By Tomas Keavney
Last week, I said that I was looking forward to the conclusion of In The Flesh, and Easter Sunday, a time supposedly all about resurrection, seemed the perfect time to bring the series to a close - hopefully with the resurrection of a few more PDS sufferers. I’ll cut to the chase though, there wasn’t really anything huge that could have been considered a fantastic ending to the series. Nothing really kicked off, even in places where it could have done brilliantly, and the same old issues kept cropping up.
Last week, I said that I was looking forward to the conclusion of In The Flesh, and Easter Sunday, a time supposedly all about resurrection, seemed the perfect time to bring the series to a close - hopefully with the resurrection of a few more PDS sufferers. I’ll cut to the chase though, there wasn’t really anything huge that could have been considered a fantastic ending to the series. Nothing really kicked off, even in places where it could have done brilliantly, and the same old issues kept cropping up.
Saying that, I’ll start with a positive. It may have taken some time, but some characters really came into their own in this episode. While Steve Evets seemed the go to guy for a great performance, he had some of the weight taken off his back, thanks to the likes of David Walmsley (Rick) and Emily Bevan (Amy). Even the hapless Dean (Gerard Thompson) did a good job of being locked in a concrete playing field for an hour.
Episode three was a chance for the Walker family to come together. Kieren and Jem finally came to terms with their differences, thanks to Kieren having a flashback of his sister choosing to save his life, and losing her best friend in the process, as Kieren ate her brains in his ‘untreated state’. Suddenly it became clear just why Jem had such distain for Kieren thus far, but with the chance for both of them to talk about the situation, we finally saw the two on the same side; Jem even appreciating Kieren’s newfound friendship with Amy, no longer just a ‘rotter’.
Episode three was a chance for the Walker family to come together. Kieren and Jem finally came to terms with their differences, thanks to Kieren having a flashback of his sister choosing to save his life, and losing her best friend in the process, as Kieren ate her brains in his ‘untreated state’. Suddenly it became clear just why Jem had such distain for Kieren thus far, but with the chance for both of them to talk about the situation, we finally saw the two on the same side; Jem even appreciating Kieren’s newfound friendship with Amy, no longer just a ‘rotter’.
One really niggling thing about In The Flesh was that it was never explained how the ‘rabid rotters’ were actually treated, or how it worked. Sure, we saw green liquid pumped into a cavernous hole in Kieren’s back, but what about before that? It wasn’t necessary to help the series along, but given the state of the undead in the series, it was a pretty critical part of the whole concept. Also, the mysterious drug ‘Blue Oblivion’ that featured so dauntingly in the first episode was all but forgotten in the third, there just wasn’t the necessary time given to things that seemed so important.
One thing for sure though, the state that Kieren and co. were in culminated in some touching moments, especially regarding Kieren and Rick. Rick’s acceptance of his undead state showed the best and worst parts of his return to Kieren’s life. Coming back gave him the opportunity to say his goodbyes in a way that he didn’t before he died first time around, and the state of their relationship was undoubtedly the most touching in the series. He couldn’t take his father’s orders to kill Kieren, which ultimately drove Bill to kill his own son- hoping that the vicar’s prophecy of a second coming would be true, and Rick would come back for the second time.
On a side note, the musical choice for the series comes with mixed feelings, too. Each episode has been neatly rounded off by the terrific Keaton Henson, with his haunting voice and fragile guitar playing beautifully adding to things lyrically as well as in spirit. Charon, from his first album, Dear, played over the credits in Episode 1 as Kieren’s family took in the fact that he’d narrowly avoided being killed, with Henson crying “there’ll be coins on my eyes, to pay Charon, before I let you near my son” (Charon, in Greek mythology, was the ferryman who transported the dead into the underworld, in case you were wondering).
One thing for sure though, the state that Kieren and co. were in culminated in some touching moments, especially regarding Kieren and Rick. Rick’s acceptance of his undead state showed the best and worst parts of his return to Kieren’s life. Coming back gave him the opportunity to say his goodbyes in a way that he didn’t before he died first time around, and the state of their relationship was undoubtedly the most touching in the series. He couldn’t take his father’s orders to kill Kieren, which ultimately drove Bill to kill his own son- hoping that the vicar’s prophecy of a second coming would be true, and Rick would come back for the second time.
On a side note, the musical choice for the series comes with mixed feelings, too. Each episode has been neatly rounded off by the terrific Keaton Henson, with his haunting voice and fragile guitar playing beautifully adding to things lyrically as well as in spirit. Charon, from his first album, Dear, played over the credits in Episode 1 as Kieren’s family took in the fact that he’d narrowly avoided being killed, with Henson crying “there’ll be coins on my eyes, to pay Charon, before I let you near my son” (Charon, in Greek mythology, was the ferryman who transported the dead into the underworld, in case you were wondering).
While I’m a huge fan of Henson’s work, it just seemed a little bit odd that he would crop up at the end of each episode, like the production team’s go-to guy for all things morose. Maybe it’s just because I’m so used to hearing his music almost every day; maybe most people wouldn’t notice that Keaton Henson had a starring role (in a sense), but there was something about that choice that didn’t quite work for me.
With Keaton Henson playing in the background, Kieren carries Rick’s coffin into the graveyard- a dead man burying his dead best friend. For a series that went the way it did, it ended well, and in the right tone. Amy, who brought the excitement, and (for want of a better word) the life, into the undead, was away with the mysterious undead preacher and his loyal group of followers. The series really made nothing of him, and in three, hour-long episodes, there will be many who will have wanted to see that possibility take shape.
With Keaton Henson playing in the background, Kieren carries Rick’s coffin into the graveyard- a dead man burying his dead best friend. For a series that went the way it did, it ended well, and in the right tone. Amy, who brought the excitement, and (for want of a better word) the life, into the undead, was away with the mysterious undead preacher and his loyal group of followers. The series really made nothing of him, and in three, hour-long episodes, there will be many who will have wanted to see that possibility take shape.
In The Flesh could have been something incredible, and it didn’t make the most of what it set up for itself. That said, there were some fantastic moments in the series, but by the end of it all, it had become clear that Dominic Mitchell had done his best to hold out for things to cover in a second series. For me at least, that meant that there wasn’t enough given to these three episodes to actually warrant a second series which, actually, is a shame.
Maybe others will see it differently, and maybe In The Flesh will come back. If it does, it’ll have to do so with something extra - more of Amy and what became of her at least. This series may have been lacking in places, but the prospect of what could become of it leaves me looking beyond all that; in excitement about what Dominic Mitchell might be able to do in future.
Maybe others will see it differently, and maybe In The Flesh will come back. If it does, it’ll have to do so with something extra - more of Amy and what became of her at least. This series may have been lacking in places, but the prospect of what could become of it leaves me looking beyond all that; in excitement about what Dominic Mitchell might be able to do in future.
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