Charles Perrault’s character of the wicked stepmother has been reimagined as Fiona, a manipulative, emotionally abusive and lazy woman who is Samantha’s stepmother. She forces Sam to work at the diner after school, when she should be studying, throws Samantha’s acceptance letter to Princeton in the bin and despite water restrictions, she sticks by her belief that ‘droughts are for poor people’ by leaving the sprinklers on. Fiona is a lot more subtle with her emotional abuse as that nothing she’s doing is illegal and she only mistreats with Sam when they’re home together. Fiona’s nickname is the ‘Wicked Witch of the Valley’ and rightly so as she is truly a despicable woman. In Charles Perrault’s story, the wicked stepmother is very commanding
