In The Flesh: Series 2, Episode 1 - TVReview

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Article author: Alwyn Ash

"The living can be just as dangerous, son. You mark my words."

Dominic Mitchell's zombie drama "In The Flesh" returns for a second season and, just like its first outing, delivers right on the money, with a shocking opening involving terrorism and the murder of former Roarton resident Ken Burton (Ricky Tomlinson) and his young nephew. Most of the cast return, including Luke Newberry, Harriet Cains, and Emily Bevan. There is also a new face as actress Wunmi Mosaku ("Moses Jones") joins the production.

In Series 1, PDS (Partially Deceased Syndrome) sufferers were reintegrated back into their old communities following treatment, with much suspicion and tension firmly present. Family, friends and neighbours watched for signs of danger, some unable to accept that anyone who had died and been resurrected during The Rising, in 2009, were capable of reintegration. There was much hostility, and killings, as two worlds collided. In the end, old friendships were reignited. It was to be a difficult struggle, but one with hope.

Series 2: it has been eighteen months since "Rotters" were resettled into their homes, but all is not well. A radical group calling itself the Undead Liberation Army (ULA) is striking fear into the living community, this is brought into tragic focus within the first four minutes with an attack on a tramcar involving members of one cell who have access to an underground drug called Blue Oblivion ("...Still on the streets even after supposed crack down..."). Within moments of taking the drug, the group of four revert back to their primal zombie state, indiscriminately killing other passengers. This scene really touched upon a raw nerve, as the zombie thriller embraces a political and extremist edge.

Meanwhile, back in the English village of Roarton, Lancashire, Kieren Walker (Newberry) is adjusting to life, working at the local Legion pub. His relationship with Jem (Cains), his nineteen-year-old sister, could not be better. Amy Dyer (portrayed by Bevan) returns as lively as ever, last seen leaving for a commune. However, she is not alone, accompanied by the mysterious Simon (Emmett J. Scanlan). Apparently Amy has been "chosen", and we are yet to learn just what consequences will lead from this further into the new series.

Kieren is restless, and wants to travel; his sister suggests Paris, to follow his passion as an artist. Both are holding back emotions, scars that will take longer to heal emotionally than physically. Jem is the best example of this - no longer a member of the "Human Volunteer Force" (HVF) vigilante group, her attempts at readjusting to every day life is taking its toll, best demonstrated during a visit to the local supermarket with her mother, where haunting memories remain. And, of course, there are parents Sue and Steve (Marie Critchley and Steve Cooper), who are clearly delusional about their son's activities as a Rotter following The Rising. However, this is a family determined to bring itself together, and leave the past behind. Other residents are clearly not so keen to let go...

A potential new threat to the peace of Roarton comes in the form of devious MP Maxine Martin, a member of Victus, a political party whose hatred towards PDS sufferers continues to ignite retaliation by the radical ULA. Martin's personal feelings towards the undead are very clear, leaving a distinct foul taste - we can only imagine what horrors will be unleashed upon her victims, just ask Vicar Oddie (Kenneth Cranham).

With the length of Series 2 doubled from three to six episodes, there will be plenty of time to explore new ground and widen the world in which writer and director work so passionately to create. Dominic Mitchell once more crafts an ingenious tale, skillfully maneuvering both tension and drama from one scene to the next. As with the first season, we take a look at stigma, suspicion and hatred, all manifesting within the hearts and minds of ordinary people. Though Rotters and the Undead Liberation Army are terrifying, it is the actions and prejudices of Human beings that are to be feared most. And, believe me, there are still Rotters at liberty, attacking unsuspecting folk!

As I have said in previous reviews, what makes "In The Flesh" different to other zombie fiction is its appealing look at the reanimated as beings that can be rehabilitated, medicated and released back into society to resume their lives. Agreed, they cannot grow old, and without makeup and contact lenses their appearance is startling; but deep within them lies a soul, capable of feeling. They yearn to be accepted. This style of writing has heart in a way unexplored previously. Mitchell won the Drama Writer category in the 2014 BAFTA TV Craft awards for "In The Flesh" and, with talent like this, you can see why...

