The mother-in-law relationship remains a staple of popular media because it serves as a perfect proxy for universal human anxieties.

Highlighting how different cultures integrate in-laws, such as in the aforementioned My Little Old Boy , where the focus is on the supportive yet observant role of the mother.

“A good MIL character makes you laugh, cringe, and then call your own mother-in-law to say hello.”

Historically, popular media has painted mothers-in-law with a broad, often malicious brush.