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Content / Criticism

59-year-old Cathy (Lesley Manville) has to reorganize her life after the death of her husband. Her chaotic family is not much help to her. Instead of being there for them, she is more of the one who has an open ear for everyone. Only her good friend Michael (Peter Mullan), whom she has known her whole life, she can let off steam and let herself go.

No trace of sadness

The first season of the British sitcom Mum comprises six episodes, each lasting 30 minutes. Each episode is named after a month and takes place on a day of the month. What immediately stands out is the protagonist. Cathy, played by Lesley Manville, is simply brilliant at first glance and you immediately feel sympathy for her. Although Cathy is actually the center of the story and has just lost her husband, everyone is pulling at her and it seems as if she has to take care of everyone. As a grieving widow, she seems to have a particularly clear head compared to the rest of the family.

Although the subject of death and grief is important and dealing with it affects everyone, it is questionable whether it is necessary to make a sitcom out of it. The subject is addressed in Mum does not really come through and is rather covered up with bad humor. There is no sign of a grieving wife, a grieving son or grieving parents. On the day of the funeral, bad jokes are made, but not a single tear is shed, until Cathy allows herself to have a small emotional outburst behind closed doors in front of her good friend Michael.

Annoying and humorless

In general, almost everything about this series is extremely exhausting. The characters are very hectic and annoying, especially Kelly (Lisa McGrillis). Kelly is the girlfriend of Cathy’s son Jason (Sam Swainsbury) and speaks unfiltered and uninhibitedly about everything that comes to mind. Most of the time, nothing but nonsense comes out of it, which also triggers feelings of embarrassment. She simply has no spark of decency, which can make the series a mental challenge for the viewers. Pauline, played by Dorothy Atkinsonis a terrible and unsympathetic character. You’d think that Cathy is surrounded by idiots and is just too nice and polite to show how much everyone is getting on her nerves. Just watching it almost drives you crazy.

The only stability in Cathy’s life is her boyfriend Michael, who is secretly in love with her. He seems to be the calming influence in the series, not just for Cathy, but also for the viewers. But what also gets annoying over time is that Cathy is a real people pleaser and doesn’t tell anyone what she really thinks to their face. You wait in vain for her to finally hit the table and set boundaries. Instead, she confides in Michael behind her back. The only person she lets out her true emotions and even cries in front of. The moments between Cathy and Michael are the only bright spot in this sitcom and help to recover from the exhausting rest of the series.

A protagonist without a backbone

Everyone around Cathy is behaving in a way that is too much for her and she lets it happen. Instead of saying anything, she thinks to herself, which is clear from her facial expressions. Even though actress Lesley Manville plays her role well, this behavior unfortunately makes the protagonist unsympathetic over time. Especially in one scene when Kelly sneezes full force into her face and she doesn’t bat an eyelid. She just looks surprised and says it’s not a big deal, even though it would be a good reason to freak out. After all, Kelly is a grown woman, but she constantly behaves as if she’s mentally stuck at the level of a three-year-old. Cathy then wipes her face in disgust as soon as Kelly turns around. You start to feel annoyed by Cathy and can no longer take her seriously, even though she actually had the full sympathy bonus as the protagonist from the start.

Credits

OT: „Mum“
Land: UK
Year: 2016
Director: Richard Laxton
Script: Stefan Golaszewski
Camera: Ben Wheeler
Occupation: Lesley Manville, Peter Mullan, Sam Swainsbury, Lisa McGrillis, Dorothy Atkinson, Ross Boatman, Karl Johnson, Marlene Sidaway

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