‘Breeders’ Pilot Review: Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard expose us to the ugly truth of parenthood
Imagine this - you are in your thirties or forties, with work pressure, financial liabilities, et al, and two kids to raise and support. You are just about to wrap up a hard day of work, ready for another grind in less than 24 hours, and then the screaming and screeching of your toddlers would not let you unwind. To make matters worse, they just would not sleep, but you need to!
That’s the story of Paul and Ally — a middle-class English couple trying hard to manage their work, life, and parenthood. That might sound like more than 80 percent population of the world but can you imagine what it takes to be parents and successfully handle your children? Perhaps no one does, just like Paul and Ally. But a peek into their life in episode 1 ‘No Sleep’ is good enough to give you an idea of what it could possibly entail.
Yes, parenting is hard, but it’s harder when your children are toddlers, and you have to also juggle with the ups and downs in your relationships, work pressure, and judgmental people around you.
As ‘Breeders’ opens with its pilot episode, it takes you instantly into the lead characters and their lives. The best part is that there is no preamble, like most family dramas that are crowding networks today.
It’s crisp, to-the-point, and portrays the most real emotions parents can feel. Yes, there is, of course, a bit of drama involved, but that is what makes this series funny.
Martin Freeman is a star, as is Daisy Haggard. Their chemistry as a couple and struggling parents is charming, funny, and extremely relatable for the right audience. Their parental journey is impossibly steep and laden with thorns all across, or so Freeman makes it look like. And you would be surprised, how many parents might just relate to that!
Thanks to its creative team and solid performers, “Breeders” is a reliable comedy that hits all the beats one might expect from its “parenting, but more honest” premise. This adherence to predictable plots is also what keeps “Breeders” from being much more interesting than that.
Moving beyond the concept, plot, and performance, the filmmaking of the series so far is done quite well. The narrative moving between flashbacks and present, instantly makes you feel that you are a part of Paul and Ally’s story.
The contradictions of emotions between the past and present scenes also help you understand why Paul and Ally feel how they feel about their children. These random flashbacks between the present chaotic times and the earlier (and happier) times of the couple’s lives, keep the pace of the story going and doesn’t let you feel dragged.
If there’s one thing, this show so far is, it is about not making parenting “fascinating” or “dramatic” but making you realize that all parents sail on the same boat, just that some steer it differently.
‘Breeders’ might not bring very unique parenting ideas to the table (after all, there’s not much new one can do in this art, can they?), but it definitely walks you through the clichés of the responsibility but in a very quirky and fun way.
As far as the first chapter (pilot) of this story is concerned, it opens and takes you in well, leaving you wanting more at the end. With FX’s reputation of acing comedy dramas and relationship stories, ‘Breeders’ could prove its worth in the coming episodes.
‘Breeders’ airs every Monday night at 10 pm (ET), only on FX.