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.

If it were close to home it would be a lot funnier. It’s because it’s so far from home that I find it a bore. It has funny moments, but not enough to keep me watching.

I don’t find Mrs Brown's Boys funny either. Must be because i find it "too close to home."

Quite.

I love Mrs Brown Boys, but can take or leave this. There are some good characters, and some funny moments, but it’s not laugh out loud for me.

I never really liked The Office either. This reminds me of that.

Swimming pool funny

Interviewing for a nanny a crack up. Ex nanny here

Not sure why needed to see woman’s right boob

Watched them all thought it was really laugh at loud at times - when Julia was trying to slam that school door was a classic.
Yes, she is a bit Basil fawlty at times - that weird smile of hers and the way she tries to get everyone else to cover up her mistakes. Liz was great - her little speech to the new girlfriend was very real I thought.
I can't imagine how a second series would pan out though. A few mumsnet things on there that made me smile and the whole ' this bunch doesnt hang around with that bunch' is still rife and always was years ago, things dont change much do they? ( i was always the outsider myself!!)

The performances are absolutely top notch, which makes the programme for me.

The acting is very good - the one who plays Kevin is fab ( not seen him in anything before)

I mentioned further up thread that the guy who played Kevin played a quietly intimidating hitman called Lee in Utopia.

Kevin/Lee in action in Utopia. Warning, not for the faint-hearted!

m.youtube.com/watch?v=IhPTUog6DWc

That was horrible!! so different to bumbling Kevin.
Diane Morgan ( liz) is Philomana Chunk with Charlie Brooker, was wondering where i had seen her before.

I loved Liz. She managed to come across as a decent human being while being imperfect. I liked her speech to the new girlfriend too.

Can't see the Fawlty resemblance really - Anna MM's fixed smile is to try and be "one of the girls" and desperately trying to fit in, whereas Basil's manic grin was usually enraged and furious and generally ended up with him punching a door or hitting Manuel or yelling at the guests!

Didn’t do it for me. Yeap we all get the premise, yeap they’re caricatures, but it just felt too try hard and laboured.

I don’t think the comparison with fawlty towers works because tbh fawlty towers was of its time. If it was screened for the first time now, I don’t think it would be great at all, but at the time it was incredibly funny and when we watch re runs now, it’s a nostalgic thing, very different to seeing something for the first time.

I think the premise for motherland is ok, and an effective comedy could have been made out of it, but I just don’t think this hits the spot

My older parents hated fawlty towers so much. They didn’t get ‘modern’ comedy. I m not that keen myself on that show but I can see why it’s a classic.
I think Julia just reminded me of him with her anger issues and flustered manner.

Julia depended on her mother because her DH was so absent from all of the organisation. When the mother stepped away it induced abandonment and irrational rage.

I liked the part where Julia did her non-apology to her Mum, blaming the patriarchy. The Mum gave a little smile of recognition because there was truth in it.

Society is not set up to make women’s lives easy. Parenting falls squarely on most mum’s shoulders and hardly on the dad’s in many families. Not all, but enough to make it recognisable. Throw in FT work and life becomes intensely stressful.

Julia is a magnified portrayal of that moment when work is demanding and parenting/guilt is massive and you feel torn and stressed and like you’re failing...she isn’t likeable but she represents those moments, writ large.

Liz is a wonderful character because she knows she can’t ‘compete’, doesn’t try, just battles on, manages, and is authentic.

Flawed as a show but I love that it exists and want to see it develop.

Everything rung true - swimmimg pool one was funny. The claustrophobia of changing rooms, surly receptionists, how every one is in your way all the time, the alpha mum in revealing swimwear with the hourglass figure. Yep, i know its flawed as a comedy but i actually really laughed and that is rare in most comedy shows these days. I hope they commission more and have liz in a more starring role.

I want to punch her absent, lip-serving worse-than-useless husband.
Over-identifying, moi??

Husbands are just there to moan and pretend help. Been married too long.

Well I thought it was hysterical and binge watched the series. Haven't seen the pilot so might watch that tonight.

My favourite was the ILs episode, Her expression when her MIL asked for the heel and she had to rifle through the loaf to get it. Then at the fish restaurant when the MIL says she doesn't like fish but didn't want to make a fuss.

The DH bit sadly rings very true. Her disbelief and suppressed joy when she thought he might actually come back from his jollies to do some parenting, then of course doesn't.

Like most good comedies it can be hard to watch as true to life. I'm not sure if it has legs though. Although it was amazing I'm not sure I'd want to watch another series of it.

I watched the whole series. I thought it was brilliant. Really hope they make another series.

I just finished the series. I really enjoyed it! I hope they make another one.

It annoyed me that the husband didn't get his comeuppance though.

Also what was with that awful red coat???

Just watched the pilot. It makes more sense now .
Embarrassingly I am totally her on the school run , although thankfully I do know when half term is.

Just didn’t find it funny, except for the swimming pool scenes, especially trying to keep the pristine white suit clean in a cubicle and when she spotted her mother in the swim lane and splashed after and berated her!

Lazy stereotype of the “bitch alpha mum” and useless DH that the main character just puts up with.

The nanny interview annoyed me: RL nannies can’t afford childcare.

I've just watched the pilot and episode 1 and loved it! The pilot especially. Not least because the same thing happened to me, I got invited to a play date with the kids by alpha Mum, for various reason I'd only had a sandwich that day and was starving - Alpha Mum was serving spag Bol as well (my favourite). She only fed the kids I didn't eat out the bin though like Julia I did however run to M&S after said play date and got a ready meal spag Bol. Howled laughing watching it happen to Julia.