Binge Binge Review

POV: All Her Fault stands out for its depiction of parental exhaustion we rarely see on screen

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Piyush Singh
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The mystery in All Her Fault is gripping, but the unsettling honesty with which it portrays the slow, accumulating weight of parenthood makes it worth a watch.

This week, I finally found the time to sit down with a thriller, and I ended up watching All Her Fault. While the conversation around the show has understandably focused on its suspense and storytelling, which, in my opinion, fully deserves the praise it has received, what stood out to me even more was its portrayal of parenthood. It is this aspect that I, along with many others, found far more compelling to unpack.

More than being a thriller, the thing that made the strongest impact on me in All Her Fault was the way it approaches parenthood. It masterfully reflects the everyday anxieties that come with trying to raise children in an environment where you constantly hear suggestions that you are falling short. The story looks at the not-often-discussed experiences of motherhood, such as guilt, judgment, and the uneven distribution of emotional and domestic labour, and turns the series into an honest report from the trenches of modern family life.

Also Read: Why is the internet currently obsessed with ‘All Her Fault’? Let's decode!

The treatment of guilt, that familiar and persistent feeling most parents know too well, stands out in particular. Sarah Snook’s Marissa Irvine does not carry guilt as a vague idea but as something physical and destabilising. The way one forgotten task or moment of distraction spirals into panic mirrors how parenthood magnifies even the simplest lapse into something enormous. We are reminded how society conditions us to stay alert, pushed by both instinct and expectation, yet you still hear people saying that perfection is the standard for parents, especially mothers. The fact that the series does not lecture us about this pressure but, in fact, uses it to drive its entire story, turning maternal fear into the fuel for its tension, works really well. You see how this guilt is not just personal, but something society teaches, particularly in working mothers, to carry an emotional cost that quietly influences every decision they make. Something people on the internet were quick to point out.

Among all these reasons that got the internet discussing it, highlighting how All Her Fault turns its attention to the gender imbalance inside a home with the uneven spread of everyday responsibilities, making it feel more familiar than sounding accusatory, is important. The fathers in All Her Fault are not framed as uncaring or irresponsible, but their presence often appears to be selective. It creates a discomfort that reflects a reality among families, where women continue to manage the mental load that keeps everything running. The show also makes you introspect as it places this beside the ease with which some men move through parenthood, enjoying the ease built on the assumption that their effort is optional.

What gives the show’s view of parenthood its real weight is the way it examines emotional exhaustion. The kind of deep and persistent fatigue that lingers even when the routines look manageable from the outside. Marissa’s slow unravelling never feels like exaggerated drama; it reads instead as the natural outcome of a life pulled in too many directions at once. The series shows this through her small social dynamics that are nothing but a set of invisible standards at all times. It also acknowledges how privilege influences these experiences, showing how class, race, and access affect the amount of forgiveness or understanding a parent receives, making what might seem like a universal challenge into something far more layered.

There are also other depictions of parenthood in the series that, although given much less screen time, add important layers to the way the show understands families. You see parents who step outside their own moral boundaries when the situation demands it, choosing to accept actions as a parent that they might never justify under normal circumstances. Some parents serve as reminders of how damaging neglect or irresponsibility can be, suggesting the impact of poor parenting continuing through generations. People have been widely discussing why the show’s depiction of parenthood feels so familiar. Many pointed out that these patterns are not dramatic inventions but situations they have witnessed around them.

By the time the story reaches its conclusion, the questions it leaves behind are not only about the mechanics of the mystery but about the emotional work that parenthood demands. The show presents raising a child as an ongoing act of vulnerability, one that requires people to expose their most fragile instincts in a world that is quick to comment and slow to empathise. It is flawed and unfair and deeply human, a contrast to the polished images that often define conversations about family life. In that sense, All Her Fault becomes an argument for more compassion for parents, their choices, and the tightrope they walk every day. Even from an outside perspective, it is hard not to recognise the resilience it highlights, reminding us that the real story lies in the truth that parenthood is a constant negotiation with fear, hope, and responsibility, none of which anyone carries alone.

Have you binged this show yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Parenthood hotstar shows Binge Lens binge recommends All Her Fault