Motherland

[3Gifts41]

It's so sexist, unbelievable.

The bitch, the stressed out working mum who is so incapable that she can't organise her child care, (no stressed out working dad in sight), ridiculing the stay a home dad by representing him as an emasculated clown.

I cringed cringed cringed when I watched this with dh. Won't be watching the rest.

[3Gifts41]

The bitch = amanda (is that her name)

[TheRollingCrone]

Yes, dire played out stereo types. Think its aimed at a particular demographic. I'm a poor w/c woman - just couldn't relate to any of it.

[3Gifts41]

and the ridiculous husband going to a football game instead of helping at his daughter's birthday party? I get that it's suppose to be comedy but it's grim and totally unrealistic.

[3Gifts41]

I hate the title Motherland too. cringe.

[TheRollingCrone]

I'm quite disappointed that Sharon Horgan (sp?) wrote or co wrote it. Basically it was just a "let's laugh at these ridiculous women". The husband at the football match on the phone was just surreal.
You can't be a competent person if you've given birth apparently. No wonder women get royally fucked over once they tell employers they are pregnant.

[TheRollingCrone]

And I bet SAHF didn't feel great at the one dimensional portrayal of men who stay at home. How the fuck does this crap get commissioned?

[hipsterfun]

The writers were on Weekend Woman’s Hour and gave a very feeble defence of the SAHD.

Shows like this so often fail massively because, in setting out to somehow subvert received ideas, they end up reinforcing them.

[DeleteOrDecay]

I was going to give this a watch but after reading this thread I won’t bother now.

[RosaDeZoett]

Wow. I thought most of the characters were only slightly exaggerated caricatures of many people I know. If they were toned now marginally, then yes, it looked like a pretty accurate representation of some peoples lives to me. I'm not sure what that says about me and those around me so. The only character I didn't recognise is the stay at home dad, because don't know any. Seriously, not one.

[RosaDeZoett]

*Toned down
*people's lives.... Should not type on phone without glasses...

[SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace]

I think it's a real shame that Liz seems to have been toned down and made just generally a bit cynical, rather than slightly surreal and hilarious as she was in the pilot. It's not as funny as the pilot suggested it would be.

I also don't like the pushing of 'alpha mummy' stereotypes and the way that no women can actually be friends or support one another.

It's just very Londony, very middle-class, and often quite lazy. As was Catastrophe, I guess, but that was also quite daring and innovative and original. There are still some good moments, IMO, but a bit disappointing overall.

Also I just keep thinking 'meh, but look at your gorgeous house, your life is not so bad really is it?'

[3Gifts41]

There are so many working mums at our primary as well as several sahds. Mostly we all rub along, the sahd are nice and cool and good to chat to and working mums all use child minders and after school care, i thought most places have wrap around care in some form or shape and don't get why Liz relies on arbitrary school mums for child care. She is depicted in a completely bonkers way and it's just not something i recognise. Ee do have a clique in one of the dc year and you are either in or out i'm just about tolerated when volunteering for the PTA and there are some marginal resemblances in terms of alpha mum type of people and hanger ons and a bit of power games. All the mums who work are competent and have partners who share the school run with them.

One thing I did recognise is people commenting on how much others had lost in weight .

[pleasewelcometherealme]

I didn't like they way that all those staying at home to look after children were portrayed as essentially just like high school children are portrayed on TV. They spend time in the cafe where there is clearly the 'in' table and the 'uncool' table. The popular/good looking/wealthy woman rules the roost whilst others vie for her attention.

I know it's a comedy and not a social commentary but this made me feel uncomfortable.

[RosaDeZoett]

I suppose if you just take it for what it is, light entertainment as opposed to social commentary? Not a documentary... A mockumentary perhaps....
I thought the blonde alpha mum was a bit one dimensional, they could have made her just as bitchy but more subtle.

[RosaDeZoett]

Crossed posts there pleasewelcome!

[dameofdilemma]

It is based on stereotypes (isn't most comedy?) but then I'd be lying if I said I'd never seen real life similar examples.

Exclusion of the single parent living on the estate? Yup seen that.
Competitive parenting? Yup.
Suddenly becoming friendly with someone who can help you out? Yup.
Seeing school mum 'friends' as not really real friends? Oh yes.

I could be alone in seeing RL examples but then again, seeing some of the threads on MN that's probably unlikely.

Sexist? Yes. But doesn't mean it has no parallels whatsoever with reality unfortunately.

[FairlyConstantNameChanger]

Well I must live in a parallel universe because I recognise absolutely every character, including the husband. In fact I think his character is particularly good.

Not all schools have wraparound care. Ours does but it is always full.

The working mums all being competent in real life? Hollow laugh. Some are but I certainly don’t feel that any most of the time. Pretty sure I frequently appear exactly the same as the main character. Friends and other school gate parents have similar tales.

It’s exaggerated but to me, anyway, based very much on very real life.

[Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar]

It's a microcosm of North London, basically. Only slightly exaggerated...

[ginteresting]

The dad going to the football match or never seemingly sorting out childcare- yep seen that time and time again. Mums being left to sort out the boring life admin, yep seen that. It’s sexist but so is real life, unfortunately. It is exaggerated, but shows the realities of being a working or Sahm. Everyone struggles with juggling lots of balls in the air and nobody is perfect, nobody has it together really. I love Sharon Horgan so I’m biased.

[MillicentFawcett]

I think it's an exaggerated portrayal of London women's lives. Like comedy often is.

[TheAntiBoop]

I live in the north londonMC bubble and this fell totally flat for me. Didn't recognise the characters as anything other than crude stereotypes. The main character in particular makes no sense to me though.

There were the occasional funny bits (the cat man, crappy cake, school calling about something you can't do anything about but expecting you to perform a miracle) but I won't be watching episode 2

[FairlyConstantNameChanger]

Those of you who can’t relate to the main character, do you always feel organised and together and have cast iron childcare which works even if your kids are sick etc? Do you feel that your career has taken no hit at all from having DC? Do you have a perfectly tidy, organised house? I feel that I am constantly juggling and never organised. DH helps with pick ups and drop offs but his career has also been negatively affected by this when he does.

Genuinely not trying to be goady. If anything I want to know your secrets!

[chronicallylate38]

oh watch episode 2 - like all comedies, hard to get good character development up front - it gets better. The auction of promises bit was funny! The scenario of your DD vomm'g 30 mins before a birthday party was also quite good!

it was wince-inducingly accurate for me - a bit uncomfortably so, I don't live in london but in a city in a mc area.

the only thing missing is a proper barney with the DH twat - I agree he's an accurate character, but the protagonist would've had a shouting match with him by now, surely? That never there but touchy-feeling but not quite right chat was spot on from him I thought.

The SAHD fits the stereotype of the few at my school - totally downtrodden - mind you, I can think of only 1 in the class!

I've only seen ep 1 and 2, but I reckon the character development will improve with more time and she's a good writer.

[TheAntiBoop]

I recognise what you are saying but I don't actually think that's what the character is portraying

I also find her treatment of her mother and the way she spoke to the teacher particularly unidentifiable.

[chronicallylate38]

agree fairly, I'm lucky to have had very sympathetic managers at my current firm post DC2 but I left the old firm partly because of how rubbish they made me feel everytime I couldn't get to work due to child related sickness. 'But don't you have back-up childcare', 'won't your mum do it' etc. etc.