Kelly Bishop played the cold and serious Emily Gilmore in the TV series “Gilmore Girls”. Since the original series ended in 2007, Bishop has moved on to other roles to separate herself from the distant mother that so many fans were rooting for.
Bishop recently starred in The Amazing Mrs. Maisel, another TV show created by Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman—Palladino. According to IMDb, this is the only thing Bishop has been working on lately, but many fans agree that she will forever be known as Emily Gilmore, one of the smartest characters with the wittiest insults.
“You don’t run after boys who honk”
Emily is a woman of class and style. She was brought up traditionally and not like anything Rory or Lorelei are familiar with.
On the night of Rory’s first dance, Emily hoped to photograph Rory and Dean in their outfits. But when Dean got in the car and signaled to her that he was there, Emily panicked. She told Rory never to chase guys who honked at her and to wait inside until Dean went up to the house. Although it was uncomfortable for Rory to wait knowing he was outside, it was one of her best quotes because it reminded Rory that she deserved respect.
“I watched you grow up. You were a charming boy. A weak but charming boy. And to be completely honest, I’ve never thought much about you.”
Luke’s battle against Christopher: Who was Better for Lorelai was a constant theme of Gilmore Girls. While Lorelai knew that her connection with Luke was what she needed, Emily refused to believe that Christopher had completely dropped out of sight.
Before renewing her vow, Emily went to Christopher and was extremely honest with him. She didn’t think much about him, but she thought he was a better option for Lorelai than Luke. Emily turned out to be completely wrong in this assumption, but her statement about Christopher was clever. Christopher was charming, but he never had what it took to become the man Lorelai needed.
“I wasn’t taught to be best friends with my daughter. I did what I thought was best for you.”
No matter how much Lorelai and Emily loved each other, they had quotes that contradicted each other throughout the series. Lorelai and Rory were best friends, as well as mother and daughter, which Emily wanted with Lorelai, but never got.
When the two fell out over their relationship, what Emily said was smart and realistic. She wasn’t raised with the idea that children should be their parents’ best friends. Her main goal was to protect Lorelai and observe her success. No matter how different Lorelai was from Emily, even Lorelai understood this.
“Yeah, and think about where you’d be if you accepted a little help, hmm? And where would Rory be.”
There are a lot of things about Emily Gilmore that haven’t aged well. From the way she treated her staff to her views on the middle class, Emily was elitist, and she didn’t care what those “below” her thought.
However, no matter how wealthy the Gilmores were, they were always there when Lorelai needed them. Knowing this, it was ridiculous that Lorelai hated the rich life she came out of because it helped her in so many ways. With this quote, Emily put Lorelai in her place and reminded her that not only would Lorelai and Rory be in a different place if she accepted additional help, but Rory’s education would be different without them.
“You congratulate the groom, you offer the bride best wishes.”
Emily was a stylish, solid woman who valued herself highly. There were many scenes in which Emily taught Gilmore girls lessons to the audience because of the tips and tricks she gave to Lorelai and Rory.
One of the smartest things she taught the audience was how to properly congratulate the bride and groom. After Luke congratulated her on the upcoming renewal of the vow, she taught him a lesson in etiquette, saying: “Congratulations to the groom, best wishes to the bride.”
“Your father doesn’t know what he wants. He would have cut his hair at the butcher’s if I’d let him.”
For many, Emily and Richard had the perfect relationship in The Gilmore Girls. He took care of finances and business, and she kept the household and their social calendar.
No matter how smart Richard was on his own, without Emily he would have been lost in many ways. Emily hit the nail on the head when she uttered this clever quote. Without Emily, Richard wouldn’t know how to do many things or where to do basic things, like get a haircut.
“Marriage is not always to be happy, and often not to be happy at all. It’s about compromise…”
No one was as excited as Emily Gilmore when Lorelai and Christopher got married. This was what she wanted from the very beginning. But, as expected, Lorelai and Christopher did not fit together, and cracks began to appear in their foundation.
Emily saw the couple struggling and gave Lorelai wise advice.
