Years & Years

[unique1986]

Starts tonight 9pm
Family drama that flashes forward into the future.

I loved this series and having read what RTD was trying to do, I kind of get it-but I still wish the last episode had been different.

I think the point about forgiving Stephen for involvement with a concentration camp is that he had spent most of his time salting away the evidence of concentration camps to use against his dodgy mate and the Rook régime - i.e. he wasn't supporting them, he was working from within to destroy them and those who put them in place.

Gth, they made it very clear that it was much more than a couple of activists. There was clearly a whole network of supporters, as witness the involvement of all Bethany's colleagues, and the people firing the rockets, and Edith also made it clear that there was a breakout in at least one other camp. As I've said before, the nature of totalitarian régimes is that they tend to rest of shallow foundations, so being able to overcome them quite quickly when a sufficient momentum builds up is not in the "miraculous escape" category.

re Celeste and Stephen

We weren't shown get how but once Bethany decided (because of her aunt's health and continued activism) to use her technology access they seemed to form a group of primarily women to plot to get Viktor out ( and for Edith an uprising).

Part of the plot was to get Celeste inside the company where Stephen work to get access to the codes through their Government contracts. (Stephen later realised she had only been friendly to get him to get her a job.) On her own I think she then thought she could delete his part in the company more to protect the children than him.

On other points mentioned earlier re Stephen being in Spain etc.. We dont know in this future whether the EU survived. It seemed different countries were each operating their own anti refugee policies.

Not sure but did wonder if the BBC didn't want anything too overtly about currrent politics but allowed the series to explore the possible future of different trends eg the rapid increase of technology in our lives, refuges (no sense that the UN or whatever had tackled the crisis of war and econmic poverty in developing countries to slow down the rate of refugees).

I think Muriel's speech was about what happens if you just dont pay attention or allow what is offered to us as being what we want. ie if we dont take responsibility for the future those who are motivated to have control will find it easier to do.

So the man in the bow tie doing party tricks on tv as a future politician was saying you cant ever stop being aware of what is happening.

The problem is when we have a media that report politics as celebrity games show its hard to pay attention or to care.

I dont think the population would have rushed out to support a revolution that started by liberating refugees from camps. I suspect most would shrug their shoulders and want their favourite tv programme back on screen. Or say camps are the best place for them.

Re Lincoln, accepted as a boy wearing a dress. In about 1972 David Bowie was asked why he wore a woman's dress on the cover of The Man who Sold the World. He replied that he wasn't, he was wearing a man's dress. Not such a new idea.

I loved Muriel's rant, it was spot on.

I also agree that it was realistic for Celeste not to tell Stephen that Bethany had told the others what he had done. She was protecting her and, to an extent, him.

I have a question...the Queen was never mentioned. Surely she would have died in the timeframe? Why no mention? Is it still high treason to talk about the death of a monarch?

The Queen was never mentioned but I assumed she died as there was talk of the King.

And, frankly, how relevant to the story would have been the monarch?

Not that relevant, although there might have been some constitutional consideration. It just seemed like something that was 'missing'. Just me then! I really enjoyed it but was disappointed with the final 10 mins.

"Anyway, I’ve got friends teaching English in China, so even post Brexit it would be possible!"

For SOME people. Not in the way it is now. If there's a shortage, agreements can be found so it's obviously not impossible that some people would be allowed to teach English in Spain, but it wouldn't be open to everyone and they might not have the same rights as EU citizens.

"People have and do live and work in other countries inside and outside the EU and they did even before there was an EU."

This is the kind of thing Brexiteers come out with to pooh pooh freedom of movement. Yes, some people live and work outside the EU now, but in many cases they have to make a case that no local person could do what they do and the paperwork is very onerous. Within the EU, however, the freedom to move for work is open to anyone.

With a criminal record it probably would be difficult for him to move to Spain, especially for shooting someone. But an odd choice of country, considering a few years before Daniel and Viktor had to flee Spain very quickly due to a radical anti immigration policy.

If he hadn't done that, not too difficult to get into a foreign country if you're educated which I think he probably was.

On a TEFL contract as a single person, I mean.

I enjoyed it up to the last scenes with Edith, just thought it went too ridiculous and spoiled a really good series.

thefemaleJoshLymnan - I have a question...the Queen was never mentioned. Surely she would have died in the timeframe? Why no mention? Is it still high treason to talk about the death of a monarch?

In Episode one in the middle of the very first time leap that spans 5 years in 2021/22 the music stops and you are shown Muriel dressed in black looking upset with her hand over her heart and you can hear the television in the background with people chanting "God save the King" The music restarts and time continues forward.

"Years and years" made sense up to the stupid last 2 episodes.

I thought it all made sense. Worryingly so.

In about 1972 David Bowie was asked why he wore a woman's dress on the cover of The Man who Sold the World. He replied that he wasn't, he was wearing a man's dress. Not such a new idea.

Except here it was never questioned or really mentioned which was the point I think.

I think Daniel might have said something like "so, are we just ignoring this?" In an early episode but that's about it. Maybe another comment from someone about just liking ribbons etc...? Apart from that it was just a fact that Lincoln wore skirts/dresses and ribbons.

It got oversentimental at the end but so did many of his Dr Who stories. The sci fi stuff detracted from the story.

The Queen's death was in episode 1 (I think) very early on. It was a matter of seconds - you saw Ann Reid wearing black watching the telly, and "Long Live the King" coming out from the telly. Personally I think that's premature - from the history of long loved women in the Queen's family, she has at least another decade - but it added to the general feeling of chaos and change of the series.

Just seen that someone else has already said this. Doh.

Oh and that should be long lived, not long loved (doh!). But I thought the series was wonderful, even if the end was a bit a rushed and incongruous,. Truly groundbreaking drama like this is exceptional - I was left guessing which direction it was taking throughout, and looked forward to every episode.

The very first episode I thought was groundbreaking - the depiction of the literal 4 minute warning where everyone's panicking, running around setting fire to things, and shouting "what happens now??" - probably what would happen. Sheer panic, and watching the telly. Rather than packing your tinned goods and water into the cellar.

The sci fi stuff detracted from the story.

But it was all a full and integrated part of the story. Right from the start that is what Bethany wanted and why she went down the route of having all that tech put inside her.

I've decided I don't mind the slightly awkward ending. It was such a brilliant series and RTD has bought us so much great TV. If he needed to make this ending because it was something that needed to happen for him, then that's fine with me. Some stories just have to come out.

Also, if his partner had just died, maybe the ending was a way for him to process his grief and try to create an alternative reality to death being the end?

The sci fi stuff detracted from the story.

I agree. The social, environmental,political and economic themes were far more interesting than the sci-fi stuff. Bethany's phone hand was bizarre. People use their phones for texting, internet etc much more than for actually calling people. And we didn't go far enough into the future to make the ending with Edith at all credible.

I think the whole strength was in taking current issues and taking them that little bit further so you thought, yes - I can see we're close to that happening. But the sci-fi stuff? Meh