the season opens with lorelai having to break the news to richard and emily that she and christopher aren't getting back together, although this does result in her mending her rift with luke. rory is estranged from christopher for a time but later gets back in touch, resulting in the girls attending sherry's baby shower and supporting her in labour until christopher arrives. lorelai has trouble getting back into dating, receiving a dinner invite from kirk, intermittently dating alex, the business partner of an old friend of sookie's, and having a brief reunion with max.