Mother and daughter relationships are complicated.
Family Law Season 1 Episode 9 revealed the deep family secrets between Carole and her daughters Trish and Kim. The case triggered Abby and how she felt people saw her relationship with her mom, Joanne.
When the series focuses on dysfunctional and relatable family issues, it delivers. This was another gut-puncher that made you cry. They need to stick to these types of episodes instead of the modern-thinking political ones.
While mother and daughter relationships are always complicated, this one hurts. Trish and Kim’s mom Carole sued them for parental support. The sisters claimed she was cold and abusive, but their mom came in asking about her grandkids.
Abby and Daniel knew this case would be challenging, and their saving grace would be that Carole’s lawyer, Clark, was a bumbling idiot who didn’t know how to present a case or ask questions.
Trish: Maybe she should move to a cheaper town.
Carole: My home is here with family and friends.
Trish: What family and friends? You’ve alienated all of them.
Trish had many stories of times her mom was cruel and unfair, including when she threw their only Barbie in the fire because she thought her daughters were spoiled.
As time went on, it became evident that Trish remembered the brunt of it, from being hit with a toy car to being locked in the basement with only a sleeping bag, a bucket, and water. She thought her mother was cruel.
It didn’t mean Kim thought her mom was perfect. She just tried to feel some compassion, though her cutting remarks about her weight and that she was lucky to find a husband stung.
Kim didn’t cut Carole out of her life until she started making comments about her daughter’s weight too. That was the final straw.
It’s often hard for kids of abuse and neglect to know any difference, and they still love their parents. There is comfort in consistency. While Trish wasn’t willing to give an inch, Kim still felt compassion for their mother.
Deep family secrets were exposed, including how the trauma caused Trish to become an addict. Instead of being grateful that her mom paid for rehab, Trish scoffed at the old amends card, saying she had to write it.
Trish was so full of anger and hatred that it was doubtful she’d ever forgive her mother or see a different point of view.
In some ways, Abby thought they should settle too. Since she was raised by a single mom and was now a single mom, she understood the hardships and challenges of single parenting. However, Abby wanted to please her clients, so she dug into Carole’s past.
No one ever expected to learn that Jim, Carol’s ex-husband, only died recently, and he was a violent alcoholic. She divorced him because he threw the toy that hit Trish in the head.
She made many mistakes with her daughters, but she never wanted them to grow up with a father that didn’t want them. At that moment, we saw a tired mother who tried her best and hoped to make amends with her daughters.
Kim looked amenable, but Trish only saw her parents as monsters. Abby was the one that convinced her to help her mom financially and see her mom.
It won’t be easy, but this family may have a chance with the truth out there.
We saw Harry show compassion one of the few times during Family Law Season 1. We’ve heard he favored Lucy and loved her, so it was nice to see him comfort her and acknowledge that he missed her mom too.
As Lucy missed her mom, it was more complicated than usual for her to watch her siblings’ trade barbs about their mothers since even though theirs weren’t perfect, they were alive.
Abby: Every parent has ugly moments.
Daniel: Yours was on YouTube.
Lucy: Daniel.
Daniel: To be fair, you didn’t have the best role models.
Poor Lucy must have been used to Harry letting her down. She reminded him throughout the week, and he still failed to show up at their special spot.
No wonder Lucy gravitated toward Maggie and married early. She’s the one person who didn’t let her down. Is having a baby going to solve their problems, though?
The side story with Harry showed how old-school he was. Harry thought he was honoring women by setting up a scholarship fund for future female lawyers, but he made things worse with his sexist remarks. The sad part was he didn’t think they were wrong.
To men of Harry’s generation, there was nothing wrong with commenting on a women’s looks, and he thought everyone overreacted. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t talk to the press or everyone wanted him to apologize.
You want a statement? I’ve always been a staunch reporter of women. I know how important it is to level the playing field. When did we as a society decide it was no longer appropriate to recognize beauty?
Harry
Jerri and the girls were so desperate since Harry wouldn’t budge and the law firm was losing clients that they called in Danielle, a professional, to help. Even though she had issues with Daniel, she came to help Harry.
The damage was done, though. The general public had also heard about Harry’s new romance with Crystal Steel, and they hated it even more than his kids did.
Final Thoughts:
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Jerri was a tough mama bear demanding that Harry’s children be at his speech, regardless of how they felt about him. She is the glue between the law firm and the family; hopefully, we will learn more about her family.
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While Daniel and Abby work well together at the law firm, Daniel has a legitimate reason for leaving, and maybe if he plays hardball, Harry will appreciate him more.
- Harry ultimately will have to decide between Crystal and his career and his kids. That’s unfair, but she’s not good for his image.
Over to you, Family Law Fanatics. Will Daniel switch firms or make amends with his family? Are Lucy and Maggie really through with the pregnancy?
Are Abby and Frank headed toward reconciliation? Chime in below in the comments.
Remember, if you missed an episode, you could watch Family Law online via TV Fanatic.
Family Law airs at 8/7c on Sundays on The CW.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.