Mary TV tropes

Most recent history: 

Mary and Tommy have confessed their feelings for each other. Archibald Worthington is now looking forward to killing Tommy.

TROPES ASSOCIATED WITH Mary

• The Alcoholic: Mary drowns her issues with alcohol.

• The Chanteuse: She used to sing at the Garrison Pub before Tommy promoted her to Nurse at the Grace Shelby Institute.

• The Heart: She holds the family together. Tommy and Ada both love and respect her, even when they don't love or respect each other. Arthur relies on her for support.

• The Determinator: When she sets her mind on something, it’s very difficult to stop her.

• All Girls Want Bad Boys: Well, Tommy!

• Berserk Button: Do not try to threaten Charlie. Do not try to threaten Tommy. Hell, do not try to threaten any of the Shelby family members.

• Broken Bird: Well, she was abandoned by her mother, raised in an orphanage by racist and violent nuns, was seduced by a lying older man when she was just a young teenager and lost her first child at 15. She’s still dealing with her grief over her dead son, Paul.

• Character Tics: Mary has a tendency to hide her face (whether with her lap when she’s sitting or her hands, when she’s standing) when she’s scared. She also has the tendency to look at people with such a striking gaze that she could make, even Tommy, feel guilty.

• Damsel in Distress: Her husband’s ties with the gangs had her followed and threatened.

• Dating Catwoman: Falls for Tommy Shelby. A multi-murderer crime boss.

• Despair Event Horizon: The death of her son actually managed to traumatize her. Even to this day she has issues talking about it and doesn’t feel quite lovable as well. The nuns also brutalized her to the point of making her believe that she couldn’t be loved, not even by God.

• Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Has moments of incredible defensiveness and self-loathing, and as demonstrated with Lizzie or sometimes Polly, if you try to show her sympathy, she tends to lash out viciously.

• Family of Choice: The Shelby Family and the Peaky Blinders.

• Friend to All Children: Mary has always been good with children. As early as she remembers, she had always taken care of the youngest orphans at the orphanage.

• Heartbroken Badass: She was a poor girl who was used by a man who manipulated her. She lost her son and when she is introduced to the Shelby family, it is obvious that she is heartbroken.

• Ice Queen/Defrosting Ice Queen: Mary is quite aloof and distant, except when she's with Tommy or in the presence of children.

• Ignored Enamoured Underling: She is the head nun of Grace Shelby’s institute and is in love with Tommy. Tommy definitely cares for her, and her love is required. This is ultimately subverted several years later when Tommy and Mary get married.

• Informed Attractiveness: A lot of comments about her looks are made to her. She's dense though and doesn't really realize she's being flirted with. 

• Knight Templar Parent: Try to hurt Charlie and you wouldn’t live to tell the tale.

• Living Emotional Crutch: Tommy outright admits to Mary that she is part of the reason why he didn't completely go over the edge after Grace's death.

• Love Hurts: Tommy's PTSD and seizures are a challenge at times. He tends to lose himself in his mind and his wanderlust sometimes leaves her feeling alone. 

• Mama Bear: She would do everything she can to protect Charlie.

• Meaningful Rename: Her birth name is Victoria Mary, and when she married, she became Victoria Mary Colson. No one calls her Victoria though. They all call her Mary.

• Morality Pet: Seems to be Tommy’s when he chooses to acknowledge it. He listens to her and she calms him down.

• Ms. Fanservice: She always wears beautiful outfits and is extremely gorgeous. She is a beautiful plump woman.

• Nature Lover: She didn’t have a happy childhood which allowed her to go outside. It changes once she’s living with Tommy and she’s always outside.

• Odd Friendship: Arthur and Mary strike one up when she starts to work there. Arthur speaks to her like a sister. She also treats him like a family member. 

• Official Couple: With Tommy.

• Only Known By His Nickname: Of a sort. To most, she’s known as Mary. If someone calls her “Victoria” this is going to both piss her off or stress her out. Played out when it comes to people who don’t like her “Saint Mary” is one of the nicknames she gets (Lizzie loves to call her like that)

• Parental Substitute: Charlie’s mother is dead, and so Mary acts like a mother to him. He calls her "mom" because she's his mother on Earth while Grace is his mother in Heaven.

• Sanity Slippage: Swan dives off the deep end after the death of her son. She started to drink in order to cope. She managed to hold on tight until she saw a newborn baby at the orphanage, which broke her mind for a while. She got better with time, though.

• Silk Hiding Steel: Mary has no problem drawing guns on people, even hardened criminals, and shooting people, all in perfectly tailored dresses, especially if that helps her protect those she loves.

• Sleeping with the Boss: With Tommy.

• Tranquil Fury: Mary is quite a calm and quiet woman. She’s very hard to read and would rarely fully show her feelings on her face. While she sometimes can have explosive bouts of rage, it’s really when she’s cold and silent that sends shivers down people's spines.

• Trauma Conga Line: Oh dear. Mary has endured so much pain, loss, and tragedy in her life.

• Will They or Won't They?: With Tommy. While they actually ended up having sex after John’s funeral, the question started to become serious when they both realized they had feelings for each other. Subverted as of Now, the question is: Are they going to marry now that they know they're in love with each other?