Friday night dinner

[SunshineDays2019]

The new series starts tonight and Jim has got a new dog! I can't wait

And of course the writer is Jewish. It's broadly based on his family. It's hardly an exercise in tick-box diversity.

I agree with Offred. Im not Jewish but have lived in Mill Hill for years. I work with Jewish people from Orthodox ones to reformed and those that are liberal but still do practice the culture like FND hence our work do’s are never on a Friday night. The Mazel Tov has really annoyed me! I even say it because just what you automatically say when you hear someone good news. There is noway someone like Jackie would not have asked if their girl friends were Jewish. It might not have bothered her but, she would’ve asked (both sons marrying out probably wouldve bothered her)

I grew up in a north London Jewish family (not Mill Hill though) who were culturally Jewish rather than particularly religious - so similar to the Goodmans.

What FND has been so good at in general is getting the ‘cultural Jewishness’ just right, often in such a subtle way that non-Jews probably wouldn’t even register that it’s happening. The characters of Jackie, Adam and Auntie Val in particular did this so well. I can think of quite a few people I knew growing up who each of these remind me of!

But the final episode didn’t have this subtle Jewish aspect at all. In reality Jackie would be stressing that there wasn’t going to be a massive Jewish wedding she could organise and invite loads of extended family to. Plus there would be lots of subtle inquires to find out if the Lucy’s were Jewish, eg ‘so Lucy, you live by the park, do you know David Cohen who lives on the corner...?’

And erm, how to phrase this - the fact one of the Lucy’s wasn’t white would definitely have been noted and commented upon, probably in a whispered conversation in the kitchen.

No doubt I’m overthinking this. It has been a great really funny programme, but this last episode felt ‘off’ to me.

Loving the insights here!

I decided to assume, for dramatic licence, that Jackie would have done the homework before they arrived. After all, you’d be more likely to ask your son if his girlfriend were Jewish than ask her to her face wouldn’t you? So what we saw was expectations-adjusted Jackie!

I expect a Christmas special with the babies and then that’s the end to it.

We have been watching it from the start again and then the new ones as they come out. I’ve found it consistently funny.

And I know what you mean, Offred, they are culturally Jewish. The writer is Jewish so Friday Night Dinner was just part of his life. Just like Sunday lunch to other people. There wasn’t a big deal made out of them being Jewish.

And although the style is miles from my own, I love the house.
I just love how it’s all clean and neat. There is clearly much pride taken in keeping it nice.

Robert Popper has said that, in interviews, for his family, who are non-observant, Friday Night Dinner was the equivalent of Sunday lunch. And their Jewishness is sometimes fore fronted, eg the Christmas tree. Jacquie was horrified, it was a step too far so Martin said just call it a 'Hanukkah Bush' to mollify horrible grandma.

I really wish they’d make a movie! I’d love to watch it at the cinema!

IF there is a seventh series (big IF - I think it's run its course) - I hope that Jim kept his "box full of dogs" and is being dragged round Mill Hill by a pack of enormous great dane crosses.

@SchadenfreudePersonified you could be onto something!

I just caught up with the last couple of episodes. Sweet episode/ending.

Admittedly I am a bit emotional already today but it was Martin’s “it’s wonderful really, isn’t it” when standing outside with Jackie, that got me.

I haven’t read the whole thread, but just watched the last episode. Please don’t stop making this show. We love it so much.

@TheNinjaWife it’s come to the end now. Shows like that can’t go on forever