She's always been a hardass but it's also (easily) arguable that she's suffered by far the most of any character in the series. She has not been sympathetic at all but I do hope they redeem her somehow. Her scenes with Laurie were great because they never really interacted much in the first two seasons.

That said, YES, everything about Laurie's past was great. That scene with Kevin encapsulates everything I love about this show: the humanity, continuity and payoff were all deserved and rightfully earned. Kevin never really did understand why she initially joined the GR and now we see why.