Mother's Day 2020: 'Big Little Lies' to 'Game of Thrones', 5 TV moms who'd kill to protect their kids

'If it weren't for my children, I'd have thrown myself from the highest window in the Red Keep'
UPDATED MAY 11, 2020
Meryl Streep (HBO)
Meryl Streep (HBO)

Mother's day is a wholesome one to say in the least as social media swirls with heartwarming tributes and throwback pictures of moms around the world. TV, on the other hand, shows mother's loyalties in ways that not only brings us entertainment but lots of drama, bloodshed, and sometimes sheer delusion. A mother's love is irreplaceable, that's for sure, so we've piled up a list of five mothers that would go to the far ends of the earth to make sure their kids are alright:

Mary Louise Wright from 'Big Little Lies'

Meryl Streep (HBO)

Mary Louise Wright is one of the main characters featured in the second season of the HBO series 'Big Little Lies' and is portrayed excellently by Meryl Streep. While Wright can be very caring, she is uber protective of her son Perry Wrights's (Alexander Skarsgård) reputation, seeing him as a perfect son with zero speck of dirt. After her son was outed as a rapist and wife-abuser, Wright being the sociopathic mother she is, defended him and blamed his victims for his actions.

For example, she forced Jane Chapman (Shailene Woodley) to get a paternity test and ridiculed her with the possibility that she was drugged, and she was maybe raped by someone else, and even that Jane may have initiated it and Perry misinterpreted signals. While she is known for internet gaslighting and being a sociopath, her victim-blaming when it came to her dead son showed an odd loyalty to the man she raised.

She even went as far as wanting to rent an apartment in Jane's building and when her daughter-in-law, Celeste Wright (Nicole Kidman) tells her that she's going to be near her son's rape victim, she tells Celeste, she doesn't believe Jane was raped. If you've watched the series, there are many examples that showcase the dire limits Mary would take to make sure her son's name is out of dark light.

Cersei Lannister from 'Game of Thrones'

Lena Headey (HBO)

While 'Game of Thrones' has enough sociopathic characters that can be the center of numerous discussions, Cersei Lannister's (Lena Headey) love for her children was certainly never to be questioned. Does anyone remember how she avenges her daughter Myrcella's death? She ties Ellaria Sand (Indie Varma) and Tyene Sand (Rosabell Laurenti Sellers) on opposite sides of a dungeon, and using the same poison that Ellaria used on Myrcella, she kisses Tyene poisoning her and letting Ellaria watch her daughter die slowly.

How about when she ordered that all dwarfs should be beheaded because she believed that Tyrion, who she believes poisoned and killed her sociopath of a son, Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson)? Her dialogue, "If it weren't for my children, I'd have thrown myself from the highest window in the Red Keep," is enough for anyone to understand that the woman held everyone but her children accountable for any of the wrong things that had taken place. 

Nancy 'the black widow' Botwin from 'Weeds'

Mary-Louise Parker (Netflix)

Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) started off a small-town drug dealer to "provide" for her children after the death of her husband, Judah. While it was evident that she was suffering from bouts of depression, she went into a whole drug ring to make sure she had enough money to raise a family. Somewhere along the lines, of course, her selfish nature came to the forefront but if you remember in Season 5, when she is about to be shot dead by Guillermo and Esteban, her pregnancy announcement saved her children's lives - both born and unborn.

While most people thought that Botwin did things to keep her need of being a drug supplier off the brink, she started and secured a legal business to make sure her kids were not in danger anymore - in the process there were a few dead bodies. In fact, at one point, she encourages the death of people to make sure her business is thriving. While she's made questionable decisions as a mother, like bringing her son into the drug business - she did go all out to make sure that they were okay while she evaded cops and drug dealers.

We would like to think that should push come to shove, the woman wouldn't have blinked an eye to save her kids.

June from the ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’

Elisabeth Moss (Hulu)

Living in a dystopian hell, June (Elisabeth Moss) tries to keep her sanity after being beaten, having her daughters taken away from her, forced in sexual servitude and even sent way her new baby to save their life - June has made it apparent and clear that she would do anything to keep her children safe and away from harm. She still continues to fight to save her babies from Gilead!

With no name and identity of her own, she doesn't shy away from rebelling against authorities to have a chance to see her children. While she may have suffered the brunt of it, it seems as though she would do anything to keep her children safe and away from savage minds. 

Joyce Byers from ‘Stranger Things’

Winona Ryder (Netflix)

Joyce (Winona Ryder) gave no f**** when it came to people wondering if she was crazy when her son was in danger. Using Christmas lights to communicate, wanting to take down the Demogorgon and REFUSED to give up him that her son would be home, this mam is definitely a fierce one and would go above and beyond to make sure her child is safe. Under circumstances that most humans would credibly shy away from, she faced with an axe and an attitude that was probably more willful and dangerous that the aliens invading themselves.

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