Born: Lucas Danes
Profession: Proprietor, Chef and Manger at Luke's Diner
Relationships
Romances: Lorelai Gilmore (fiancee)
Nicole Leahy (ex-wife)
Rachel (ex-girlfriend)
Anna Nardini (ex-girlfriend)
Family: April Nardini (daughter)
Jess Mariano (nephew)
Doula (niece)
Liz Danes (sister)
William Danes (father)
Louie Danes ( paternal uncle)
Friends: Lorelai Gilmore
Series
Portrayed by: Scott Patterson
Episode: 150
First seen: Pilot
Last seen: Born Voyage
Luke Danes is a main character on WB drama Gilmore Girls. He is portrayed by Scott Patterson. The character will return for the Netflix four-episode revival.
Character
Luke is Stars Hollow's local diner owner. He has lived in Stars Hollow his entire life, and his dad's hardware store (William's Hardware, in the middle of town) became his diner after his dad passed away. While his father was heavily involved in town events, Luke has resisted all of them, including most Town Meetings and the War Re-enactments.
Though Luke expresses animosity towards town events, it is evident that he cares for the town and never has huge ambitions leave. When Richard Gilmore States that Luke could open up a whole chain of Luke's Diners , Luke respectfully declines as has not interest becoming a business magnate. The small-town home feeling that he has directly correlates to his failed relationship with Rachel.
Luke attended Stars Hollow High School where he Lettered in Track (hurdles), a successful team that went to the State Finals more then once, and won twice. After his father died, Luke moved into the office above the diner and converted it to an apartment. He lived there alone until his nephew Jess Mariano was sent by his mother to live with Luke. Although, Jess left, he returned to his old and independent self.
Series arc
The focal point of much of Luke's storyline is his long term love interest, Lorelai Gilmore. Since Lorelai doesn't cook, Luke feeds Lorelai and Rory. Luke's Diner is included in every episode and is a big part of their lives. The possibility of a Luke and Lorelai romance is hinted at early on,even though it takes long to accumulate. At Rory's 16th birthday party Luke thoughtfully brings a bag of ice, just when Lorelai is about to leave the party to get some, and Emily comments that the "ice-man" checking Lorelai out of which she blushes and denies it.
In particular, this comes to a head when Lorelai is eating at Luke's diner alone for Christmas and he lovingly makes her a Santa-themed burger. At this time, Lorelai hears news of her father's heart attack and panics; Luke announces an abrupt shutting down the diner to drive her to the hospital. He stays to comfort her, including a hug and thoughtful commentary (and Lorelai at one point inadvertently admits that he's good-looking to which he's very intrigued to hear more about). During a wait, Luke ends up speaking with Lorelai's mother Emily who asks if the two were on a date or are a couple. When Luke says no that they're just friends, Emily replies, "Your'e both idiots."
Things are complicated when, Luke's past flame, Rachel (who is "Elle McPherson on pretty") returns to Stars Hollow to be with Luke. While happy to see her. he is apprehensive about what this reappearance means, as Rachel is a world-travelling professional photographer,who Luke previously knew to have an adventurous heart and left him without a word. In the end Rachel leaves, because she could that Luke is in love with Lorelai, even if he has never acted on it. However Lorelai is engaged at the time and Luke doesn't act. When Sookie tells Luke that Lorelai has called off the wedding, he is joyful and gives everyone in the diner a round of free coffee.
Luke begins dating one of Taylor Doose's lawyers, Nicole Leahy, eventually marrying her while on a cruise. This marriage turns out to be a mistake and they divorce when Nicole is seeing another man. This discovery also results in Luke's arrest for beating up "the other man's" car. After a flippant remark about self help books from Lorelai, Luke buys a book that helps him realize that he is in love with her. After taking Lorelai to his sister's wedding, Luke kisses Lorelai on the opening night of the Dragonfly Inn. Luke takes Lorelai out on their first official date and tells her that he has saved a horoscope she gave him on the first day they met in his wallet. He has been pining for ever since he met her.
Lorelai surprisingly proposes to Luke, and he quickly accepts. However, their relationship becomes and more strained as Luke pushes away his commitment to Lorelai to deal with a confusion caused due to his daughter, April, who appears in his life as a 12-year-old. April is a daughter of Anna Nardini, an old girlfriend of Luke's. He discovers his paternity when April conducts a science fair experiment to discover over which of three man and her father.
