Marriage.

Sara1954

Shirley
Alan Bennet is in a completely different league, this was just sad and embarrassing.

I absolutely agree.

Chestnut

Why anyone would want to watch something that is a reflection of all the most boring aspects of their own life is beyond me. I want something with fascinating characters that will take me to another time or place.

I think if I could have watched it on my tv and just had it on in the background it would have been easier watching. But I had to watch it on my iPad when meant I was glued to the screen which made it even more painfully slow. I felt a bit voyeuristic watching it.

Why anyone would want to watch something that is a reflection of all the most boring aspects of their own life is beyond me. I want something with fascinating characters that will take me to another time or place.

Shirley
Alan Bennet is in a completely different league, this was just sad and embarrassing.

BlueBelle

I haven’t binge watched but so far I m totally with you Jane it’s what’s not said or done that makes this so interesting It’s deeper than the average drama and really gets you thinking It’s like an abstract picture it’s the bits left out that are so intriguing
Definitely marmite viewing and I love marmite

I completely agree, I like marmite too!

MayBee70

Jane43

This is obviously a ‘Marmite’ series, I have watched it all now and thought it was very good. I loved the way the different relationships were slowly revealed by what was said and what wasn’t said. I felt for Nicola Walker’s character who constantly tried to please her father (it was nice to see James Bolam again) and got nothing in return especially when he accused her of deserting him when she went on holiday - that was very close to home for me.

What was interesting was how sweet and friendly he was with other people but so grumpy with his family. My FIL was like that.

Yes he was, when he was in the GP surgery he started a conversation with a man who told him he had two daughters and then replied how wonderful it was to have daughters yet he showed absolutely no appreciation to his own daughter. He was also besotted with their daughter, his granddaughter, saying she lit up the room, again something close to home for me.

I think we all know (particularly anyone in a long marriage) what the writer was trying to portray, but I don’t think it succeeded at all. Think of the pathos and humour in the stories told by Alan Bennett

Sean Bean was brilliant in Time, Nicola Walker can be irritating with her clipped delivery but she has been in some great dramas so thought this one worth a watch.
I can sort of see what perhaps they are aiming for, the underbelly of many long term relationships. The routine, the mundane, the unsaid, but also why the relationship survives.
I have only seen two episodes but IMO it doesn’t work, and I agree with Luckygirl, pretentious.

Watched the whole series on iplayer, thoroughly enjoyed it, maybe because I've been married over 50 years, and could identify with much of what the characters were experiencing .......you do sometimes do things on autopilot (dishwasher scenes) the supermarket scenes about the chicken made me laugh,and I think the Emma character actually said she preferred going shopping alone, which is something I say to the OH.
Also the silences were spot on in my mind, although I think the silences in our house are more to do with "selective hearing" on the part of OH !!

I'm enjoying watching something totally different!!
Nicola Walker and Sean Bean are amazing actors. Can't wait for next episode.

Just totally boring, boring, boring from the start …… switched off after 25 minutes !

I were so much looking forward to seeing this but found it so very dreadfully mundane and boring . The uneventful life of this married couple with lots of long silences, the laughter that sounds very forced. Just like watching paint dry .

I agree, MayBee. I’ve watched all of it now and most of the time was either cringing or looking at my watch.

They came across as a mismatched couple and Nicola Walker’s acting was unconvincing. She’s the same in every part she plays.

Not deep - I think it is pretentious and has a touch of the emperor's new clothes about it.

I enjoyed "Mum."

I don’t think it was deep. I think it tried to be deep but failed. Everything about it was just emptiness. Even the most boring of boring people don’t have conversations like the people in this series. I feel the writer took all the things from Mum that did work and devised a different series using the same formula.. I’ve never actually watched The Office because I hate watching anything where people are made to feel awkward.

Well said BlueBelle. I have watched it all! Deep and interesting.

I haven’t binge watched but so far I m totally with you Jane it’s what’s not said or done that makes this so interesting It’s deeper than the average drama and really gets you thinking It’s like an abstract picture it’s the bits left out that are so intriguing
Definitely marmite viewing and I love marmite

Well I have now watched all four, just wanted to get it over and done with.
I found episode four the most difficult to watch, it was excruciatingly awkward, the forced fake, relationship between Ian and Jess was unbearable to watch, with all those bursts of fake laughter.
I was slightly moved by the ‘Jess box’ but then my teeth were set on edge again by the veg peeling.
And what was all that itching about?
My verdict, awful!
It had the same weird cringing quality as The Office with none of the humour.

Not even these two excellent actors could make this interesting. It just kept going round in circles. I won't be watching the rest.

There are so many things that just don’t make sense. Not sure whether to start another thread specifically for people that have watched all 4 episodes so we can discuss the many loose ends?

Just attempted to watch the first episode and gave up after 5 minutes when they were on the airplane and the most dire music I've ever heard started playing. I was bored already and knew it wasn't for me. Just been rivetted by The Newsreader (Australian) which was in another realm altogether and just wonderful. I don't want to watch the minutiae of people's lives, I want an interesting plot.

SachaMac
I doubt very much you’ll like the theme tune to this.

Jane43

This is obviously a ‘Marmite’ series, I have watched it all now and thought it was very good. I loved the way the different relationships were slowly revealed by what was said and what wasn’t said. I felt for Nicola Walker’s character who constantly tried to please her father (it was nice to see James Bolam again) and got nothing in return especially when he accused her of deserting him when she went on holiday - that was very close to home for me.

What was interesting was how sweet and friendly he was with other people but so grumpy with his family. My FIL was like that.

I’m looking forward to watching this, very mixed reviews on here though. I usually enjoy anything with Sean Bean or Nicola Walker in. I have series recorded so will probably binge watch.
I also enjoyed Mum, some great acting, it was gentle comedy but just drew you in. I liked the theme tune too.

This is obviously a ‘Marmite’ series, I have watched it all now and thought it was very good. I loved the way the different relationships were slowly revealed by what was said and what wasn’t said. I felt for Nicola Walker’s character who constantly tried to please her father (it was nice to see James Bolam again) and got nothing in return especially when he accused her of deserting him when she went on holiday - that was very close to home for me.