Bio[]
 Hello Pierce? How's school going? Are you popular?
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| — Marian Hawthorne, "Introduction to Statistics". |
| Marian Anastasia Hawthorne was never actually seen, but her voice was heard in two episodes. Like Pierce, she was a Level Five Laser Lotus in the Reformed Neo Buddhism movement her son followed (although she herself did not believe in the religion). After her death, Pierce believed her spirit was contained within a special device to be resurrected later when technology advanced far enough. Her first voice actress was Bunny Levine in the Season One episode "Introduction to Statistics". For her second "appearance", she was portrayed by Pat Crawford Brown in the Season Two episode "The Psychology of Letting Go". |
Character history[]
Season One[]
| Pierce's mom was first heard in the study group's freshmen year together at Greendale. After Spanish class was over, Pierce tried to confirm his electronic invitation to Annie's "Dia De Los Muerte" party using his cell phones voice command feature. Frustrated with the device he stated he was as bad at using technology as his mother. This activated the phone which dialed her number and Pierce made things worse by accidentally putting her call on speaker. The rest of the study group heard her stream of non-sequitur comments most of which were embarrassingly about Pierce. She asked if Jeff had stopped teasing him, his alleged Canadian girlfriend and that she saw the ghost of Pierce's father the other day who was still angry. Unable even to shut off his phone, Pierce ran out of the classroom as his mother continued to talk ("Introduction to Statistics").
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Season Two[]
| In the study group's sophomore year at school, Pierce claustrophobia causes him to have a brief psychotic episode after being trapped inside a space simulator. He imagines that S.A.N.D.E.R.S, a computer running the simulator, is his father Cornelius Hawthorne. Pierce destroys the machine and tells it to "get off my mommy, I'm her man!" ("Basic Rocket Science"). Earlier that year, Troy had moved into Hawthorne Manor and lived there with Pierce and his mom. One day he went to the laundry room and discovered Pierce's mom was inside and had passed away. Troy was traumatized by the experience but Pierce had the opposite reaction to the news. He surprised everyone by being undisturbed by his mother's passing. Pierce explained that he believed only her body died as per his religious belief in the Reformed Neo Buddhism movement.
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| He produced a pamphlet and showed the study group how her body was vaporized and her spirit is now stored in an "Energon pod" awaiting the day when she will be restored after technology advances. While the others are worried his delusions and denial are harmful to him, Jeff counters that as everyone has different religious beliefs and should respect his as well no matter how crazy it is. Later, Jeff goes to the Health Care Center and gets the results of his annual check up from Nurse Jackie. He becomes upset after learning he has high cholesterol and takes it out on Pierce in Anthropology class. Pierce had brought to class what he believed to be his mother whose spirit was now contained inside an "Energon pod". Jeff mocks Pierce's beliefs and decides to expose Pierce's religion as a sham rather than dealing with his own feelings of mortality.
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| He tricks both Troy and Pierce to join him for ice cream when in actuality he planned on taking them to the morgue to view Pierce's mom's corpse. While looking for music to play for the drive, Pierce comes across a disc in his CD wallet with his mom's hand writing on it. He played it in the car's stereo system and found out it was a recorded message for him from his mother. Pierce's mother tells him that she's truly dead and not coming back despite what he believes. She adds that life's finality gives it meaning and is something to embrace, not deny. She then signs off by playing a rap song then plays after she finishes her final message but Pierce ejects the CD before it concludes. Jeff and Troy are both moved by her last words, so much so that Jeff has a change of heart and decides not to go through with his original plan. However, Pierce considers it more crazy ramblings and tosses the CD out of the car ("The Psychology of Letting Go").
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Season Four[]
| In the study group's fourth year at school, Pierce now has no family left with the passing of his father Cornelius Hawthorne the previous year. On Halloween, the study group goes to his mansion to rescue him after he accidentally locks himself inside his panic room. While they are there they notice various family portraits including one showing his Pierce, his father and presumably his mother. A photo of Gilbert Lawson was taped onto to it as Pierce had recently discovered that his father's assistant was actually his half-brother ("Paranormal Parentage").
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 and his half brother Gilbert. |
Season Five[]
| Pierce suddenly passed away during his former study group's unexpected return to Greendale. A reading of his will bequeathed a tiara and a cylinder of sperm to Annie Edison. This was the same tiara he tried to give her during their second year at school at the hospital where he pretended to be dying. A man named Mr. Stone, whom Pierce hired to carry out the instructions in his will, told Annie that she was always Pierce's favorite. He then explained the tiara was an item his mother forced Pierce to wear sometimes when he was a child. On those occasions she would verbally assault him for not being a girl ("Cooperative Polygraphy").
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Quotes[]
- “Pierce you've found this CD which means...I'm dead. ”— Pierce's mom
- “Vaporized.”— Pierce
- “I'm not vaporized. I'm gone Pierce...gone forever, and that's how I like it. Life is only worth a damn because it's short. It's designed to be consumed, used, spanked, lived, felt. We're supposed to fill it with every mistake and miracle we can manage and then we're supposed to let go. I can't force you to do that for yourself Pierce, but you can't force me to stay...and if you unscrew the top of that stupid thing, you'll see it was made in China. I love you son. Goodbye.”— Pierce's mom
Trivia[]
Mrs. Hawthorne's name has never been spoken on the show, however the Energon Pod that supposedly houses her spirit has a metal base inscribed with the full name Marian Anastasia Hawthorne. The name itself has not been officially canonized but Pierce's middle name was also revealed to be to be "Anastasia" in the Season Three episode "Advanced Gay".