Gilmore Girls: 10 Saddest Things About Emily

Kelly Bishop’s Gilmore Girls character could be scary, but underneath her fancy clothing and tough attitude was a kind and sensitive person. She cared about her family (even when she fought with them), wanted to be an active member of her community, and enjoyed the life that she had built.

Emily and Richard had a lot of money, but Emily learned over the years that she had to work hard to find joy and contentment in her daily life, despite everything that she had. There are many reasons to think about Emily Gilmore and feel emotional.

10 Emily Allowed Shame to Win Over Love

Emily and Lorelai had so many problems and it all started because Lorelai got pregnant while still in high school.

Emily felt shame about that pregnancy, and it’s sad that she hurt her daughter’s feelings and wasn’t there for her. Instead of supporting her daughter through a difficult and unexpected time, she threw away any possibility for love and connection. Lorelai needed her mother as she was becoming one herself, but that just didn’t happen.

9 She Wasn’t In Contact With Her Daughter For Years

Becoming a grandma is incredibly exciting, and Emily missed out on so much of Rory’s life because she and Lorelai were estranged for years.

Instead of being there all the time and watching Rory grow up, Emily only got to know her when she was 16 years old. Emily and Lorelai had a few happy times but too much time had passed and the healing between them wouldn’t happen easily.

8 She Had To Ask Someone Else For Photos Of Rory

In season seven, Lorelai, Rory, and Emily went to Mia’s wedding in North Carolina. It turned out that Emily had asked Mia for some photos of Rory when she was younger, as Emily hadn’t been there but Mia was around.

It’s really sad that Emily had to ask a stranger for these family memories. It must have been another terrible reminder of how badly she had messed up her relationship with her daughter.

7 She Had Conflict With Both Richard And His Mother

Everyone hated when Richard and Emily split up and it didn’t work from a storytelling perspective.

Not only did Emily have conflict with her husband, but Richard’s mother, Trix/Lorelai (Marion Ross), didn’t care for Emily at all. It was pretty eye-opening for Lorelai to watch this happen, as her mother never liked any of her partners, and yet Emily couldn’t see the hypocrisy.

6 She Helped Richard Through Two Heart Attacks

Richard had heart attacks in season one and seven, and these were really sad times for Emily.

In the first season episode, Emily demanded that she be allowed to die first and Richard, smiling because, of course, he knew that no one could predict that, agreed. It was heartbreaking for Emily to watch her husband suffer with his health twice. She wasn’t sure what to do and she felt helpless, which wasn’t a good feeling for her, as she was always happiest when in control of a situation.

5 She Couldn’t Relate To Rory

Alexis Bledel’s Gilmore Girls character has some problems but she was incredibly sweet when dealing with her grandparents. Rory tried really hard to make them happy and be the granddaughter that they want.

Emily struggled in her relationship with Rory and never felt like she could relate to her, and it was sad to watch. She often made things more complicated than they had to be, whether throwing Rory a birthday party that was too fancy or creating a room in her house that Rory didn’t really need.

4 She Didn’t Know Lorelai Broke Her Leg

In the first season, Emily found out that when Lorelai broke her leg a few years before, she had no clue that had happened to her daughter.

This was one of the saddest things about Emily. It was a huge eye-opener for her as she said that she didn’t know her daughter. She couldn’t pretend that all the Friday Night dinners in the world could make up for the time lost and the memories that were never made.

3 She Made Lorelai Go To Therapy Then Blamed Her For A Strange Letter

There are many weird storylines in the revival, and no fan expected Lorelai and Emily to go to therapy together.

This was odd enough, but then Emily kept blaming Lorelai for a strange letter that she got. It was sad that Emily hoped to connect with her daughter through talking to someone, but instead, she just got even more upset and amped up. It seemed like nothing could bring these two together again.

2 She Had To Grieve Richard’s Death

The death of a spouse is an incredibly sad experience and no one can be prepared. There are no words to describe how painful this is.

One of the saddest things about Emily is the fact that she had to grieve Richard’s death. It happened before the events of the revival, and the whole Gilmore clan was emotional and reeling.

1 She Started A New Life, Which Was Scary

The Gilmore Girls revival recently aired on The CW, and this batch of newer episodes included a huge journey for Emily.

She had to build a new life for herself, a totally scary prospect, and it was sad for her to leave her house, friends, and community and move somewhere new. While she found a newfound passion as a museum guide, she was dealing with the loss of the life she knew before, and it was hard for fans to watch her go through such a difficult period.

About The Author

Aya Tsintziras
(1730 Articles Published)

See also  Dexter: New Blood – Why Kurt Lied About Matt

Aya Tsintziras is a freelance writer who writes about pop culture and TV. She has a Political Science degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Journalism from Ryerson University. She loves coffee, reading, working out, and watching TV. She lives in Toronto with her husband.

More From Aya Tsintziras