Later, at the meeting, Rory has the conscience to cringe visibly as Richard and Charlie engage in Xtreme Cronyism. "If you knew the number of truly guilty criminals put back on the street by this man, here," Richard says, "you'd never believe in the criminal justice system, again!" Uh, congratulations? Rory gets a wrinkle in her forehead, but says nothing. When she finally gets a chance to ask a question, she says she'd just like to know what's going to happen. Davenport condescends to her like she is an infant, and explains how he's going to schmooze up the prosecutor and get him to agree on an easy plea bargain. Rory thanks him and swears she'll never need his help again.

Rory makes it back to the guest house, which she couldn't have left more than an hour ago, and finds it almost completely empty. Emily's project has begun. Rory sits down on one of three potential new chairs, and thinks. And then we make a weird transition to later that same evening (I guess) where we see...Rory again, getting ready to go out. And, like a breath of spring into a stagnant atmosphere, comes Paris. Thank God. Five minutes on screen, and she pretty much saves this whole episode. Paris asks Rory if she has any fear of sleepwalking right into the pool outside. "I do now," Rory answers. Paris is over to borrow a dress to wear to yet another event to meet members of Doyle's family. "He's got, like, five hundred cousins," she says, "and you know what? He's the tallest one in the family." Poor Doyle. Paris continues: "Every family get-together is like a Lollipop Guild Convention; I have to stop myself from asking how it's going at the Chocolate Factory." Love it. ["Sure, but it's not like Paris is Wilt Chamberlain herself." -- Wing Chun] "Good, good," Rory coaches, "get it all out, now."

Paris finds a suitable dress and tells Rory that she and Doyle have decided to move in together, and would like Rory to move in to their extra room. Rory says that's very Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice, minus Bob, but has to drop the bomb: she can't move in with them, because she's not going back to school. Paris pauses, and then declares, "You're pregnant." Rory says no, that's not the case. Ah, Paris jumps to the next obvious conclusion. "Sick," she says, narrowing her eyes. "You look pasty." Exasperated, Rory says no again. Paris is now frustrated -- I mean, more than usual. "Well," she says, "I know your National Guard unit didn't get called up, so what's the story?" May I take a moment and say how very much I love Paris? How Liza Weil has not been snatched up to play "funny friend at the office" in every romantic comedy à la Joan Cusack in the '80s, I don't know, but I'm kind of glad, because, well, for one, they don't even make good romantic comedies anymore, and secondly, I don't want her to leave this show, because she elevates the quality of every scene she's in, not unlike Edward Herman does, whenever they give him something good to say. Anyway. Paris is the friend everybody needs. You've got to have someone around to call bullshit on the dumb things you're always saying. Rory repeats that she's just taking time off, and stomps out into the empty living room with the incredulous Paris trailing behind, asking what happened. Rory goes into defense mode. "People take time off," she says. "Einstein took a year off." Paris ain't buying it: "Yeah, after he discovered three laws of physics." Rory has had enough, and says not very convincingly that she is a grown-up, independent and on her own. Paris points out to this alleged grown-up that she has no furniture. Rory tries, but fails, to come off all casual and repeats Emily's earlier words about customizing the place to Rory's tastes. Paris, again, is on the case. "I get it," she says. "I know what this is all about..." But, no, Rory says she doesn't and, annoyed, tries to shoo Paris out...