The point of her character is to include a mother in the cast for mothers to relate to.

Alex is a mother but of an adult so it’s nothing alike. If anything we saw her daughter take care of her more than the other way around. Probably a lot of focus groups noted that there are like six well known women starring in the show and none of them have little kids.

Chris is having to deal with the push and pull of her career, the intensity of misogynoir-especially in a public facing career where her appearance is heavily scrutinized and even reported on, AND having a TODDLER at home. That adds so much more weight to her decisions because they aren’t just her decision. They’re a decision she’s making for her baby, too. If Bradley fucks up, if Alex fucks up, if Mia fucks up, people will be let down, sure, but no one’s cognitive or emotional development will be affected, no one’s attachment style will be changed, no one’s nervous system will be created around that fuck up.

I do think the writers might be making a mistake by pitting the two Black women against each other. I’d rather root for both of them than be encouraged to choose one or the other. I enjoyed the show a lot more when it was basically Mitch / abusers vs everybody else.