One of the best shows I've seen. The dramatic moments are understated, but powerful. The characters are outrageous but easy to warm up to. It just fits together perfectly-- though it seems like it shouldn't. 
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Looks structurally like it's intended for a single season, but I hope they find a way to carry on for many more. So much talent in every aspect of this show!
Did nothing for me - just a straight woman with no funny lines and a load of over the top stereotypes.
Quote: Tursiops @ 12th June 2016, 10:56 AM BSTDid nothing for me - just a straight woman with no funny lines and a load of over the top stereotypes.
It's all below the surface.
I grant that it's not the sort of thing everyone would find compelling, but it's all there-- like a Mike Leigh film. It's like the implications of the dialogue and attitudes fill us in on the underlying tragedy of their lives. 
I love this show more and more. Ep 5 was heartbreaking. Stefan Golaszewski's growth as a writer is something to behold.
Quote: Tursiops @ 12th June 2016, 10:56 AM BSTDid nothing for me - just a straight woman with no funny lines and a load of over the top stereotypes.
Exactly!
Quote: italophile @ 14th June 2016, 7:53 AM BSTI love this show more and more. Ep 5 was heartbreaking. Stefan Golaszewski's growth as a writer is something to behold.
Can't believe this is the same man who wrote "Him & Her". Maybe if that show featured a better cast, the writing would have seemed a lot better.
And, really-- heartbreaking, indeed. They slip in and out of the heavy emotional bits so easily. I hope they're able to give it at least another season. Don't know how well they're doing for an audience, though.
Quote: sockpuppet @ 14th June 2016, 7:00 PM BSTCan't believe this is the same man who wrote "Him & Her". Maybe if that show featured a better cast, the writing would have seemed a lot better.
And, really-- heartbreaking, indeed. They slip in and out of the heavy emotional bits so easily. I hope they're able to give it at least another season. Don't know how well they're doing for an audience, though.
You didn't like "Him & Her"? The first series was very patchy, I'd call it a work-in-progress. SG was searching for his tone and style. He made huge strides with each subsequent series. The last couple of series, and the wedding eps, were glorious, I thought. He mined some very dark personal areas and the humour was correspondingly dark. With a superb cast who got the tone pitch-perfect. "Mum" is more accessible.
What the two series have in common, though, is the basic set up. "Him and Her" had Steve and Becky as the anchor characters around which the other flawed, troubled characters orbited like planets. Ditto Cathy in "Mum".
That sounds like an original set-up.
Terry and June
Hyacinth and Richard
Eric and Hattie
George and Mildred
Quote: italophile @ 15th June 2016, 7:44 AM BSTYou didn't like "Him & Her"? The first series was very patchy, I'd call it a work-in-progress. SG was searching for his tone and style. He made huge strides with each subsequent series. The last couple of series, and the wedding eps, were glorious, I thought. He mined some very dark personal areas and the humour was correspondingly dark. With a superb cast who got the tone pitch-perfect. "Mum" is more accessible.
What the two series have in common, though, is the basic set up. "Him and Her" had Steve and Becky as the anchor characters around which the other flawed, troubled characters orbited like planets. Ditto Cathy in "Mum".
Okay... THIS is where my problem is. I thought there was only one series! Now that I see I have 3 more series plus a Christmas special to catch up on, I'll reserve judgment until I'm done. Looking forward to them, though.
And thanks for pointing this out to me-- I don't know how I overlooked the others, especially as I'd read the IMDb entry and I now remember seeing several seasons listed!
I think you summed these stories up perfectly with your 'planets' analogy. Must be a bit tricky to write such a narrative, but (at least in "Mum") he makes it look easy and natural.
Thanks again-- looking forward to finishing H&H now.
It's a very tricky concept to write. The screamingly obvious, conventional approach would be to make "Mum" all about Cathy coping with bereavement with a cast of peripheral characters. The challenge SG takes on is to use the "orbiting planets" to reflect Cathy's coping without letting them - the other characters - take over. Cathy is always at the centre of things.
And some of SG's storytelling is inspired. Take Cathy's broken wrist. We see her with her arm in a sling. We have no idea why. We're left to wonder why while it - the injury - obviously impacts on her coping. Only late in the episode do we find out what happened.
SG is mates with the writer/performers Jonny Sweet, Tom Basden, Tim Key. They all deal in left-field, anti-obvious approaches to writing. It's worth checking out their material if you get a chance.
Quote: Tursiops @ 12th June 2016, 10:56 AM BSTDid nothing for me - just a straight woman with no funny lines and a load of over the top stereotypes.
This.
Although I did love Kelly. And the bit where she was talking to foxes had some laughs.
Beautifully written last episode, wonderfully played. There's going to be a second series. More power to SG.
I have just finished watching the final episode. I didn't warm to the Kelly character at first but she gradually grew on me as a somewhat flawed but vulnerable personality, very well played. Peter Mullan and Lesley Manville were both excellent as always. Glad to see it is going to get the chance to grow, not enough sitcoms do nowadays.
I really like this show! It is so quirky and makes me laugh! The characters are well done and I would like to see it continue and become a staple for years to come. I cannot get enough. It seems whenever I feel this way about a new series they usually are taken off the air quickly! The thing I like the best is the quirky song and I want to know who the band is doing it! I cannot get it off my brain and find I sing it all day and all night. So, "I got a ticket on the long way round............and you gonna miss me when I'm gone?" So does anyone know if you can buy this song on a video or something so we can see the band and listen to if.........like 24 hours a day??!
A second series is going to be a series too far I fear. I can see this becoming another W1A - basically the same lines & behaviours from each character every week
