Laoma Souphanousinphone (Lao: ລາວມາ ສຸພານຸສິນພອນ) is a widow and the matriarch of the Souphanousinphone family, she is the loving mother to her sons Kahn and at least two unnamed sons who are the fathers to Tid Pao and Phonsawan. She is the grandmother to three grandchildren Connie, Tid Pao, and Phonsawan. Minh is her daughter-in-law, who she also talks to on the phone. Laoma immigrated from Laos to escape "communist dictatorship", as Kahn has mentioned.
History[]
Season 7[]
Laoma is the only character Kahn has complete affection for and cares most about. While Laoma has immigrated to America from Laos, she has no reason for seeking status as the rest of the Souphanousinphone family does, her sole joy of being in America is that she has liberty and no communist oppressors. Instead, she wishes to be a housewife and mend the house, only Minh does not allow as it would be challenging her role as the woman of the house. While in Arlen, Laoma is uninterested in looking for a hobby, but decides to look for work, using the skills she had when working as a maid in Laos. When Laoma learns that Peggy Hill dislikes housework, Laoma proposes being the maid for the Hill family in exchange for an affordable salary, to which Peggy and Hank find beneficial. While Kahn sees Laoma's love for cleaning as meaningless labor, Minh sees it as an opportunity to get rid of her so she can have own personal time. She eventually falls in love with Bill, after cleaning the house and caring for him, as she is a widow and without a spouse like Bill. Kahn finds this relationship repulsive and had temporarily broken up the two by claiming Laoma had an affair with Harrison Schmitt.
Season 10[]
Although it is implied Laoma has moved to a retirement home, Laoma is seen giving household tips to Minh over the phone in the episode "Bystand Me". However, an interesting fact about Laoma in the episode is that she is heard shouting at Minh in Laotian and seems to tease her more, as opposed to being patient as seen from "Maid in Arlen". It also seems to appear that Peggy does not remember Laoma, despite her being cared for by Laoma.
Quotes[]
- Laoma: "If I may demonstrate..."
Episode appearances[]
- Season 7
- "Bad Girls, Bad Girls, Whatcha Gonna Do" (mentioned)
- "Maid in Arlen" (debut)
- "The Witches of East Arlen" (mentioned)
- Season 10
- "Bystand Me" (voice only)
- "Orange You Sad I Did Say Banana?" (mentioned)
Trivia[]
- Laoma's husband/Kahn's father passed away from a heart attack.
- Laoma is Buddhist, as she references reincarnation in her disclosure to Bill that "a heart attack took my husband away from me to the next life. But I believe he returned as the gentle wind that blows through this meadow, even now."
- According to Dale Gribble, she is twenty years older than Bill Dauterive.
- In Laoma's bedroom at the Souphanousinphone residence, she has three photos hanging in her room of the following:
- Formal portrait of an older man in a suit, who is likely her deceased husband/Kahn's father.
- Blue artwork of a white three-headed elephant (representing the Hindu god Erawan) under an umbrella, while standing on a pedestal, this symbol resembles the combination of the flags of the Kingdom of Laos and Kingdom of Champasak.
- Pha That Luang (Lao: ພຣະທາດຫຼວງ), a sacred Buddhist temple regarded as the national symbol of Laos, located in capital city of Vientiane.
Gallery[]
- ↑ In "New Cowboy on the Block" it is not specified if this is Laoma's mother or her deceased husband's mother.