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We binged the first two seasons of this half-hour show, Mum, last night on Amazon and were both enthralled and repulsed. Which is a hard thing to pull off and keep you sucked in.
Every scene happens in or in front of a row house in England. The title character, Cathy, has lost her husband. The first episode is the day of his funeral. Then we jump month by month with each episode.
The repulsed part is the over-the-top characters surrounding her. Their narcissism and lack of awareness is so thorough it batters you. They say the worst things. They are thoughtless. Why does she put up with it?
But at the same time, there’s a deeper level to it. Why are they like this? We get snippets. That doesn’t excuse their atrocious behavior, but it makes it more understandable.
At the same time we see little gestures and moments that give great insight and understanding. There are emotional, subtle moments, that take your breath away. The acting is superb. Hard to believe that Michael, her friend, was Darlene’s husband in Ozark.
We might think Cathy is a saint to put up with all she does and never lose her temper. But is she? Why is she like she is? Is it a good thing? Why does everyone gravitate around her house? Why is she the nexus of all of this?
