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Years and Years (Russell T Davies)

Started by VelourSpirit, April 21, 2019, 11:46:14 PM

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neveragain

Let's play Guess What Annoyed Blodwyn Pig Most.... Nah, let's not. A fun opening, can't wait to see how Threadsy it gets as it goes on.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Five more hours of full-on Threadsiness might be difficult to sustain, but that would, in theory, be amazing. I hope it ends with the last two remaining members of the human race trying to eat each other while in floods of radioactive tears.

Rev+

Overstuffed with characters, but that's probably because they'll be whittled away pretty quickly.  I've no idea what to make of this yet because I've no idea what it is, other than the kind of series someone like RTD has earned the trust to make.  The first episode was just a big blob of a thing, sort of enjoyable, sort of not much at all until the end.

Just out of interest Ballad - was there anything on your preview copy that was a placeholder for more recent stuff?  There was a reference to Doris Day dying near the beginning, so I was wondering if that was just *blank for contemporary reference*.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Yeah, episode one was a bit of a splurge, it didn't really cohere until the last 30 minutes. RTD could never be accused of lacking ideas, but he could sometimes do with an editor.

Rev+, in the preview copy the news headlines were just generic fiction restating the geopolitical situation we'd already been informed about. It's now obvious that they were placeholders.

Even if this series turns out to be dogshit, it has, predictably, already annoyed ghastly right-wing fuckwits on social media. Good.

Mister Six

Not seen it yet, but my mate's sister plays a news anchor in this, so that's nice.

VelourSpirit

Properly brazen, chilling, mad RTD. Funny how it felt so extravagant but real enough that the emergency broadcast was effective. Even that filter thing the daughter was wearing made me anxious.

Ambient Sheep

Bugger, missed it.  Is it on again, even with a wavy person in the corner?  Nope, so I guess it's iPlayer for me then.

Bently Sheds

Good to see Noel from Hear'Say getting work.

#38
24 minutes in, really enjoying this

EDIT: plenty to enjoy, ending very good.

Mr_Simnock

Watched about half an hour of it then switched over due to boredom, not my thing. Yet another TV show that comes out with bonkers tech predictions, that girl who wanted to go to Switzerland to have herself 'uploaded' and become data for e.g., if we see anything approaching that this century I will plat sawdust. That bizarre face mask she wore too, don't think we will see anything like that for another 10 years (I think the year was about 2023 by that point?).

daf

Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on May 14, 2019, 11:24:36 PM
I hope it ends with the last two remaining members of the human race . . .

Adam and Steve * . . . in a garden of . .  erm . . (past it's sell by date) Edam


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
* (up yours, Daily Mail!!)


Zetetic

Quote from: Mr_Simnock on May 15, 2019, 02:04:41 PM
Yet another TV show that comes out with bonkers tech predictions, that girl who wanted to go to Switzerland to have herself 'uploaded' and become data for e.g., if we see anything approaching that this century I will plat sawdust.

For what it's worth, it's not exactly clear that this isn't nonsense within the show.

BritishHobo

That was fucking great. RTD really is a treasure. It's great to see someone willing to just put out a vision like that. Really thrillingly current as well - it's own datedness is baked into the premise, it literally exists just for the current moment, this is the only time that it will work, compounded by that brilliant news sting at the beginning. Just full of ideas, anger, passion, a total refusal to compromise on his vision. And, as always, a lovely ear for the lives of ordinary people. Cracking.

I was worried that the transhuman thing would come off daft, but I really liked what he did with it. The whole idea was enhanced by the modern, progressive parents who are so enthusiastically accepting about transgender issues - but who are then confused and horrified by the next issue to come along. It felt like a nice reflection of certain feminist groups who once fought bigotry but now treat trans people the same way bigots treated them.

Dannyhood91

This is great but it makes me want to slash my wrists

Uncle TechTip

It's all been said but wanted to note my enthusiasm. Laid on a little thick at times but it's all part of the spectacle. Davies is so good at drawing extraordinary events from the mundane, everyday world. The face filter was a masterstroke - maybe the tech won't be there in time but you can quite imagine such a thing being a real hit. A great depiction of what immersing children in simulated worlds could lead to.

dr beat

Bleak but powerful. I did think the finale of this episode needed more build-up, to explain the US action as it just seemed to come out of the blue. Surely a real conflict would take some time to escalate to that point?

