This chapter argues that the miniseries Years and Years imbricates utopia and dystopia through its emphasis on neoliberal acceleration and spatial transformation on the one hand and on diversity and shared struggles on the other. Years and Years engages with social, political, and technological change as it happens, as we see an extended Mancunian family experience and witness the emergence of a large number of innovations and transformations across a span of 15 years. The miniseries presents most of these changes as dystopian. At the same time, Years and Years builds its narrative around a remarkably diverse group of characters. The first part of the chapter reads this as a strategy to record the impact of dystopian developments in an intersectional way. The chapter also focuses on the emphasis of the show on the speed with which changes take place and their marked neoliberal and transnational character. Years and Years relies on montages, crosscutting, and the soundtrack (among other elements) to convey a sense of acceleration. In order to analyze the discourse of the series on speed, the chapter draws on previous work on the concept of accelerationism. The last part of the chapter considers the structure of the series and argues that it works towards foregrounding spatial reconfigurations at a transnational level and keeping the experience of a Ukrainian gay refugee at the center of the narrative. The chapter concludes by analyzing the shortcomings of the series’ attempt at infusing its narrative with utopian hope in the last episode.

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Fast-Forward to the Future: Socioeconomic Change and Spatial Reconfigurations in Years and Years (Russell T. Davies 2019)

  • Pablo Gómez-Muñoz

摘要

This chapter argues that the miniseries Years and Years imbricates utopia and dystopia through its emphasis on neoliberal acceleration and spatial transformation on the one hand and on diversity and shared struggles on the other. Years and Years engages with social, political, and technological change as it happens, as we see an extended Mancunian family experience and witness the emergence of a large number of innovations and transformations across a span of 15 years. The miniseries presents most of these changes as dystopian. At the same time, Years and Years builds its narrative around a remarkably diverse group of characters. The first part of the chapter reads this as a strategy to record the impact of dystopian developments in an intersectional way. The chapter also focuses on the emphasis of the show on the speed with which changes take place and their marked neoliberal and transnational character. Years and Years relies on montages, crosscutting, and the soundtrack (among other elements) to convey a sense of acceleration. In order to analyze the discourse of the series on speed, the chapter draws on previous work on the concept of accelerationism. The last part of the chapter considers the structure of the series and argues that it works towards foregrounding spatial reconfigurations at a transnational level and keeping the experience of a Ukrainian gay refugee at the center of the narrative. The chapter concludes by analyzing the shortcomings of the series’ attempt at infusing its narrative with utopian hope in the last episode.