This Is England '90

*“We’re going for a cup of tea”* ** I had to take a few hours between watching the final episode and writing this because I don’t think I’ve ever seen a series like this and I don’t think there will ever be another series like this. None of the characters are perfect, in fact so many of them are the furthest thing from it which is why they all feel so human. At the end of the day this is Combo’s story. It’s a story of regret and revenge, by the end you feel sorry for him which is something you’d never expect to feel following the character’s introduction in the original film. Both Combo and Milky end up being as bad as each other which leads to tragic endings for both characters.  The rest of the gang ultimately take back seats and their stories in 1990 feel almost inconsequential at times but they all get tied together in a satisfying way. Woody and Lol have finally settled down although the antics ultimately remain and make great comedy. Shaun’s story reaches a natural conclusion as well despite being the most detached from the primary narrative. Kelly’s story in 1990 is utterly heartbreaking and is second only to Combo’s in my opinion. Her and Gadget’s scenes were some of my favourite throughout.  Despite being utterly heartbreaking, the stupid humour remains in the form of Flip and Higgy, they never fail to make me laugh just at the sight of them. Harvey and Gadget work brilliantly together as a comic pair.  Whilst the themes of the original film ultimately reappear in the final episode, the series is far from the original. We’ve now spent years with these characters and we feel far more for them which makes the ending feel so much more heavy than it already is.