This Life + 10

I had never seen "This Life" before, but I took a leap of faith and followed my TV guide. It turned out to be right for once. I immediately bonded with the characters and the show wasted no time in getting to the juicy bits. I felt like I had been with flatmates with these guys since forever, even five minutes into the programme! The mock documentary format was put to good use as we got to know our new (old) characters again. It was being used as an aside comment box, telling us things that would feel unnatural had it been told in the third person. I thought it worked very well. The drama unfolded gradually and we learnt about how each character has developed since we last saw them ten years ago (well, for the first time for me!). There were some surprises and confusions but I ate it all up. I don't want to spoil the plot, especially for the nostalgic fans, so I won't say anything more other than it's all top notch, riveting stuff. I don't know how it compares to the original series, but since I've enjoyed this special so much I'm considering buying the DVDs for them. An entertaining 90 minutes and I would recommend it even for those who have not seen "This Life" before, you'll get sucked in right away. Oh, and before I go, I must gush about the music. I'm a soundtrack freak and I adored this one - some very current selections at the start that gave it an optimistic note, and from what I've heard they put in some classic tracks as an homage to the original series. The funniest thing was that I was thinking how great it would be to have some Portishead on the show, and then Sour Times kicked in(!) Very apt, especially with Beth Gibbons wailing "Cos nobody loves me... it's true." right when Anna was talking. Props to the music team. ;)

Incredibly good attempt to tie up up the time elapsed since the original series. Anna seems to be the only one not to have moved on, she seems just the same as 1997. Egg is now a success on the writing front but still he has issues with Millie,perhaps the addition to the family is the glue keeping them together. Miles with his shaggy hair looks more carefree these days, but I remembered him as a focused individual, who I am sure would not have got into the trouble he has at present. Warren has moved on professionally but at what cost to his private life? The documentary format works quite well and the constant sight of black and white images in the camera view finder perhaps indicates that all of the group are bearing their soles with gritty honesty. The music(especially) Portishead really does take you back ten years. A searing. marvellous piece of TV drama.

Maybe I shouldn't have watched this just after binge-watching the original series. This was 10 years later not 10 minutes. The concept was good. I too met up with old friends when an old school pal died so I can partly resonate. As a stand alone film it was ok. I would probably have given it an 8 or 9 but it's not a touch on the original series. No sex scenes, nudity, cottaging, drug snorting, no gay lovers and the swearing was rather tame. It was good to see old friends and what they have done with their lives but I can see no need for a This Life + 25 (or more!).

Plusses for '+10' included that the dialogue was mostly good, and informative as far as it went, with a little work on our part (replaying is a good idea).

The characters, too, are still as they were, but their histories and relationships are more dodgy. How likely is it that Egg, of all people, would be able to produce a book deep enough to analyse Anna?

The ending, with an aimless Miles just walking away from his life, was also a bit unbelievable. Anna seems still to have some unresolved, derailing baggage from the past that prevents her from being able to fully commit to a present that maybe, deep inside, she doesn't quite identify with, since in some way it's a sidetrack for her, not the way she was meant to go. The idea of total commitment terrifies her since she'll lose out on what she really identifies with, lost though it is. So she can love Miles, but her deep reservations mean she can't act on it.

How did Egg and Milly get back together? The writer of the last episode of the original series -- Richard Zajdlic? -- was obviously told to draw the kind of line under it that would make it impossible for any part of the story we'd been following to continue. He drew the firmest and thickest line I've ever seen in my life! Yet we had been asked to treat This Life as real life, and in real life, things DO continue, and they DO require an explanation. So what happened after the wedding? Did Rachel quit MSW, knowing a vengeful Milly would make her professional life unbearable? How did everyone end up having to leave the house, if that's what happened? We have a right to know!

Maybe the cast can reassemble in the relatively near future for a programme (within a programme, if it's not too complicated) about the filming of Egg's book -- which can't have finished with Miles' wedding -- and their reminiscences can correct the film's inaccuracies, so that we can have some CGI flashbacks to the house, etc. How about it, Amy?

The excitement around this a appearing at Christmas 2007 was everywhere. Radio 4 was discussing it. Everyone who was a fun of this series was eager. Jekins is a great writer. The characters had received a great deal of affection. Finally the long awaited episode was aired. Finally the silence was broken after we were able to lift our jaws from the floor after watching this.

First was the direction. There didn't seem to be any. Evcveryone on screen wandered around without purpose and aimlessly. The script always a high point of this show must be as good as ever? A couple of ideas were thrown in the air then ignored by the writers to wander and ramble through the remaining screen time.

It had to get better it couldn't continue this way. The series was set in London with a group of lawyers flat sharing and the wildly moving camera work reflected the hectic pace of London and their life styles and demands. Here in the countryside at Miles's country retreat the pace was missing as there was no cut an thrust or purpose to them.

The script idea appeared to be to concentrate on their relationships between the characters and leave out all their hectic lives, sensible since they weren't all lawyers anymore. So the country setting should work. But the writing and directing ensured this ingenious conceit was a failure.