#On my birthday's eve she saw my Sideshow Bob screenshot on the screen and went - 'Oh! That was me before you were born!'

[misstictart]

Can you tell us more about Giulietta? Would love to hear about involvement with the mob, and her ill-fated relationship with Harold... And about Claryce's relationship with her. I imagine there's a lot of baggage there.

Of course! And yeah there's definitely a lot of baggage, might as well call it a cargo!

Giulietta is Fat Tony's older sister (by 5 years of difference) and the previous leader of the Mob - later on nicknamed "La Mama" for the way she often spoke of her daughter.

(Fun fact: the necklace she wears here is a locket necklace with a picture of baby Claryce!)

Giulietta's past

She wasn't meant to lead the Mob at first, as the legacy was meant to be given to her little brother when he would be old enough. She didn't mind, in all her honesty. Her dream was to open her own Italian restaurant, as she loved cooking! But her parents' sudden passing when she was 15 (in a gang-related attack that she sadly witnessed) changed all the plans, and she took over- both to protect her brother, who she felt was too young to carry such responsibilities, and as a personal decision, as she swore to avenge her parents' death. Which she did. And she didn't stop there. And to everyone's surprise, she became an even fiercer leader than her own father was, not hesitating to resort to torture or murder when things didn't go her way. Her catchphrase for such occasions (and, ironically, more mundane ones) is "Now listen, darling..." (which could be interchanged later with "Now listen to mama...").

Giulietta and Harold

She had a few husbands; at best, she'd break up with them, at worst, she was a Black Widow. Harold Whitman was probably about to meet the same fate, except that... Giulietta got pregnant. And if she knew one thing from her own parents' loss, it's that she refused to leave her baby without a father (and, if you asked her, Harold wasn't too bad; she used to like his brutal honesty and his overwhelming confidence). However, if you asked Harold... it was a bet that didn't turn his way. He only stood because 1) he didn't want to be a dead man 2) it was the opportunity to have a son to raise for his legacy, as other women tended to ditch him - no wonder why). Fast forward to present time - Giulietta was too busy to properly take care of her daughter, and Harold didn't get a son. No one was happy about this! Surely this won't have any emotional impact on their child, right? Yeah, no, you know what this did to Claryce already.

Leaving the Mob

Giulietta didn't mean to stay this long as a leader. But her childhood trauma, as well as the determination she earned as the years went on made her less likely to hand over the title (even if she did share it with Tony, with who she often worked as a team) but the most important decisions were left to her. ...Until the day she received her daughter's distressed call. This felt like a waking-up call. She dropped everything to move back to Texas. Both to keep an eye on Harold, and to emotionally and financially support Claryce as she recovered from her burn out so she could start over her studies to find a new career. Frankly, she will never forgive herself for letting down her daughter - she was convinced she would be safer with Harold than with her and the Mafia's ordeals - and to this day she still has trouble letting Claryce stand on her own feet. This is why a few months after Claryce had moved back to Springfield, she divorced Harold and returned to live with her brother.

Giulietta and Chiara (Claryce)

While Claryce is happy her mother cut ties with her father, she still wishes she wasn't so overwhelming with her love and also accepted her as the person she grew up to be rather than pushing her to become her own idealised daughter. No, she won't pursue her mother's dream to own a restaurant (she's an awful cook). No, she won't give her grandchildren (she can't have kids). And no, her favorite color is NOT purple like hers, as she claimed to Fat Tony when he asked her what color to paint the walls of Claryce's flat. The sad truth is that Giulietta knows little to nothing about Claryce - what she really likes, her dreams, her ideals... And the reverse is just as true, except Claryce refuses to acknowledge the lives her mother (and her uncle) had taken away for their own affairs. And yet, slowly but surely, they'll learn to understand each other a little better as time goes on. Even if Claryce (and her loved ones) still think her mother is nosy.

Too nosy.

B - "I truly appreciate your concern, but let's not rush things- I believe Claryce has a say in the matter-" G - "Aww, what a gentleman you are! Do you want to see her baby pictures? My favorite is the one where she-" C - "MA, STOP THIS ALREADY--"

Giulietta today / in the show (link to her character reference)

Ironically, as opposed to her past, Giulietta would be your local Italian-American grandma who loves gossiping, putting her nose where she shouldn't, and making sure no one passes hunger (Claryce especially loves her carbonara pasta, although Giulietta is mostly known for making the best lasagna of the city).

Sometimes her bossy temper resurfaces, but nothing that would lead to her awful past ways. Speaking of it, if you asked her, you'd be stuck listening to hours of her old stories - tales of love, tales of crimes, or just saying how much she loves her daughter... But hey, you'd get to have a free meal, so here's that.

Oh, also. She has a rivalry with Luigi, who constantly tries to learn her secrets - while she's upset a guy who's not Italian gets to live her childhood dream.

Isn't she a criminal still, though...?

She is! She'll still have a say sometimes when Fat Tony needs a piece of advice, but she'll never get herself involved in the Mob's affairs. Unless she happens to be there - and she'd be able to defend herself just fine (she always keeps her trusted gun under her skirt). As to why she's not in prison or hunted by the police, well....... I'm still not too sure about that. Perhaps she faked her death before moving to Texas, or something of the likes. I still need to think about it. But the idea of an old Mob leader running free while guys like Snake or Bob get arrested does sound fitting for the humor of the show.