Among my indulgence of pumpkin-based drinks, an annual rewatch of Gilmore Girls is one way I prefer to immerse myself in the joys of Autumn. I think we can all acknowledge that nothing screams Fall like foliage, Taylor’s town meetings, and of course, breakfast at Luke’s. For the next three months, Stars Hollow is my cinematic home, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. While rewatching the series invokes some seriously inexplicable feelings of nostalgia for somebody who made their existential debut the same year that the show debuted on the CW, this time around, I’m ingesting each episode in ways I haven’t before; and consequently, developing new stances.
Some of my newly formed opinions align with those of the longtime fans I see on Twitter and aren’t too controversial; positions such as Christopher was the spawn of satan, Rory wasn’t as innocent as we used to praise her for being, and Lorelai needed to heal her inner child are all quite valid when you rewatch the show with an evolved, adult perspective.
However, the most significant, most controversial of my new takes on “Gilmore Girls,” the one that would probably get me booed with a shower of popcorn and rotten tomatoes is that Emily Gilmore is, without a doubt, the superior Gilmore girl.
I know I will get serious backlash from the Lorelai and Rory fanatics, but before you refuse to proceed, hear me out.
For those who’ve yet to enter the cinematic universe of Stars Hollow and the dreaded but oh-so-entertaining Friday night dinners, Emily Gilmore, portrayed by the talented Kelly Bishop, is the highly opinionated, blatantly classist, two-piece suit-wearing, charity event throwing mother to Lorelai, wife to Richard, and grandmother to Rory.
Emily bumps head with her daughter every episode, shamelessly. I mean, this woman really holds nothing back. When she fears Lorelai is selling herself short by dating Luke, she takes it upon herself to send Christopher, Rory’s father, to get her back.
When Emily wants Rory to be with somebody of a higher caliber than Dean the Doose’s Market cashier, played by Jared Padalecki, she throws her a dinner party full of eligible bachelors.
And when Emily and Richard go through a rough patch in their marriage, what does she do? She packs up and vacations in Europe…for an entire summer. Despite being able to see the Chanel No. 5 on this woman, I admire Emily Gilmore for being who she is at all times.
Is she problematic? Absolutely. Could she have been a better mother? Without a doubt. However, with Emily, what you see is what you get.
I have endless respect for flawed characters and people alike who bear their flaws proudly. It’s the plaid-skirt-wearing, puppy-dog-eyed, book-reading Rorys of the world with the tendency to throw stones and subsequently prefer to sever their hands off at the wrist before admitting guilt and accountability that I have an issue with.
As a “Gilmore Girls,” enthusiast, I highly recommend rewatching or beginning the series if you’ve yet to indulge in the series and all its clever, quirky glory. I truly cannot think of a better way to tap into all the Fall feels than by consuming the beloved series in its entirety. I’m fully aware this is not a popular opinion, and it is in full Emily fashion that I write, edit, and subsequently publish this for the world to see.
We’re not put on Earth to be agreeable, but rather to learn strength by being firm in our isolated opinions and behaviors. And what, if nothing else, is Emily Gilmore if not the epitome of the Devil’s advocate?