11 Times Gilmore Girls Made Us Desperate for Kleenex

Gilmore Girls is often praised for the beautifully written relationship between Lorelai and her daughter, Rory.

As a single mom at 16, Lorelai knew no other way to parent Rory other than to raise her as a friend, a confidant, and an equal.

While Lorelai and Rory’s freakishly close bond has always remained the heart of the beloved series, it’s a stark contrast to the relationship that exists between Lorelai and her own mother, Emily.

Emily raised Lorelai in a privelged home, but stripped away much of the freedom that children desire, which caused an eventual rift between the two strong-willed women, and lead to Lorelai leaving home with a newborn, ready to find her own independence working at the Independence Inn in Stars Hollow.

Some of the greatest triumphs of the series are the incredible scenes between these two characters who are incredibly similar, but also two sides of the same coin.

Whenever Emily and Lorelai share a rare, emotional moment, it becomes the standout of the episode, and shows viewers that Gilmore Girls has always been about THREE Gilmore women.

Emily doesn’t show her vulnerability very often, but these moments with Lorelai are some of the best moments of the series, and something we hope to see more of when Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life hits Netflix on November 25.

Don't see your favorite Lorelai and Emily "pass the tissues" moment? Add it in the comments below!

1. Emily Chooses Vicious Trollop

Emily plans a weekend trip to the spa for she and Lorelai, unaware that Lorelai really doesn’t want to share couples massages and cucumber water with her. The night begins with the Gilmore women sharing a lipstick called ‘Vicious Trollop,’ and ends with Emily angry that her daughter allowed her to dance with a strange man. Later that night, Emily laments the fact that she and Lorelai will never have the relationship that Lorelai has with her own daughter.

2. Emily Makes Mashed Banana on Toast

When Lorelai pulls her back out the night of Rory’s first dance at Chilton, Emily decides to stay at her home and take care of her, something Lorelai hasn’t needed in years. In a rare moment of domesticity, Emily prepares Lorelai mashed banana on toast, a meal that she says she used to make for her as a child whenever she was sick. I dare you not to tear up when Lorelai first rejects it, and Emily’s sadness is apparent.

3. Emily Co-Signs the Loan

Lorelai needs a loan from the bank to fix her termite-ridden foundation, and she fears that no bank will ever give her the funds she needs. Emily, in a moment of kindness, sets up a meeting for her daughter with the bank. At the meeting, Lorelai quickly understands why Emily did this: the bank wouldn’t give Lorelai a loan without a co-signer, something Emily wanted to do for her daughter just to be nice. Naturally, Emily is crushed by Lorelai’s frustration over the matter.

4. Lorelai is a Kayak

As her marriage to Christopher is crumbling, Lorelai helps Emily get the family finances in order after Richard’s heart attack. Emily marvels at Lorelai’s independence, and likens her to a kayak. Lorelai can do things on her own, paddle her own boat, unlike Emily who is resigned to the fact that she’ll always have to be a passenger.

5. Lorelai Stops Emily's Plane Purchase

Emily feels like she failed again after Rory moves out. In an attempt to reclaim some of the control around her, Emily tries to buy a plane...well, timeshare a plane. Lorelai stops her, and assures her that she hasn’t lost Rory...or herself, for that matter. It’s the most honest moment that Lorelai and Emily ever share.

6. Emily Says "Hello"

After a separation from Richard, Emily is ready to go on a date, and goes to her daughter for advice on how to ask a man out. When she succeeds, she call Lorelai in a panic confessing how long it's been since she's been on a first date. It’s a sweet moment between the two, although we’re mostly crying because Emily and Richard can’t get divorced.

7. Lorelai Didn't Tell Emily

Lorelai is at first offended by Emily’s curt reaction to her engagement news, but is taken aback by her mother when she screams at her, crying, because Lorelai can’t imagine what it felt like for Emily to be the very last person on earth to find out that her only daughter is getting married. We never wanted to give Emily a hug more than at that moment.

8. Emily Doesn't Know Her Daughter at All

While at the Gilmore’s home in Stars Hollow, Emily comes across a photo of Lorelai in a cast after she broke her leg. Emily is saddened by the fact that Lorelai was ever hurt physically and didn’t tell her mother. Emily realizes then that she doesn’t know her daughter at all.

9. Lorelai Continues Friday Night Dinners

As Rory is getting ready to leave on Barak Obama’s campaign trail, Emily decides that it might be a good idea for Lorelai to add a spa to The Dragonfly, and suggests that they get together to discuss it. Lorelai sees the request for what it really is: Emily is afraid that Friday Night Dinners will end without Rory. Lorelai brightens Emily’s face by simply saying, “Why don’t we talk about it Friday night, at dinner?”

10. Like Mother, Like Daughter

On the night of the Bracebridge Dinner, Rory looks over at Emily and Lorelai getting ready for bed, and sees her future: the two women have identical routines for applying their nighttime face moisturizers. It’s comical to Rory, but also a pleasant nod to the fact that Lorelai is a lot more like her mother than she’ll ever admit to.

11. Lorelai Took Rory Away

After Emily discovered the conditions that Rory grew up in after Lorelai ran away with her at 16, she was horrified. She confronted Lorelai with her thoughts on the subject, unable to understand why Lorelai could have ever hated Emily that much that she would take Rory away from them to live in poverty. Excuse us, we need another tissue.