My Six Favorite Fictional Moms

Happy belated Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! I spent the day seeing The Avengers for the second time with my mother. It was quite exciting! And by exciting, I mean emotional.

Anyway, while we were sitting in the coffee shop, waiting for the movie to start, I decided to come up with my list of my six favorite fictional mothers. Mostly from television, these are the mothers that make me wish I lived in their universes, no matter how screwed up those universes actually are. And believe me… some of them are…

Let’s start with our honorable mention, though.

Honorable Mention: President Laura Roslin (Battlestar Galactica)

While Laura herself was not a mother to anyone person, she was very much like a mother to the fleet and to many of the people on board the Galactica. Smart, caring, and headstrong, Laura did what she needed to do to help with the preservation of the human race. All while fighting cancer. She made her mistakes, but there was no one in the fleet more fearsome than President Roslin. Well, maybe Admiral Adama, but considering the fact that she stood up to him more than once, I have to give it to the teacher.

 

 

6.) Marlene Griggs-Knope (Parks and Recreation)

Oh Marlene. The Iron C**tian of Pawnee. While we may not see a whole lot of Marlene Griggs-Knope, she’s still an awesome lady who you don’t want to cross. Her daughter may not always agree with her method of doing things, but it’s easy to see where Leslie gets her determination and drive from. I hope that now that Leslie has succeeded in getting on the Pawnee City Council that we’ll be seeing more of Marlene in City Hall.

 

5.) Katara (Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra)

Katara is another one of those mother-like figures. Caring and sweet, yet stern and tough, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe is always looking out for the best interest of her friends and people who need her help. She refuses to leave people behind, and she always stands up for the people she loves and herself. Of course, she can have a little bit of fun too. While we haven’t seen a whole lot of Katara actually being a mother, I bet that she was an awesome mother to Kya, Bumi, and Tenzin. And to Korra too.

4.) Francine Jones and Jackie Tyler (Doctor Who)

In the Whoniverse, there are some fierce mothers who stand up for their children, no matter how old they are. Or in the case of Amy Pond, how displaced out of time their daughters are from them. Still, this example is truest for Francine Jones and Jackie Tyler. Francine is the mother of Martha Jones, my favorite companion and it’s easy to see that badassery runs in the family. While Francine doesn’t become a part of Team TARDIS the way Rose’s mum Jackie does by the end of Davies’ run, she still stands up for Martha. Hell, she nearly shoots The Master after the Year That Never Was is reversed! Jackie is very similar to Francine in that she may not care completely about the Doctor, but she supports her daughter every step of the way. Of course, Jackie learns how to hold her own against the aliens of the universe and even makes the Doctor cringe a little bit.

3.) Morticia Addams (The Addams Family)

It’s hard to say why Morticia is just so perfect as a mother and as a person. Is it her cool demeanor? Is it the way that she cares about her children and how they get along? Or is it just the way that Morticia makes morbidness seem completely normal? Whatever it is, this matriarch of the Addams clan has continued to stand the test of time through comics, television, movies and broadway and has stayed the mother that every darkling wished they had.

 

 

 

2.) Joyce Summers (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

Starting off as the stereotypical ignorant mother to all of the things Buffy does, Joyce Summers ends up becoming a mother to two fierce and lovely daughters and pretty much all of the Scoobies in Sunnydale and beyond. While she initially disapproves of Buffy’s status as The Slayer, she comes to accept her daughter’s involvement with the supernatural and becomes her biggest line of support. When her character began to face health problems, we all worried and hoped that she would pull through in the end. Which, of course, didn’t happen, because Joss Whedon likes to break your heart in the worst possible way. Whenever I watch ‘The Body’, it becomes impossible not to mourn for Joyce. She wasn’t just Buffy’s mother. She was our mother too.

1.) Madeline Westen (Burn Notice)

I should preface this with how hilariously behind I am on Burn Notice. Like to the point that if I was to catch up, I would just have to go to the beginning and just start all over. However, no matter how behind I am, it doesn’t take away from the fact that I love Maddie Westen with a fire that can burn a million suns. While she may not be the perfect mother, she’s still a fierce and determined woman who will put her children first and will put a stop to anyone who tries to harm them. Even if one of them used to be a spy for the US government. Of course, she is the same mother who makes that spy shake in his boots. Maddie Westen, I love you and your chain-smoking self.

That’s it for fictional moms. Next month, I’ll feature my favorite dads. And on Wednesday, I’ll be spilling my feelings about The Avengers.