Lorelai and Emily don't exactly have a great relationship... but watching it is one of the best parts of Gilmore Girls.
In the early days of Gilmore Girls, it seems that Emily Gilmore is a straight-up villain. Lorelai is the cool mom, the quirky and fun main character, and her mother is a mean, stuck-up, and demanding woman... but that's not exactly right. As the series continues, it becomes clear that while Emily has her faults, so does Lorelai, and Emily's heart is in the right place.
In fact, the development of their relationship is one of the best things about the series, as fans come to know and love Emily, and appreciate her quick wit. For those who think that Gilmore Girls should have had more Emily, we've got the best episodes to re-watch (not including A Year In The Life).
These episodes will always go together, as they combine Rory's first big dance with Dean, and the aftermath of them staying out all night. This is also a great combination to sum up their relationship, from the night of the dance, when Emily is helpful and Lorelai calls her 'mommy', to the fight in the morning when they realize that Rory isn't home and Emily explodes, to the pettiness of un-inviting Lorelai to the Christmas party, and of course, to the heart attack, and the moment the whole family comes together.
Richard's domineering mother makes an appearance in this episode, and offers Lorelai money for Rory's education. It's a kind gesture, but it upsets Emily, as she thinks that if Lorelai doesn't need her for money any more, she simply won't see her again. While Emily is selfish, and snappy, she is also vulnerable here, and it shows how important her daughter is to her, and how happy she is that Lorelai and Rory are back in her life.
In the first season of the series, Emily hasn't seen Lorelai or Rory for a long time, and has no idea what their lives are like. That's what makes 'Emily In Wonderland' so important - it really hammers home how big the separation has been. Emily comes to Star's Hollow in this episode, tries on sneakers, sees the town... and sees where they lived when Rory was a baby. Emily gets truly upset, thinking that her granddaughter missed out on so much, and that her daughter must have hated her. It's one of the first times that she really shows how much she was hurt, and it's incredible to see.
While many of the Lorelai/Emily centric episodes are very emotional, this one is just fun. In 'Like Mother, Like Daughter', Emily ends up using the Inn for a charity function - a fashion show.
She's impressed with Lorelai and her wok (which is amazing in and of itself), but she also gets Lorelai to volunteer as a model, and the two do a matching outfit run! It's heartwarming to see how enthusiastic and happy Emily is, and how Lorelai warms up to it when she sees that.
Sometimes, it's hard to watch when Emily just wants to spend time with her daughter, and Lorelai keeps acting like a recalcitrant teenager. In this episode, the two end up at a spa weekend together, and Emily keeps trying to spend more time with her, while Lorelai keeps trying to escape her mother. In the end, it looks like they are gearing up to another fight, but this ends up being one of the best Lorelai/Emily episodes as the two go out to dinner together and end up actually enjoying each other's company.
This episode is told largely in flashback, as Lorelai remembers her pregnancy with Rory - and her mother's reactions to it. It's important as backstory for their relationship, but it's more than that. This is also an episode that shows how fiercely Emily would defend her daughter, and how hard she worked to try and do what she thought was best - in her own, inimitable, way.
As the series progresses, Lorelai starts to realize just how her mother feels, and to see her as human - not just as a mean mom. 'An Affair To Remember' is definitely one where Lorelai gets closer to her mother, as Richard and Jason's business launch party causes chaos.
Emily breaks down to Lorelai when she reveals that Jason has decided to forgo the traditional cocktail party - and Emily feels useless and worthless as a result. For once, Lorelai actually sympathizes, and offers advice.
This is actually one of the saddest episodes in the series for Emily, so proceed with caution (and tissues). In it, Lorelai and Rory are attempting to window shop, when they bump into Emily at the mall, and something is clearly wrong. She is a complete whirlwind, emotion-buying anything in sight, and offering to do the same for the Lorelais. However, as they coax her away to eat, it becomes clear that she is miserable - upset about her marriage, upset that she has nothing to do, feeling neglected and miserable. She even tells Lorelai that she admires how she deals with a situation over the phone. It's a positive moment for them, but a heartbreaking one at the end, as Emily asks Richard how he likes a new purchase... and he says he has 'always' liked them.
Another sad moment for Emily, as her separation from Richard leads to Lorelai wanting to help fix things... but her mother wants to date. Of course, she doesn't really, and is seen post-date in tears at home alone - but at least we all know that this has a happy ending. This isn't as mother-daughter focused as some of the other episodes, but the simple fact that it focuses on Lorelai actually wanting to help her mother, rather than acting like she is a burden, is a wonderful example of just how much things have changed.
At this point in the series, Lorelai and Luke have been together for a while, and are hoping to get married - and even though Emily doesn't like Luke, she wants to show her support for her daughter. In this episode, Lorelai is left playing driver to her mother after eye surgery, and Emily tells her to drive to an estate agent, where she has been looking at bigger homes near Star's Hollow. At first, Lorelai is horrified that her mother wants to live nearby, but then she realizes that Emily would buy one for her and Luke - an incredible gesture that shows just how much Lorelai means to her mother. From start to finish, this episode shows how far they have come.