The inclusion of April in his life cause much confusion for Luke who is unsure of how to combine his relationship with Lorelai with his blossoming relationship with his daughter. This is culminates in Lorelai giving Luke an ultimatum-marry her now or it's over. Luke panics, and cannot commit, and Lorelai walks away.
Season 7, Lorelai starts dating Christopher as an adult and quickly the marry, initially souring the relationship between Luke and Lorelai, especially after Lorelai tells Luke that she slept with Christopher shortly after walking away from Luke after her refused her ultimatum. In the scene, Luke drives to Lorelai's house , his truck full of supplies for their elopement, and tells her he is ready, before she tells him what happened. Eventually, a reconciliation occurs, Lorelai ends her marriage with Christopher and begins to rebuild her relationship with Luke, Which is helped by Lorelai needing Luke's help with purchasing a new car and he goes to great lengths to help her.
Audiences see a glimmer of hope when Luke returns to his signature blue baseball hat(a gift from Lorelai) and a drunk Lorelai serenades Luke with "I Will Always Love You" at a karaoke party. The series ends with a kiss between Lorelai and Luke, after he worked all night to throw a goodbye party for Roy.
Romances
Anna Nardini
Anna and Luke dated in the early '90s, and Anna was present at the opening of Luke's Diner. According to Anna, Luke was always annoyed by children, which is why she kept April from him and raised her alone. Anna also seems to Luke's family, as Liz says that she remembers Anna and that she liked her.
They seem to have had a good relationship and been close, but not star-crossed as they are able to communicate somewhat calmly and tensionless up on seeing each other again after 12 years-aside from the matter of April, of course.
Rachel
Rachel and Luke dated in the mild-90's. Rachel is an adventurous spirit and wanted to live in somewhere more exciting then Stars Hollow, but Luke didn't want to leave the place he grew up and so Rachel left, devastating Luke.
Rachel returns to Stars Hollow in 2001 having just spent time in the Middle East and, while Luke is stunned at first, they discuss later how the miss each other. Rachel asks what is going on between Luke and Lorelai, but Luke insists they are just friends. Rachel begins working at Luke's and offers to take Lorelai to the old Dragon Fly Inn across town since she is heading that way, Which Luke seems to be find weird and uncomfortable-the idea of Rachel and Lorelai hanging out. During this outing, Rachel and Lorelai talk about Lorelai's dream to open an Inn and how Rachel is ready to settle down with Luke and ready to make things serious.
Rachel invites Lorelai over to Luke's apartment to look at photo she developed of the Dragon Fly Inn, Rachel tells Lorelai about how she has changed her mind and feels like she might leave Stars Hollow she says she cant seem to convince Luke that she is serious about making th relationship work this time. Rachel asks Lorelai to put a good word with Luke if they talk about it. While Lorelai helps Luke unload groceries in the storage room, Lorelai encourages Luke to take the plunge and commit to Rachel, Luke gets angry with Lorelai for taking Rachel's side.
Lorelai doesn't understand why Luke is so scared to Commit unless there is another reason Luke doesn't want to be with Rachel. Luke says there isn't another reason. After this conversation, Luke cleans out a drawer for Rachel and gives her a key to his place.
Nicole Leahy
Nicole is with the few contracted Taylor Doose when he rents the building next to Luke's Diner, and Jess encourages Luke to ask her out, saying Nicole was obviously flirting. Luke later throws caution to the wind and asks Nicole out and the two date for a while. Luke, still interested in Lorelai, but unable to process it, goes away on a cruise with Nicole after a conversation about it with Lorelai.
Nicole and Luke end up getting married on the ship and while they both are overwhelmed by the prospect of marriage, they later decide,amidst divorce proceedings to not divorce, start dating again and take things somewhat slow. Luke eventually agrees to move in with Nicole and later realizing that she's cheating on him, finalizing their relationship.
Lorelai Gilmore
The love of his life, without whom he would be forced to suffer a flannel stitched life alone and grumpy.
Traits
- Presented as a health nut concerned about Rory and Lorelai's unhealthy food habits, although this is toned down in later episodes.
- Has adverse reactions to hospitals.
- Kept his father's hardware shop as it was externally, but turned it into a diner.
- Hates town events, but attends town meetings.
- Always wears flannel or plaid shirts, jeans and blue backwards baseball cap.
- He wore a brown baseball cap at the start of the show, but after Lorelai gives him a blue baseball cap as a present (1.10) he wears the same blue cap for the rest of the show. The only exception was when he wore a black baseball cap after he and Lorelai's engagement broke off.
