We loved the pilot, now there's a series : Motherland

[Optimist1]

Remember Anna Maxwell-Martin playing the heroine who's trying to negotiate her way through motherhood, school gate cliques etc? Diane Morgan playing her plucky new friend, and SAHD Paul Ready? Written by Graham and Helen Linehan, Sharon Horgan and Holly Walsh?

The pilot is being shown again on BBC2 on Monday at 10:00pm with the series to start next week, according to Radio Times.

[southeastdweller]

FFS, it's a sitcom. The script and characters are supposed to be a bit heightened and clichéd

[Trampire]

Southeastdweller, agreed. It's not a documentary!

I think as viewers we're supposed to notice that AMM is hyper-stressed and exhausted. I think her mum comes across as the reasonable one. It's just an interesting set-up, you know for a sit-com not a thread in Relationships. It's blatantly clear that the husbands (bar carrot-flute friend) are portrayed as unsupportive with no real clue about the stresses involved.

I wish I was as chilled as her Northern friend. Mind you, the older I get the more I just don't give a shit much.

[BlessedBeTheFruit]

I think they portrayed her taking advantage of her mum better in the pilot though. Then it was really funny, but her just turning up at a restaurant and shouting at her mum wasn't.

[HuckfromScandal]

I am obviously watching something entirely different. I thought it was painful dirge.
In the first 10 mins

• she ran a red light
  
• she accused some child of bullying
  
• she didn't admit she'd fucked up on getting kids to school on the wrong day
  
• she was on her phone in the car with the kids and breaking the law
  

Just so unfunny, and nothing like my life????
What am I missing.
I have bad parenting days all the time, but hey - this was just dirge.
And had she been working class on benefits and doing all these things - the guns would be out, but as she had a nice accent and a nice coat - it's suddenly funny. Oh dear

[DeadDeadDeadRose]

I'm on the third episode - it's ok but I don't really like the main character so I'm not sure I'll carry on.

[Humpsfor20yards]

if anyone posted here about a husband / partner as crap as AMM's, we'd be shouting LTB as a chorus. So why is it considered funny on TV?

I wonder if you've watched a TV comedy before?

I thought it was good - I was slightly underwhelmed compared to the pilot, but some great lines, great scenarios, and I reckon it will get in its stride soon. I enjoyed the racist animal man scenes. The strain of having a party/sick child/parents who don't help much compared to everyone else's...Yes and the football loving DH. All made me nod or laugh.

[BluthsFrozenBananas]

I’ve only watched the pilot and episode one, I can’t work out if Julia is meant to be a relatable character or if the audience is meant to be cringing at her behaviour. The thing with her mum refusing to look after her kids doesn’t come across well. It would work far better if the mum was looking after a ‘golden child’ sibling’s children but refusing to look after Julia’s children, that would make Julia far more sympathetic and give a reason for tension between them.

I like Liz, I’d actually prefer the series to be centred on her but I can see the writers are going for portraying the full middle class parenting experience not the working class single mum.

[Rollergirl11]

Yes I agree about the Mum situation not portraying Julia in a sympathetic light. Who behaves like that with their Mum??

Think Liz is hilarious and has definitely been given the best lines. The faux exchange she recites between Kevin and Amanda in the cafe in the pilot is priceless.

“Oh hi Amanda, just wondered if you heard about the war on tits at Toasties?”
“Oh sorry Kevin , my friends and I were hoping that you’d died?”
“OK great, I’ll send an email to discuss an appropriate response.”
“Do whatever you like, my computer shits all your emails to a spam folder.”
“OK bye then.”
“Bye, go away forever.”

[FutureFairyCrayon]

Loved it, particularly the human caterpillar line.

The pilot left me a bit nonplussed, probably because my daughter was still quite little. Now it's like watching a documentary. I think I am a 60/40 split of Liz & Julia (I don't shout at my mum and wouldn't be seen dead in that red trench coat though). My nct group has a couple of Amandas and a proper Liz, it's great.

Btw @HuckfromScandal, 'dirge' isn't quite the word you're looking, it usually refers to a piece of music. 'Dreck' perhaps?

[DeadDeadDeadRose]

Just watching episode 5 - the bit with the dead family member's face in a pin puzzle is definitely from mumsnet, that thread ran and ran.

[HuckfromScandal]

futurefairy 🤣🤣🤣

Yep - wrong word
Maybe it made me wish for a quick death to escape from it. Am liking the word dreck though!
I don’t think I was ever a typical mumsnet Mum - so maybe that’s why I don’t “get it”

[ShatnersBassoon]

Where's the working class thing coming from for Liz's character? I don't see her that way at all. I'd guess she's the same as all the others.

[ShatnersBassoon]

Ah, I've just put the pilot on. That's answered my question.

[Maudlinmaud]

The only thing that slightly niggles me is that Kevin was played in a Frank Spencer type way. I felt a little sorry for him.

[SaigonSaigon]

It was quite good. I don't really like AMM's character but I'll watch the rest anyway. It had some very funny bits in.

[Rollergirl11]

The guy that plays Kevin must be a very good actor as the last thing I saw him in was Lee, the psychotic hitman in Utopia! Believable in both.

[5foot5]

After the pilot I wasn't going to watch this as I don't always enjoy humour that just makes you cringe. However, I left it on and did find myself chortling at some of the lines. Well, mainly those from the friend Liz - for me she is the star of the show.

I know it's meant to be a sitcom and not a documentary but I still think the way they are playing Julia's attitude to her Mum strikes a bum note. You want to sympathise with her because of the useless husband, the stressful job and the unsympathetic boss etc. - but then you just can't.

[Blondeshavemorefun]

Loved the pilot. Havnt read comment will watch and comment

[MorrisZapp]

Who is Kevin meant to be? Is it explained in the pilot? Also does the redhead have kids?

[Maudlinmaud]

Yes the red head has a couple of kids. Depending on how far into it you are Morris you meet the ex partner or husband.
Kevin is a stay at home dad and it sounds as though his wife gets a little fed up with him at times. He's a bit of a misfit bless him.I think he was friendly with Liz before the other one bumped into the. You should definitely watch the pilot because it explains how they fell in with one another.
It's practically like a typical thread on aibu.

[HaHaHmm]

On the subject of Julia being unsympathetic and difficult to like - I can really see Sharon Horgan’s fingerprints on the writing here. If you’ve seen Catastrophe or Pulling then you will know that she writes very believable but very flawed characters. I absolutely loved it.

[BlessedBeTheFruit]

That's true Ha. I found the main character in Catastrophe so annoying that I stopped watching.

[Ginorchoc]

Huck ( Julie) you mean like Shameless and Royal Family which ran for several series I’m guessing because people found it funny so they were recommitioned. All the things they got up to..

Lighten up it’s a caricature of one aspect of life.

[Midge1978]

I really liked the portrayal of Julia’s attitude to her mum. I know someone just like that and it’s about time that kind of thing was highlighted. Good comedy makes us a bit uncomfortable!

[KERALA1]

Very funny. Why doesn't she just sort reliable childcare? Guess then there wouldn't be such a funny plot line.

Love the actress who plays Amanda she always gets to play the villain