Marriage.

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

I enjoyed "Mum."

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.

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 .

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

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

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 !!

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.

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

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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 you could watch a drama that appeared to show very mundane lives, seemingly meaningless conversations, etc - but if it’s well written and well directed, you should be left with a feeling of enquiry, a sense that you’ve been party to someone’s inner lives - and questions and thoughts that stay with you. I definitely didn’t have that reaction; I wasn’t moved.

Well Abigail's Party showed a mundane gathering with seemingly meaningless conversations, but everything had a deeper undercurrent so it was by no means boring. So I agree that the mundane can be interesting when well written and acted. But it has to be very cleverly done.

I quite like mundane, I like books where little happens.
I wanted to like it, but each episode depressed me a bit more, and episode four had me cringing with embarrassment.

I thought it was a masterpiece of under-acting - I’ve got up to episode 3 now. Even the “music” is appropriate ( and I’m a classical musician who would normally hate this sort of noise ). It’s almost a shock to the senses.

Totally agree,uncomfortable viewing.

It’s like being a fly on the wall in couple counselling session.

I watched 2 episodes with DH and he said how dull, boring and pointless it was , just like normal life, so why would anyone want to watch it!
I've now watched the rest and I can see that there's an underlying story, but wasn't impressed. I loved 'Mum', and was sad when it finished, so I hoped this was going to be similar. Hugely disappointed!

Boring, puerile drivel. Don't know how it got broadcast and what a waste of good actors.

I watched all 4 episodes and I was really underwhelmed by it all. The forced laughter from Sean Bean and his daughter was awful. I didn’t believe in any of the relationships. I’m sure that if anyone in my family were so distressed and sobbing so much, I’d do more than tentatively pat them on the arm, as they seemed to do. I know it was about lack of communication but I think there should have at least been some with the audience. I felt as though I was watching an improv show at times.

It's life Jim, maybe not as we know it but it's life all the same

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’