Gilmore Girls wins Thanksgiving with the funniest holiday episode you’ll ever watch

Each year for Thanksgiving, those who celebrate the holiday do so by watching football, the annual dog show, and/or their favorite holiday episodes of their favorite television shows. Friends, Modern Family, and New Girl have some of the most iconic Thanksgiving episodes of all time, but no one should count out the hilarity of the Gilmore Girls Thanksgiving episode.

While there’s more than one in the series, the true main holiday event of the series is season 3 episode 9, “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving.” In the episode, Lorelai and Rory take on the challenge of attending four different Thanksgiving dinners, bringing everyone flowers and a chocolate turkey. First, they make an appearance at Lane’s for some tofurkey and drop by Sookie’s before the fried turkey really hits the fan. Then it’s an awkward but delicious meal at Luke’s before the fireworks explode during dinner at Richard and Emily’s.

For fans of the show, the second the pumpkin spice lattes are available at the local coffee shop, it’s Gilmore Girls season. It’s the unofficial ultimate fall show, and there’s nothing more emblematic of fall than Thanksgiving. Complete with family dysfunction and unexpected food choices being served at a friend’s house, the series fully captures the essence of the Thanksgiving experience. Lorelai’s need for extra marshmallows on her sweet potatoes is a little too relatable.

We’re sharing the top five moments from the episode that make it one of the best, most hilarious, and all-around festive Thanksgiving episodes you will ever watch!

1. Rory’s awkward kiss with Jess

The season 3 Thanksgiving episode marks Rory and Jess’ official debut as a couple, and Rory fears that the whole town has their eyes on her following the messy public breakup with Dean at the dance marathon. She’s right to worry because when Rory and Jess kiss at Luke’s before having Thanksgiving dinner together, Lorelai jokingly comments that it was a “lame-o” kiss and Babette tells Rory to step up her game. It’s a funny moment that later inspires Rory to let go of what people think and to go for a much less careful kiss with Jess out in the open. (Of course, Dean had to see it and attempt to pick a fight with Jess. Ugh, Dean!)

2. Kirk vs. Cat Kirk

As per usual, Kirk has a comedic throughline throughout the episode that adds some laughs each time Lorelai and Rory bump into him around town. They first cross paths in front of the Chat Club store, where he’s purchasing supplies for his cat, who also has the name Kirk. Lorelai and Rory don’t exactly understand why he’d name his cat after himself, but like with all things Kirk, you can’t ask too many questions. Each time they run into Kirk in the rest of the episode, he’s sustained new injuries from his cat. As it turns out, cat ownership might not be in the cards for Kirk.

3. Sookie’s deep-fried breakdown

“A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving” was one of the few times Melissa McCarthy had a real opportunity to be Melissa McCarthy in the series. As quirky as Sookie could be, she wasn’t as larger-than-life as some of McCarthy’s later film characters. We caught a hilarious glimpse at the comedy genius in action as she reacts to Jackson living it up and deep frying a turkey first… then everything in sight. Sookie starts drinking when Lorelai and Rory first bid her farewell, and when they reunite with her after their busy day, she’s drunk and just too, too funny.

4. Bible Kiss Bible (a.k.a. Lane and Dave)

Over the course of seven seasons, there were a few love interests for each of the women in the main cast, and the most underrated love interest of the entire series has to be Lane’s boyfriend Dave Rygalski, played by Adam Brody (right before he starred in The O.C. as Seth Cohen). In the Thanksgiving episode, Dave plays the part of the perfect Christian boyfriend, bringing his Bible along to make $20 playing guitar for the Kims’ holiday festivities. When Lane and Dave later share a kiss, she pages (pages!) Rory “Bible Kiss Bible,” and we have to agree with Rory — great band name.

5. Lorelai’s very long Thanksgiving

Of course, the basis of the episode entails Lorelai and Rory making their way to four separate Thanksgiving celebrations. The first three go off without incident (at least for Lorelai and Rory), but when they arrive at Gilmore manor, you could cut the tension with a carving knife. Hungry from their adventures, Lorelai makes a hilarious quip when Richard does a “ceremonial” carving of the turkey, but when the guests turn the conversation toward Rory’s college plans, all hell breaks loose when she reveals she’s applied to Yale. It’s not Thanksgiving until someone walks away mad!

Watch Gilmore Girls and its revival miniseries on Netflix.