History Characters / YouDontOwnMe

* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:She presents herself as a devoted wife who was unfairly accused of having an affair with a platonic childhood friend, wants to help her husband rise in politics to make America a better place and adores dogs. Beneath this, she's actually a cold, calculating and ruthless murderer, who takes advantage of her husband's kind nature and adoration of her, cheated on him with a married man out of boredom, is mostly interested in furthering her own ambition and status, and has no remorse about killing her lover for threatening her plans and letting his long-suffering wife take the blame. Laurie lampshades that even she was taken in by Leigh Ann's act. Leigh Ann ''does'' genuinely like her dogs, though]].

* AbusiveParents: There are hints he was a cold, emotionally abusive father to his children, though they were so young when he died they can't really remember him much. He was a mostly hands-off father who spent more time at work than with his children, leaving child-rearing to their nanny as their mother wasn't mentally capable of caring for them. When he ''was'' home, he disliked the children playing loudly or making messes, demanding they be quiet and tidy (for reference, his children were 4 and 2 when he died and there's no evidence they were abnormally noisy or destructive). Most damningly, he dismissed his toddler daughter Mindy crying when she was upset as her just wanting "attention" and said the adults in the house shouldn't "encourage" her by comforting her, even comparing it to dog training.

* DomesticAbuse: He was emotionally and psychologically abusive towards Kendra; he was especially cunning in isolating and controlling her, and is described as domineering, manipulative and unempathetic by Kendra, Steve and Caroline. When she struggled to return to work after having their first child, he persuaded her that she was better off at home despite her ambition to become a pediatrician and treated her post-partum depression and grief for her mother by [[spoiler:feeding her drugs]] rather than getting her proper help, [[spoiler:then expected her to quit cold turkey when people got suspicious and shamed her for being a "junkie"]]. He hired a live-in nanny without consulting Kendra because he felt she wasn't capable of looking after the children herself, which was only the case because Martin had cut her off from everyone and wouldn't let her get support. He frequently made her feel guilty for her mental struggles, while also emotionally neglecting her to focus on his career [[spoiler:and cheating on her]].

* DomesticAbuse: He was emotionally and psychologically abusive towards Kendra, being especially cunning in isolating and controlling her. When she had their first child and struggled with going back to work, he persuaded her that she was better off at home despite her ambition to become a pediatrician and treated her post-partum depression and grief for her mother by [[spoiler:feeding her drugs]] rather than getting her proper help, [[spoiler:then expected her to quit cold turkey when people got suspicious and shamed her for being a "junkie"]]. He hired a live-in nanny without consulting Kendra because he felt she wasn't capable of looking after the children herself, which was only the case because Martin had cut her off from everyone and wouldn't let her get support. He frequently made her feel guilty for her mental struggles, while also emotionally neglecting her to focus on his career [[spoiler:and cheating on her]]. Steven, Kendra and Caroline describe Martin as a domineering and manipulative husband, who cared little for Kendra's well-being.

* {{Housewife}}: {{Subverted|Trope}}; she decided to give up her career and become a housewife after her son was born because she couldn't cope at work, but she soon found she couldn't cope at home either, to the point her husband hired a live-in nanny to care for their children despite Kendra being unemployed. Kendra says she later realised she had post-partum depression, with her husband's emotional abuse and lack of sympathy doing nothing to improve her mental health. After her husband died, Kendra got help for her condition and although she could afford not to work because of her late husband's trust fund, she chose to get employment because she likes working.

* {{Housewife}}: Subverted; she decided to give up her career and become a housewife after her son was born because she couldn't cope at work, but she soon found she couldn't cope at home either, to the point her husband hired a live-in nanny to care for their children despite Kendra being unemployed. Kendra says she later realised she had post-partum depression, with her husband's emotional abuse and lack of sympathy doing nothing to improve her mental health. After her husband died, Kendra got help for her condition and although she could afford not to work because of her late husband's trust fund, she chose to get employment because she likes working.
* ICouldaBeenAContender: She did well at medical school and was doing her residency to become a pediatrician when she got pregnant. She intended to go on leave to have her baby then return to her residency, but she couldn't cope and had leave her job within a month, later realising she was suffering from post-partum depression. Her husband persuaded her to become a stay-at-home mother instead, with Kendra telling herself she didn't really ''need'' to work because Martin made more than enough as a successful neurosurgeon. Unfortunately, her mental condition deteriorated so badly she could barely take care of herself, let alone her children. Kendra has now recovered and has a job as a dermatologist's assistant that she enjoys, but she admits she still feels sad and disappointed she never got to become a pediatrician, saying that no one would take her on as a resident because of the rumours she was a drug addict and had Martin killed.
* JunkieParent: She was nicknamed "Stoner Mom" in media coverage of Martin's death, due to her often appearing confused, lethargic and "zombie-like", and being incapable of caring for her children to the point Martin hired a live-in-nanny (despite her being a stay-at-home mom). Kendra insists that her inability to properly care for her children - or herself - was because of severe post-partum depression, but even Caroline admits that while she believes Kendra did have depression, there was something seriously off with her behaviour. Kendra also refused to take a drug test on the night Martin was killed [[spoiler:Kendra confesses to Laurie that she was addicted to painkillers, but she ''was'' also seriously depressed and it was her own husband who got her hooked on the pills. Kendra managed to get clean after Martin died, but tried to hide her past addiction out of shame and because she was afraid her parents-in-law would use it to remove her children from her custody]].

