Mrs. Kim vs Emily Gilmore

In The Gilmore Girls Companion, when talking about the episode ‘Rory’s Dance,’ there is a segment highlighting Emily’s speech to Lorelai warning her that she’s going to lose Rory. Lorelai says she has raised Rory differently, without suffocating her like Emily did to her. Given how controlling we are led to believe that Emily was in Lorelai’s life – decorating her room, choosing her schools, primping her clothes and opportunities – how is it that we don’t see Lane turn out more like Lorelai?

When you think of it, Lane is in a similar situation of control. However, she finds, as this interview shows, alternate ways of coping. She rebels in less destructive ways.

So, what is it about Emily & Mrs. Kim that makes their “control” different? I know each girl – Lane vs Lorelai – has different ways of coping, but perhaps their reactions were in part dictated by their relationships with their mothers. Did Lane have a better relationship with Mrs. Kim, despite her controlling nature? Why?

Emily Gilmore a Beloved Grandmother

In honor of Grandparents Day, which was celebrated this week, TV Squad put together a list of Favorite TV Grandmothers and Grandfathers. Ranking in at #2 on the list is our beloved – and perhaps hated? – Emily Gilmore!

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The reason they chose Emily:

“Sure, Grandma Gilmore could be a little snotty, and there was no mistaking she was a woman of means. But there was also no mistaking her love for daughter Lorelai and granddaughter Rory. We loved Kelly Bishop’s portrayal of Emily Gilmore, a classic old-money matriarch, and she couldn’t have been paired with anyone better than the always-able Edward Herrmann, who played Richard Gilmore, Lorelai’s dad and Rory’s grandfather.”

I wouldn’t want her for my grandmother necessarily, but I LOVED her character!!

Rory Wants to Stay in the DAR?

In ‘Friday Night’s Alright for Fighting‘, Emily & Rory argue about the DAR. Emily wants her to quit – Rory doesn’t want to. Rory says she has friends there… don’t you think this weird?

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Are Rory & Emily fighting just to fight… or does Rory really want to stay in the DAR?

Watch this episode of Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

Image: TheWB.com

Emily Gilmore as Greatest TV Grandma

Though Emily Gilmore may have been voted a Worst TV Mom, in TV.com‘s TVs Greatest Grandmas list, she was one of the faves! Go figure!

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Emily Gilmore clocked in at #15 on the list, saying that she “won’t hesitate to deliver a good old-fashioned tongue-lashing if someone wrongs her family.” Here’s the video they used to illustrate this:

Thanks Sylvia! ; Image: TheWB.com

Emily Gilmore a Worst TV Mom?

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day, and in honor of that, many notable lists are being drawn up about TV moms. One such list is Buddy TV’s “Worst TV Moms Ever”

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Clocking in at #13 on the list is Emily Gilmore. They say that, though her relationship with Lorelai “improved a bit” by the end of the series, “it pretty much remained strained” and that Emily was “snooty and very difficult to please.”

Well, at least she wasn’t #1, right?

Image: TheWB.com ; Thanks Sylvia!

Why Does Lorelai Bash Emily?

In ‘To Live and Let Diorama‘, Lorelai is being interviewed for a magazine about the Dragonfly Inn. They talk about the design of the Inn, which Lorelai is proud of, and the reporter says the place is so “homey” that it must reflect Lorelai’s upbringing. That starts Lorelai on a bit of a rant about her mother and how she was not an inspiration – in fact, she really portrays Emily as a villain. Not done with that, she tells a family story.

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Though Lorelai later realizes she’s crossed a line with some of the things she said about her mother – things which the writer loved and wants to print – why did Lorelai open her mouth on her mother to begin with? Was she being too friendly with the writer? Why would Lorelai be so free about her family issues? Was she just nervous?

It seems, to me, that Lorelai is a very professional woman and, though she has issues with her mom, she probably would not want to see unprofessional by including those issues in an interview.

Watch this episode of Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

Image: TheWB.com

Why Does Emily Shop Like Crazy?

In ‘Scene in a Mall‘, we come to one of my favorite scenes with Emily: when she goes on her shopping spree at the department store! She had spotted Lorelai and Rory at the mall and had dragged them along. Emily is immediately catered to at the store, probably from past shopping sprees. When she’s there, she spends thousands and thousands of dollars, buying whatever is presented to her.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTjk6DGmTVQ]

Why does Emily vent her frustration through shopping? What can we see from the purchases she makes? Does she even want any of these things? How much of this is out of frustration in general, and how much out of frustration for the “man with a moustache”?

Watch this episode of Gilmore Girls on TheWB.com here.

Image: TheWB.com