Next week is Thanksgiving. And while most folks are excited to chow down on turkey while attempting to avoid their weirdo relatives, there is also another reason to rejoice this holiday. Because Black Friday will mark the release of Netflix's Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, to the glee of its rabid fanbase. This will give the comedy series a proper ending, as it was suddenly cancelled in 2007 by the newly formed CW. Because fans had been watching for seven seasons, this caught the community off guard, and a true finale was never filmed.
In preparation for this release, the cast has been doing a ton of press. Kelly Bishop, who plays Gilmore matriarch Emily, recently revealed her favorite episode of the original series to Entertainment Weekly. And you might be surprised by her choice.
It was when Richard's mother died and I read the letter and found out that she had been trying to talk him out of marrying me and then I went on a binge. I was just drunk in every scene. I was smoking cigarettes. It was like my Tennessee Williams episode. So that was my favorite one just because it was so bizarrely out there.
That's right, Kelly Bishop loved to play Emily while she was sauced and smoking a cigarette. I can't blame her- that entire episode was pure gold.
The episode in question was from Season 4, titled "The Reigning Lorelai". In this episode, Richard's mother "Trix" (aka the first Lorelai) suddenly dies. While Emily attempts to console her husband and plan the funeral arrangements, she finds a carbon copy of a letter Trix wrote to Richard just a day before their wedding. The letter claims that Emily is an unsuitable match for Richard, and he should instead marry Lorelai's almost mommy Pennilyn Lott. This sets Emily into a break down, as she drinks, smokes, lounges, and dumps the arrangements on Lorelai's lap.
Emily Gilmore is probably the most complex character on the show. While she's manipulative and judgmental, Emily is also constantly chasing the affection of her loved ones. She longs for a close family, despite usually going about it the wrong way. Seeing Emily drop all of her pretenses in "The Reigning Lorelai" was a shocking moment of clarity for the audience.
It does look like history is repeating itself in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Emily's scenes in the trailer seem to focus on her in the wake of Richard's death. We see Emily once again spinning out in the wake of death, as she purges the Gilmore house of frivolities while wearings jeans and a t-shirt(!!). It should be interesting to see how her interactions with Lorelai change, and how willing Lorelai is to really be there and support her mother, despite their strained relationship.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life will be released in its entirety on November 25th, 2016.
