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With Anna Maxwell Martin and a shirtless Oliver Chris, Motherland – Last Christmas is an actual festive deal with, till it remembers it’s usually the blackest of black comedies
“I’m only here for the free sausages”
Christmas specials for TV comedies can typically be an actual combined bag, a case of treading water dramatically while some festive shenanigans or somesuch are imposed on the present. And there’s a component of that with this yr’s festive episode of Motherland, surtitled Last Christmas, as we revisit the home chaos of Julia, Liz, and Kevin as they inevitably find yourself collectively, with bonus Meg and Amanda for good measure too.
The latter two are maybe just a little shoehorned in right here, a sufferer of the difficulties of finagling a state of affairs to deliver everybody collectively within the college holidays. Thus their minor plot strands really feel just a little one notice, Meg dissatisfied in her costly current from hubby Bill and Amanda bristling on the ice-cold barbs from mom Felicity while attempting to cope with the blended Christmas she’s having together with her ex and new companion however Tanya Moodie and Anthony Head, and Lucy Punch and Joanna Lumley all ship the products.
The chummy chemistry that percolates between Anna Maxwell Martin, Diane Morgan and Paul Ready stays a pleasure as circumstances conspire to get everybody spherical to Julia’s, plus three grandparents, the place biting pass-agg humour guidelines the day as Julia snipes left, proper and centre as pals, husbands and moms conspire to harsh her festive cool – Maxwell Martin very a lot in her wheelhouse and enjoyably spiky.
And simply as you’re considering up to now so Motherland, issues take a flip because the writers take us to jet black on this darkish comedy and because the stakes are significantly raised, the present actually does pull this audacious swerve off. Actors as nice as Maxwell Martin and Ready, plus Morgan’s rapier-sharp dryness, carry us via with aplomb and although there’s dicey moments aplenty, you possibly can’t assist however really feel Christmassy on the approach all of it falls out ultimately. Great stuff.