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Irene Williams.

Irene Williams is the mother of Toby, wife of Robert Williams and the step-mother of Sarah.

In the film, she is played by Shelley Thompson.

Role In The Film

Irene only appears briefly in the film, and is first seen scolding Sarah for being late home when she was meant to be baby-sitting. Irene and Sarah are shown to have a very tense relationship, and Irene angers Sarah by refusing to allow her rain-soaked sheep dog Merlin into the house.

Once they are both inside, Irene further infuriates Sarah by insisting that she and Robert only go out rarely, a point Sarah protests by stating that they go out 'every weekend.'

When Sarah asks why she's never asked if she has any plans, Irene upsets her by telling her that she'd assume she'd let her know if she had a date, remarking that Sarah should have dates at her age. The comment prompts Sarah to storm upstairs to her room, slamming her door behind her.

With Sarah gone, Irene tells Robert that Sarah "treats me like an evil stepmother in a fairy story no matter what I say." Generally, Irene appears frustrated by Sarah's attitude towards her.

Appearances In Other Media

The Novelization

Return To Labyrinth

Irene is again more of a cameo in Return to Labyrinth. She is referenced but only seen as the "evil stepmother" trope in a romanticized flashback of Sarah's movie journey. She is more belligerent in the manga, demanding in a note that Toby not eat from the fridge as she had dinner plans already provided. Toby also has lots of resentment for his mother, as Sarah did. He blames her for punishing him when Jareth provided him a bike after wishing for one, as she believed he stole it from a classmate.

However, in the manga, it could be argued that Mizumi is the parallel character, as they both are very demanding to the point of complete rudeness and have very shallow and materialistic concerns. As in the movie, though, the reader never sees a maturation of Toby's and Irene's relationship at the end. Toby is happy, getting new friends, but the parents are just sort of forgotten in the endings of both.

On the other hand, as The Wizard of Oz is certainly an inspiration, it must be noted that, in the movie version, at least, Dorothy never really made up with the harsh woman who got angry about Toto biting her, either.

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