No article on FamilyTherapyXXX would be complete without the revisionist hot take. In the last two years, a small but vocal group of critics have argued that Mrs. Lisbon was not the villain, but a product of her environment.

She was a homemaker in a dead marriage, living in a town that offered nothing. When Cecilia died, the community blamed the mother. When Lux acted out, the mother lost her only source of identity: control.

In this reading, the Lux Lisbon mother is not a monster, but a mirror. She reflects what happens when a woman is given no agency outside of her children. The "XXX" version of family therapy would diagnose her not with cruelty, but with a profound, incapacitating fear of the world. She didn't kill her daughters. Patriarchy did. She just handed them the rope.

Both the character of Lux Lisbon and the film "Mother!" reflect broader themes found in popular media regarding family, identity, and the struggles that come with interpersonal relationships. These stories captivate audiences by presenting exaggerated, stylized, and sometimes surreal portrayals of family life, encouraging viewers to reflect on their own experiences and the societal norms that shape our understanding of family.

The 2017 film "Mother!" directed by Darren Aronofsky, offers another intense exploration of family dynamics, albeit in a dramatically different context. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem as a young couple whose life is disrupted by the arrival of mysterious guests. "Mother!" can be seen as an allegory for the destructive forces that can invade and disrupt family life, exploring themes of love, creation, destruction, and the primal bonds between a mother and her child.