To Lorelai's horror, Kirk asks her out on a date after being encouraged by Luke; Emily's lunch with Lorelai at Luke's ends badly; Christopher shows up uninvited at Friday night dinner and quarrels with both Lorelai and Rory before Emily asks him to leave; Rory runs into Jess and they each betray their hurt feelings -- Rory about Shane and Jess about not hearing from Rory all summer; and Francie targets Paris and Rory for a world of trouble if Rory doesn't stop Paris from running the student council like a dictatorship.

The demands of the electorate are beginning to get to Jackson; Lorelai and Rory delicately nudge Richard and Emily closer together; Lorelai decides that a double date with Rory and Dean is the way to smooth over the bumps in her relationship with Dean, but the evening goes awry when Luke can't get over feeling that Dean isn't good enough for Rory; Richard takes up a new hobby, and Emily buys a panic room; failing to get a response from Zack about the declaration of her feelings, Lane rescinds them, which finally gets Zack talking; Lorelai introduces Luke to ""Pippi Longstocking"" as Kirk gets much better acquainted with Lulu during movie night at the Black & White & Read Bookstore.