Flowers is a British television series, which was created through a cooperative partnership between Channel 4 and Seeso. The series premiered on April the 25th of 2016 with two episodes. All 6 episodes were made available to the American public on May the 5th. The television series was created and directed by Will Sharpe. It stars Julian Barratt and Olivia Colman as a somewhat happily married couple. The awkward husband and wife, Maurice (Julian Barratt) and Deborah (Olivia Colman), live with their equally awkward children, Donald (Daniel Rigby) and Amy (Sophia Di Martino). Maurice’s mother, Hattie (Leila Hoffman) also lives with the family. The Flowers family is not your run of the mill family and tend to be shunned by the locals.
Maurice is an author, who is fairly well known for his children’s books. He works alongside his Japanese illustrator, Shun (Will Sharpe), and ends up spending more time in his shed than with his family. At the beginning of the series, Maurice attempts to hang himself outside of the family’s home. Nobody witnesses the action aside from his ailing mother. Maurice isn’t the type of guy, who is going to open up to his wife and let his know about his troubles. He keeps everything tucked inside and the series ends up revolving around his secret and his wife’s reaction to it. Of course, this explanation of Flowers is simply too simplistic to fit. Flowers is anything, but simple.
Flowers definitely fits into the black comedy genre, but it strays from the straight and narrows, while often delving into serious matters. Love, loss, heartbreak, and the feel of rejection are all explored in a ludicrous manner within the series. The series is undoubtedly a hoot and will leave one gasping for air in between laughs. Still, it is constructed in a manner that will force the view into deep contemplation about life. You’ll become intertwined in the struggles of Maurice and Shun’s relentless desire to save his mentor. You’ll feel sympathetic for the remaining characters, while also feeling disgusted and a little bit creeped out along the way.
Despite the unbelievable behavior and lifestyle of the Flowers family, viewers will most likely see parallels between the characters and their own families. The show manages to wrap a handful of genres into one and goes through stages of resembling a comedy, a horror show and a drama. Behind all of the weird comedy, Flowers has an abundance of heart, which is simply lacking from other modern television shows. Will Sharpe was definitely not afraid of taking risks and those risks paid off dividends.
Although some will not like the awkward humor of Flowers, it is well worth a view. If you’re able to make it through to the end, you’ll experience a thoroughly moving drama that forces you to reexamine life, death, and the contemplation of suicide. Personally, I enjoyed the humor, creativity and originality of Flowers. One moment, I was chuckling loudly. The next, I found myself holding back tears. Suffice to say, Will Sharpe has crafted an effective comedy/drama and it deserves an 8.5 out of 10. Will there be a Flowers season 2? We can only hope!
Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
