Mobility

28 Up

(1985)

The biggest success story in the 4th installment of the series is probably the American immigrant: Nick, the farmboy, is an assistant professor in nuclear physics at the University of Wisconsin. His wife is also an academic, and they are one of several couples navigating the marital politics of the mid-'80s. For me, the years between 21 and 28 took me from married, childless, and in graduate school to divorced with a child and working as a sportswriter in Appalachia. The majority of the Up cohort went from single to married in those years--8 of the 14 joining the 2 who had already taken the plunge by 21. And in at least one case--the heretofore consistently unpleasant Suzi--marriage and motherhood has effected a nearly miraculous personality change; she has become interesting and interested.

Coincidentally, 2 of the 4 who remain unmarried declined to be interviewed for this installment, 2 of the trio of public school toffs. The eternally conservative John has succeeded in becoming a barrister, and is engaged to be married; the eternally rebellious Charles has become a journalist, an assistant producer with the BBC.

The other two unmarrieds are the most disquieting stories. Bruce, who at 7 wanted to be a missionary and remains the most outwardly devout of the group, has a satisfying teaching position (coincidentally, in the East End school attended by Tony, the would-be jockey, who has grown up to be a cabbie), but he shows every sign (visible at least from age 14) of being barricaded in the closet.

Then there's Neil, for whom it could be considered a triumph to be alive, as depressed and lost as he seemed at 21. Oddly, he seems a bit less gloomy at 28, but the main hope for him is that, after 7 peripatetic years on the dole, his circumstances have bottomed out. He's clearly intelligent and as thoughtful as any of the 14, and his critique of middle-class suburbia is hard to argue with. Yet it's cringe-inducing to hear him say, "I can't see any immediate future at all"--though he's quick to acknowledge that he has spent time among those with even less future.

On the other hand, working-class pals Jackie, Lynn, and Susan remain as resilient as ever, and as impatient with the series' insistent curiosity about class. Says Jackie, "We don't think about class until this program comes up once every seven years."

If all goes according to plan, those years are going to fly for me tomorrow: since I want to switch from streaming to disc when my billing period ends next week, I'd like to clear my Up decks this weekend. Three more installments will take them to 49, and 56 Up is said to be coming to town next month.