We’ve chugged three seasons worth of coffee for our supercaffeinated recaps, and it’s brought us to a momentous occasion in Gilmore Girls: Rory’s graduation from high school. Side note: has anyone tried to match the Gilmores’ coffee consumption cup for cup? I don’t know if the attempt is survivable. I wouldn’t recommend it.

Anyway, at the end of season three, Jess acted like a tool (or as one reader pointed out to me, the whole toolbox) and left town, Rory was put through the emotional ringer, Lorelai and Sookie chased their dreams and purchased the Dragonfly Inn, and Rory graduated Chilton. Let’s discuss these highlights and more.

Nevermore

Lorelai and Sookie had been planning to open their own inn for a while, but fate gave them a nudge they maybe weren’t ready for in “A Tale of Poes and Fire.” The Independence Inn caught fire while they were hosting the Edgar Allan Poe Society–of course. The quirkiness of Edgar Allan Poe performers was part of this episode’s charm and the natural disaster contributed to its memorable status, for sure, but it was also intriguing because of a decision Rory made.

She’s spent her entire life wanting to go to her Harvard, and we’ve been right there with her. However, she had to face the possibility that the Ivy League school wasn’t the best option. A pros and cons list revealed Yale outshone Harvard. I can’t imagine having to adjust to a different choice after you’ve spent most of 18 years considering it, especially when you think about what it means with Emily and Richard’s attachment to Yale. It was a huge decision for Rory and Lorelai.

Related: With all the fire excitement, how on Earth did Lorelai have time to redecorate Rory’s room? When did she acquire all the Yale paraphernalia?

Favorite quote: “If the Poes start fighting, does that punch a hole in the space/time continuum?” – Lorelai

Catch a Wave

Do you recall the episode of Gilmore Girls where Jess ran away to Venice Beach to look for his dad? I do, and I wish I didn’t. I’m including “Here Comes the Son” as an example of how Gilmore Girls can go off course. Season three was rather wonderful overall, but it faltered here. This was a backdoor pilot for a spinoff about Jess and Jimmy called Windward Circle. Not shockingly, it didn’t move forward. The chemistry between Jess and his father wasn’t there, and in fact, I didn’t find much appealing about anything in California. Well, that statement isn’t entirely true–it was cool to see Sherilyn Fenn (she’ll take on another role later in the series).

Back in Stars Hollow, Lorelai had to break the news about Jess abruptly leaving town to Rory. She’s not dumb; she suspected something was off after she saw Jess on the bus, but man. She was already stressed about finals and graduation. Please see the toolbox comment I made earlier.

And look, Jess, I prefer jeans too, but there’s no way you’re not dying wearing so many layers of clothing on a beach. I don’t care how breezy it is.

Favorite quote: “The whole stalking thing works infinitely better when you don’t actually smash your face in the window.” – Lorelai

Bring on the Blubbering

The first three seasons of Gilmore Girls have been building towards Rory graduating high school so “Those Are Strings, Pinocchio” was like the ending of a chapter. Rory, who was of course the valedictorian of her class, put on the cap and gown and we all got to enjoy a feeling of pride and accomplish.

She also grew up in a different way. When Rory learned her mother and Sookie weren’t able to purchase the Dragonfly Inn because of the financial aid fiasco, she stepped up and found a solution to the problem. She borrowed money from her grandparents for Yale (my goodness, what would it be like to be able to get tens of thousands of dollars with a simple and polite conversation?), leaving Lorelai and Sookie free to pursue their goal. Aww.

Finally, it was so rude and selfish of Lorelai to tell Luke not to get engaged to Nicole without saying anything else. Also, not fair. Oh and one more thing: Christopher would really let some other engagement interfere with him attending Rory’s graduation from Chilton? Considering how he’s been trying to be a better father, his absence was lame.

Favorite quote: “I think this must be the first time 60 people lost their train of thought all at the same time.” – Luke

That’s it for the third season, friends. Did you like the backdoor pilot about Jess and his dad more than I did? Did you cry at Rory graduating from Chilton? Talk to me in the comments.

IMAGES: Warner Bros., Gilmore Gifs, Devon, Daydreams and Whispers