* ParentsAsPeople: She always loved her children, but even she admits she wasn't a good mother to them when they were younger; she later realised she had untreated post-partum depression and her relationship with her children’s father was increasingly dysfunctional, with Kendra receiving little support or sympathy from anyone. Kendra couldn’t even get out of bed some days and when she was awake she was emotionally detached and distracted, with the nanny Caroline primarily taking care of Bobby and Mindy for her. Five years on, Kendra has gotten proper treatment and is now a very involved and affectionate mother, trying to make up for her previous poor parenting. Even back then, she was scared of losing custody of her children and being alienated from them by her husband and parents-in-law, not wanting to them to grow up to be like their father.

* JunkieParent: It's speculated she was on drugs due to her often appearing confused, lethargic and "zombie-like", and was incapable of caring for her children to the point Martin hired a live-in-nanny despite her being a stay-at-home mom; she was even nicknamed "Stoner Mom" in media coverage of Martin's death. Kendra insists that her inability to properly care for her children - or herself - was because of severe post-partum depression, but even Caroline admits that while she believes Kendra did have depression, there was something seriously off with her behaviour. Kendra also refused to take a drug test on the night Martin was killed [[spoiler:Kendra confesses to Laurie that she was addicted to painkillers, but she ''was'' also seriously depressed and it was her own husband who got her hooked on the pills. Kendra managed to get clean after Martin died, but tried to hide her past addiction out of shame and because she was afraid her parents-in-law would use it to remove her children from her custody]].

* AddledAddict: It was suspected she was addicted to anti-depressant medication at the time of her husband's murder and was possibly [[TheAlcoholic an alcoholic]] too; she would often sleep her days away at home and was difficult to rouse, and during rare public appearances she would often seem confused, irritable and not all that present. She was also known to frequent a dive bar, where she would drink heavily while ranting about Martin's behaviour. It was to the point she was nicknamed "Stoner Mom" by the media. [[spoiler:Kendra confesses to Laurie that she was addicted to pain medication and had issues with alcohol, but it only started because Martin pushed medication on her to treat her depression. He then expected her to quit cold turkey with no other support, so she secretly bought pills off the black market due to being unable to cope. However, she says that she managed to get proper treatment for her depression and get off the pills and booze after Martin died; [[RecoveredAddict she's been clean and sober for five years]]]].

* FamilyVersusCareer: This was essentially forced on Kendra; she still aspired to be a pediatrician after having her first child and initially tried to return to work after Bobby was born, but struggled to cope due to what she later realised was post-partum depression. Her husband strongly 'encouraged' her to become a stay-at-home mother like his own mother had been, but Kendra's mental condition only deteriorated further, especially after the birth of their second child. She believes it was Martin's plan all along to manipulate her into giving up her career to be a housewife; she couldn't even handle being a stay-at-home mother due to her poor mental and emotional state. Following Martin's death, Kendra got treatment and is now [[DefiedTrope happy as a working mother]], with a nanny to help.

* JunkieParent: She insists that her inability to properly care for her children - or herself for that matter - was because of severe post-partum depression, but many people speculate that she was actually on drugs due to her often appearing confused, lethargic and "zombie-like". The nanny Caroline says that the Bells were the only family she'd ever worked for that included a stay-at-home parent, with Kendra being unable to handle childcare most of the time and spending a lot of time sleeping. Caroline admits that while she believes Kendra did have depression, there was something seriously off with her behaviour. Kendra also refused to take a drug test on the night Martin was killed. In media coverage of Martin's death, Kendra was often referred to as "Stoner Mom". [[spoiler:Laurie eventually deduces - with Kendra confirming - that she was addicted to painkillers, but she ''was'' also seriously depressed; Kendra's own husband got her hooked on the pills to treat her depression rather than get her actual treatment. Kendra managed to get clean after Martin died, but says that she tried to hide her past addiction out of shame and because she was afraid her parents-in-law would use it to remove her children from her custody]].

