Mrs. Dawson

**Mrs. Dawson** is **Mike Dawson's mother**, in whose home he stays with during the events of *Dark Seed II*. She is seen only in the kitchen, stirring a pot, for most of the game, save for one flashback that takes place in Dawson's room. She is a resident of Crowley, Texas, and is in her mid-sixties.

Dawson's mother has been a source of unintentional amusement among even die-hard fans of the game. She seems to not be at all concerned that her son is wanted for murdering a young woman, and seems completely unsympathetic towards his mental breakdowns. LeeAnne Morris, who wrote the strategy guide, comments that her attitude towards her son is "more befitting a mother-in-law than a mother." Her line "Here Mike, this will explain everything" is a line often repeated by fans of the game to each other.

## Biography

When Dawson was a boy, and was afraid of monsters in his closet, his mother would pretend to lock his closet "forever" with a magical key. Dawson actually sincerely believed that it was locked.

Mrs. Dawson eventually lost her husband, as well as a sister, to cancer. She currently suffers from arthritis. Dawson, though a grown man, sometimes refers to her as "mommy".

## In-Game (Spoilers)

Mrs. Dawson contributes little to the story, other than to berate Dawson when he speaks to her. In terms of gameplay, Dawson does not necessarily need to speak to her as he moves throughout the house. She appears in a flashback seen in Pandora's crystal ball, where she helps a younger Dawson become less scared of monsters in his closet by pretending to lock the door. (This turns out later to be where a mirror portal to the Dark World exists.)

The only moment where she carries significance is in perhaps one of the most infamous moments of the game. (TV Tropes calls it "the greatest moment in video game history".) After finding the Dark World version of his room, and discovering the Sword of Justice, Dawson also finds a box holding his shoes and his mother's butcher's knife - both of which are covered in blood. He then leaves his bedroom, only to find himself in the Normal World version of his kitchen, with his mother still cooking. If Dawson asks her about the shoes or the knife, she will reply, "Here, Mike, this will explain everything." Suddenly, her head will explode, and her bloodied, decapitated corpse will fall to the ground. The head of Rita Scanlon will appear above the stove where she was cooking, and speak with Mike.

Interestingly enough, if the player goes back to the Normal World before talking to Rita, Dawson will find his mother alive and well (and with her head) in the kitchen. This is either a game design oversight or intentional on the part of the developers, in order to add further question as to whether much of this is, in fact, a fantasy of Dawson's mind.

## Quotes

* "I don't know what happened to you in that old house in California, but surely it couldn't have been that bad!"
* "I've lost a husband and a sister to cancer, your father left me no insurance money, and I have arthritis. You don't see me checking in to a mental hospital with a nervous breakdown!"
* "Here, Mike, this will explain everything."

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *Dark Seed II: The Official Strategy Guide*, pg. 10.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *Dark Seed II*, in-game dialogue
3. ↑ https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Funny/DarkSeedII