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Mum - Series 3

Started by jsgibble, May 14, 2019, 11:02:59 PM

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Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: sevendaughters on May 27, 2019, 08:19:41 PM
oh i mean there's a little more to it than just a dimboid but it's a high thicko/hateful count for a domestic sitcom

I don't think it's hateful at all. The writer obviously likes the characters he's created, he's not looking down on them. The 'kids' being a bit dim is a source of humour, of course it is, but they're portrayed as fundamentally nice, harmless people. As Twed says, there's definitely a lot more to Kelly than 'stock sitcom ditz'. Even Pauline is treated with sympathy at points, she's not a one-dimensional monster.

I appreciate, however, that this might not yet be apparent if you've only seen a few episodes. Maybe you'll change your mind. Maybe not. Let us know!

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: jsgibble on May 28, 2019, 12:42:13 AM
I once saw someone who gave Motherland a five star review say that Mum's just a bunch of middle class stereotypes. Wish I was joking

That person is an idiot, obviously. Motherland was such a depressing show, just a load of sour, charmless middle class bores moaning about their comfortable lives. The antithesis of Mum.

I mean, of course you can still be deeply unhappy while having a nice big house in London with lots of money in the bank, but the characters in Motherland weren't remotely interesting or sympathetic.

I like Sharon Horgan generally, so I blame Linehan for fucking that show up.

Twed

Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on May 28, 2019, 01:18:34 AMEven Pauline is treated with sympathy at points, she's not a one-dimensional monster.
I think she's the most complex character in the show, and one of the most complex on TV in general. I think she was written with a specific condition in mind, and because the other characters don't recognise it the show never references it. It just shows the symptoms.

(I'm not saying that I've identified the problems she's dealing with, just that it's clear she's written with specific issues in mind)

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: Twed on May 20, 2019, 02:29:57 PM
Pauline's behaviour doesn't seem all that cartoonish if you've ever met somebody with a cluster B personality disorder, which I think was the idea here. This season explained the character to me. She isn't Hyacinth Bucket, she's somebody who has lost her identity and is trying to cling to one she thinks she should have. She fucking hates herself, hates her own actions, and is completely out of control. She loves Derek because he is devoted and caring towards her, even if her treatment of him contradicts that.

This, I think, is a pretty accurate description of Pauline's personality disorder.

sevendaughters

I read this thread so I do have an understanding of what is underpinning these characters, and returning sympathy to them via conditions and abuse and shitty experiences does at least show a sense of proportion and heart, but still it did agitate me slightly more than every episode contriving to get everyone under one roof at the same time. The good outweighed the bad in the end (of s1).

amnesiac

Absolutely loved this series and will need to re-watch it to take it all in, for example the burnt toast example above, so many lovely little touches. Playing chess with dice, that's another one.

You have to just accept the one-roof premise even though... a whole WEEK for a birthday party of not even a relative? I mean just go with it.

Loved all the permutations with all the pairings and it's a mark of how great it is how I didn't want each scene to end before it moved to the next one, and then the same thing again. So even when you Pauline with the grandparents it's still great; with her insisting she wasn't going to make them tea and them not hearing her. Derek and Kelly's scenes were done so well and thank fuck he didn't make a move on her in the bedroom where they were talking about water bottles (a subject close to my heart).

By the end I was screaming inside for Mum to just fuck off the kids and get together with the CEO of Westworld especially after the son did a U-turn.

Really want to know the rules of dice chess.

sevendaughters

I am just going with it, I do like it, just a pleasure to see Lesley Manville smashing it.

Twed

Quote from: sevendaughters on May 28, 2019, 09:00:37 AM
I read this thread so I do have an understanding of what is underpinning these characters, and returning sympathy to them via conditions and abuse and shitty experiences does at least show a sense of proportion and heart, but still it did agitate me slightly more than every episode contriving to get everyone under one roof at the same time. The good outweighed the bad in the end (of s1).
S2 & S3 do a better job of fleshing out the characters, I think. Please power through if you can.

derek stitt

Just sat through all of series three. Not much to add to what has already been said. Really really like how this very close family unit just cope and overcome without saying anything much beyond accepting body language (let's not concentrate on the repression too much as that's a part of how things are). Another nod of appreciation for the old couples pointless squabbling, moaning and laughing at each other as if they were one person.

Can't believe that dreadful Pauline woman was the same actress who portrayed that poor put open maid in the film, Mr Turner. Such a good and talented cast.

"... my great grandchild, couldn't give a fuck "

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: amnesiac on May 28, 2019, 10:15:56 AM
a whole WEEK for a birthday party of not even a relative? I mean just go with it.

Derek is Cathy's brother! An extended family spending a week in a fancy holiday home to celebrate someone's birthday doesn't seem that outlandish to me.

neveragain

"How'm I gonna get up these stairs?!"

