I watched Us only knowing the very basic outline of the story. After the first 10 minutes or so I expected another mildly entertaining but not too absorbing slot filler but gradually it got a lot deeper, darker and better than expected. At the beginning, we learn about a marriage on the rocks (though not necessarily beyond repair), but gradually the even worse relationship issues between father and son move to the foreground. The characters were finely drawn and strong and charismatic performances make you care deeply about the protagonists, despite their flaws (okay to be honest only Tom Hollander's Douglas is flawed, the other two are rather angelic, a bit more balance could have helped but this is only a minor quibble). I was also unable to guess the ending, reconciliation always looks as likely as break-up.
Unfortunately the last episode is a bit of a letdown, quite a bit actually. The climax (supposed to be a sort of painful but cathartic reunion between father and son) is dealt with far too quickly. For example, there is a lot of dramatic potential in the fact that Douglas apologises but for everything he says he puts in some relativation like "you have not always been easy too" or "I still think I had a point" . But this element is sadly not really explored at all. And after a few minutes all the justified anger, frustration and confusion Albie's side has suddenly disappeared for no obvious reason, never to surface again and father and son are the best chums again. Rather than tacking on that silly and useless heart attack plot line that comes out of nowhere and goes nowhere, a lot more time could have spent on father and son coming to terms with each other. Given the three excellent episodes that precede the last one, this is still very much worth watching though.
One thing deserves particular mention: I don't think I have ever seen a movie or TV series in my life that features older and younger versions of the same characters that are so incredibly well matched to each other. Not just looks but also accent, mannerisms, behaviour - just everything is absolutely pitch perfect. I don't know in which order the scenes were shot or how much effort which actor deliberately spent on mirroring the other one but there really are some Bafta-worthy performances here.
Unfortunately the last episode is a bit of a letdown, quite a bit actually. The climax (supposed to be a sort of painful but cathartic reunion between father and son) is dealt with far too quickly. For example, there is a lot of dramatic potential in the fact that Douglas apologises but for everything he says he puts in some relativation like "you have not always been easy too" or "I still think I had a point" . But this element is sadly not really explored at all. And after a few minutes all the justified anger, frustration and confusion Albie's side has suddenly disappeared for no obvious reason, never to surface again and father and son are the best chums again. Rather than tacking on that silly and useless heart attack plot line that comes out of nowhere and goes nowhere, a lot more time could have spent on father and son coming to terms with each other. Given the three excellent episodes that precede the last one, this is still very much worth watching though.
One thing deserves particular mention: I don't think I have ever seen a movie or TV series in my life that features older and younger versions of the same characters that are so incredibly well matched to each other. Not just looks but also accent, mannerisms, behaviour - just everything is absolutely pitch perfect. I don't know in which order the scenes were shot or how much effort which actor deliberately spent on mirroring the other one but there really are some Bafta-worthy performances here.