* {{Gaslighting}}: Kendra reveals that Martin did this to her, constantly making her feel that she was unstable, incapable of making rational decisions or being paranoid. He also led other people to believe she was a deranged junkie. Kendra even cites the TropeNamer ''Film/{{Gaslight}}'' by name, telling Laurie that being married to Martin was just like the movie. [[spoiler:In particular, he insisted she was imagining things and being a ClingyJealousGirl when she confronted him about suspected infidelity, only for it to turn out Martin not only was having an affair, he intended to replace Kendra completely [[RemarriedToTheMistress with his mistress]]]].

* MamaDidntRaiseNoCriminal: They're both adamant that Martin was innocent of any wrongdoing, with Cynthia being especially vocal in defending him. They insist they settled the lawsuits against Martin for medical malpractice not because they thought he was guilty, but because they didn't want it getting dragged into the public eye and overshadowing his murder. They deny Kendra's claims of Martin emotionally abusing her and having an affair, insisting Martin was a devoted family man and that Kendra's accusations were "paranoid ravings" and "delusions". It helped that Martin was charming and manipulative, so he had no trouble getting his parents - who already worshipped him - to believe his side. [[spoiler:As it comes out that Martin definitely was having an affair given his lover killed him for refusing to end it, his parents will have to face the truth that their son was a deeply flawed man; given they've started being nicer to Kendra, it's implied they at least have more sympathy for her now]].

* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Their only child Martin was murdered five years ago. Out of desperation to solve his murder, they turn to Laurie Moran, demanding she feature the case on ''Under Suspicion'' seeing as the police's investigation has stalled. Laurie isn't keen on their attempts to railroad Kendra as the only suspect and has her doubts Martin was as a perfect as they claim, but after seeing how heartbroken they are, she reminds herself that whatever Martin's flaws were, Robert and Cynthia loved him and are grieving parents who want answers.

* NoSympathy: Neither of them show sympathy for their daughter-in-law's mental health struggles; Kendra says they had "no empathy" for her even when Martin was alive and their attitude certainly hasn't improved now they suspect her of killing Martin. Cynthia is completely dismissive of Kendra's claim she had post-partum depression, questioning how "anyone could be depressed with two such beautiful children" and that ''she'' coped just fine as a stay-at-home mother. As a doctor, Robert takes it a bit more seriously than his wife, but says while "a little depression is one thing" he thinks Kendra "was completely out-of-her mind". Despite this, neither of them tried to help their daughter-in-law get support, instead being contemptuous and judgemental. Kendra was simultaneously dealing with her mother dying in an accident and her husband's emotional abuse, but the Bells don't take this into account; they outright deny their son mistreated Kendra.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: They make no secret of the fact they despise their daughter-in-law; they felt Martin had made a mistake in marrying her and their opinion has only worsened following his murder, as they're fully convinced she was responsible. Kendra says they're only barely polite with her when they interact because they want to retain access to their grandchildren. They looked down on Kendra as a terrible wife and mother, dismissing as just being weak, lazy and straight-up unhinged for her mental health struggles. They also dismissed her claims of Martin emotionally abusing and cheating on her as paranoid rantings. It doesn't help that Martin exaggerated or lied about Kendra's behaviour while painting himself as the victim; they were inclined to believe their adored son over their daughter-in-law, so it didn't take much to convince them Kendra was deranged enough to have Martin killed. [[spoiler:After they learn Kendra didn't kill Martin, Kendra says they've started being nicer to her, implying they may develop a better relationship]].

The Bells' nanny, initially hired by Martin to take car of Bobby and Mindy due to Kendra's 'illness'. She was the one who called 911 after Martin was shot and stayed on with family, being loyal to Kendra and her children.

* BehindEveryGreatMan: Although he's a capable politician on his own, he likely wouldn't be a senator if it weren't for his wife Leigh Ann's support, including funding and organising his campaigns, and helping him navigate potentially thorny issues that could damage his reputation. Cynthia Bell says she believes that Leigh Ann is "the real brains behind the operation". Unlike some examples, Daniel makes it clear he acknowledges and truly appreciates everything Leigh Ann does, seeing her as his equal partner in every way. Leigh Ann does get annoyed when people don't acknowledge this. [[spoiler:It's also one of the reasons she justified having an affair with Martin and one of the reasons Daniel forgave her for it]].

* ControlFreak: He's is fixated on gaining power and being in control. He prides himself on always having the upper hand over other people and being prepared for anything. He states he wanted to join the police was because he loved the idea of wielding authority over others; one of the reasons he got kicked out of the military was because he didn't like having to take orders. He's good at finding dirt on people and predicting how they'll behave to manipulate them into doing whatever he wants, enjoying the power he has over them. [[spoiler:He's thrown way off balance when Kendra finally stands up to him and teams up with ''Under Suspicion'' in an attempt to expose him, trying desperately to regain control over the situation]].