Big pause.

"I'll get you up."

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Last night I watched the relentlessly grueling, but very good, Paddy Considine-directed film Tyrannosaur. Seeing lovely Michael in full-on, drunken, violent, "fuckin' cunt ya bassa!!" form is quite jarring to say the least, even though Mullan is generally known for playing frighteningly fucked up characters.

I'm just so used to seeing his kind, sad, crinkly face in this show, I'd almost forgotten that Michael isn't the sort of role he usually plays.

NattyDread 2

Just echoing the love here. The old boy was superb. "Has anyone got a dock leaf? Fuck off!" That bit got me proper.

holyzombiejesus

Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on June 02, 2019, 02:00:14 PM
Last night I watched the relentlessly grueling, but very good, Paddy Considine-directed film Tyrannosaur. Seeing lovely Michael in full-on, drunken, violent, "fuckin' cunt ya bassa!!" form is quite jarring to say the least, even though Mullan is generally known for playing frighteningly fucked up characters.

I'm just so used to seeing his kind, sad, crinkly face in this show, I'd almost forgotten that Michael isn't the sort of role he usually plays.

I remember Stephen Pastel tweeting from a GFF aftershow at the CCA where the Pastels were djing, saying that Mullen was a really good dancer. Thought it was a quite funny collision of worlds.

jaydee81

Highlight of the season for me has to be the Granddad taking pity on Derek and generously offering to take the banana off him, before thoughtlessly throwing it against a window.

Really loved s3. Such fantastic deft writing akin to Bennett or Wood. But yeah, the grandparents were a highlight for me 'They've gone for a walk' 'Oh I told you this would happen.' And the Grandma seeing the rain and instantly imagining the birthday would be ruined, the roads would get wet, her husband would be killed 'and I'll be left screaming in the wreckage.'

olliebean

Quote from: jaydee81 on June 05, 2019, 02:01:50 PM
Highlight of the season for me has to be the Granddad taking pity on Derek and generously offering to take the banana off him, before thoughtlessly throwing it against a window.

Grandad just carelessly throwing everything aside when he'd finished with it was a joy throughout.

Blinder Data

Powered through this over a few days and ended up loving it so much I miss all the characters like they're friends I'll never hear from again. Will Derek ever get that cuddle from Pauline? Will Cathy and Michael be all right? And will Jason stop being a massive bum?

I was reticent to watch this due to finding all the characters in Him & Her too annoying to stomach, but no such problem here. Initially the tone of it did feel a bit snobby in that "exasperated middle-class woman looks down on thicko Essex children" way and the caricatures felt a bit grating, but over time the depth of the characters revealed itself and my fears foundered.

Amazing performances all round. Series 1 felt like it was all about Kelly (probably the best and funniest character), series 2 was building up Cathy and Michael's relationship and in series 3 Derek's character really came into its own. The writing was first class and works on several layers, like Jason worrying about his future son idolising him too much: surface-level funny and also tragically revealing of his own preoccupation with his dead dad.

Laugh-wise, they don't come thick and fast but there are moments when I had to pause it due to guffaws e.g. when gran says how she'd "relish the opportunity" of sleeping with a black man; Derek's props-based sexual inneundo. There are so many lovely moments, like the grandad listening to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and tending to his wife, and brutal moments that are so fleeting, like Pauline's rejection of Derek's proposal and Derek's breathing exercise to calm down - in fact, whenever Derek is on screen.

If I had to criticise Series 3, it would be that some of the incidental moments felt a bit padded out and perfunctory, but overall this is great telly - one of the best British sitcoms in aaaaaaaaages - and everyone should watch it.

Utter Shit

Bit late to the party on this but I've just seen the first series...the tone is so bloody odd lads. Two beautifully subtle performances from Peter Mullan and Lesley Manville, one not especially subtle but very sweet performance from the actress who plays Kelly, and then everything else is either ridiculously over the top (the brother's horrible missus, the grandparents, Kelly's mum and cousin) or just downright weird (the son, who seems to react to every single situation in the same way...I've no idea if he's supposed to be detached, thick or what).

Is it worth sticking with? I've sort of enjoyed it, but the brother's girlfriend in particular is just relentlessly, unrealistically horrible that it puts me off a bit.

Poobum

I hate the son in this, feckless, tepid, charmless moron. I want to stick sharp bits of gravel into the treads of my boots and stamp his face to shreds. Other then that I've quite enjoyed it.

Twed

Quote from: Poobum on June 24, 2019, 01:12:26 PM
I hate the son in this, feckless, tepid, charmless moron. I want to stick sharp bits of gravel into the treads of my boots and stamp his face to shreds. Other then that I've quite enjoyed it.
I think the fact you hate him means it has hit its mark.

