Although Lorelai and Emily had one of the most contentious and tumultuous relationships in all ofGilmore Girls, the show’s season 3 Christmas special proved that Emily shared some of her daughter’s rebellious streak.The cast ofGilmore Girlswere almost always caught up in some form of drama. Despite the show’s reputation as a cozy comfort watch, barely an episode ofGilmore Girlswent by without a misunderstanding between Lorelai, Rory, one of their respective love interests, Emily, or Richard spiraling into a fight. Meanwhile, the rest of Stars Hollow was no better when it came to conflict resolution.
Why Jason Left Gilmore Girls In Season 5
While Jason “Digger” Stiles was one of Lorelai’s best love interests ever, his Gilmore Girls exit was inexplicably sudden. There’s a reason for this.
Luke was almost always at war with Jess despite wanting the best for him, while Taylor Dosey did his best to ensure that there was always some conflict brewing in the tight-knit small-town community. Although Rory’sGilmore Girlslove interest Jesswas often blamed for bringing a bad attitude to the cheery town, the Stars Hollow town meetings prove that Taylor was stirring drama for years before the teen ever arrived. However, none of this local conflict could outdo the constant battle that Lorelai and Emily Gilmore waged against each other throughout their fraught, dramatic relationship.
Emily Struggled With Her Mother-In-Law In Gilmore Girls Season 3, Episode 10
“That’ll Do Pig” Highlighted Emily’s Obstinate Side
Emily constantly nagged Lorelai even though it was her unreasonable expectations that drove her daughter out of her home decades earlier. She expected Lorelai to align with the values of her upper-crust social circle even though Lorelai had profoundly rejected this privileged world when she moved to Stars Hollow and cut her parents out of her life years before the series began. It often seemed as if Emily had no idea why Lorelai rejected her worldview, but her meeting with her mother-in-law in season 3, episode 10, “That’ll Do Pig,” proved that the Gilmore matriarch wasn’t as different as she appeared.
One of the best Gilmore Girls Christmas episodes, “That’ll Do Pig ” saw Emily struggle with Richard’s overbearing mother, Trix, and her return to America.
Emily’s rebellion against her mother-in-law was mirrored in Lorelei’s issues with Emily, as “That’ll Do Pig” turned the tables on the show’s heroines. One of thebestGilmore GirlsChristmas episodes, “That’ll Do Pig ” saw Emily struggle with Richard’s overbearing mother, Trix, and her return to America. Lorelai and Emily bonded as Lorelai taught her mother how to deal with an oppressively obstinate and uncouth mother figure, but Emily never appreciated the irony of this setup or realized just how much her interactions with Trix mirrored Lorelai’s relationship with her. Like Lorelai, Emily just wanted some peace and space.
Emily Shared Lorelei’s Rebellious Edge Throughout Gilmore Girls
Lorelai and Emily Struggled To See Their Similarities
What “That’ll Do Pig” highlights is one of the central paradoxes that makes Emily such a fascinating character inGilmore Girls.Emily yearns to be independent like Lorelai, but she struggles to align this free-spirited edge with her world of DAR meetings and elaborate society luncheons. Theharsh reality ofGilmore Girlsis that Lorelai and Emily weren’t as different as both characters chose to believe as Lorelai’s need to remain a central cog in the Stars Hollow community wasn’t all that different from her mother’s obsession with her family’s reputation and her place in high society.
Trix inadvertently drew attention to the similarities between Lorelai and Emily when she began making offhand criticisms of Emily while praising her daughter. Suddenly, Emily saw just how annoying it was to have one’s insecurities dissected by a family member, and she felt the constraints of polite society forcing her not to respond. For the first time since the series began, Emily was in Lorelai’s position at a Gilmore family dinner. Some ofthe funniest episodes ofGilmore Girlscentered on this weekly ritual, but Emily finally got to see how stuffy Lorelai found the tradition in “That’ll Do Pig.”
Emily & Lorelai’s Christmas Briefly Fixed Their Gilmore Girls Relationship
Season 3 Saw The Pair Come To A Temporary Detente
When the town of Stars Hollow gossiped about Rory and Dean sleeping together in season 1, Lorelai got a taste of what her mother endured when she became pregnant. Lorelai berated Rory for the damage that she might do to her reputation, proving that she wasn’t all that different from her mother.Lorelai’s struggles with Rory’s place in Stars Hollow were similar to Emily’s struggles during Lorelai’s adolescenceand, while Lorelai handles the pressures of parenting with more grace, there are a lot of similarities between the two characters.Logan’sGilmore Girlscharacter arcprovides another example of this.
In “That’ll Do Pig,” Lorelai finally reaches a temporary détente in her relationship with her mother as she realizes that the pair aren’t all that different.
When Lorelai criticizes Logan, it is pretty transparent that she is processing her disappointment with Christopher. She accuses Logan of being a feckless rich kid whose wealth and privilege isolate him from consequences and, while this might be true of Rory’s college boyfriend, it is also how Christopher could have been described around the time he and Lorelai conceived Rory. In “That’ll Do Pig,” Lorelai finally reaches a temporary détente in her relationship with her mother as she realizes that the pair aren’t all that different. Ironically, seeing Emily battle an older female family authority like herself engenders sympathy from Lorelai.
A Year in the Life Improved Emily and Lorelei’s Dynamic
The Divisive Gilmore Girls Reunion Helped The Pair’s Relationship
While 2016’sGilmore GirlsrevivalA Year in the Lifewas far from perfect, the miniseries did finally see Emily and Lorelai improve their unhealthy dynamic. The pair both acknowledged their similarities and forgave each other for their failings during an emotional phone call in episode 4, “Fall,” wherein Lorelai shared a happy memory of Richard with her mother.Gilmore Girls’ reputation as a comfort watchbelies its substantial emotional stakes, and this scene proves just how much the heroines of the series grew and changed over the years. “That’ll Do Pig” helped with Emily’s thawing process.
Emily didn’t see the similarities between herself and Trix but, by the time the show’s revival took place, she could at least see a lot of herself in Lorelai.
When Lorelai witnessed Emily struggling with Trix’s constant criticisms, she managed to build a bridge between herself and her mother instead of just laughing at Emily’s inability to take what she dished out.Lorelai was proactive in healing her relationship with Emily, even if it took her emotionally stunted mother a long while to reciprocate the gesture. Emily didn’t see the similarities between herself and Trix but, by the time the show’s revival took place, she could at least see a lot of herself in Lorelai. This allowed them to finally bury the hatchet, bringing all threeGilmore Girlstogether at last.
BothGilmore GirlsandA Year in the Lifeare available to stream on Netflix.
