Milf-Coded

And GLaDOS interjects like, "You didn't do this. She did all the work!"

I find that interjection fascinating because. Like.

GLaDOS doesn't actually know anything about what happened behind the scenes. She lost track of Chell and Wheatley after Wheatley opened up a wall panel and they bolted off together into the facility's inner workings. She doesn't see them again until Chell falls for her fake door trap, at which point GLaDOS is unpleasantly surprised to discover that Chell's disabled the turrets and neurotoxin in the meantime.

She has no evidentiary foundation to base that accusation on.

This is also before GLaDOS recognizes Wheatley as the Dumbass Core, so it's not based on an assessment of him.

The only explanation it leaves is that it's based on her assessment of Chell. Despite GLaDOS's enmity towards Chell, the one thing she rarely goes after Chell for is her intelligence.

When she does, it's an admission of her high standards for Chell; Like when the fake door trap works and GLaDOS concedes, "I didn't actually think that would work. I already built a much better, smarter trap up ahead for when this one fails." That's a backhanded insult. It's calling her dumb, but in a disappointed way rather than an affirming way.

Chell tests very well. Between the two games, GLaDOS has developed a strong understanding of Chell's aptitude for critical thinking and problem-solving in stressful situations.

Absolute Batman #23 - "The Straw Man V" (2026)

THEY ABANDONED A BABY WITH PNEUMONIA WITH A TODDLER AND THEN BLAMED THE TODDLER FOR THE INEVITABLE RESULT OF THEIR NEGLECT.

I have a hard time outright "hating" their parents because I don't feel comfortable making judgements on people in the literal worst moment of their entire lives, and I understand the culture of the time was soul-crushing and caused such things to almost feel "normal."

But I can't help but get angry about this in particular (and the context of how often they were left alone as literal babies) and not get mad. Partially because that one little moment represents everything wrong with "Parentification" as a concept in less than a few seconds, and partially because they never get called out on it or have any kind of resolution.

The main theme of Tamers is basically on long, extended version of the themes in this scene and the characters dealing with the fallout from them, but Adventures proper never really addresses this particular moment again.

and then you have shit like the first time Tai sees his parents again he's just like