As the episode begins, Stephen Lyons (Rory Kinnear) spends time with Celeste (T’Nia Miller). They watch a political debate on television. When asked about the conflict between Israel and Palestine, Vivienne Rook (Emma Thompson) admits that she doesn’t give a dang. Daniel (Russell Tovey) gets a call from his sister. He is forced to go to the hospital for the birth. Stephen learns that Rosie (Ruth Madeley) is on the way to the hospital. Stephen lets the grandma, Muriel (Anne Reid), know. Celeste encourages Stephen to go. In the morning, Stephen listens to the radio.

He hears something about a study on inequality in the UK. It says that inequality could be a threat to democracy. Rosie gives birth to a Chinese baby. She decides to name him Lincoln. Daniel and the rest of the family make jokes about the boy’s name. Celeste tries to get Bethany (Lydia West) out of bed. They poke fun at the name Lincoln. At the hospital, Stephen and the others speak about Edith (Jessica Hynes). She is apparently in another country stirring up trouble. Dan makes a comment about the current state of the world and politics.

He admits that they have to worry about everything now. He wonders what the world is going to be like 30, 10, 5 years from now. We jump forward and see Lincoln’s first birthday. Donald Trump wins another term as president. Dan asks his boyfriend to marry him. The years roll by. We learn that China has named a new island Hong Sha Dao. Vivienne Rook announces that she will be running for the 2022 election. She is ultimately defeated. Daniel marries Ralph (Dino Fetscher). Then, we learn that many Ukrainian refugees are flooding into the United Kingdom. Vivienne losses but promises to return. Lincoln celebrates his 5th birthday.

Stephen and Celeste become concerned for Bethany. She continues using a filter to hide her face. Celeste wants her to remove it, but she refuses. Danny runs into Fran (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) outside. He drives her to work. Danny works at the refugee camps. Fran is a story teller. Danny tells her that Edith is in Lagos causing trouble. At work, Danny runs into a woman who wants to stop the immigration. Danny speaks with a refugee, Viktor (Maxim Baldry). They speak about their sexuality and many other things. Late one night, Celeste checks Bethany’s Internet history. What she finds convinces her and Stephen that Bethany is trans.

They speak with Bethany in the morning. Bethany isn’t transsexual. She is transhuman. She wants to die and be uploaded to the cloud. While Celeste can accept a transsexual, she isn’t will to let her daughter become transhuman. Dan sits with Viktor. They listen to Fran’s speech. That night, it becomes clear that Danny and Ralph are becoming distant. Edith calls Danny. He doesn’t answer. Rosie drops her son off at school. She runs into Tony Watts (Noel Sullivan). They speak for a little while before agreeing to dinner that night. Tony offers to cook. Dan and Ralph help fix up Muriel’s house. Something Ralph says makes Danny believe that people are devolving and getting dumber.

He calls Stephen and they agree with Dan’s assessment. Rosie finds out that Tony has a robot. He says that it is a good companion for his child. Soon, he finds out that Tony actually has sex with the robot. She storms out of his place right away. Her experience becomes a big joke for Daniel, Stephen, and the others. Vivienne starts the Four Star Party. Everyone arrives for Muriel’s special Winter Fest. It has become a tradition. They all eat, drink, and talk about old times. An emergency broadcast puts a damper on their party. Edith calls and tells them that the United States has launched a nuke towards the disputed island.

The siren begins to sounds. Daniel and the others rush inside. They discover that the emergency warning is on every television station. They wonder if the US used the UK to launch the nuke. Daniel leaves without his husband. The others stay in touch with Edith. Muriel believes they’ll be safe in her house. She thinks they’ll be left alone since they have their own Chinaman in Lincoln. The connection with Edith is lost. Edith watches the nuke explode in the distance. The others learn about the explosion on television. They begin worrying about Edith. Danny rushes to the refugee camp. It is pure chaos.

The others wonder what they should do. The refugees start a fire. Daniel and Viktor lock eyes. They meet in a private location and begin kissing. An argument breaks out with the others. Viktor and Daniel have sex while the chaos continues around them.

 

Years And Years Review

I am really not sure what to think about Years And Years. It was a bit awkward and wacky. Nevertheless, it was entertaining. I am not sure if this is a parody or a portrayal of something that could really happen in the future. I found a lot of it to be funny. Then, things started getting real. The cast is excellent. I am confident that things are only going to get better from here on out. I was enthralled from start to finish. For that, the opener scores a 7.5 out of 10.