In ‘Bon Voyage‘, Rory accepts a job going on the road with Barack Obama as he campaigns for the Presidency. This means she’s going away in just 3 days - no special roller coaster trip with Lorelai, no lingering moments in Stars Hollow… and she could be gone for a long time! Rory, who wasn’t very happy to hear about the re-enactment graduation party that Stars Hollow had planned, now plans to leave Stars Hollow without a goodbye party.
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Luke, in a particularly intuitive moment, realizes that Stars Hollow needs a chance to say goodbye to Rory, as much as she needs a better way to say goodbye to all of them. It’s very unlike Luke to spearhead any town activity, particularly one of this size and with this kind of rush. We all know he loves Rory like a daughter, but what prompted Luke to make a big Stars Hollow party?
Why was it so important, even when rain threatened, for Luke to throw this party? Why didn’t he want credit for it? How much, if any, of the party idea was Luke’s way of getting Lorelai back? Or was that just an afterthought?
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The party for Rory was cancelled and Luke wanted to throw the party since she was leaving soon. And being a nice and caring guy that Luke is he threw the party but with the help of the whole town.
Luke threw the party because its Rory. In all ways but legal he is her dad. He has always been there for her. He put balloons on a table one year for her birthday. Brought ice to one of her birthday parties. Just basically was the Dad who was responsible and not doing this would have not been Luke.
Luke said why: he just wants to see Lorelai happy. He knew Lorelai needed something to commemorate the Rory going away, some kind of memory she could live with while Rory is gone.
I don’t think it he did it to bring Lorelai back into his life. He did intuitively because he felt it was the right thing to do for both the girls. Lorelai acknowledging in the end his gesture was just bonus point.
I think he did it for everyone else but himself. He wanted to give the town the goodbye they wanted and were looking forward to. He wanted to give Rory a chance to say goodbye to the people and the town that she had grown up in and had made her what she was. It was her home and she was leaving and it’s not her’s or Lorelai’s style to just leave quietly.
He also did it for Lorelai. As he said he wanted to see her happy and he knew that seeing how much the town loved her daughter would do that. He wanted to give Rory the send off she deserved and allow Lorelai to perhaps see something she had never actually seen, that her and Rory were part of something. They weren’t just outcasts from her mother’s society. They belonged somewhere. They fitted in and were/are surrounded by people who love them regardless.
We know that Luke thought of Rory as his daughter in many capacities and while he may not like town events, he knows that Rory and Lorelai would love this sort of thing. Grand gestures aren’t completely out of character for him either as he did throw April a birthday party (albeit, with Lorelai’s help) and built an ice rink for Lorelai. While I do think Luke wanted to please Lorelai, I don’t think he thought, “Gee, if I throw Rory a good-bye party, maybe I’ll get back together with Lorelai.” That wasn’t his motive. I’ve always really liked the Rory/Luke connection (as underplayed as it is) and I think Luke threw the party because he wanted to make Rory feel loved and appreciated.
In the previous episode Lorelai spins the marbles in her head about the blue hat being some kind of a sign. She then sings a love song to Luke at the bar and everyone thinks they are getting back together.
Luke thinks this is good until he hears Lorelai being shy and telling others it meant nothing.
Right after is when he throws Rory a going away party, just for her.
He does later say to Lorelai that he likes to see her happy and they kiss.
End of series.
Awww . . . the finale. Luke did it because he loves Rory, and even more than Rory, he loves Lorelai. Luke has always been a Dad to Rory, much more so than Chris ever was or ever will be. Luke is a big softy in a hard shell.
Agree with Mac & Jessica – Rory holds a special place in Luke’s heart & he wanted to acknowledge how fond he (& the town) are of the Gimore Girls!
Just one of many, many fabulous story links in this exceptional series. I’ve watched countless t.v series (American, UK & Aussie) over the years & nothing comes close to the quality writing, production & acting in GG.