TV - Mother's Day and the Geek

With Mother's Day just about everywhere but the UK being just around the corner, Steve Taylor-Bryant with some advice to those trying to get the family matriarch into the same mind as you are in...

When you are like you are, a geek and proud, but your parents are of a different generation it can be hard to converse sometimes. You want to talk about the impact David Lynch had on the future of television and your Mother wants to talk about the impact Alan Titchmarsh had on the future of the family garden. I’ve been really lucky over the years as my Mother has always tried new things. Whether it be food, holidays, wine, or television and film, she has been right at the forefront of parental experimentation, trying her best to please my sister and me with conversation more of our liking.

Over the course of my life my Mother has sat through Streethawk, Doctor Who (in the 80's when only hardcore fans appreciated it), Angel and Buffy, and detective show after detective show in her pursuit of understanding her children. Some of you are not so lucky, some of you are just starting out on this journey of educating the parental figures in your life but fear not, I am here to help.

The thing you cannot do is push them. Parents are allergic to their children becoming the dominant force in the relationship and you must tread carefully, working gently towards your goals of their full immersion into your televisual delights. If the goal is Twin Peaks then start out with The X-Files. Your Mother may not be ready to jump straight in to the weirdness that Agent Dale Cooper et al bring to the table, but Mulder and Scully are a good foundation into the strange events that television can offer, in a more Mother friendly way.

If your goal is the new show, Hannibal, then I would suggest starting a lot lighter in tone. You still have to have a certain level of murderous content but a show like Dexter brings a more light-hearted look at bloodshed and the minds of killers. Progress to about season 4 then add Hannibal in small doses.

As you approach Mother's Day you are in prime position to start your plans. You won’t be going to the Mother's Day meal without a gift will you? No, I thought not. So, instead of chocolates or the now traditional potted plant, why not start your Mother a DVD Box Set collection? She will thank you - Eventually!

These 8 shows are now regular favourites of my Mother's so why not try them out on yours.

N.C.I.S.
Dexter
House M.D.
Sherlock
Life on Mars
Ashes to Ashes
Torchwood
Line of Duty