by Jacob Kinman, Contributing Writer
In the world of prestige TV on cable, none other than FX has come to the forefront with critically acclaimed shows like Fargo, Atlanta, and American Horror Story. A little-known gem amongst their great catalog is a British and American production, Breeders, which just concluded its third season. Paul (Martin Freeman) and Ally (Daisy Haggard) are two modern, 40-something parents in London. They have two children, Luke (Alex Eastwood) and Ava (Eve Prenelle), ages 13 and 10, respectively. At the end of season two, after many problems surrounding Paul’s anger issues, Luke, who struggles with anxiety and has a hard time making friends, tells his father he can’t live with him anymore due to his rage. Season one sets this up especially well, as Paul is constantly shouting at his children for minor inconveniences, like being too loud or being late. In the beginning of season three, Paul leaves his home to temporarily stay at the home of Ally’s mother, Leah (Stella Gonet) and her new husband while they’re on their honeymoon.
While Paul is away, Ally is facing her own issues. In season two, she has a pregnancy scare, which turns out to be symptoms of early menopause. On top of that, the recording studio she works for is going bankrupt, and she feels pressured to find a solution to save both the studio and her job. In season three, while still experiencing menopause, the HRT gel Ally relies on to treat her symptoms becomes unavailable. All of this, along with the feeling of disconnection from her husband, is overwhelming, and leads to a shift in her relationship with Ava. After Luke has a panic attack at school, Paul returns home, but not after making a new friend: Leah’s neighbor, Gabby, who he spends a lot of time with while away from home. At a birthday party for Leah’s husband, Ally sees Paul and Gabby interact, and suspects that they slept together. Paul contends that they were just friends, but the close relationship still leaves Ally feeling hurt. This, the tipping point, along with everything else that has tested their relationship, leaves them deciding whether or not they should stay together.
Another storyline involves Paul’s parents, Jackie (Joanna Bacon) and Jim (Alun Armstrong). Towards the end of the season, Paul takes the two on a drive to the country to have lunch at a pub they like. On the drive home, Jackie confesses that she knows Jim had an affair with another woman, who is in hospice care, after seeing his interaction with her when they went to visit. Jim admits that it was never physical, only emotional, but Jackie still refuses to live with him. Jim is left distraught and alone while Jackie moves in with Paul and Ally.
Breeders is a perfect blend of dry British humor and family drama. The show as a whole has a lot to say about the difficulties of parenting, and the dark places a parent’s mind can go. The things Paul and Ally say about their children are brutally honest, and by no stretch are they perfect parents, but they still always strive to do their best. Seasons two and three specifically do a great job of developing Luke and Ava into complex characters that have depth and emotion; there is a time jump after season one, where the kids are seven and four. We know just as much about them as we do Paul and Ally, which you don’t always see in family shows. What season two set up for the kids, season three follows through with it, and continues their complicated journey of adolescence, made even more difficult by their parents.
If I’m being honest, I feel like Freeman holds this show together. He has great chemistry with everyone, and is believable as a good dad who has his own issues. I’m not saying the other performances are bad; Haggard is especially good. But I can’t imagine anyone else in the role. Freeman’s charming and grounded personality takes Breeders to the next level.
If I had any negative takeaways from the show, there’s really only one: the Jim and Jackie storyline was a little rushed, and maybe a forced parallel to the Paul and Gabby situation. There’s already a lot going on with Paul, Ally, Luke and Ava alone; it all still works for the story, but it left me feeling the show was trying to do just a little too much.
Once again, FX has proven they can produce great, poignant comedies like Breeders. This show didn’t get the greatest ratings on TV, so I’m hoping more people will discover it on Hulu.
Score: 8/10
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