At Home With Julia
Take a gently satirical look at Julia and Tim's private life.
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Slight it certainly was, but not fundamentally unkind - to the Prime Minister at least.
At Home with Julia clothed its barbs with affection when it came to the PM.
Poor old Tim Mathieson was a different story. The ABC's new political satire pushed unflinchingly into every potential dimension of being the Prime Minister's male de facto partner - his imagined daily frustrations, the small accumulated humiliations of being ''Mr Gillard'' - the problem of being ''Todd'' as Bob Katter called him absently at one point.
Amanda Bishop and Phil Lloyd in At Home With Julia.
Or was it Ted?
It hardly mattered who he was, even if in episode one, there was vindication of sorts; a tantrum from Tim actually saved the day.
What did we learn of Mr Mathieson? Here was a figure reduced to shuffling aimlessly around The Lodge, enduring jokes from passing urchins (''hey Mr Julia, how about a hair cut?''), holding up women's' magazines in the vain hope he might be recognised, and haggling desperately over absent Australian beef when the three independents showed up uninvited (by him) to ruin his date night.
Poor ''Mr Gillard''.
Ms Gillard on the other hand, as she's portrayed in this series by Amanda Bishop, might just garner some sympathy from the public.
The flat vowels were there, as were the mannerisms. Captured was Gillard's sense of suburban ordinariness.
Paul Keating who won't get off the phone. Rob Oakeshott who talks incessantly and keeps introducing himself even though (as she calmly points out) they've actually met before. Bob Katter who wants to stop all imported food and puckers his mouth disconcertingly, like it's just encountered a lemon. Barack Obama, whom she's too busy to talk to. Wayne Swan who can't remember how many zeros to put in his column of figures without prompting. Kevin Rudd, who takes over the running of the cabinet meetings if she's late.
Apparently this Julia has just one challenge: the challenge of remaining unflappable when any normal person would get into bed, pull the doona over their head, and never get out again.
To emphasise this point Bishop's Julia glides, her head remains resolutely level as she walks and talks, like a duck sailing on a pond, willing itself to remain in formation, whatever the prevailing wind.
If this were a better series, funnier, sharper, more genuinely insightful, that characterisation could have been poignant. As it was, it was just a detail. Perhaps richness will come, for now it was just shorthand, a mimic's preparation, hardly a deep revelation.
Only Bill Shorten seemed to have the perfect life. If you missed the program last night, Bill Shorten was not a factional powerbroker from Victoria, it was the first couple's small dog.
Bill Shorten, the lucky devil, got everything. A loving pat from an affectionate and grateful Prime Minister. And a big chunk of Tim's wagyu steak.
Australia, make of that what you will.
Katharine Murphy is Age national affairs correspondent.
Follow the National Times on Twitter: @NationalTimesAU
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