Heartbreaking, intense, sublime. Three words to describe the first episode of Years and Years. The series from the Welsh screenwriter and producer Russell T. Daviesthe creator of Queer as Folk and the new version of Doctor Whois broadcast this Wednesday, November 6 on France 2 from 10:45 p.m. The series, available in full on france.tv and presented in France during the closing ceremony of the festival Canneseries 2019leaves you speechless, from its first episode, for several reasons. Years and Years paints a portrait of the England of the future through the lives of the Lyons family. It begins one evening, when the family members watch a political debate on television in which Vivienne Rook, a businesswoman who does not mince her words on immigration and world problems, takes part. His comments are shocking, but undoubtedly reflect part of public opinion. The same evening, Rosie Lyons gave birth to her second son. His brother Daniel wonders: what future will he have? What world will he grow up in?
Years and years : The punch series is broadcast this Wednesday, November 6, 2024 on France 2, don’t miss it!
The answer arrives when time accelerates: in a few minutes, five years pass by and the viewer finds themselves propelled into 2024. Daniel’s couple is in trouble, the country must manage the massive arrival of Ukrainian refugees, a crisis politics pits China and the United States, the Lyons celebrate their grandmother’s 90th birthday, and Vivienne Rook launches her own political party. Subtly, Years and Years draws the great story through that of this English family.
Little by little, the tension accelerates during this episode, as the situation degenerates. And the viewer experiences the events at the same time as the Lyons, until the final breakup. And we ask ourselves this question at the same time as them: what would you do if the end of the world was near? Who would you like to spend your last hours with?
Years and years : Our opinion on this moving and striking series
The first episode of Years and Years is mastered from start to finish, skillfully leading the viewer to identify with the members of the Lyons family in just a few minutes. But above all he succeeds in taking her directly into this very near future, which sends chills down your spine. Why is the series so realistic? Because it reflects current fears: the refugee crisis, Brexit, the unpredictability of Donald Trump, the rise of the far right, North Korea and new technologies which are taking an increasing place in our lives. The England of 2024 is not so far away from today’s society, and that is why this pilot of Years and Years shocked us and made us tremble.
The series succeeds where so many other dystopias have failed before: it is through its realism that it proves diabolically effective. And the casting is up to par, with Russell Tovey, Rory Kinnear and, above all, Emma Thompson in the skin of this politician who is reminiscent of a certain French political woman with a blonde bob… If the series wows us so much with just one episode, we can’t wait to see what the other five have in store for us, who will tell the story. history spanning fifteen years in total.
