| h o s t e d b y f a n - s i t e s . O R G |
Up to date up to end of Season 4. Currently in possession of Season 5 DVDs, so update 'til end of that coming very soon.
Please note that this description does not mention any of her romances with anyone except Christopher when she was a teenager, and Luke. This is as this site focuses on the Luke/Lorelai relationshi.
Lorelai is the base of the show, really. Her relationship with her mother and her daughter (the gilmore girls) is the center of the show, making her probably the most important character.
Lorelai grew up in Hartford with her mother Emily Gilmore and father Richard Gilmore. It was a rich family in a rich neighbourhood, with balls and expensive dresses. Lorelai was the 'rebel' of the community, hating that life and everything that went with it.
I imagine that she didn't hate the life when she was a lot younger - pre teens - but there is not a lot said about her earlier in that life.
At the age of sixteen, Lorelai realised she was pregnant when she couldn't fit into her debutante ball dress. The father is Christopher Hayden, another teen in the same sort of life that also wanted to get away. Lorelai says that the worst part of her life was that stretch between knowing she was pregnant and telling her parents.
When she went into labor she didn't tell her mother, but simply left her a note. When Emily got to the hospital, she was angry because Lorelai didn't let Emily drive her to the hospital. During labor, both the nurse and Lorelai told Emily to stay out of the room. Lorelai says that giving birth was the most painful thing in the word; 'something akin to doing the splits on dynamite.'
After the birth, and naming her daughter after herself, Lorelai says that Rory (a nickname for Lorelai the Third) is 'perfect.' Chris suggests that they get married, as that was the respectable social thing to do in such a situation, but Lorelai rejects the offer.
Lorelai moves to the small town of Stars Hollow with her daughter Rory, and finds work at the local inn, called 'The Independance Inn.' The owner, Mia, takes Lorelai in, allowing her to live in the small shed behind the inn. Lorelai works her way up in management of the inn, until she finally becomes the head manager.
Approximately eight years into living in Stars Hollow Lorelai meets Luke when, it can be assumed, she moves into the new, large house for herself and Rory. Luke owns the local diner, and makes the best coffee. For two years Lorelai calls Luke 'Duke' to bug him.
When Rory is almost sixteen, Lorelai tries to get her into a fancy private school called 'Chilton' which would help her on her way to getting into Harvard, a life long dream. Unfortunately, it costs a lot of money even with a scholarship, so Lorelai asks her parents for money to send Rory to Chilton.
Although her parents agree to pay for the school, in return they want to see more of Rory, and this means that every friday night Lorelai and Rory have dinner with Emily and Richard. That is the start of show, that change in their lives.
For a long time Lorelai had a dream about opening her own inn with her best friend Sookie, who's a chef. That dream starts to materialise when they start looking for places, finding a beautiful and old rundown house in Stars Hollow. Unfortunately the land is owned by Fran, another townie, who, while respecting Lorelai and Sookie's dream, could never sell it.
Later in the show, the Independance Inn has a fire, and, coincidently, almost immediately after that Fran dies, leaving the Dragonfly - the name they gave to the property for their new inn - on the market. At first there are issues with Yale tuition, but eventually they put a bid on it, and get it.
While Lorelai is hectic with the opening of the Dragonfly, long time friend Luke is being subtle about starting a relationship. First asking her to his sister's wedding, and then asking her out to a movie later on, Lorelai is a little weirded out about his behaviour, though is not unhappy about the idea of a relationship.
The relationship gets off to a rocky start when on the Dragonfly's test run night, Luke meets an ex-boyfriend of Lorelai's, who is under the impression that himself and Lorelai are still together. After several misunderstandings, Luke and Lorelai share their first kiss at the Dragonfly, only to be interrupted by Naked Kirk.
After a complicated night due to Rory sleeping with ex-boyfriend Dean, Lorelai gets a message from Luke saying that he has to go out of town to help his sister.