Quote from: Utter Shit on June 24, 2019, 11:46:18 AM
Bit late to the party on this but I've just seen the first series...the tone is so bloody odd lads. Two beautifully subtle performances from Peter Mullan and Lesley Manville, one not especially subtle but very sweet performance from the actress who plays Kelly, and then everything else is either ridiculously over the top (the brother's horrible missus, the grandparents, Kelly's mum and cousin) or just downright weird (the son, who seems to react to every single situation in the same way...I've no idea if he's supposed to be detached, thick or what).

Is it worth sticking with? I've sort of enjoyed it, but the brother's girlfriend in particular is just relentlessly, unrealistically horrible that it puts me off a bit.
If this is a showstopper for you then you should stop watching. It ramps this up. But every character does have incredible set pieces and their own emotionally-intense moment. Every single one of them. It's rewarding.

Quote from: Utter Shit on June 24, 2019, 11:46:18 AM
Is it worth sticking with?
I'd say so. The brother really comes into his own in this last series, especially SPOILIeRIER> his gleeful delight in the final (I think?) episode about looking forward to being a load of bones in a box, and the notion of stopping breathing < is that how we do spoilers these days?  Hopefully so.
Also at first sight the grandparents do seem a bit cut-out bitter older characters, then you notice that he spends his time uncomplainingly caring for her- putting her feet up, wrapping a blanket round her etc.  And (as someone pointed out earlier in the thread) his habit of immediately throwing away items he no longer has use for is very funny.

Utter Shit

Watched the first episode of the new series and it did seem just a little more toned down (the brother's girlfriend is still way over-the-top, but I'm beginning to enjoy just how ridiculous it is). I've yet to get a handle on Debbie's boyfriend, as with the main son I can't work out whether he is thick as shit, or indolent or what. He just casually mentioned that he'd cared for his mum until she died and so becoming a nurse was a logical step, with no apparent emotion. 

holyzombiejesus

Quote from: Utter Shit on June 26, 2019, 04:02:55 PM
Watched the first episode of the new series and it did seem just a little more toned down (the brother's girlfriend is still way over-the-top, but I'm beginning to enjoy just how ridiculous it is). I've yet to get a handle on Debbie's boyfriend, as with the main son I can't work out whether he is thick as shit, or indolent or what. He just casually mentioned that he'd cared for his mum until she died and so becoming a nurse was a logical step, with no apparent emotion. 

Who is Debbie's boyfriend and who is a nurse?

Utter Shit

Debbie's boyfriend is the nurse, it comes up in the first episode of the second series...


holyzombiejesus

I don't understand. Are you watching the new series or the 2nd? I have no recollection whatsoever of Debbie or Debbie's boyfriend the nurse.

Utter Shit

Second series at the moment, sorry I mentioned it in the first post I made but should have made it clear again.

I thought that was a really effective moment and I thought the delivery was deliberately underplayed so  you get the contrast with the way he was in series 1, the importance of what he'll be doing and the reason why just seemed like a logical conclusion he'd come to as a way of coping with everything. It's part of why I love the show so much, it can flip your perception of a character in a line or two of dialogue.

Utter Shit

Quote from: Utter Shit on June 24, 2019, 11:46:18 AM
Bit late to the party on this but I've just seen the first series...the tone is so bloody odd lads. Two beautifully subtle performances from Peter Mullan and Lesley Manville, one not especially subtle but very sweet performance from the actress who plays Kelly, and then everything else is either ridiculously over the top (the brother's horrible missus, the grandparents, Kelly's mum and cousin) or just downright weird (the son, who seems to react to every single situation in the same way...I've no idea if he's supposed to be detached, thick or what).

Is it worth sticking with? I've sort of enjoyed it, but the brother's girlfriend in particular is just relentlessly, unrealistically horrible that it puts me off a bit.

Glad I stuck with it. I enjoyed the second series a bit more while still seeing the same issues, but God the third series is just perfect isn't it? All the characters get a bit more depth added to them - I still find Pauline a bit too much to handle, but that one scene at least hints at why she is how she is. I thought it was beautiful how they showed Jason trying to bond with Michael once he had his heart to heart with his mum, so it was a bit of a shame that this turned out to be him trying to give his mum some space to basically realise she's being stupid.

Kelly is just so brilliant isn't she? And Derek really came into his own, he's possibly the most heartbreaking character of the lot, so desperate to be happy but incapable of finding it because he's too nice. The way he could temporarily be picked up by something as small as a kind comment made me want to cry for him.

One thing that I couldn't let go of throughout the entire series - the grandad looked and sounded like the Old Gits from Harry Enfield, which made it impossible to take him seriously.