Marriage - BBC1

[johnworf]

Did anyone watch it last night? I thought it was really good. Sean Bean and Nicola Walker are a bit of a dream team.

Reading reviews went from sublime to absolutely boring. I went for the former but realise it's not everyones cup of tea seeing the daily routine of a marriage.

Hopefully Sean doesn't get killed in this one!

Abysmal. I don't mind the slow pace at all, and I do enjoy seeing 'normal' life as opposed to the perfect, Instagram version. I'm a fan of Nicola Walker but here I can't warm to her character because she's such an idiot for pandering to these awful men in her life.

I've never liked Sean Bean much anyway and he is my real problem with this. I can't stand his creepy awkwardness - I appreciate how they're trying to show that he's struggling to cope with the changes in his life but he's fucking awful, a complete idiot. He looks older than 87 year old James Bolam as her dad (another horrible character) and I can't understand how she would have stayed with him. Going on and on about fucking 'per-teh-ters' in his awful and largely incomprehensible northern drawl put me off right at the start and I spent the rest of the first two episodes wanting to beat him around the head with a bag of his bloody potatoes.

I shall watch the rest but only in the hope that something painful will happen to his character.

This is very much like the series with Dawn French and Alf Molini. Anyone remember that?

Roger and Val Have Just Got In.

I really liked this series, preferred it to Marriage.

I absolutely loved "Mum" but read terrible reviews about "Marriage" - gave it a try last night and binged all 4 episodes until it was 1am and I was weeping and patting my snoring husband with affection.

It's painfully slow (theme tune was a bit of an assault on the ears), but the characters start to grow layers and become interwoven until it's very compelling and quite emotional. The long pauses and slow pace are intended I think, it was meant to be more natural.

Who knew that Sean Bean could play "cringe" so well (the girl at the gym and the dirty lift incident) I actually looked away a couple of times!

Great premise but such a wasted opportunity! It should have been scripted properly as I can only assume from the cringey dialogue and the longueurs it wasn't. Dear lord, all the elongated false laughing and "you're so funny" nonsense. Nicola Walkers' exaggerated swearing, because that's how "common people" express their inner feelings? So much talent and promise wasted.

Yes. That's it. Thanks. It was far superior

It's more suitable for a stage play than a TV series.
I quite like it, it's thought-provoking. That dreadful cacophony at the beginning & end -who thought that was a good idea 🙄

I loved it. I knew I would- I will watch anything with either Nicola Walker or Sean Bean in it plus add James Bowlam to the mix and the creator of Mum and … unique and magic. Obviously not mainstream , perhaps better suited to BBC2 but I really got this series. I could identify with their relationship and the stage they are at in their lives. This is why I do not begrudge paying my tv licence!

I nearly stopped at episode 2 but finished it and loved it. I like that a few things are left unresolved as they are in real life of course.

the bit I didn’t get was why don’t either of them have friends? Surely Ian would have had sport related friends?

the scene with nicola walker and daughter at the table was so well done.

Oh and the bit where James bolam watches Ian and daughter together and his face. Trying not to spoil too much here.

brother makes himself absent when sister comes round. It’s some toxic golden child thing isn’t it

Have watched 2 episodes so far. It's so realistic that I am cringing through some scenes. Sean Bean and his encounters with the young woman at the leisure centre and the security guy at the place where he interviewed. I ended up shouting 'just stop' at the tv!

I am guessing that what usually becomes a storyline of its own with the additional characters isn't going to happen here - and that's ok because it is true to life. We wander through our encounters with other people having no idea of their situations.

Yes the poor girl at the leisure centre. Sean Bean is missing his daughter but of course the receptionist woman won’t know that. Deeply loved uncomfortable but also relatable - many women have had encounters with men like that

Not sure why word loved got in there 🤦‍♀️

I'm on episode 4 at the moment. Jamie is a grade A prick isn't he. The hotel room scene had me cringing inside out.

I'm enjoying it so far, it's quite a hard watch at times. I think the silences are tough but more realistic - especially Ian.

I’ve just finished the whole series. Halfway through episode one I couldn’t quite believe how boring they were and wondering why on earth they’d made a drama of it. By end of episode 2 I found myself strangely hooked! The only thing that really bugged me was how abusive and awful Jamie was at the conference and how NW said absolutely nothing. Surely she would have walked? Anyway, overall I loved it and still not quite sure why!

I stuck with it, saw my reflection on odd occasion 😬

Been hiding from this thread but just finished all 4 episodes. DH & I both really loved it. Can totally see why people wouldn't but I thought it was so full of so many moving moments and relatable little bits and pieces. Even the theme tune grew on me by the end!!

'the scene with nicola walker and daughter at the table was so well done.'

It really was - it escalated beautifully. Great illustration of why people don't let it all hang out emotionally in families - often what's hidden is scary, messy and bloody painful

l've really enjoyed it. The awkward silence is the whole point - it's about what's not being said, even though their feelings are clear. They're relaxed when talking about people who are absent, or taking the piss out of each other. But they're all very afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing when it comes to raw, difficult emotions. And you see it when they do talk openly because feelings get hurt and that's how it often is in families. So people keep the peace so as not to threaten the stability.

I thought there was a lot of love between SB and NW, but also a lot that has driven a barrier between them and so they're not connected and intimate; everything is surface level. I think each protects the other one.

I got 20mins in...that's 20mins of my life I can't get back.
I can't stand Sean Bean, so my bar was pretty low to start with.
Unfortunately it was worse than I expected.

That'll teach me to watch stuff with an actor I can't stand in a lead role.

I binged watched last night and finished this morning. It was a strange one, I quite enjoyed it but can see where others are coming from.
The music was just bloody awful though!!!

Oh my god that's why he's doing it!!! I have sat there for ages thinking 'what is his fascination with her??'

I'm really enjoying the show and there is SO much to pick apart which is absolutely why I love programmes like this (Roger & Val, Mum etc)

Expected to hate it, kind of loved it!

God it was dire!
And what on earth was the point of it?
We tolerated almost all of one episode of these dull, annoying and virtually characterless people before deciding not to waste any more time on them.

I liked some of it and, unlike most people on the No Spoilers thread, found the first episode strangely compelling so decided I would stick with it.

However, having watched the whole thing, I do think it missed the mark quite badly. I was waiting for the moment when the barriers would drop and the real characters would finally come out and I just don't think they ever did, despite the odd crying/emotional scenes etc.

SB and NW just didn't convince as real people in a real marriage. The weird stilted way they spoke to each other was more like vague acquaintances, rather than people who had allegedly been living with each other for 27 years. Their was no easy familiarity.Their supposed in-jokes were the sort of cringe things you'd say in an awkward work meeting. That bizarre scene in the supermarket aisle, pratting around doing nothing - reminded me of Catherine Tait and the couple who think they're hilarious but really aren't - What are we like??!

Thought James Bolam was the best thing in it.

Ultimately, it all seemed a very pointless badly told non story.