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In Spring, Stars Hollow takes center stage.

Spring wisely opens with Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Emily (Kelly Bishop) as they begin the therapy sessions the previous episode set up. Unfortunately, their first visit isn't particularly fruitful since they both “run out the clock.” But the ladies make return visits throughout the episode with varying results.

For a while, it doesn't seem like a lot will come out of these sessions. They do provide some entertaining moments but for the most part, it's not much different than their usual bickering. Yet, as usual, the show manages to sneak up on audiences and pull out the rug from under them. What initially appears like a routine visit takes a sudden turn when it's revealed that Emily wouldn't show up. It seemed that even she got tired of these sessions.

At first this looks like the towel is being thrown in on a joke that simply went on too long. The first episode seemed to hint that the therapy sessions would be a pivotal point for the women and the show. Instead, audiences got to sit through a bout of silence, Lorelai nonsensically singing, and a mysterious letter is brought up. (Hopefully that will be explained at some point.)

So, when it seems appropriate to call the therapy sessions a waste is when the payoff finally shows up. And it turns out to be a classic case of misdirection. The therapy sessions were for Emily. She's the grieving widow who was supposed to have a breakthrough. But instead, her absence is actually what triggers the moment audiences have been waiting for.

When Lorelai realizes her mother isn't showing up she, understandably, gets ready to leave. But almost without thinking she sits back down and opens up. It's a heartbreaking scene that cuts to the core. As she details her father's last moments, it becomes clear that Lorelai had become so focused on her mother's grief that she ignored her own. It also casts a different light on her actions at the funeral reception from the previous episode. And she articulates some doubts about her relationship with Luke (Scott Patterson) that she was, perhaps, not fully aware of.

But Lorelai isn't the only one having a personal crisis. The episode also gives Michel (Yanic Truesdale) time in the spotlight. He has always been an uptight and generally exasperated character, but rarely did he seem truly overwhelmed by his problems. Usually his complaints and sarcasm were just a result of Michel being Michel. But now there's a real sense of urgency to his dilemma. After all these years Michel finds himself at a crossroads.

He's been at the Dragonfly Inn since the beginning and helped make it what is. And like with most people, that longevity has brought with it a sense of comfort and routine for Michel. But beneath the veneer of security lies a feeling of stagnation. The Dragonfly Inn isn't just a job for him anymore; it's part of who he is. But now that he's getting older and his life is changing, Michel finds himself taking stock of his situation. And he is finally realizing that his time at The Dragonfly Inn is coming to an end.

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