By Tomas Keavney
Despite not being overwhelmed by the first episode of Dominic Mitchell’s new series, In The Flesh, over the past week, I’ve found myself looking forward to the continuation of Kieren’s story, especially given the teaser at the end of last weeks episode.
In case you didn’t catch it, the series follows Kieren Walker (yes, he’s called Walker…), who is a Partially Deceased Syndrome (PDS) sufferer. After a particularly tense scene at the climax of the first episode, we see Kieren hiding from Bill Macy (Steve Evets) and his Human Volunteer Force, only to see them force an old woman with PDS down onto the ground and shoot her in the head. After a lot of scene setting, it looked as if we might be getting somewhere with the series.
Despite not being overwhelmed by the first episode of Dominic Mitchell’s new series, In The Flesh, over the past week, I’ve found myself looking forward to the continuation of Kieren’s story, especially given the teaser at the end of last weeks episode.
In case you didn’t catch it, the series follows Kieren Walker (yes, he’s called Walker…), who is a Partially Deceased Syndrome (PDS) sufferer. After a particularly tense scene at the climax of the first episode, we see Kieren hiding from Bill Macy (Steve Evets) and his Human Volunteer Force, only to see them force an old woman with PDS down onto the ground and shoot her in the head. After a lot of scene setting, it looked as if we might be getting somewhere with the series.
Episode 2 was a chance for us to see some questions answered: how was the cure found for the zombies? What exactly caused Kieren to die in the first place? And what will become of Kieren’s best friend Rick (David Walmsley) when he returns home, especially given the fact that they only found him ‘partially’ alive in Afghanistan, and his dad is running the HVF back in Roarton? The teaser for episode 2 seemed to show that we would have a change of pace, as well. It turns out that the writers are keeping us waiting before we can have all our questions answered, no matter how important they might be.
In a small, three-part series, I can’t help but think the writers can’t afford to wait until the final episode to explain how the undead are being cured in the first place. We did, however, see some wonderful acting on behalf of Steve Evets, as I predicted last week- effectively living in denial of his son’s PDS. It seems like Rick is in denial as well, as he drinks in the pub like he would have before, even though he knows it will make him sick. He even goes for shooting practice with his dad, in preparation for him searching for his own kind, just to fit in with his family.
In a small, three-part series, I can’t help but think the writers can’t afford to wait until the final episode to explain how the undead are being cured in the first place. We did, however, see some wonderful acting on behalf of Steve Evets, as I predicted last week- effectively living in denial of his son’s PDS. It seems like Rick is in denial as well, as he drinks in the pub like he would have before, even though he knows it will make him sick. He even goes for shooting practice with his dad, in preparation for him searching for his own kind, just to fit in with his family.
What is refreshing this week is being able to see those with PDS becoming a lot more comfortable with their situation, which makes for some poignant scenes, now that Kieren feels able to argue with his sister, and leave the house to visit his grave, where he meets fellow PDS sufferer Amy (Emily Bevan). Together, the pair wander freely around the living, getting to know each other just like anyone else would, that is until, they come across the fact that they now have to do so in segregated areas. At least they’re not being shot in the head, though. The most gripping relationship is between Kieren and Rick though, as we find that Kieren only died after hearing of Rick’s death in Afghanistan, killing himself by slitting his wrists.
In The Flesh is by no means your traditional zombie drama - there’s not much gory intestine chewing (yet), but being able to hear and see what the other side are thinking is something that is really enjoyable. Because of that, it does mean that it’s a rather slow series, and with only a few minutes of action towards the end, it’s not going to be to everyone’s taste. It’s different, that’s for sure, but it’s something that still makes me look forward to the conclusion, next Sunday, on BBC Three.
Watch Episode 2 on BBC iPlayer now.
In The Flesh is by no means your traditional zombie drama - there’s not much gory intestine chewing (yet), but being able to hear and see what the other side are thinking is something that is really enjoyable. Because of that, it does mean that it’s a rather slow series, and with only a few minutes of action towards the end, it’s not going to be to everyone’s taste. It’s different, that’s for sure, but it’s something that still makes me look forward to the conclusion, next Sunday, on BBC Three.
Watch Episode 2 on BBC iPlayer now.
RSS Feed
