In a recent episode of Scott Paterson’s (Luke Danes) Gilmore Girls-themed podcast, I’m All In, Patterson was asked what his order at Luke’s Diner would be. His response got fans excited: “Burger, fries, gallon of coffee … and another season of GG. You?”
There have been rumors about another reboot for years but so far nothing has come to light. Until news is shared, Gilmore Girls fans resort to rewatching the series, getting their fill of Luke and Lorelai. And while Luke is portrayed as the quiet, grumpy diner owner, there’s so much more to him. He had plenty of quotes that proved he was one of the smartest, caring, and bright characters living in Stars Hollow. His hatred for Taylor and change simply masked all the ways Luke shined.
“They Underpay Employees And Overprice Merchandise. They Contribute To Urban Sprawl. They Encourage Materialism.”
In season 1, Lorelai suggested that Luke went to the mall and walk around to waste some time. Luke, of course, was against the idea of shopping and said he hated shopping malls.
He told Lorelai that on top of underpaying its employees, “the parking [lot’s] a horror.” At this point in Luke and Lorelai’s relationship timeline, the two were just friends but it was fun to see their banter early on in the series.
“Everything In The Past Was So Quaint, So Charming. Times Were Simpler. Kids Didn’t Have Sex. Neighbors Knew Each Other. It’s A Freaking Fairy Tale.”
In ‘Love, War, and Snow,’ Luke was annoyed that Stars Hollow was reenacting the Revolutionary War because he didn’t feel like the soldiers of Stars Hollow had to do anything during the war. Fans loved how passionate Luke was about random happenings around the town — even during his freakouts.
When talking about the past, Luke said how much he hated tradition and viewed it as a trap. After raving about how easy it was back then, he finished this quote by saying, “Things sucked then, too. It just sucked without indoor plumbing.” While Luke can be hostile, this quote proved how deep of a thinker Luke was.
“Watching TV In Bed Screws Up Your REM Sleep.”
Luke and Lorelai were very different but they worked as a couple. She got him out of his shell and he calmed her down in a variety of situations. Another one of their differences was that Lorelai loved watching TV and Luke didn’t care for it.
He told Lorelai that he didn’t keep the TV by his bed because it screwed up his REM cycle. Lorelai fought him on this because she loved falling asleep to late-night television, but Luke wasn’t wrong. There are countless studies about electronics and lighting throwing off a person’s sleep. Adorably, Luke was one of Lorelai’s best boyfriends and bought her a TV anyway.
“I’m Gonna Talk To TJ But I’m Gonna Be Smart About It, I’m Not Gonna Spook Him. I’m Gonna Be Like Michael Corleone Dealing With That Slimy Brother-In-Law Of His”
In season 6, Lorelai was feeling lonely since Rory left her home to live with her grandparents. Luke and Loreali had one of the best relationships on the series and were getting more serious so Luke decided to sell the Twickham house and move in with Lorelai after a few home renovations.
But when Luke’s brother-in-law TJ ruined Lorelai’s dream renovation, Luke took things into his own hands. He knew he couldn’t freak out and fire TJ like he would any other worker. Luke had to approach him calmly or things were going to get worse. This statement proved how smart Luke was because he had to treat him softer to make any kind of difference.
“You Know What Helps Get Rid Of A Cold? A Healthy Immune System.”
Luke wasn’t wrong when he told Lorelai that healthy immune systems help fight illnesses. Even though Luke worked at a diner and sold her the junk food he warned her of, he still wanted her to be healthy and knew that healthy foods would help her when she was sick.
Luke would tell her to drink less coffee, eat less takeout, and drink more water but Lorelai always made light of it. This sarcastic yet logical quote was one of the better quotes in season 3.
“You Don’t Buy A Car Based On A Feeling. Sports Cars Don’t Think They’re Better Than Other Cars, Okay?”
Things were awkward between Lorelai and Luke when they called off their engagement. Considering Lorelai jumped right into a relationship with Christopher, it took Luke a long time to get over his rage and hurt.
One of the first gestures of reconciliation between the two happened when Luke took Lorelai car shopping when her beloved jeep died. The two were unnecessarily nice to each other for a while but eventually, Luke snapped into his old self and reminded her that she was shopping wrong. While she was searching for a “feeling” that she got when she found her car, Luke reminded her car shopping wasn’t about feelings. It was about finding a safe and reliable car when she needed it.
“Did You Know That Golf Courses Are An Environmental Blight Because Of The Chemicals They Use To Keep The Grass Green?”
As a business owner and true pillar in the community, Luke didn’t always get the respect he deserved. He was far smarter than people gave him credit for.
In one scene, Rory was wearing a new golf hat that she got from her grandfather’s country club. Watching the two golf was one of the sweeter BFF scenes between Richard and Rory. Luke commented on her new hat and when he learned she had been golfing, he let her know a fun fact about the environmental impacts of golf courses.
“You Can’t Shut Down, You Can’t Avoid Her Calls.”
In ‘Swan Song,’ Jess showed up to Friday night dinner with a black eye, which only made Rory assume he was in another altercation with Dean. In reality, Jess was attacked by a swan but was too embarrassed to tell anyone about it so he stayed silent about what happened to him.
Luke saw that Jess was in a bad place after the dinner and gave him some smart advice about what to do next. He told Jess that if he didn’t communicate with Rory he was going to lose her. And sadly, Luke was right. Jess shut down and the two broke up. Nevertheless, it was a sweet scene between Luke and Jess.
“…You Refuse To Be A Part Of That, You Are Going To Be Very sorry.”
Luke and Jess knew more than anyone how many times Liz Danes messed up in her life but she was turning a new leaf when she met TJ.
The two planned a unique wedding in Stars Hollow but Jess wanted nothing to do with it. Whether it was spite against his mother’s parenting, hatred for TJ, or disgust being back in Stars Hollow — Jess would rather skip the nuptials. Luke knew how much Jess would regret this down the road and told him so. Jess didn’t always listen to Luke but Luke’s quote was smart enough to encourage Jess to do the right thing.
“That’s Because People Are. Sometimes They Just Don’t Say What They Mean.”
When Liz found out she was pregnant, she told Luke that TJ left her after hearing the news. Luke was enraged that TJ would abandon his sister like that so he went to a bar and found him.
As it turned out, TJ never abandoned Liz and it was all a miscommunication. When TJ told Luke how complicated life was, Luke had an intelligent and realistic quote; People are complicated by nature and they don’t always say the right things. As usual, Luke’s words did the trick and TJ went home. However, the situation was not one of Liz and TJ’s best moments.
