Discovering a show is great but finding a show that comes to your life exactly on the right moment is much more than that, it is sensational! With In The Flesh it was love at first sight but for how long? After devouring all 9 episodes in two days, I’m forced to send out all kinds of cosmic messages because season 3 is not certain yet and I’m getting very emotional!
When The Walking Dead is doing zombies incurably and violently, In The Flesh, inspired by a French series called The Returned, is trying to do things differently. Four years after the dead rose from their graves, only a small number it seems, scientists have found a drug that can control the rabid state. In other words, Kieran (Luke Newberry) is no longer a rabid zombie but a partially deceased syndrome sufferer who is able to return to his family. It might feel wrong to give zombies a way back to life, I mean, even I thought Warm Bodies love cure thing was awful but In The Flesh feels right!
When we first meet the protagonist Kieran we are, or at least I was, completely hooked. Portrayed by Luke Newberry, Kieran is the kind of teenager you feel the need to root for, dead or alive. As Kieran’s past as a boy and as a rabid zombie are slowly revealed in the first season, the affection towards him grows and grows. How can you not adore a sassy and sarcastic, partially dead boy who loves to paint and wears these extremely comfortable over sized sweaters like a boss? Because if you can, let me know how, since my heart is hurting for Kieran and In The Flesh.
Like I said, the third season for the show is yet to be determined and not because of the show itself but because the channel it ran on, BBC3 is being moved from TV to an online thing. I’m not sure what is happening but the thing is, nobody knows anything, including In The Flesh show runners and I’m panicking. Partially because I really love the show but also the fact that its incomplete plot is bothering me too much not to care. As season 2 proved, there’s so much more to show and explain but especially to understand about it all.
With no actual explanation for the rising of the dead (though the mystery itself is quite alright for me), all that fuzz around the first of the rising is the source of many questions. Was Amy the first? Was Kieran the first? If it was Amy, would that really refer to the second rising? And did that couple, digging a grave, have anything to do with it all? Would Amy’s condition affect Kieran as well? Is it common to all or is there something special about Amy and Kieran? What about Simon and him being banished from his group? And yes, what about Kieran and Simon with their adorable sweaters?
No, I can’t imagine having all these questions in my head, I need closure and I need season 3 to happen or I’ll go partially insane. Part of me thinks it will happen because In The Flesh got voted the best series of 2014 by winning over Sherlock, which is a symbolic win that might give the final push towards a concrete future. I’m definitely crossing my fingers because even if not only for the plot, which might take a bit of a crazy turn, the quality of In The Flesh deserves it as well.
Not only does the show outshine as a supernatural drama, by also providing wit and humor, it has an amazing make-up department! Even before complimenting the actors I need to praise the people behind the scenes with those make up brushes. In The Flesh doesn’t seem like a series that has a lot of production funds behind it but it sure hell looks like something great. Since it doesn’t allow itself to go as big as The Walking Dead, In The Flesh can do things more calmly and easily, and that helps to make the series look amazing. Plus, as it is common for British shows, the color palette is gray and monotone, fitting to the whole post apocalyptic world of the series.
The decent acting doesn’t come as a surprise even though all the actors are unfamiliar with the exception of Simon (Emmet J Scanlan), who I didn’t recognize for couple of episodes because Scanlan wasn’t sporting his mustache he had on for The Fall. Newberry on the other hand is surprising delightful little thing and I’m definitely going to keep my eye on him. He has this weak look to him, the kind of manner that suits Kieran’s character and funnily enough, his brown eyes with blonde curls give him a demon-like look. The cast has weaker points but I don’t mind it, I’m already too invested in the show to look out for those moments of weakness.
Keeping in mind the fact that the first season is very strong, the second brings in Simon and the whole rising situation gets a little bit more religious and serious, I can’t stress enough that season 3 needs to happen. It’s not that I don’t like things unfinished (The Fall is just fine how it is, thank you very much!), it’s just that In The Flesh didn’t get the chance to end at all. It’s one thing to write an open ending, it’s another to be completely off guard in regards to the next season. So, as I’m definitely not the only one and not the last one either, I’m writing these words in the hopes of getting some closure for Kieran and his gang. Dear BBC people, make it happen!
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