Lorelai calls Rory to share a bizarre, Northern Exposure-like dream where she takes the real Paul Anka for a walk. The human Paul Anka and the dog Paul Anka continue to reverse roles: at one point human, Paul Anka is being petted by Babette while sitting on her lap. Funny stuff. I would love to know what the real Paul Anka thinks of all this…
Luke’s leaving Caesar in charge of the diner while he’s on the road with April for the field trip to Philadelphia. Kirk offers to pitch in as well, hairnet and all. Luke’s not interested. And who’s ever heard of a 10-day high school field trip?
A visit to Yale shows things are very strained between Rory and Logan. She continually insists everything’s okay, yet she can barely look at Logan let alone talk to him.
Luke and April prepare to get on the bus, and she’s got some rhyming tips for him to remember names. Luke is very confused by the sing-along with all the chemical elements properly represented, but bonds with a boy who can rap about Johnny Damon betraying the Boston Red Sox and donning Yankee pinstripes.
Mrs. Kim brings her “vintage” wedding dress to Lorelai for alterations. She would like Lane to wear it for her wedding. Mrs. Kim also has issues with women riding horses.
Back at the Yale Daily News, Logan is upset over an article that he was scheduled to write which Rory re-assigned and finished herself.
As the field trip takes a break for lunch, April confesses to Luke that she likes the boy he was talking baseball with on the bus. She also kindly asks him for a little space.
Oh no. The return of Logan’s crew. They are gathered at his place to map out the last mission of the Life and Death Brigade. Rory arrives home and doesn’t exactly make them feel welcome. After they take the hint and depart, Logan announces he’s fed up: “You haven’t forgiven me”…
“It’s got pants,” cries a very distraught Lane to Lorelai. She makes it very clear she has no intention of wearing her mother’s weeding dress, and asks Lorelai to covertly destroy it. While sympathetic, Lorelai tries to reassure Lane that she can perform some magic on the dress.
Lorelai is also distracted by spotting her parents walking around Stars Hollow. She grills Kirk again, who has officially set up shop in a decrepit building that should probably be quarantined. He even has a motto: “Nothing we can’t work with”…
Rory receives a letter from Jess, and couldn’t look more pleased.
Lorelai confronts Richard and Emily, and they claim to be antiquing. Lorelai is desperately trying to talk her parents out of Stars Hollow, and while it’s funny at times – it goes a little over the top.
Luke and April visits Jess’ bookstore in Philadelphia. Seems like a cool place, kind of a meeting place for artists. “Men in this family aren’t chatty,” is April’s initial assessment of cousin Jess.
Then Rory arrives, prompting Jess to reply “Well, isn’t this a day of surprises…”
So April meets Rory as well, and Luke couldn’t stumble over his words more if he tried. He’s become quite a frustrating character of late.
Luke tells Jess he and April have to hit the road. While he might not exactly fathom what the bookstore’s all about, he’s very proud of Jess. A pretty nice moment.
Meanwhile, at Luke’s diner, Emily mistakes a little girl for Luke’s daughter. Lorelai corrects her, and Emily practically bites her head off – demanding that she ditch her passive nature and form some sort of relationship with April. She also repeatedly refers to the girl she mistook for April as a moron. Very nice.
Jess and Rory are looking very cozy at the bookstore after the crowd disperses. Jess asks if things are back to normal, and Rory says they are. They kiss, and Rory backs away. Jess is understandably confused: “I thought everything was fixed”. Not exactly, responds Rory – explaining her situation with Jess’ favorite guy Logan: “I can’t help it-I’m in love with him”.
Jess forgives her, and they part amicably – for now…
The Real Paul Anka closes effectively with Lorelai surveying Mrs. Kim’s dress, and ruining it.
