Character

Manus

playful combative mischievous captivating

Manus serves as one of Amanda's young sons amid the alpha mums' intricate childcare exchanges. Amanda calls him alongside Georgie during cafe logistics and offers him to Anne or Julia for temporary care. Julia addresses him directly for a crisp amid street chaos. Liz recalls his past friendship with Charlie, ended after the boys showed each other their genitalia, highlighting Amanda's brief tolerance. He scraps with Charlie outside Liz's flat and later mesmerizes the group with his iPad in Amanda's kitchen, drawing silent attention from peers during adult gossip.

10 appearances

Children's play and childcare dynamics

Manus's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

10 moments

S1E1 · MOTHERLAND

Bartering for the Alpha Table

Unspecified; treated as movable childcare unit rather than agent with preferences.

Manus is called by Amanda as one of the children to be taken; as a child he is a passive object of adult negotiation and will be handed into Julia's …

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S1E1 · MOTHERLAND

Two Pennies, Public Unraveling

Childlike impatience mixed with curiosity; seeks small comforts while absorbing adult stress.

Manus is present among the children, addressed by Julia for a crisp; he holds or controls crisps and watches the adult exchange, quietly participating in the domestic tension.

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S1E1 · MOTHERLAND

Two Pennies and a Cup of Tea

Mildly hungry and curious; seeks small comforts like a crisp and is soothed when the ride restarts.

Manus is among the children Julia addresses; he is asked for a crisp and stands by as the ride restarts, holding food and watching the adult exchange with childlike interest.

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S1E1 · MOTHERLAND

Breakdown by the Coin Ride — Liz's Quiet Offer

Mildly impatient and hungry; primarily focused on food and the immediate sensory experience, not the social stakes.

Manus is present among the children, holding crisps; he is directly addressed by Julia when she asks for one, fidgety and hungry, a small domestic presence amid the adult crisis.

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S1E1 · MOTHERLAND

Mattress Jumps and Pizza Triage

Not present; invoked as part of social backstory.

Mentioned in Liz's anecdote as a past friend of Charlie; Manus is not present but functions as social history that explains Liz's ostracism.

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S1E1 · MOTHERLAND

Confessions Over Wine: Jobs, Shame and Social Lines

N/A (mentioned)

Manus is referenced in Liz's anecdote about childhood friendships that once granted Liz temporary tolerance; his name functions as a social data point influencing Amanda's past tolerance.

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S1E1 · MOTHERLAND

Shunned by the Alpha Mums

Not present; invoked as a tie that once connected Liz to the alpha-mums' circle.

Manus is named in Liz's anecdote about past friendship with Charlie; his mention functions as social context explaining why Liz was tolerated briefly and then cast out.

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S1E1 · MOTHERLAND

Liz's Exit — Handoff and Panic

Upset and defensive — startled by the attack and likely seeking protection or restitution.

Is hit by Charlie and reacts as the fight breaks out; his involvement turns the incident into a visible confrontation that requires adult management.

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S1E1 · MOTHERLAND

Kitchen Rumor: Affair Revealed

Neutral and focused on his device; unconcerned with adult social dynamics, which heightens the scene's irony.

Manus sits as the pivot for silent attention among the children, playing with an iPad while the adults' conversation swells; his presence creates a visual of distracted childhood adjacent to …

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S1E1 · MOTHERLAND

Silent Counterpoint: Kids Enraptured as Grownups Gossip

Calm, focused and unconcerned by the adult conversation; content with the iPad's stimulation.

Manus is the focal point for the children: he plays with an iPad while other kids cluster silently around him, providing the visual counterpoint to the adult talk and unconsciously …

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Affiliation

Alpha Mums

Local Maternal Social Hierarchies and Childcare Coordination