Fannish5: 5 best or worst mothers (that have a designation other than "evil stepmother")
As with the fathers, I'm going with mothers who actually raised their children. Mothers who died giving birth or very early on, sacrificing their lives, might be very praiseworthy indeed but unfair as it is, they never got to prove themselves much in the ways of day to day interaction and, to quote Alicia Florrick, in parent-teacher conferences.
1.) Alicia Florrick from The Good Wife. In addition to all the other stress in her life, she has two teenagers on her hands. Which she handles admirably, coping with manipulative girlfriends and religious streaks alilke. Also, she doesn't ridicule her children's enthusiasms, which makes her very cool indeed.
2.) Sandra Bennett from Heroes. I stopped watching around ep 10 or so of season 3, but when I left her, Sandra was fabulous. Overcoming obstacles such as regular mindwipes and being partronized by husband and daughter alike, she's loving, fiercely protective, and, once she's finally let in to the secrets, brave. (Also, she's a great proof for adoptive mothers being terrific.)
3.) Sarah Connor (Terminator/ T: The Sarah Connor Chronicles). In other circumstances, training her son as a soldier from toddlerdom onwards would count against her, but in her circumstances it's life saving. Also, talk about someone who gives their life for their child; Sarah does this not by dying heroically but by transforming herself into a warrior and trying to change history so there won't be a need for any messiah. She also fights the good fight because that's what she believes in, I don't want to put down her insight and heroism. But being a mother set her on this journey, and it is a quintessential part of her.
4.) Joyce Summers (Buffy: The Vampire Slayer). Joyce isn't perfect and for the first two seasons suffering from Denialitis Sunnydalonia. But even in this state, she's ready to defend her daughter with an axe (ask Spike). She copes with being divorced, living in a town with a high deathrate, one daughter who is the Slayer and during the last year of her life another who has a crazy hellgod after her and is an entity for whose sake Joyce's and everyone else's mind got altered. (She also copes with having dated a robot and her daughter's vampire boyfriends who may or may not go psycho at any moment.) (And with finding herself replaced as the supreme parental authority figure by a sexy British librarian.) In conclusion: Joyce rocks!
5.) Moya from Farscape. Moya is a Leviathan who spent years being imprisoned, traumatized and basically raped before gaining her freedom, and still manages to mother all her passengers (who are the most difficult lot this side of the Liberator crew) and her doomed offspring Talyn. All the other mothers mentioned here go through a lot, but I think Moya wins for sheer trauma anyway - and she still comes out kind, caring, and despite not being able to do anything to defend herself but run away a Leviathan to be reckoned with. And those she mothers love her forever. In conclusion: Moya wins!
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/687057.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.
1.) Alicia Florrick from The Good Wife. In addition to all the other stress in her life, she has two teenagers on her hands. Which she handles admirably, coping with manipulative girlfriends and religious streaks alilke. Also, she doesn't ridicule her children's enthusiasms, which makes her very cool indeed.
2.) Sandra Bennett from Heroes. I stopped watching around ep 10 or so of season 3, but when I left her, Sandra was fabulous. Overcoming obstacles such as regular mindwipes and being partronized by husband and daughter alike, she's loving, fiercely protective, and, once she's finally let in to the secrets, brave. (Also, she's a great proof for adoptive mothers being terrific.)
3.) Sarah Connor (Terminator/ T: The Sarah Connor Chronicles). In other circumstances, training her son as a soldier from toddlerdom onwards would count against her, but in her circumstances it's life saving. Also, talk about someone who gives their life for their child; Sarah does this not by dying heroically but by transforming herself into a warrior and trying to change history so there won't be a need for any messiah. She also fights the good fight because that's what she believes in, I don't want to put down her insight and heroism. But being a mother set her on this journey, and it is a quintessential part of her.
4.) Joyce Summers (Buffy: The Vampire Slayer). Joyce isn't perfect and for the first two seasons suffering from Denialitis Sunnydalonia. But even in this state, she's ready to defend her daughter with an axe (ask Spike). She copes with being divorced, living in a town with a high deathrate, one daughter who is the Slayer and during the last year of her life another who has a crazy hellgod after her and is an entity for whose sake Joyce's and everyone else's mind got altered. (She also copes with having dated a robot and her daughter's vampire boyfriends who may or may not go psycho at any moment.) (And with finding herself replaced as the supreme parental authority figure by a sexy British librarian.) In conclusion: Joyce rocks!
5.) Moya from Farscape. Moya is a Leviathan who spent years being imprisoned, traumatized and basically raped before gaining her freedom, and still manages to mother all her passengers (who are the most difficult lot this side of the Liberator crew) and her doomed offspring Talyn. All the other mothers mentioned here go through a lot, but I think Moya wins for sheer trauma anyway - and she still comes out kind, caring, and despite not being able to do anything to defend herself but run away a Leviathan to be reckoned with. And those she mothers love her forever. In conclusion: Moya wins!
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/687057.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.