10 Most Twisted Mother-Son Relationships Ever on TV
Denis Kimathi
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The sacredness of a relationship between parents and children can't be overstated.
This sacredness reinforces the boundaries that exist or ought to exist within the confines of the relationship.
But sometimes, the limits are crossed. And when this happens, these relationships become corrupt, perverted, manipulative, and downright wrong such that they end up being weird.
Many mother-son relationships on TV are okay. But there comes that one duo that makes you think, "that's weird."
We have compiled ten of the most bizarre mother-son relations that had us like, "what the actual f***k?"
10. Howard and Mrs. Wolowitz in The Big Bang Theory.
Let's start easy because some of what is to come is jaw-dropping. When someone thinks of Howard, what comes into their mind is something like -- an astronaut. Or a little scared astronaut.
Howard, however, had a mommy problem. While most moms try to build up their kids, Mrs. Walowitz took every chance she could to tear him down. This came in comments meant to belittle him, some to embarrass him, and more often than not, to make fun of him.
While this did make for great comedic content, it sure wasn't funny to Howard every time she said this in front of company.
Howard did give as much as he received, but not within his mom's earshot. He constantly made fun of her weight and neediness to his friends. Throughout the series, we never get to see Mrs. Walowitz, and when she passes away, Howard has mixed feelings.
09. Tony and Livia Soprano in The Sopranos
This is an entry in the list that might surprise you.
Tony was known for being a badass mob boss. He was associated with one of the most ruthless mob families in America. While his crew feared and respected him, they had mixed feelings about him going to therapy.
Tony's mental issues arose primarily from his relationship with his mother when he was younger. He and his sister didn't agree on much except that she was effin insane.
Although we got a taste of her in the early seasons of The Sopranos and All Saints of Newark, it's safe to say that their relationship must have been fubar for her to drive her son to therapy all those years later.
08. Tommy and Kate Egan in Power
Tommy was the best drug dealer in New York and Chicago. But he also had a mom problem.
His mom was a drug abuser and generally a bad mother. Most mothers wouldn't want their sons touching drugs with a ten-inch pole. Not Kate. She encourages him and, at times, hounds him to give her drugs.
In their roughest interactions, words are thrown around that would make a typical mother and son wish they were deaf!
07. Fraser and Sarah Wilson in We Are Who We Are
Thin slices!
Although the series was limited, Fraser and Sarah are pretty memorable. What was shocking was that despite being a military kid, Fraser was quite spoilt.
Their interactions would escalate to the point of physical assault. Something as mundane as Sarah cutting thick slices of a sandwich would trigger Fraser into bitch slapping her, yelling, "thin slices!" All this just as he entered teenagehood.
It left one wondering how he will be when he is older.
06. Dandy and Gloria Mott in American Horror Story
If there was anything that Dandy had ever wanted in his life was to join a circus. The only problem was that he was just too attractive physically!
His mother catered to every childish desire of his. She maybe was trying to make up for all the times she was an absentee parent. Dandy was what is called a man-child. Physically an adult but mentally a child whose room was like that of a five-year-old.
Despite showing murderous tendencies, his mother hired a clown for him to learn from -- a murderous clown. Dandy ended up becoming too good a student, and he also became a killer. Guess what happened?
05. Andrew and Bree Van De Kamp in Desperate Housewives
Bree didn't like some things about her children. And with Andrew specifically, she didn't like that he was gay. These are feelings she made openly known.
Andrew just wanted to live. But living with someone like Bree, who was self-righteous and a proper hardass, he had to change. They played this game of cat and mouse for a while before, finally, things came to a head.
In pursuit of revenge for many things Bree had done, Andrew slept with his mother's boyfriend. The look on Bree's face would have been priceless if one wasn't so shocked and started pitying her.
Bree then kicked him out and what befell him is all too familiar to many Queer teens his age -- homeless and hustling.
04. Norman and Norma Bates in Bates Motel
The close similarity of their names would raise an eyebrow but nothing more.
However, Norman had a darkness that Norma tried to pass off as him being weird. He would murder people while Norma would cover for him.
This duo made it this far because, at a certain point, they became too dependent on one another, and their existences started merging. This was when the weirdness began.
Granted, Norman had an identity disorder, sometimes forgetting anything done under another identity. On such occasions, Norman would go out as Norma and then have sex with some men!
03. Andrew 'Pope' and Janine 'Smurf' Cody in Animal Kingdom
Smurf had a particular dynamic with her sons that often would make a viewer uncomfortable. The earliest red flag should have been the way she calls them "baby." While many moms call their kids baby, she did so with the kind of eroticism that can be found between lovers only.
While she was this way with her sons -- kissing them on the lips and whatnot, she had a particular attachment to Pope. Given that her ultimate goal was to be in control, she didn't seem to respect personal boundaries.
She would stay comfortably in the shower with Pope naked or even pay hookers to have sex with him.
She made Pope a killing machine whose moral lines were blurry to incestuously desiring his sister!
02. Malcolm and Corrine Foxworth in Flowers in the Attic: The Origin
When Corrine left Foxworth hall, she didn't know how much her departure would affect her son. Malcolm idolized his mother to the point of nearly sainting her. He was so obsessed with her looks and space that he kept her room intact decades after she left.
But it didn't end there. Malcolm could only have sex (rape) in his mother's bed. To any unlucky woman who fell prey to his desires, he would assault them on his mother's bed endlessly. He's so obsessed with his mother that while many men of his time wanted sons, he hounded his wife for a daughter.
When he did get that daughter through his stepmother, he named her Corrine!
01. Jimmy and Gillian Darmody in Boardwalk Empire
This duo emerges on top because they went there! Most of the relationships we discussed above were emotionally abusive, exploitative, controlling, and sometimes a tad sexual. This was overtly sexual.
Placed side by side, Jimmy and Gillian would look like siblings -- and they behaved as such to some extent. Jimmy would even invite his mother to his college parties and whatnot. He would become visibly angry when men hit on her.
On one such occasion, Jimmy and his mother got drunk and went to his dorm room for the night. One thing leads to another, and they go there. They do that which some people would rather die than do with their mother or son. Even when he tried to pull back, Gillian edged him on while trying to rationalize the act.
This had been building up throughout their entire life. As an adult, Gillian kisses Jimmy on the lips even in public, which makes him feel awkward. On one occasion, Gillian admitted to Jimmy's wife putting his little willy in her mouth!
••••
That was our mothers and sons, everybody.
Which duo shocked you the most?
Is there another one you think should be included in the list?
Let us know in the comments below.
Denis Kimathi was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on X.
