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Utopia 2

48 replies

Rollergirl1 · 14/07/2014 10:03

As I said on the other thread I'm stupidly excited about watching this tonight and tomorrow night.

From the trailer it looks like Arby is still around, which is aces. Also Arby's sidekick Lee is back, which is odd as I thought Wilson killed him?

I hope the soundtrack is as awesome as it was last time.

Anyone else excited?

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Kaluki · 14/07/2014 13:00

Oh yes I loved the first one but I can't remember much about it now. I hope my memory returns once I start watching series 2

VanessaShanesa · 14/07/2014 23:09

Oooooh that was disturbing but brilliant!!!

adrianna22 · 14/07/2014 23:31

It was really good tonight. But I'm still confused.

forago · 14/07/2014 23:42

Is it worth doing a recap cos I'm also a bit confused / can't remember. Was Mr rabbit milner or the assistant? Why did he have that symbol carved on him? How did he get involved anyway back in the 70s?

adrianna22 · 14/07/2014 23:53

At first I thought Phillips son was Mr rabbit, as there was always a rabbit with him, plus he disturbingly ate the rabbit!

But I'm now aware that Milner is Mr Rabbit. Who is Janus???

I thought Milner (the spy and Phillips "friend") was really controlling, almost sadist.

Also, about Phillips son, did Phillip abandoned him? Or did Phillip give him to Milner? I can't believe he drugged his son.

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Rollergirl1 · 15/07/2014 06:38

Okay, here is a summary:

Mr Rabbit is Milner. The Assistant (played by James Fox in Series 1) had the name carved in to his own stomach to hide the identity of Milner.

Philip's son is Arby in Series 1. Yes he did experiment on him and it fucked him up, as explained by Arby in Series 1 and by Philip himself in last nights episode. Philip said he was trying to inhibit violence but it appears to have had the opposite affect.

Janus is the solution that Philip and Milner have been working on that will sterilise 1 in 20 of the human population. The finished result is hidden inside (the blood) of his daughter Jessica.

I thought last nights episode was important and interesting to get the back story but it didn't have any of the humour of last series Utopia. I hope it gets back to that with tonight's episode.

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VanessaShanesa · 15/07/2014 09:17

Excellent casting, I thought. The younger Milner got it spot on.

forago · 15/07/2014 10:16

Thanks rollergirl. I watched it on a tiny TV in a holiday cottage so I missed some of the dialogue. How did the assistant get involved with them back in the 70's? Were him and milner already MI5? Why did they invent the name Mr rabbit for her when, back then, it was supposedly just an altruistic scheme for population control. And what we're they doing at three mile??

MNHQ
KateSMumsnet · 15/07/2014 10:19

Right - I love Utopia but I DON'T UNDERSTAND JANUS!!1! What's the two parts thing? Was something put into the food supply?

forago · 15/07/2014 10:31

Good point! There seems to be some sort of injectionable virus or vaccination which chnaages DNA (and is in Jessica - is she therefore infertile?) And was going to be released in the flu vaccines that Dugdale signed off on. So you're right, what is the food company for?

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Rollergirl1 · 15/07/2014 10:41

Yes the casting was very good. Although with the actress for young Milner coming fresh from Game of Thrones I kept expecting her to say "You know nothing Jon Snuuur". Young Jessica was very good casting too.

The attention to detail is second to none. Did anyone else notice that Pietre/Arby was wearing the exact same colour clothes as he does throughout Series 1?

Forago: Yes I think Milner and The Assistant were already MI5 and colleagues. I don't think it's clear where the term Mr Rabbit came from just yet. Yesterday's episode did jump back and forward about 3/4 years so I don't remember when exactly the assistant got his stomach carved. I was about to say that perhaps the term came from Philip, seeing as he named his children Peter and Jessica. But then Jessica Rabbit as a character wouldn't have existed in the 70's so that blows my theory out the window...

The two parts of Janus were that they have already injected a protein in to a lot of the UK's food supply. The protein is harmless on it's own but comes in to it's own when mixed with the flu vaccine (Janus). Jessica has Janus in her blood but perhaps doesn't have any of the protein yet?

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forago · 15/07/2014 10:44

That's it! You've got a good memory!

And what was the racial aspect? Originally it was going to be random but over time it chmagwd to target a particular race?

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Rollergirl1 · 15/07/2014 11:10

I haven't. I just watched the last series again on 4od. Grin

I don't think there is a racial aspect. Ian, Becky and Wilson jumped to the conclusion that Janus was targetting specific races upon finding out about the protein in the food supply, mainly because Philip Carvel had written a paper on genacide. But Letts (Stephen Rea) said that it was not race related. And in last nights episode Philip said something like why could they not target certain people if they could, and Milner said something like because it's not who they are.

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Lottapianos · 15/07/2014 13:05

I thought it was fabulous. I absolutely LOVE how its filmed - all those bright colours are very jarring and keep you on your toes! Very Kubrick. Soundtrack excellent as always. Brilliantly acted by everybody. I would love to know how they got that (adorable) baby to look so blank and passive, it was quite disturbing. Heartbreaking to see him holding his hands up to his dad, thinking about what he becomes and how different things could have been.

Yes I know its not real Smile

MNHQ
KateSMumsnet · 15/07/2014 14:50

Lotta - I read on the Twitter Q&A that they hung iPads under the cameras to get the little one to stare off into space, v clever!

Lottapianos · 15/07/2014 15:15

Oh that's so cool, thanks Kate!

Kaluki · 15/07/2014 20:41

I loved it!
Had to shut my eyes when they pulled out his fingernails and when he killed the rabbit though!!!

JazzAnnNonMouse · 15/07/2014 23:05

Did anyone watch tonight's?

forago · 15/07/2014 23:18

Yep me is the old guy Philip?

Love Pietre changing sides, hope it lasts

adrianna22 · 16/07/2014 00:11

So I guess the homeless old man is Phillip.

Haven't they guessed yet that Becky is a traitor. It's really bugging me that they don't know.

JazzAnnNonMouse · 16/07/2014 07:51

Yeah think the old guy is Philip too - although that could be too obvious?

JazzAnnNonMouse · 16/07/2014 07:52

Is Becky still a traitor?

VanessaShanesa · 16/07/2014 08:48

I don't think the old guy had a cleft lip did he?

Lottapianos · 16/07/2014 12:25

I love it, I love it SO MUCH! Such a brilliant show. Thought tonight's episode was fabulous. The dialogue is so dry. The spoon hidden in the couch. Lee winking at Wilson. Becky's swearing. The colours, oh the colours! It's just wonderful.

By the by, Geraldine James is really stunning - very statuesque.

ZeroSomeGameThingy · 18/07/2014 08:28

"More than 100 AIDS scientists on their way to a conference in Australia" have died in the Malaysian plane.

Truth is stranger than fiction...