Tell Me Lies, Hulu's sensual drama based on Carola Lovering's 2018 novel of the same name, has a list of toxic and manipulative relationships.
One of the more notable characters in the show is the mother-son duo of Jackson White's Stephen DeMarco and Katey Sagal's Norah on Tell Me Lies.
Their manipulative relationship is an important part of the show, as it shapes Stephen's toxic behavior with others around him, especially his lover, Grace Van Patten's Lucy Albright.
Norah is a single mother on the show with three kids, including Stephen, but interestingly, Sagal is also the real mother of actor Jackson. They both play mother-son on the show and are a family in real life, too.
More on Sagal and White's on-screen and off-screen relationship on Tell Me Lies in our story.
What illness does Stephen's mother have in Tell Me Lies? Exploring the complicated relationship between them
Stephen's mother, Norah, suffers from untreated bipolar disorder that has strained her relationship with her three children over the years.
Her illness causes her manipulative behavior, distorting reality, inflicting self-harm to gain attention, and blaming her children for her actions. This leads to dysfunction in their family, causing strain in her relationship with Stephen.
In addition to straining her relationship with her son, Norah's illness has also led to Stephen's severe emotional damage, which is then projected to the people around him.
His lack of empathy, lying nature, and streaks of manipulation toward his friends and his lover, Lucy, stem from the nurturing he got at home from his mother.
His failed relationship with his mother hinders him from making decent relationships in his life and results in the destruction of his future relationships.
Macy's car accident, the drama at Bree's wedding, and his manipulation towards Lucy in Tell Me Lies are all the result of his troubled upbringing with a sick mother.
Stephen and Norah from Tell Me Lies are family in real life too
Not only does Sagal play the actor's on-screen mother on the Hulu show, but she is also White's real mother.
We meet Norah for the first time in Episode 5, "Merry F--king Christmas," when Stephen meets her during his college holiday break. The manipulative nature of their relationship is quickly revealed as she pours scalding liquid on her hand for Stephen's attention.
Sagal is known for her work in Married... with Children and Sons of Anarchy. This episode with his mother was his favorite to shoot, and the actor said in an interview that the experience was 'insane'.
According to showrunner Meaghan Oppenheim, Sagal was her first choice for Norah because her mother is a big fan of Married... with Children. However, Sagal did consult her son before accepting the role.
In an interview with ABC News, White recalled his experience of shooting the 'difficult' episode alongside his mother-
“I'm friends with my mother, and we had to be extremely passive aggressive and tense, but it was so fun and exciting to build that relationship and talk to each other how we’ve never really talked to each other,"
Sagal also added,
“It was a challenge to leave our very close relationship at the door, and take on the extremely toxic dynamic between Stephen and his mom. Jackson shows up fully on set, ready to play, present and collaborative...It was beautiful!''
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