Marriage.

SachaMac

Well I finally got around to watching, I binged watched three episodes. Not really what I was expecting, I agree the intro music was truly awful, I had to turn the volume down when it came on. I also felt like we were being kept guessing just a little too much. What had happened to their son, why did her dad dislike the husband so much, what happened in the hotel room with her creepy boss, is Seans character really perving over the young lass at the gym? I’m hoping all will be revealed in the next episode. They seem so happy at times yet individually they appear to be quite lonely. I do feel I want to keep watching to the end, it’s a bit Play for today ‘ish’

I’ll be interested to hear what you think when you’ve watched the last episode.

I watched it all against my better judgement and can't say I've altered my original opinion. I thought it was complete and utter crap after one episode and still think the same after watching the whole thing. How anyone enjoyed it is beyond me. I couldn't relate to it at all, they were tedious boring people who lived through a tragedy but so what. I was married to my husband for 27 years and compared to those two we were the life and soul.

Enjoy?

TV programmes are not exclusively for “enjoyment”

True. But I think the word 'enjoy' does apply to a fictional drama series.
I'm continuing to watch it, but hoping it might improve.

No. But if not enjoyable they need to be thought provoking. And the thought needs to be more than ‘ what on earth was that all about’.

I agree. I'm still trying to work out what this programme is trying to tell us. Why is this marriage interesting, or thought provoking? What was the writer's intention? Hopefully it will become clearer.

It doesn’t imo

I've only seen two episodes. I'm hoping the next two will help. And be a bit enjoyable .

Calendargirl

Who’s planning on watching this tonight on BBC1 at 9pm?

Starring the gorgeous Sean Bean and Nicola Walker.

Only snag, it’s written by the same bloke who wrote ‘Mum’, which most other GN’ers loved, and I thought was a load of nonsense.

I know I was in the minority.

Hope his latest effort is more to my taste.

But with Sean in it..,..?

I wouldn't think of it as "a snag" as I absolutely loved Mum when it was shown.
My snag would be that Sean Bean is in it. Urghhh, no thanks !

We watched the first episode and found it really boring. Havent watched another one and wont be watching it tonight either.

I sadly admit I binge watched it yesterday… it really never got going for me, felt very monotone and the whole time i was willing for a jumps start… without the ‘to the side to the side’ etc etc lark ?

Very disappointing as both main characters are such good actors.

See it through. It is brilliant and quietly moving

Totally depressing!

Watched all four episodes thinking something will happen soon…………it didn’t

Usually love anything with Sean Bean and Nicola Walker in but this was soooo slow, and the annoying music at the beginning and end. Had to mute the TV

Watched it on iplayer, wasted quite a bit of time waiting for it to improve - zilch!

Watched the first episode will not waste my time watching anymore., it was like watching paint dry. Think Sean Bean is ugly but a good actor. Like Nicola Walker

Astonished by the thread- are we so used to excitement that we can’t see subtlety? You don’t have to like it, but proclaiming it “crap” when you know others like it and rate it is an it high handed, dare I say, arrogant? Don’t watch if you don’t like slow and if you don’t want to read between the lines and see ordinary life portrayed with respect.

Like watching paint dry... sooo boring

This was such a brilliantly acted play. The fact that Sean Bean could make you feel so uncomfortable with his character shows how wonderful his acting is. I thought the relationship with Nicola Walker and her boss was beautifully played out and single mindedness about her plans was brilliant.
If you were looking for a fast moving plot, it would have been disappointing. If you were looking for great characterisation and a snapshot of a couple who had been married for so long, who supported each other even if they found it difficult to communicate, it was a fine piece of work.

I am watching with enjoyment - have seen the first two episodes. Love the depiction of the marriage in subtle ways - eg their kitchen ( ie a public space ) is pristine but their bedroom ( private space ) is a tip. Anyway its something thought provoking and different for me at any rate.

I binge watched this, and while doubtful about it at the start I found it got better and better and became quite mesmerising, to the point where I quite fancy watching it all over again once time allows!

I thought my life was boring at times being on my own, but if that's what some marriages are like, I'm glad I am. As for the daughter's boyfriend, that controlling, manipulative prat is getting to me more than the creepy Sean Bean character.

Marjgran

Astonished by the thread- are we so used to excitement that we can’t see subtlety? You don’t have to like it, but proclaiming it “crap” when you know others like it and rate it is an it high handed, dare I say, arrogant? Don’t watch if you don’t like slow and if you don’t want to read between the lines and see ordinary life portrayed with respect.

I think those of us that loved Mum understand subtlety and understatement which is why there’s no reason why we should be disappointed with Marriage other than the fact that the character development doesn’t go anywhere…it just leads to dead ends. I think the writer has just used a tried and tested formula but transferred it to a subject matter that he doesn’t understand. Pathos needs humour for it to work and Mum was a classic example of it. Marriage has neither.I personally think that people are trying to find hidden depths to the series that just don’t exist.

DH and I binged it. We really enjoyed it, we LdOL, we held hands and said ‘oh no, a bit like us’.

We really are not totally like them but we could definitely see ourselves in some of the scenarios, come on it was about every day married life.

We have an active life, adult DC, DGC and friends.

One criticism, some of it was badly edited, storylines were not followed through or picked up much, much later which we found frustrating.

Otherwise fantastic TV. DH and I still have a giggle about it when we are at home alone being just like them.