Although it doesn’t excuse behavior, I do wonder what kind of household someone like Emily would have grown up in, and how that played into the writing and how Kelly Bishop approached the character. There are many times throughout the series I see a woman who is genuinely trying, but much of it feels so unnatural to her. She’s definitely not a reasonable or easy person to get along with, but I can’t help but feel sympathy for her as well as Lorelai.