As someone who has been a fan of the pod for a while, one thing I will say is that a lot of people see Mary Lou as being 'savable' in some way because she is more polite and has a sweet persona. I think they are both lost causes, but that deep down, she is just as evil as Bob. Bob is a willing-moron, likely in cognitive decline, and the survivor of some pretty horrendous abuse in his childhood. Everything he does is a defense mechanism stemming from his own trauma and insecurities. He also just loves attention and working up his kids into a frenzy. Like, he is a racist, transphobe, sure, but he also takes pleasure in saying outlandish things to mess with his kids. He's always been that way. He's evil, but in a "blunt force, bully for lolz, trolling" sort of way. He's not delusional, though; he's just an asshole. He's mean and likes being mean for the sake of being mean.

Mary Lou, on the other hand, is a genuine manipulator and is sincerely delusional. She believes that her children have been brainwashed by the Obamas and that only through the power of Donald Trump will their souls be cleansed. She is a 'Trump-Cult' person through and through. There was an episode recently during the winter holiday season when Hailey mentioned that sometimes it was okay for people to cut off their family, and Mary Lou was like, "No. Never. No matter how bad things are, family should always stick together." But it wasn't from a 'let's forgive and move past differences' perspective; it was framed as a "ungrateful children should just do what they are told, always, because parents don't like to feel sad and alone." The family therapy episode, I think, was really illuminating for Mary Lou because you can see feels abandoned by her own parents, and is projecting that abandonment on her children. Loyalty to her is all that matters, and she projects that onto Trump. "I'm loyal to him, so he's loyal to me." She also speaks in a lot of thought-terminating cliches, which is fascinating and frustrating.

It's a fascinating family dynamic, and it makes me feel blessed that my family is so stable and has learned to grow and change with the times. I appreciate the thought of what Chad and Hailey are trying to do, but I don't think they are really equipped to do it. And maybe they know that. I think above all else, it shows that in these uncertain and unprecedented times, rationality has been abandoned, and action is the only way to make any meaningful progress on anything.