There are so many questions in life that just go unanswered. Various movies and shows on television try to tackle such questions and churn out relatable content of the same. Questions like: Can we fall in love twice in our lives? Can we really be happy in love? And most importantly, can we really move on from someone we thought would be with us forever? The British series “You & Me” tries to develop a story around these essential questions that gnaw at people’s hearts and minds constantly. With a unique blend of love, loss, and happiness, the show manages to tell a story that revolves around Ben, a father of two beautiful children, a man once deeply in love, and a person who lost the love of his life too soon. The series crafts a narrative that puts Ben and his children at the center while having other characters affect them and their lives simultaneously.
Written and developed by Jamie Davis, the show features Harry Lawtey, Jessica Barden, and Sophia Brown as the leads. As we watch the show, we experience the ignition of the above-mentioned questions and more thoughts that make us wonder what we would do if we were in their shoes. All characters deal with the losses of their loved ones differently. Hence, we get a chance to look at situations in a few distinct ways. “You and Me” explores the facts of life that nobody wants to face. Grief, joy, parenthood, and the inexplicable quality of death leave everyone dumbfounded.
Spoilers Ahead
‘You & Me’ Season 1: Recap
We meet a sad and devastated Ben as the series begins. He narrates the experiences that led him to become detached from life. At first, we believe that this is the story of how Ben and Jess meet and create a wonderful life together. But as the show progresses, we begin to see it otherwise. Ben and Jess meet while catching a bus. Being oddly bold and smitten by Jess, Ben asks her out on a date. After many beautiful moments and a few time lapses, Ben and Jess grow into wonderful people in their relationship. Everything seems as sweet as candy and rainbows in their relationship. They are perfect for each other as they laugh together, love each other more than anything, and on top of everything, they have fun together. Soon after, they move in together. Their life appears to be one out of a fairytale, and as most beautiful stories go, they get another breeze of happiness on their way. The couple finds out that they are pregnant with twins. The pregnancy, shown in bits and pieces, also passes without a hitch. They were blessed with a boy and a girl.
Ben and Jess make their way back home in a taxi with their adorable twins. As Ben goes back to the hospital to get a bag, a speeding car crashes into the taxi with Jess and the twins inside. And just like that, their wondrous life of joy and elation comes crashing down. While the twins are alive and safe, Jess passes away. The couple only got two happy days of being together as a family. Having lost his partner, his best friend, and the love of his life, Ben finds it hard to cope with life. He has to take care of his kids by himself, all the while grieving the loss of Jess. He enlists his mother’s help in babysitting Jack and Poppy so that he can work and provide for the family. Ben is a writer, and his boss Dee asks him to write about his life and find some comfort in sharing his story. However, Ben does not like thinking about Jess and everything that happened, so he constantly shoves the matter under the rug. Even after six years pass by, Ben lives his life like a ghost. He does everything that is expected of him and loves his children with all his heart. But he has forgotten how to be happy in life, and nothing seems to change that.
Here’s when we realize that the story is not about Ben and Jess but rather about Ben and Emma. For a column that he writes for work, Ben has to interview a rising theater star. There, he meets Emma, the said rising star, and they have a lovely conversation. After years of loneliness and sadness, Ben finds a moment of solace as he forgets about the troubles in life and focuses only on the things they are talking about. Eventually, Ben and Emma become friends and hang out more often. They start falling for each other. Emma becomes the first person Ben has been with since Jess’s death. She even meets Jack and Poppy in the park, and they hit it off very well. Afraid of falling in love and losing the person again, Ben begins pushing her away. He stops meeting her and does not want anything to do with her. Ben feels it would be unfair to him and his kids to go through something like that again.
On the other hand, Emma has her own load of misery. She is grieving the death of her sister, Joey. After a long and painful illness, Joey passes away because of a brain tumor. After this, Emma’s life becomes devoid of all happiness and joy. She seems to think that she does not deserve to be happy after something like this. Ben and Emma’s ultimate fate unfolds in the climax of the show.
‘You & Me’ Season 1: Ending Explained – How Do Ben And Emma End Up Together?
When someone loses someone very close to them in life, it’s difficult to imagine a life without them. People wonder how they will get through their remaining days and live a life without the one they loved most. Nonetheless, time helps them heal. They begin to realize that life goes on. Either they can wallow in their own sadness and let life pass them by, or they can keep their loved ones in their hearts forever and live life as they were meant to. Similarly, Ben and Emma have a tough time understanding how to go on with their lives without Jess and Joey, respectively. On the other hand, we believe this is what connects them and creates a bond between them. Having been through a similar traumatic experience, Ben and Emma understand what each of them is feeling. They associate it with the pain and sadness of losing a loved one before their time. Hence, the shared pain brings them closer and even makes them fall for each other.
It is in times like these when we need someone who does not promise to make everything better again. Rather, someone who holds our hand gives us a hug and stays with us while we navigate life. Afterward, Ben and Emma open up as they speak about their pain and share their deepest thoughts with each other. Ben writes about his story and life with Jess as a means of catharsis and letting go of the pain he has been holding on to. He is able to do so with Emma’s support and love. Similarly, Emma is able to talk about Joey and share her memories with Ben because they make each other feel safe and heard.
However, no love story can be as easy as it looks. Ben is struggling to fit Emma into his already messy and complicated life, whereas Emma is engaged to Harry. Ben looks through Jess’s stuff to find photographs and text messages from her ex-boyfriend. In the chaos, he starts to believe that Jess cheated on him with Josh. We believe he does so in a frenzy to find a reason to move on from Jess and hate her for what she did. This would be easier than holding on to someone who will never come back into his life. Ben pushed Emma away because of Jess. He is unable to comprehend if he is ready for all the pain and risk that come with falling in love with someone again. Moreover, he later finds out that Jess did not cheat on him. However, this allows him to actually move on and think about himself for a while. Rather than becoming a martyr in love and letting life pass him by, Ben decides to take a leap and fall in love again.
Emma, on the other hand, goes through with her marriage to Harry. She thinks that she has to keep everyone happy and think about everyone else before thinking about herself. After seeing how happy her decision made her parents, she could not back out. With a rock in her heart, she says “I do” in the ceremony, but soon after, she realizes what a huge mistake she made. She loved Harry for being there for her after Joey died, but she could not possibly love him enough to spend her whole life with him. So she leaves everything behind and runs to Ben. They meet each other at the park and finally confess their feelings to each other. Even the twins come running after them, and we are left with a glimpse of a new beginning and a happy family in the end.
What Should We Expect From Season 2?
After letting us experience the love that comes in more twisted and pivotal ways, we would surely expect a season 2 that tells us how Ben and Emma live their lives with Jack and Poppy. We would love to see how Jack and Poppy accept Emma as their mother or even as Ben’s partner in life. They seem to love her from the beginning, but how will Emma really fit into their lives? These are some questions that we would love to see answered in season 2 of “You & Me.” However, since it is a miniseries, there is a very small chance of the show getting another season. No matter what, at least the hopeless romantic in us is happy with the somewhat joyous ending that Ben and Emma’s story received at the end of season 1.
There has been no official confirmation regarding the show getting renewed. We do wish to see how their story progresses and what new issues in love and life get tackled in season 2. Nonetheless, the show features various shades of love and loss that resonate with numerous viewers across the world.
