Rory has been accepted to Harvard, Yale and Princeton. While she and Lorelai make some pro/con lists to help them decide which one is the right choice, everyone else tells them not to bother because of course it’s going to be Harvard. Luke is very proud of Rory and gives her an awkward head-hug.

Jess has been named Employee of the Month at Wal-Mart. Luke goes to see him get his plaque even though he knows Jess wouldn’t want him to. Jess’ boss tells Luke how happy he is to have someone like Jess who will work extra hours on top of his regular forty a week. Luke is confused because he knows there’s no way Jess is working forty hours on top of going to school and working at the diner. He tells Lorelai he thinks Jess is skipping school.

The Edgar Allen Poe Society is staying at the inn and they put on a show at Miss Patty’s. During a never-ending reading of The Raven, Nicole and Lindsay give Lorelai and Rory the stinkeye. That night, Lorelai gets a call from Tobin, the night manager. There’s been a fire at the inn.

Everyone gets to the inn and starts trying to make arrangements for the guests to stay in nearby hotels. Sookie takes her kitchen staff to Luke’s the next morning so she can make breakfast for the remaining guests. Luke is pretty crabby about it until he finds out about the fire. By lunchtime, he and Sookie are working together. Rory entertains the guests’ kids with sock puppets until it’s time to go to school.

Paris has been at home watching soap operas since the disastrous speech at Chilton. Rory goes to her house after school and tells her to get out of the house and try to decide which of the many other schools that accepted her will be lucky enough to get her.

Stars Hollow folks are taking in guests from the inn. Lorelai has a few too many show up at her house. Rory goes to spend the night at Lane’s, but Lorelai has nowhere to go. She takes her pillow and blanket and hits the streets. She calls Rory, who tells her to go to Luke’s. Luke lets her in and makes the bed for her. Lorelai tells Luke about the dream she had where they were married. Nicole calls and Luke doesn’t tell her Lorelai is there. He tells Lorelai she’s been kind of a sore spot with Nicole since their first date. Luke couldn’t think of anything to talk about and may have mentioned Lorelai a little too often.

Lane is on the phone with Young Chui. Rory thinks they’re having kind of a weird conversation for a fake couple and she tells Lane it sounds like Young Chui actually likes her. Lane kind of panics. Jess knocks on the window and Rory talks to him for a minute. Lorelai asked her earlier if Jess has been going to school, so Rory asks Jess. He says he’s going “enough.”

Lorelai has realized that Rory’s pro/con lists clearly show that Yale is the best choice. When Rory gets home from Lane’s the next morning, she finds Lorelai has taken down all the Harvard stuff from her bedroom wall and replaced it with Yale stuff. Meanwhile, Lorelai, Sookie and Michel are at the inn. It’s pretty much ruined.

Michel: I’m looking for my cyanide capsule. Have you seen it?

• Original Air Date: April 15, 2003
• Where Kirk Works: Kirk tries to sell t-shirts. One says, “Babette ate oatmeal.” Another says, “Faux Poes Foes.” And Rory finds one in her room that says, “Rory is going to Yale!”

Categories: Season 3
Tags: College, Jess, Lane, Paris

Posted on February 19, 2010