The Lewis Family Are On Different Paths In Everyone Else Burns
Starring Simon Bird, Kate O’Flynn, Amy James-Kelly, and Harry Connor, Everyone Else Burns is a British comedy that shares the story of an uber-religious family who believe the apocalypse is upon them at every waking moment.
The pilot sets the scene for the family dynamic that is David (Bird), his wife Fiona (O’Flynn), and their two children Aaron (Connor) and Rachel (James-Kelly). When David alarms the family at 4 a.m. to get up as the end of the world is coming, we see Rachel frantically pack her things and pray, Aaron widely awake and prepared, Fiona saving their cat, and David deciding between what photo to bring. As they reach the top of a hill, David stops his watch to tell them they made good time. Yup, it was just a practice run. Aaron is understandably enraged by his father’s betrayal, while a panting Rachel pukes.
Throughout the pilot, you get to see how their dynamic might change as certain events get in the way. Fiona longs for a life beyond the church and her family which you can see as she’s curious about her divorced neighbor Melissa (Morgana Robinson). When her family becomes insufferable, she goes to watch TV at Melissa’s because her husband refuses to put one in their house. This glimpse sets the tone for what this new found friendship could mean for Fiona and her future endeavors.
Meanwhile, Rachel dreams of going to university — something her parents are worried about since she’s not focused on the ministry. When they get a visit by her teacher, Miss Simmonds (Lolly Adefope), they sit Rachel down for a talk about her straight A’s and her mother asks how much preaching time did she waste. It is also prevalent that Rachel’s social life is almost non-existent aside from school and ministry. That is until she meets a boy, Joshua (Ali Khan), who is later revealed to be shunned from the church order. That doesn’t stop him from dog-walking past her street on weeknights. He tells her the exact time he’ll be there so she can avoid him.
Trouble looms over the family as Aaron paints his family burning in hell in his artwork. Most of the drawings include violent depictions of David. Aaron is clearly still angry at his father for the apocalypse drill. He’s a bright spirit in attitude, but has a vendetta against David.
David, in all of this, is learning to be more understanding of his children and wife, after not being promoted to Elder and told to look within his own mistakes. He’s actually a little confusing as a character because you can tell he’s trying and that he loves his family, but finds himself never actually listening to them. He often comes across at tone-deaf and only focused on making Elder. Fathers will always be complicated, am I right?
All of these characters are multi-layered and delightful to see throughout the pilot. O’Flynn’s portrayal of Fiona is hilarious to watch with impeccable comedic timing and dry humor. Whenever she speaks, she seems to never blink almost like Wednesday Addams while delivering one-liners. I found myself laughing anytime this happened. Additionally, Bird as David not only gives you nostalgia for The Inbetweeners era, but he’s another character to neither root for nor hate. Rachel’s anxious personality and awkwardness around boys makes her relatable to young teen girls especially when they’ve grown up sheltered.
Apart from the Lewis family, other characters in the series are also incredibly funny, such as Elder Abijah, played by Al Roberts. He’s not a very good role model for an Elder as he finds himself being put on probation for consuming caffeine and his seemingly progressive mindset. There’s so much subtle humor during the first episode with plot lines to fully engage yourself in and characters to love. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the Lewis Family with the rest of season one!
Add Everyone Else Burns to your list of British programs that are worth watching, with new episodes airing Thursdays on The CW.
