. I was able to put myself in Rory’s shoes and see the appeal because playing dress-up and jumping off tall structures with an umbrella and a cute boy? Uh, yes, please. We’re watching Rory being tempted once again by the life her mother left in the dust, and while I don’t always like it, what’s going on makes Rory a more interesting character.

Favorite quote: “Honk if Emily Gilmore views your mind as her personal playground.”

What are your favorite episodes from the beginning of the fifth season? Head to the comments and share them with me and tell me what you like about them.

Images: Warner Bros., Tay, Oy with the Poodles Already, Emma/Tumblr