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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 333195" data-attributes="member: 23">Having now watched the first two-thirds of 63 Up, it seems the stability and happiness was short-lived in some cases. It was really quite a shock to see Nick so ill, and it seems to have taken a toll on him. In his introductory scene I honestly thought for a few moments that the coughing, frail old man was Nick's Dad. Until he started speaking, of course, and his spirit could be heard. With this instalment being just three years old, I'm now very curious to know how things have turned out. I'm going to wait until after watching the final part before doing any searches, though. Perhaps there'll be an update. Then came the double-whammy, with the update on Lynn in Part 2. I must confess her death wasn't a complete shock. I thought I'd scanned something about her dying earlier on when I was trying to get the participants' names straight in my head, but I clicked straight out and so couldn't have sworn to it. As the various areas of Lynn's life were shown on-screen without a present day update, I started feeling this must be it, but the update becoming a tribute, with input from Lynn's daughters and husband, was very moving indeed. While other people we've met during the course of the series have died Lynn is the first to go of the main participants. I'll have watched the entire series in just a week or so, but I really feel I've got to know the subjects, and watching someone go from a chatty seven year old feIt who wants to work in Woolworths to a grandmother who works with children herself really is a strange feeling. The series really gets across the sense of loss, and I can imagine how impactful this would be for someone who's followed this series for many years. In terms of episode structure, the big disappointment regarding Lynn's death is that both Jackie and Sue's updates were shown before the news about Lynn and so neither was shown to comment on Lynn's death. I'm sure they did, but it was presumably not included at that point because it would have detracted from Lynn's update. I'd have preferred a longer, combined update for all three, with Jackie and Sue (ideally together) reflecting on their friendship. Of Jackie, Lynn and Sue, Lynn was probably the last of the girls that I noticed. She was very low key in her first couple of Ups, probably first getting my attention with her "Christ, what 'ave I done?" comments about her new marriage in 21. I admire how much of her work life she spent giving to others, and watching her interact and bond with the children with learning disabilities was very special. Having expressed a wish to hear more political views from the participants, that's exactly what I got. Lynn commented on the Government and politicians in 56, (saying that even Labour was moving to the right) while Brexit has been a recurring theme so far in 63. With his vociferous opinions on immigration, Tony has reminded me more of Alf Garnett with each passing instalment, and the most telling reflection on Brexit came from him. Having voted Leave, two years on - with the effects beginning to take hold - even Tony was questioning the wisdom of his vote. Tony probably falls under Peter's observation that many people didn't fully understand what they were voting for. Each instalment of Up has had reasonably specific motifs, with Michael Apted asking each of the participants their views on a specific theme. Fittingly, since this is the last film made by Apted, 63 feels particularly reflective. After all these years, he's specifically asked each subject how they feel about Seven Up!'s original premise: "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man." The consensus from participants is that the motto is accurate, most feeling they are fully-formed by that age and are in many ways the same people today that they were when they were seven. With the series finally answering its own question, I feel this is the perfect ending for Apted's vision of Up. Even if the series stops with 63, there is - from what I've seen in these first two parts - at least some sense of closure. I have just 47 minutes of the series left to watch, and then I'm looking forward to watching the interview with Apted and the special 7 Up & Me feature.</blockquote>

Verification: What month follows July?