“Do you have feelings for this man?”

EMILY: Why do you treat me like I don’t have a clue in the world as to what is going on in your life? Now I’m asking you, as a favour, if you have any respect for me at all as your mother, just tell me. Do you have feelings for this man [Luke]?
LORELAI: I don’t know. Maybe I do. I haven’t given it much thought. Maybe I do.
EMILY: Thank you. I’m glad you were finally honest with me. Now we can discuss what on earth you could possibly be thinking.

Although Sookie has been trying to persuade Lorelai that she likes Luke as more than a friend, it is Emily who finally forces Lorelai to openly admit she might have feelings for him. There is some poignancy that she chooses to open up to her mother before her best friend – and possibly that’s because she knows Emily will slap her down for it, rather than be given encouragement as Sookie would. On some level Lorelai doesn’t want to be pushed toward Luke, she wants to be pushed away, and Emily obliges.