I don't get it - if Red is Nikki's mother, why is she not Russian in the Bat Mitzvah scene flashbacks?

I get that her dad had several wives but neither of those wives in that flashback are Russian.

I don't get it - if Red is Nikki's mother, why is she not Russian in the Bat Mitzvah scene flashbacks?

I get that her dad had several wives but neither of those wives in that flashback are Russian.

They use the term "mother" not meaning for biological mother, but as a kind of prison slang. The word "mother/mom" is sometimes used by younger inmates for the older ones who "watch out" for them while behind bars. The "mother" inmates refer to their groups as "their family".

In Nicky's case, Red helped her try to get off of drugs many times so she refers to Red as her "mom".

Oh ... OK thanks