Years and Years Episode 4 Review: Channel Tragedy and Political Unrest Shake the Lyons Family

Heartbreak at the Border: Daniel’s Last Stand

If there’s a moment from Years and Years episode 4 that just refuses to let go, it’s the frantic journey across the English Channel. Daniel and Viktor, clutching onto hope, risk everything for a life together in Britain—only for Daniel to lose his life in the process. Russell Tovey’s portrayal of Daniel captures dreadful anticipation as their overcrowded dinghy fights the cold waters. The camera doesn’t flinch: Daniel’s death isn’t just a gut punch to the Lyons family, but a mirror to real headlines about refugee crossings. Viktor, traumatized but alive, rises as a survivor in a world that’s just getting darker.

The gut-wrenching scene hits even harder because Russell T Davies doesn’t engineer death for mere dramatic effect. Like in his past works, he uses tragedy to jolt us out of comfort. Daniel’s fate is a call to see the faces behind the news stories—the loved ones, the risks, and the trauma that government policy, borders, and bureaucracy can inflict.

Family in Crisis: Breakdown and Radical Shifts

While Daniel and Viktor’s desperate gamble unfolds, the Lyons are getting torn apart in their own ways. Stephen, played with raw nerves by Rory Kinnear, is spiraling after his secret affair becomes public knowledge. His financial life collapses; his emotional world isn’t far behind. The once-reliable character now faces ridicule and alienation, shedding layers of pride by the minute. There’s no comfort coming from the outside world either; instability is the new normal and nobody’s home is immune.

Then there’s Edith. Leftist activist, family conscience, and now—unexpectedly—an apologist for Vivienne Rook’s Four Star Party. The party pounds the drum of anti-establishment anger, promising security in exchange for freedoms. Edith, sick of slow-moving democracy, finds herself rationalizing Rook’s hardline talk. It’s a chilling twist: even the passionate defenders of freedom can get wooed by strongmen when chaos reigns.

Emma Thompson’s Vivienne Rook, magnetic and manipulative, becomes more than just a background bogeyman. Her movement swells on populist rage, fueled by the failures surrounding the Lyons and millions like them. The show lures viewers with the possibility that someone—anyone—will fix the mess, even if their means are less than democratic.

Critics are right: this episode feels terrifyingly close to real life. We’re shown a world that’s only one or two bad elections, one or two family tragedies away from tipping into full-blown disaster. Davies isn’t telling a far-off story. It’s all happening in living rooms and border crossings just like these. The characters’ panic, grief, and slow drift toward radical change ring true, all overlapping to paint a future that feels one wrong step from now.