- Has broken his nose at least twice, the first time a a kid during his "hockey phase."
- Gets frustrated a lot and has regular tiffs with Taylor Doose.
- Once a year on the anniversary of his Dad's death Luke has a "dark day", he closes the diner and isolates himself.
- Hates both coffee and champagne.
- Often goes to bed early because he has to get up early to run the diner.
- Is almost a devoted to Rory as he is to Lorelai, certainly he is more protective.
- Luke can waltz-which impresses Lorelai.
- Likes to camp and go fishing.
How many cups have you had this morning?
- First line.
Coming right up
- Bon Voyage
Trivia
- He lives in a apartment above the diner that used to be his father's old office.
- He's a Scorpio.
- He was record holder in track in high school.
- His nickname was Butch in high school.
- No cell phones are allowed in his diner, a rule that Lorelai flouts constantly.
- He constantly fixes up things for Lorelai, a sign of his feelings towards her.
- When he was younger he was a 'Trekkie.'
- Had an uncle who, like Luke, wasn't involved in the towns activities and showed much animosity to the town.
- Luke has an ongoing animosity towards Stars Hollow's mayoral leader, Taylor Doose, who continually harasses Luke about town events and the Stars Hollow Historical Society; historical, decoration.
- Taylor opens an Old Fashioned Ice Cream shop next door, installing a viewing window between the two shops, without asking Luke's permission.
- Taylor also destroys the shop front of the Diner in Season 7 by causing a car to crash though the front window by accident.
- He has a rule that Sookie, and everyone else, cannot be behind the counter. However that rule was broken when the inn caught fire and she had to cook for all of the displaced vacationers.
- In high school, he may or may not have made out with Crazy Carrie under the bleachers during a football game.
- His father William Danes, died on the 30th November.
- He is the godfather of Lane and Zack's twin boys, Steve and Kwan.
- The character of Luke was actually supposed to be a woman, but the creators thought they needed "more testosterone".
- Luke was only supposed to make an appearance in the pilot episode, but after seeing the undeniable chemistry between him and Lauren Graham' character, Lorelai Gilmore, he was made a main character.
Appearances
Season 11.01 • 1.02 • 1.03 • 1.04 • 1.05 • 1.06 • 1.07 • 1.08 • 1.10 • 1.11 • 1.12 • 1.13 • 1.14 • 1.15 • 1.16 • 1.17 • 1.19 • 1.20 •1.21
2.01 • 2.02 • 2.03 • 2.04 • 2.05 • 2.06 • 2.07 • 2.08 • 2.09 • 2.10 • 2.11 • 2.12 • 2.13 • 2.14 • 2.15 • 2.16 • 2.17 • 2.18 •2.19 • 2.20 • 2.21 • 2.22
3.01 • 3.02 • 3.03 • 3.04 • 3.05 • 3.06 • 3.07 • 3.08 • 3.09 • 3.10 • 3.11 • 3.12 • 3.13 • 3.14 • 3.15 • 3.16 • 3.17 • 3.18 •3.19 • 3.20 • 3.21 • 3.22
4.01 • 4.02 • 4.04 • 4.05 • 4.06 • 4.07 • 4.08 • 4.09 • 4.10 • 4.11 • 4.12 • 4.13 • 4.14 • 4.15 • 4.16 • 4.17 • 4.18 • 4.19 •4.20 • 4.21 • 4.22
5.01 • 5.02 • 5.03 • 5.04 • 5.05 • 5.06 • 5.07 • 5.08 • 5.09 • 5.10 • 5.11 • 5.12 • 5.13 • 5.14 • 5.15 • 5.16 • 5.17 • 5.18 •5.19 • 5.20 • 5.21 • 5.22
6.01 • 6.02 • 6.03 • 6.04 • 6.05 • 6.06 • 6.07 • 6.08 • 6.09 • 6.10 • 6.11 • 6.12 • 6.13 • 6.14 • 6.15 • 6.16 • 6.17 • 6.18 •6.20 • 6.21 • 6.22
7.01 • 7.02 • 7.03 • 7.04 • 7.05 • 7.06 • 7.07 • 7.08 • 7.09 • 7.10 • 7.11 • 7.12 • 7.13 • 7.15 • 7.16 • 7.17 • 7.18 • 7.19 •7.20 • 7.21 • 7.22
