Television recommendation: Years and Years

Have you ever watched a TV show that completely changed the way you think about the world? 

Years and Years was that show for me. The show, set in the UK, documents the lives of a middle class family as they live through the fifteen years following the year 2019. The story imagines the political changes that might occur over the next decade. Emma Thomson plays Vivienne Rook, a populist politician vying for power.

Years and Years is undeniably scary. A rise in economic issues, fear-mongering, and fascism feels way too realistic for comfort. I couldn't help but become invested in the characters. There's Rosie, a playful young mother who decides to vote for a populist leader. There's Daniel, who falls in love with a man seeking asylum in the UK, and Edith, a staunch activist trying to find ways to resist the political trends at play. It is hard to watch, as their lives are affected in unexpected and tragic ways by the political environment.

This show had an impact on me because it opened my eyes to some of the scary things that could happen in my lifetime. It made me imagine what technological advances or political changes might occur in the future. The show paints today's current events as accurate reflections of both the past and predictors of the future. Somehow, despite the grim vision of the future it projects, Years and Years manages to incorporate glimmers of hope, bravery, and love. It will certainly leave me thinking for a while to come.