Years and Years



It wasn't the predictions, it was the plot. The whole episode was contrived to get the big scenes.

SPOILER ALERTS!!!

So at the end of the last one, Viktor gets back to Daniel's flat and opens family link - audio only. Why? Well we need the big emotional scene where the family find out Daniel is dead but put their foot in it first to heighten the drama. Except how did Viktor manage to get there? The authorities just let him go? And then in Episode 5 he decides to hand himself in again, what?

Then the whole thing with Rory Kinnear this week. Out of the blue he decides to call up an old financial services acquaintance who's a complete twat and beg him for a job. Why now? And this arse just happens to be very close to the PM. So in a stroke Rory (ok Steve) goes from a courier to having access to Vivienne Rook and the ability to access systems enabling him to transfer Viktor to one of these "concentration camps". Hmmm. But why would he do such a thing? Well we need a scene where it's obvious he blames Viktor for Daniel's death, so he goes and visits him in the detention centre. Again only put in there for the sake of the later scene.

Then Russell T Davies decides he needs a scene where Jessica Hynes is investigating the whole thing. Except problem - the young lass with the implants is basically hooked up to the internet now anyway! And she has government access! So why can't she just look this up? Well where's the drama in a search engine? So we need the information on paper files (as if it wouldn't have gone through electronic production anyway) - except no-one uses paper anymore, because it's 2028. So how do we get them to use paper? Well let's have blackouts caused by Russia. Great. Nonsense.

It's been great up until now (despite the way too gratuitous and frequent ahem, romantic scenes put in for the benefit of Russell Tovey) but this week was a huge drop off in quality and without Daniel / Viktor's plot line it feels like Russell T Davies lost his way on this one. Hopefully a blip before the final one on Tuesday.

I thought it was very good telly but have to agree with some of this.
I found it a little patronising at times as well and didn’t credit the viewer with enough intelligence to join the dots. Subtle as a sledge hammer with some of the messages.
Still, overall, it was gripping, thought provoking and an enjoyable watch......as long as you overlooked some of the huge flaws :)
 
Hmmm. Much about it I wanted to like, but that was like a bad episode of Doctor Who. Watchable, but flawed.
I just took it for what it was, some decent entertainment for a Tuesday night :cool:
Yes it was a bit daft but so am I I guess :lol:, I hope they make a second series tbf.
 
Started off OK but went downhill rapidly. Great idea generally but the plots and future ideas were a bit ridiculous.
 
I enjoyed it but agree there were some contrived elements, a few things that didn't really add up, and some rather predictable plot lines.

A minor detail I know, but I was irritated that all of the cars shown throughout the series were basically current (2019) models or older. I know the car industry is having a tough time but it seems to have stopped altogether in this version of the future. Guess they were just saving money on the production not having to mock up any vehicles from 2020 and beyond but it wouldn't have been difficult to include one or two.
 
I enjoyed it but agree there were some contrived elements, a few things that didn't really add up, and some rather predictable plot lines.

A minor detail I know, but I was irritated that all of the cars shown throughout the series were basically current (2019) models or older. I know the car industry is having a tough time but it seems to have stopped altogether in this version of the future. Guess they were just saving money on the production not having to mock up any vehicles from 2020 and beyond but it wouldn't have been difficult to include one or two.
Wait until hard Brexit happens, that might become the most accurate prediction of the lot ;)
 
It was brilliant.

Right up to the point when Daniel was dead on the beach.

Beyond that point, it was a contrived mess rushing headlong towards some sort of resolution two episodes later, which is a shame.

If the series had finished with the remainder of the family existing in the bleak Viv Rook dystopia, it may have been the better for it.
 
Really enjoyed it up until episode 5....then it just got a bit...I don't know, it took different and worse direction than I thought it would. I found the whole cybernetic implant thing a bit cringeworthy and the bit with Edith uploading her memories - for some reason all I could think of was the Galactic Empire in Blackadder's Christmas Carol.
 
Last edited:

Back
Top