- "This one's for my boys!"
- —Madeline right before sacrificing herself in "Reckoning".
Madeline Westen was Michael and Nate's mother. She occasionally helped Michael and his friends out whenever necessary. She was portrayed by Sharon Gless.
Early History
Madeline had a turbulent relationship with her family when Michael was still living with her and their father (who is now deceased). Michael used to defend Nate from their abusive father. At one Christmas dinner, Madeline threatened to throw out their dinner until the boys got along peacefully long enough to take their family photo.
Michael's return to Miami
When Michael returned to Miami, Madeline seized the opportunity to bring him back into her life. On Michael's jobs, Madeline's house was used as a safe house to safeguard his clients from the people he's trying to stop from harming them. Madeline has asked for help from Michael to help her friends occasionally and has even assisted him from time to time. She gave Michael his father's Dodge Charger in exchange for visiting his grave.
At the beginning of the series, Madeline demanded that Michael make amends with his younger brother, Nate, since he has been in trouble when Michael left. Nate first appears in "Old Friends" to ask for Michael's help. They start to become closer as family throughout the series from that episode on.
Since Michael's return to Miami, Madeline has grown close to his friends, Sam and Fiona. Sam is occasionally asked to watch Madeline during their jobs. Fiona likes to be the go-between for Michael and Madeline, since Madeline genuinely cares about her son. She's also taken interest in one of Sam's old buddies and one of Michael's clients, Virgil.
Later in the show, Madeline asks Michael to come in for counseling to sort out their family issues. Michael originally believed that his father signed a permission form to get him out of the house and have him join the army. However, Madeline revealed that she signed it with his father's handwritten signature so Michael could get a fresh start in life.
Afterwords, Madeline allowed former counterintelligence agent Jesse Porter to stay at her place (in the garage, specifically).
In the series finale, Madeline sacrifices herself to save Jesse and Charlie, and to get revenge for her sons (supposedly) dying, as her final words are "This one's for my boys".
Skills and Talents
While her age and lack of training would ordinarily make her unable to do the things that Michael, Sam, Fiona, and Jesse do, Madeline has shown that she is extremely intelligent. She was able to deduce that Sam was staying at her place at Michael's request to protect her. She also knew when Virgil Watkins was back in town and Michael tried to keep him away from her. She even gave Michael advice on a cover ID to get a woman out of a house so he could search it. When the the organization that burned Michael was after her, Madeline knew that they could never find her in Miami throughout the other "10,000 other 60-something women with beach blonde hair."
When Michael was missing and Sam and Fi had a lead on where he was, Madeline told them to bring him to her house instead of the loft since it was closer. After both Sam and Fi were unable to get the captive to crack, Madeline knew how to get him to talk by calmly talking to him. She got him to talk fast enough that when she came back into the kitchen, Sam and Fi were still arguing.
Trivia
- Morley's are the brand of cigarettes that Madeline smokes.
- Madeline was the last remaining family (aside from Charlie) that was alive.