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Title- Motherland
Creators- Sharon Horgan, Juliet May and Holly Walsh
Cast- Anna Maxwell-Martin, Lucy Punch, Diane Morgan and Paul Ready as well as an ensemble cast
Genre- sitcom
Length- 3 series
Platform- BBC iPlayer and Netflix
Rating- 4/5 stars
Plot
This is a programme about navigating the trials and traumas of middle-class motherhood, looking at the competitive side and unromantic take on parenting- not the cute and acceptable public face of motherhood.
Taken from IMDb
Opinions
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| Taken from Google Images |
A friend had recommended I watch this show and then my dad also wanted to watch it, so we finally ended up watching it this summer. All I knew was that it was a sitcom about a group of parents and their struggles. It's created by Sharon Horgan, who is half of the creative team behind Catastrophe, which I loved, so I knew we were in safe hands. Our main characters are Julia (played by Anna Maxwell-Martin), an overworked, slightly selfish at times and under-appreciated by her family occasionally mother. She then befriends Liz (played by Diane Morgan) a more down to earth and the only non "posh" mother, and Kevin (played by Paul Ready) a stay at home dad that you can't help but feel both sorry for and annoyed by. They're the underdogs, the not as popular parents with the other characters. Joining them is super mum, but not in the good way, Amanda (played by Lucy Punch) and ball of sunshine Anne (played by Philipa Dunne). They're a wonderful bunch of characters and make the show full of pure chaos. There's constant drama and clashes, yet there's also quite touching moments between them. I would have to say that my favourite is Liz because she's just so down to earth and doesn't put up with any of the others mess.
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| Taken from Google Images |
As someone who is not a parent (I'm only 21 years old, so I'm not sure I'm the target demographic for this show), this show is still funny despite that. The situations these characters find themselves in are bonkers. One particularly memorable scene is from series two when the parents go away for a half-term holiday and rent a house. Kevin, as the good natured and kind hearted person he is, offers to cook a very complex meal. This of course goes wrong and ends up with Kevin throwing the burnt pig (yes, he cooked a whole pig) on the living room floor and calling them all "bitches!" and then adding for the one other father there "Bill!". It just made me laugh so much. An iconic scene.
In series three in particular, the show begins to tackle important issues. The opening of the show is a piss-take of the governments handling of the pandemic. It has the school having a nit epidemic and there being a tonne of rules for the parents to follow. One of the funniest scenes I have seen in a long time. On the other hand, there is a much more series storyline about Meg (played by Tanya Moodie) and her daughter experiencing racism at school. I think this was supposed to mirror the BLM movement that took place over the summer. This is the first time that Meg's race has ever been addressed as she is the only character of colour on the show. I thought that it was good that they included this storyline, but have seen some comments in a review I read about how it was a bit heavy handed. It was the white characters coming to her aid and kicking up a fuss, rather than letting Meg and her daughter address the problem. I'd like to see them address it again in another series to see if they can have a slightly better conversation about race.
Let's talk about series three and how it was by far the best one. The opening scene. The characters storylines and development. But the real thing I want to talk about is how shocked I was when Kevin and Amanda slept together. They are polar opposites and it was just a one night stand thing. Yet it worked to have the characters bond. It also had some very funny moments. Julia's storyline with her builder Gary was sweet and funny. We finally got to meet Paul in person and see him interact with Julia. This series just bounced from strength to strength. There is a Christmas episode that I've yet to see but I can only imagine the chaos that will take place. I'm hoping they come back for another series as I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to these characters.
What did you think of Motherland??
