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.

@JustCakeInDrag the ones were meant to roof for are Kevin and Anne, they're the trad 'put upon and meek / mild' mothering stereotype

Msg is just too fake to me

I don't think you are supposed to 'like' her but I do find her relatable. She's like my very worst self. I cringe at her and watch through my fingers as I recognise some of my own behaviours in all of the female characters

Oh and Kevin is obviously the best 😂

For me none of the characters are actually likeable, they're exaggerated versions of the school hate archetypes.

For me it's which one is done 'best' and makes you laugh the most.

I like Julia. She’s a selfish bitch without a doubt but I can’t help but like her - maybe her brutal honesty. Liz is the best, the out of date onion rings kiss 😭 Anne is great (wish they’d stop belittling her with the cake stuff though.) Kevin I really like, Amanda grew on me. Probably after she shagged Kevin & seemed less perfect. Meg is fucking irritating IMO, but maybe good at heart. That’s my take anyway! Oh & to end… Julia’s husband is a cock.

I like and dislike all the characters!

I do have a soft spot for Liz and Kevin they make me laugh the most! I’ve nearly wet myself at some of Kevin’s antics

If you're from the midlands are you southern?

Or neither?

Anyways I love the show, I found it hilarious.

I think Julia's nicer side comes out in season 3. Letting her mum stay at hers (and in her bedroom!) and there was a nice scene with Meg as well at the end.

GATE. School gate.

I’m saw an interview with the actor who plays her - the interviewer commented they loved the Julia, she responded Really! She’s an awful person! So nah I don’t think she’s particularly likeable or meant to be likeable, I don’t like any of them but I love the show

I don’t think any of them are supposed to be likeable really! They are all funny though, because they’re all exaggerated. We all have crap qualities like them.

Her face annoys me. She always pulls this really strange smile with her mouth open and it's such an unnatural expression

I think motherland is genius and I love Julia! It's a pastiche, it's not meant to be taken literally. But the characters are all exaggerated versions of real life... most of the working mums I know think there is a bit of Julia in them...

Yes, I see that but I can’t warm to them. They are both too wet.

Having slagged it off I will however say that the nits episode is one of the best single episodes of telly I’ve seen in a really really long time. It was broadcast at a time when I don’t think we were quite ready for humour about the pandemic and it was pitched absolutely right.

Surely she is supposed to be an extended version of a working mum .. she is a brilliant actress !

I don't think you are supposed to like her but see parts of her character in yourself !

She is essentially just trying to do her best but is useless at everything which is pretty funny 🤷‍♀️

I couldn't get past the first few episodes. I loathed Julia and got irrationally irritated by the fact that she's supposed to be this super-stressed working mum who never has time for anything...but she still manages to be in that bloody cafe every day.

Interesting theory - I also find Julia irritating and am Northern.

I do find Amanda funny though.

I loved it when kevin was the human cloakroom

I think all these things are meant to be the joke? She is a caricature and absolutely brings most things upon herself and is selfish etc, the husband always being away doing something fun is a running gag and all part of the joke. You’re not meant to like her just meant to find all the situations funny.

Agree that Anne is far too wet. In one episode it was revealed that she was something high powered at a multinational before she started having lots of babies, but surely if she was capable of that sort of role, she wouldn't let Amanda walk all over her and she would have taken her down a few pegs early on in the first series?

She’s a selfish bitch without a doubt but I can’t help but like her - maybe her brutal honesty

See I don't find her that honest. She bends and twists herself into all sorts of shapes to play out a lie that she likes throwing birthday parties or helping with crafts for a fete. If she actually was honest she would just reply to Amanda's patronising comments to fuck off.

I love her gurning at the altar in the episode when she tries to get her kids into a church school. Anna Maxwell Martin is a brilliant comic actress

It's just too far for me to find it funny - instead it's just stressful to watch.

They’re not supposed to be likeable characters, are they? Although I do like Julia, she doesn’t give a fuck - she’s too tired to care.

Meg really irritates me - she’s a completely pointless character who doesn’t bring anything to the series imo.

I always assumed they had done whatever the telly equivalent of a focus group is on the Julia character and found many people didn’t like her, because she’s much changed in the latter two series and a much better friend to the other women. She was far too unpleasant in series 1, it wasn’t nice to watch. Such a good programme though but I agree with pp, Catastrophe is the best by a mile.

I think she's a great character
She's a right cow, but also has an absolutely useless DH and can't say no to anyone so she's totally frazzled all the time. Who.knows what she would be like if she was chilled!
The episode where her DH phoned her to say now she was working from home all day they could get rid of the cleaner was genius. I wanted to kill him too!
Similarly the one where she's got a big presentation at work, has made herself look good then has to go in the pool. Hilarious.

I don't think anyone with Julia's life could be that likeable TBH

I binge watched it on Netflix at the weekend. I don't like her, but do think that we are supposed to. To me she is less sympathetic than some of the other flawed characters because of her relationship with her husband. He is a nob but she presumably chose to marry him knowing that and has a 'put upon' attitude to their rubbish relationship that I find hard to like. On the other hand, Liz is great.