Am I supposed to hate Julia? (Motherland)

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

I'm about 4 episodes in (season one), and honestly - I find her and, more specifically, her husband, so fucking annoying that I may just have to throw the towel in.

I get that she is supposed to be a harangued mother, feckless dad, etc, but she is just so incredibly unlikeable.

She berates her mother, so cruelly, for stepping back on childcare (creating a gap the wanker dad should be helping to fill), sometimes in front of her mothers friends.

She only ever does stuff with or for her kids because other people have basically played on her massive insecurities. But it's at caricature point now, where its losing any humour.

I'm just not finding the comedy at all with her. I'm wondering if the fact that there isn't even a drop of niceness written into her character means we are supposed to dislike her?

I'm only still watching for Anne and Liz. Even Kevin - they made him a bit funny at the start but it's going a bit slapstick (the wearing all the coats scene?)

I want to get it, and I want to like it, and there bits I like. But it just feels so over over the top. Like they've ramped up any potential for a bit of comedy to just levels of ridiculousness.

Everything I've read about this show and the odd bits I've seen have told me that I would just find it deeply unfunny.

good to know

😃

Ooh my post was quite contentious.
I think yes, I do live in some sort of teen raising dystopia right now it ,at least it feels that way, but it’s less geographical and more political isn’t it? Don’t we all? Cuts to youth services, cuts to extracurricular activities, out of control social media influences , a cost of living crisis, widely available street drugs that cost pennies, vapes, spikings , post lockdown issues…I think it has its challenges? I miss the motherland days of yore, taking them trick or treating without worrying about them roaming the streets in groups dressed as stripper vampires/ zombie school girls… etc 😃
Parties that are more pass them parcel and less secret tequila!
The little kid stage is challenging , no question, but I look back on it fondly these days.

I found like most of us the baby toddler years pretty physically and mentally brutal the primary years largely a delight then it gets tricky again. In my wide group of similar aged friends I don’t think I know anyone that isn’t concerned about their teen(s)…. Ours are objectively pretty easy but still somehow are not! Also there are deep seams of comedy in parenting teens (the first proper teen party we hosted recently was definitely worthy of a sit com!)

One thing I like about Motherland is it's all about the parents. The kids don't really feature at all except as accessories, we don't know their personalities or anything, unlike say Outnumbered where the kids are very much part of the comedy.

Yes, I like that they clearly made a conscious decision that the kids wouldn't feature aside from being glorified extras with names.

Agreed, but every time the kids’ names are mentioned it annoys me that Anne has a Darius and Amanda has a Manus. They should definitely be the other way around.

Anne would have an Oscar and Amanda a Felix.

Yeh, Manus is "something .... Irishee" 🤣

That's interesting. I can't stand Julia either. I'm also Northern and only like Liz.

Your teenagers might be out necking back vodka in a park but at least you can go for a piss without an angry toddler swinging on your hair.

I had a hilarious flashback at the weekend. Used to stand in hall while dads picked up their kids from play dates. On Sat after our first big teen party I did the same but for teens. It was pretty much the same “Florence has lost her shoe” etc in one case dad had to carry his daughter to the car. That hadn’t happened since 2010 that said she was drunk rather than having a tantrum.

Babies and toddlers are hard I agree more effort than teens. 6-10 is parenting piece of piss in comparison to terms and toddlers you are in charge can amuse themselves but they are young enough to be biddable and enthusiastic.

I’m surprised Meg is so popular, I find her very annoying.

Meg is great to watch, EVERYONE has met that nightmare mum who ‘lets loose’ on a night out and her introductory episode was my favourite. The cancer storyline annoyed me because so few shows get it right when accurately portraying the life of a person going through chemo. They certainly aren’t putting on full make up and chaperoning a school full of kids. Nor are they having parties every 4 seconds. And they don’t ‘get the all clear’ either. It’s my only criticism of the show - I just think why can’t they get cancer right!

Agree - a completely unbelievable character who doesn’t enhance the series in any way. Letting loose on a night out is one thing, but her character seems to be based on that and an unbelievable cancer story and not much else.

@LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet I agree, it wasn't a realistic storyline at all which was a shame, plus it was all over in about four episodes (so again, not like real-life).

Up til then though I thought Meg's character was quite interesting- larger than life, very successful, wise about other people's lives, but drinks huge amounts to let loose/decompress, it could have been interesting to have played that into the cancer storyline (e.g. we didn't see her worried about her job which is a huge issue once you get sick).

I initially loved Meg as a character but the cancer storyline was awful. No need for a sitcom storyline. She could have done so much more instead of wear a turban and look sad.

I hate that women's TV is supposed to be 'issue' led - even a silly farcial sitcom. Can we have ONE programme that isn't about DV or cancer?

I didn't realise there would be a Christmas episode this year!

Hoo-rah.

I've been rewatching thanks to this thread. Julia is awful but do much about her life is relatable.

Arrrg Julia just GRATES! Literally.

I happy to admit when im wrong, and I still might hate her, but the pool party episode was exemplary

Motherland is one comedy where I properly LOL every episode- it's been a joy to binge rewatch it. Cheers OP.

I wonder how Motherland goes down in USA?