Pros: Current topic; elements of sci-fi and dystopia; excellent casting Cons: Not a very convincing ending to Years and Years
Genre dystopia, fantasy, drama
Creator Russell T Davies
Cast: Emma Thompson (Vivienne Rook), Rory Kinnear (Stephen Lyons), T’Nia Miller (Cilesta Bisme-Lyons), Russell Tovey (Daniel Lyons), Jessica Hynes (Edith Lyons), Ruth Madeley (Rosie Lyons), Annie Reid (Murelle Deacon), Lydia West (Bethany Bisme-Lyons), Jade Elleyne (Ruby Bisme-Lyons), Maxime Baldry (Victor Goria), etc.
Channel BBC One
Year of release 2019
Episode 6
Site IMDb
Years and Years is a Black Mirror with a political focus, following the lives of a British family between 2019 and 2029. The similarities are reinforced by co-star Rory Kinnear, who played the Prime Minister in the first episode of Black’s first season. Mirror. The authors of Years and Years take current trends and show what they can lead to in 10 years and how these changes will affect ordinary people. And no, the main problem of humanity, according to the creators of the series, is not global warming, but the rise of populism and the general decline in the intellectual level of the population. However, global warming is also a problem.
Years and Years was filmed back in 2018, but the forecasts that the authors of the series make regarding Ukraine are very unfavorable. And the methods used by the British populist politician Vivien Rooke, who is striving for power, played by the magnificent Emma Thompson, completely coincide with the methods used during the presidential elections in Ukraine. If the authors got it right in one, I’m afraid they should be trusted in the other.
So, in 2020, a military coup takes place in Kyiv and, in order to restore order, Russia sends its troops into Ukraine. 97% of residents greet the “peacekeepers” with flowers and vote to join Russia. 3% become outcasts and are hunted by the police. Those who can flee to Europe, which does not really want to accept new refugees. In many countries, their own populists come to power and introduce harsh anti-emigrant laws. As you know, there is always one step from populists to concentration camps. The authors of the series are mistaken in only one thing – it is unlikely that in Ukraine, which finds itself under Russian rule, they will speak Ukrainian.
The Lyons family are ordinary representatives of the middle class. Two brothers and two sisters, their wives, husbands, partners and children. Everyone has a decent job, apartments, plans for the future. But the future has its own plans, and whether the representatives of the Lyons family will survive their implementation, he is not particularly concerned. And yes, Ukrainians will take a direct part in the events that the Lyons family will experience.
The combination of a family sitcom with elements of tragicomedy and dystopia is a very interesting technique. The authors show how, year after year, technology affects relationships between family members and between parents and children. How they make our life easier and more difficult. How attitudes towards technology change over time. Where could this lead us in 2029?
Additionally, Years and Years shows that politics is something to be interested in because it directly affects your life, even if you try to bury your head in the sand and not watch the news or vote. Moreover, the politics are not only of your own country. The world, unfortunately, has become too small, and a seemingly insignificant event on the other side of the world can come back to haunt you at home, in your bread store, at a gas station, etc.
Years and Years creator Russell T Davies is the man who brought Doctor Who back to us in 2005 and created Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures and A Very English Scandal. Davis is gay, and there are quite a few non-binary characters in Years and Years that no one on the show cares about, and neither should the audience. But if you have a problem with this and you weren’t able to watch Sense8 back in the day, you might want to skip this series too.
Traditionally for British TV shows, Years and Years has only 6 episodes and, most likely, there will not be a second season, although there is groundwork for it. Despite the generally optimistic tone of the last episode, it seems to me that the authors cheated a little. A happy ending in the version of the future they showed is unlikely. However, we still recommend everyone to watch Years and Years. Perhaps the consequences of a rash choice shown in it will help you avoid making mistakes this summer.
Conclusion:
A rather dark dystopia that shows where the trends that are gaining popularity today can lead
