Wanted to like it but couldn't

I'd watched and really enjoyed Heimat 2, despite the tedious relationship between Hermann and Clarissa. I then worked through the inferior Heimat 3 - Clarissa's continued involvement made this especially hard going for me.

So by the time I came to Heimat '1', I really think I'd exhausted my patience. Yes, it's beautifully done and acted, but there are some seriously irritating characters that spoil things -chiefly the insufferable Lucie. As for Maria and the others, I didn't find them engaging enough to justify the sheer minutage.

Perhaps it was the piecemeal way I watched it, as opposed to the near-total immersion approach I'd taken to Heimat 2. I'm reluctant to condemn this - I feel the rave reviews this gets here are mostly deserved - I just didn't enjoy it and found it a chore after a while.