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: dr beat on May 15, 2019, 11:58:42 PM
Bleak but powerful. I did think the finale of this episode needed more build-up, to explain the US action as it just seemed to come out of the blue. Surely a real conflict would take some time to escalate to that point?

It was escalating in the background a la Threads? Maybe RTD didn't quite manage to subtly build the journey towards the inevitable in that way, but he did keeping dropping hints.

dr beat

I might need to watch it again but it did need a few more pointers for me (Threads does that really well), but then again there was a lot to take in.

Quote from: dr beat on May 15, 2019, 11:58:42 PM
Bleak but powerful. I did think the finale of this episode needed more build-up, to explain the US action as it just seemed to come out of the blue. Surely a real conflict would take some time to escalate to that point?

I thought the snippets of news etc made the escalation fairly clear, but I had seen one spoilers so maybe I was looking out for them. I was expecting an actual bomb to drop on them though!

Blue Jam


Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Years and Years is basically RTD going "Fuck it! Have some of this, gammons!" isn't it? I think it's hilarious that something like this is going out on the nation's flagship TV channel, more power to Rusty's elbow I say.

Blue Jam

Have the Daily Mail reviewed it yet? I bet they enjoyed it about as much as they enjoyed The Casual Vacancy.

Seriously, I'm enjoying it, and RTD going "fuck it" is one reason why.

Blue Jam

Quote from: BritishHobo on May 15, 2019, 10:18:11 PM
That was fucking great. RTD really is a treasure. It's great to see someone willing to just put out a vision like that. Really thrillingly current as well - it's own datedness is baked into the premise, it literally exists just for the current moment, this is the only time that it will work, compounded by that brilliant news sting at the beginning.

Next week: a hastily edited-in shot of Vivienne Rook getting hit in the lapel with a milkshake

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: Blue Jam on May 21, 2019, 10:33:49 PM
Have the Daily Mail reviewed it yet? I bet they enjoyed it about as much as they enjoyed The Casual Vacancy.

They gave it a very sniffy, point-missing review. The critic didn't confront any of the issues raised in the programme, he just dismissed it as the work of a paranoid, middle-aged leftie luvvie liberal. What a surprise.

Quote from: Blue Jam on May 21, 2019, 10:35:20 PM
Next week: a hastily edited-in shot of Vivienne Rook getting hit in the lapel with a milkshake

Yes! That does sound like the sort of thing, if logistically possible, RTD would love to do.

mothman

But then Emma Thompson would have to fly back to do it, with hilarious consequences.

Not sure if Rook has an angle (the comment about Beijing, getting the sonic screwdriver thingy seem potentially connected).

Anyway, still enjoying, and the implanty phone thing seems just real enough.

Blue Jam

#57
Transhuman Daughter is going to save the world isn't she? She's like Lois Habiba with the Torchwood contact lenses.I suspect she'll end up having a Blink implanted in her left hand and causing a bit of mischief, perhaps using it to deplatform Vivienne Rook and a few others.

Would be good if she hacked into Rory Kinnear's laptop and put up a little Nathan Barley-style animation of Vivienne Rook on a Union flag:

https://youtu.be/rh_us78fTlI

bobloblaw

Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on May 21, 2019, 10:25:59 PM
Years and Years is basically RTD going "Fuck it! Have some of this, gammons!" isn't it? I think it's hilarious that something like this is going out on the nation's flagship TV channel, more power to Rusty's elbow I say.

and the nation's flagship TV channel viewers have spoken: 1.6m last night, beaten by 24 Hours in A&E.

telly drama that is about something, that throws ideas around and asks big questions while having a bit of fun: we don't deserve the like.

or maybe it's all a bit too much for an after-work wind-down. probably should have put it out on Sundays.

Ah well. People, eh?

Alberon

Hopefully that will improve when the proto-trans-humanists watch it on catch-up.