RTE’s new thriller S Mom – who is in the complicated family and how are the characters linked?

RTE’S new thriller, S Mother, proved a huge hit after its premiere this past Sunday night.

But the complicated relationships between family members and their friends have viewers scratching their heads as they try to figure out who’s in the family.

13

13

The hit series certainly demands the utmost attention, if viewers keep up with the twists and turns of the Ahern family.

Even the former Dervla Kirwin himself described family relationships as a “mixed pandora box”.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Mother characters, their intricate genealogies, and how people relate to each other.

VAL

Val Ahern, played by Dervla Kirwin, lives in a house on the rugged coast of Co Clare with three daughters; Jenny, Anna and Grace, and her husband Denis.

Viewers get to see the family’s wealth and privilege in the first few minutes of the episode, as waitresses bustle around the house serving guests at Val’s 50th birthday party.

13

13

During the party, viewers can see the fractured relationship between Val and Denis – who have been together for 25 years.

However, Val saw Carl, who has a daughter of his own.

Val and Denis are separating with Val admitting that she “should have left him years ago”.

It is also revealed that Denis has been cheating on Val for years – without their daughter’s knowledge.

Denis cheats on Val along with her best friend, Alannah, who can be seen coming to the party with Ned.

13

DENIS

During Val’s 50th birthday party, Denis announces that the couple is getting divorced – despite Val’s pleas not to say anything until the party is over.

He tells their family and friends that he will be living in the house and that Val will be moving in with her “friend” Carl.

Viewers are then told that Denis and Val. do not biologically share all three of their daughters.

Anna is Denis’s daughter, Jenny is Val’s daughter, and they both share their youngest daughter, Grace.

Denis was later found dead at the foot of a cliff near their home the morning after a family party.

GRACEFUL

Grace is the youngest of Denis and Val’s children.

She has her own apartment and runs a coffee shop owned by Denis.

13

Throughout the episode, viewers find that Grace had to follow her doctor’s advice and constantly take her medication.

When she talked about her parents’ divorce, she blushed and yelled at the customer to leave.

She started getting angrier and angrier before storming out and disappearing.

Uncle Frank later returns home to Grace after informing her of her father’s death, but she cannot remember what she was told and is very confused.

Grace then accuses Val of driving Denis to suicide and disappearing again.

UNCLE FRANK

Uncle Frank is Denis’s brother.

13

After getting upset at the party, a frustrated and angry Grace runs away and crashes into Frank’s couch.

The next morning, while Grace is still sleeping, viewers see Frank burn some papers in the fire.

Later in the episode, Val finds out that Denis is planning to sell the cafe and the house, which Frank already knows all about.

JOE AND CATHY

Cathy and Grace are best friends. This is further confirmed when Val describes Cathy as: “like the fourth daughter growing up in the house”.

Joe, a detective, is Grace’s ex-boyfriend.

Cathy and Joe are currently in a relationship but keep it a secret from Grace at the party.

They then reveal to Val that they are getting married and that Cathy is pregnant.

ANNA & RORY

Anna, daughter of Denis, is married to Rory.

Rory has two sons; Callum, the eldest son, and Jacob.

13

13

13

At the party, viewers met Elaine, who is Callum and Jacob’s biological mother.

It was revealed that Elaine, now sober, wanted to meet the boys for the first time in a long time but the boys weren’t too keen on that.

The three chatted as Anna kept an eye on them.

Anna and Elaine continue to discuss custody of the boys throughout the first episode.

Anna presses Elaine into custody of the two boys, saying she thinks Elaine has come to “do the I and get over the T” but Elaine says she wants to spend more time with them.

Viewers also saw Rory find it difficult to control his temper as he scolded his sons for breaking a window while playing bombing.

He confiscated the throws and asked who was responsible for the broken window.

Callum shelters his brother as Rory gets angrier and Anna tries to calm him down.

Rory then hits Callum in the face as Elaine watches – no one knows.

Anna and the boys seemed scared of Rory as he dragged Jacob out for a while and Anna comforted Callum.

13

13

13