A struggling first-time mom and her quarrels with adjusting to a life that is not her own anymore … sound familiar?
Many of us can relate to the painful transition of becoming a first-time mom; the agonizing exhaustion and the hourly struggles of raising a baby without a handbook. The new Netflix show (released in April), The Letdown didn’t let me down.
The creators of this show pride themselves on showing the reality of motherhood.
And for the most 
part, they do it.
From Audrey’s (the main character) physical appearance to her emotional instability and the honest situations that happen to a lot of new mothers; the show creator did something right. While The Letdown does have mixed reviews, the creator of the show actually based the characters and plot after her own life as a new mother.
While there are 2 billion mothers in the world (85.4 million in the U.S.), in my opinion, the reality of motherhood is understated in television and almost never portrayed accurately. I believe this adds to the isolating challenges and culture new moms experience.
If you make it past the very not-funny pilot, episode two exponentially increased my laughs. There are seven total episodes that are approximately 25 minutes long.
While I do recommend this show, my main criticism is the pilot. The pilot was too sad of a reality without any of the good moments you experience as a mom. I watched Audrey go about her life, and it looked so much like mine during the first few months of my son’s life it just made me want to cry. It showed the hard without the sweet. I decided to keep going and the show definitely redeemed itself. All of the episodes from here on out had a funny twist while also being honest about the plight of a new mom.
The Letdown is honest. Brutally honest. It shows the self-sacrifice mothers make physically, emotionally, and relationally. Audrey shows us that we don’t always have to enjoy motherhood. You don’t have to like it in order to unconditionally love your children. My hope is that season 2 (if the show continues) will show viewers that varying seasons of motherhood bring new joys along with the growing pains.
A Few Things I Liked:
- The way Audrey looks – disheveled and a not perfect/healing body.
- The evolution of friendships – the awkward beginnings of new mom friends and how they can help you survive.
- The perspective of the husband/dad – this role is also overshadowed in our culture, and I’m so glad The Letdown displayed aspects of what our husbands go through!
- The full picture of motherhood – in episode 6, you see the dynamics between mom, grandma, and great grandma.
A Few Things I Disliked:
- The show doesn’t show Audrey anxious or sad at all to leave her baby for the first time.
- While I could relate to many of the challenges Audrey exemplified, the show doesn’t share the many joys of motherhood or the sweet side.
