Motherland, written by a team of writers that includes Graham Linehan and Sharon Horgan, has, after a well-received pilot, been awarded a full series which starts next week. With a roster of impressive stars including Anna Maxwell Martin, and the talented Diane Morgan, the series takes a cynical, and apparently humorous look at motherhood, and in particular, at the difficulties of balancing work with childcare, and the hierarchy of so-called ‘alpha mums’.
I say apparently humorous because the pilot, relying heavily on entirely hyperbolic stereotypes, is far from truly comedic. Certainly, there is humour to be found within motherhood, and there is unquestionably an appetite for such humour if the upcoming Bad Moms 2 is anything to go by, and yet, Motherland’s pilot episode was, largely, dull and inane.
Despite its lack of intelligent humour, perhaps the biggest issue with Motherland is the smug writing. Entirely classist, the series has intentionally chosen to principally focus on a mono-middle-class culture. Morgan’s character, in her overt northernness, freezing all food and neglecting to stock herbal teas at home, is othered by the simpering mothers in thrall to the head alpha mum.
Her single mother status, alongside her regional accent, immediately marks her as separate from the middle-class liberal mothers. Given that much of the humour provided by Morgan’s character stems from her perceived otherness, and the fact that this otherness is so linked with her identity, its depiction of the class is immediately questionable. Her exaggerated bluntness and her lack of culinary knowledge (going as far as freezing eggs) are entirely, and problematically, connected with her regional identity.
Its depiction of both class and matriarchs, in general, is hugely problematic. I am not suggesting that all characters, particularly comedic characters, need to be fully developed, but choosing to depict motherhood, gender roles, and class in such a manner is lazy. There is no reason why comedy and progressive representations cannot be depicted together.
The men of Motherland, aside from weak stay at home father Keith, are disinterested in both the issues of their wives and their children. Julia (Maxwell Martin) arriving for an informal tea with a gaggle of children is quickly ushered into the kitchen by the family patriarch. When arriving, it is quickly apparent that all the visitors have been relegated to the typically female domain, with alpha mum Amanda’s husband berating Julia for daring to enter his domain.
Similarly, Julia’s husband feigns little interest in the childcare responsibilities as Julia struggles to manage the school run. Instead, he ponders his coffee and cake choice at a leisurely pace, listening to Julia’s plight without care.
These character types are of course recognisable, and are, in part, grounded in truth, but they are so poorly drawn that they fail to truly engage. Motherland, then, at least thus far, fails on all accounts. It is neither inventively humorous, or wittily acerbic, lacking any social commentary, or any insight into the plight of motherhood.
Siobhan Denton 