DPP: Pilots And Parents

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There are many, many things that went into the making of pilots as we know them, and their parents are a huge part of it right from the start, especially since it turns out they both had absent fathers (Kara's dad going AWOL altogether, Bill making only sporadic appearances in his sons' lives) and abusive mothers (it's heavily implied that Lee's mother was emotionally/verbally abusive).

Today I'd like us to contemplate - how did their relationships with their parents shape the people they became? And how did that affect Lee and Kara's relationship with each other?

Any thoughts? Theories? What do you think of the way the show handled pilots' parents?