They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?

Synopsis

Determined to win the annual Stars Hollow 24-hour dance marathon, Lorelai (Lauren Graham) forces Rory (Alexis Bledel) to be her partner. While everyone in town dances around them, Rory and Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) can't seem to stop arguing with each other, a fact that is not lost on Dean (Jared Padalecki). Meanwhile, Lane (Keiko Agena) and Paris (Liza Weil) are both surprised when the boys they like drop by to see them.

Starring

Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore

Alexis Bledel as Rory Gilmore

Keiko Agena as Lane Kim

Melissa McCarthy as Sookie St. James

Scott Patterson as Luke Danes

Liza Weil as Paris Geller

Jared Padalecki as Dean Forester

Milo Ventimiglia as Jess Mariano

Sean Gunn as Kirk Gleason

and Kelly Bishop as Emily Gilmore

Guest starring

Liz Torres as Miss Patty

Michael Winters as Taylor Doose

Sally Struthers as Babette Dell

Jackson Douglas as Jackson Belleville

Emily Kuroda as Mrs. Kim

Shelly Cole as Madeline Lynn

Teal Redmann as Louise Grant

Adam Brody as Dave Rygalski

Ted Rooney as Morey Dell

Brandon Barash as Jamie

Jessica Kiper as Shane

Music

in the mood | GLENN MILLER

sing sing sing (with a swing) | LOUIS PRIMA

the marathon starts

walkin' my baby back home | ROY TURK & FRED E. AHLERT

i can't give you anything but love | JIMMY MCHUGH & DOROTHY FIELDS

by the beautiful sea | HARRY CARROLL & HAROLD R. ATTERIDGE

string of pearls | GLENN MILLER

these foolish things | ERIC MASCHWITZ & JACK STRACHEY

gonna fly now (theme from rocky) | BILL CONTI

kirk wins, rory cries

Photos

Gilmorisms

MUSIC

• The Who

LITERATURE

• The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
• "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" by Horace McCoy.

This story is about several couples who participate in a dance marathon. There are several exchanges of partners in the story. At the end, the heroine of the story wants to kill herself with a gun, but she cannot pull the trigger. Her dance partner agrees to "help" her by taking the gun and firing. When asked why he would agree to kill her, he says, "They shoot horses, don't they?" Choosing this title for the episode has an obvious connection to the dance marathon. Also, though, Rory has wanted to break up with Dean and go out with Jess for weeks, but she can't manage to "pull the trigger." Dean decides to put her out of her misery and do the breaking up for her.

FILM

• Fast Times at Ridgemont High
• Boxing Helena
• Saturday Night Fever
• Blue Velvet

POP CULTURE

Luke – Oh, hey, look. There goes Tommy Tune.

Taylor – The Tennessee Williams Lookalike Contest last month put us right over the top.

Taylor – You would kick Tiny Tim's crutch out from under him, wouldn't you?

Lorelai – With a little encouragement, I could've been the Señor Wences of the vegetable set.

Lorelai – Miss Patty showed his wife a picture of me and she thinks I look like Elizabeth Taylor, which makes her Debbie Reynolds and him Eddie Fisher. He's no Eddie Fisher, trust me. Fisher Stevens, maybe.

Paris — Madeline... or may I call you Spicoli.

Rory – Jamie must be special.

Paris – Or Ted Bundy.

Paris – Theoretically, yes, but the second I mention a guy they’re gonna both start singing the theme from the Trojan Man commercial, and I just can’t take that, okay?

Rory – My mother, the Howard Roarke of Stars Hollow

Andrew – You went out with Liam Neeson?

Lorelai – That's sweet, Spectator Ken.

Lorelai – Well, look who's suddenly interested in dance.

Rory – Yeah, he's a regular Martha Graham.

Lane – No one asked for a Tony Manero wannabe to drop by.

Shane – Who are you, Bobby Brady? Get a life.

Jackson – Does anyone here understand that a man has a right not to have his personal life debated in a public forum? I'm not Winona Ryder.