Purchase In The Flesh from the Store:
DVD / Blu-ray - Series 1-2

Picture: BBC

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In The Flesh: Episode 3 - TVReview

Article author: Alwyn Ash


"There is no denying that In The Flesh is the kind of television drama needed."

Set in the fictional English village of Roarton, the final part was all about departure (as Amy Dyer - portrayed by Emily Bevan - said an emotional farewell), revenge (Bill Macey's execution at the hands of Ken Burton), and a family reunited (this has always been the heart of the tale). In other ways, Part Three felt rushed...

It was always going to be interesting, seeing just how this tale of Partially Deceased Syndrome (PDS) sufferers being returned to the community would work out, and on the whole writer Dominic Mitchell has worked a miracle; In The Flesh is perfect original entertainment, offering more than just a zombie rising and scenes of gore as they eat their way through the residents of Roarton. Instead, the zombies are not traditional zombies at all but victims of PDS, which caused them to rise from their graves and, yes, eat the residents of Roarton. But we see this purely as flashbacks.

The tale handed to us as a slice of BBC Three entertainment focuses on rehabilitation as "Rotters" are treated, before being permitted to see their friends and families. Reintegration. This, in itself, is dangerous - members of the HVF (Human Volunteer Force) are on the look out for any "Rotter" and will likely shoot to kill, which is precisely what happened to Ken's wife in one disturbing consequence.

Ricky Tomlinson as Ken Burton

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Without going into too much past detail (see reviews for In The Flesh), it was clear from day one that 18-year-old Kieren Walker's relationship with his parents and sister Jem was always going to be resolved in a positive way - it would be heartbreaking not to; Jemima Walker (played by the talented Harriet Cains) had shown hostility toward her brother from the moment he first returned and yet... she was far from being a cold-hearted participator of the HVF, nor did she harbour the same feelings of disgust that someone like HVF leader Bill displayed - this was apparent many times, including her reaction to the killing of Ken Burton's PDS suffering wife at the conclusion of the opening episode. It is therefore heartfelt, during a flashback, that we discover Jem's reluctance to destroy her own brother during a moment in his untreated state, following the rising.

Kieren's parents, too (portrayed by Marie Critchley and Steve Cooper) had to finally face the reality of their new life - the latter, Steve (who had discovered his son's body following the suicide that would eventually lead to Kieren's PDS condition), had suppressed so much emotion that he was finally able to let rip. This was encouraged by Kieren, as father and son were finally able to engage in a way not seen since Kieren's rising. Add to that the beautiful scene between mother and son, as Sue exchanges such a perfect moment of comfort in the cave where Kieren had originally died, "This time, you live, you don’t leave, you stay" in response to her son's loss...

...and this is where the story regained its cruel footing - the murder of PDS sufferer Rick Macey (David Walmsley), at the hands of his own father! As with Ken Burton's wife, this was a tragic set of events as Bill's twisted sense of morality finally urged him to take action and destroy the doppelganger that had dared to live in his home, taking the place of his deceased son. This, of course, was followed by the equally shock shooting of Bill, as Ken (whose presence in Part Two had been sadly lacking) finally sought the justice he felt was deserved. Brutal, and perhaps a little empty with its execution (pun intended); perhaps a scene depicting Ken's arrest would have balanced out the story, demonstrating that a "Rotter" is not protected by law - hence Bill's heartless actions receiving no legal comeuppance...

Kieren's old hunting partner Amy didn't have too much to sink her teeth in to with the final episode, instead choosing to leave Roarton. However, once more this scene was touched with genuine passion as both Bevan and Luke Newberry said their farewells. Seeing Luke confronting his own demons, facing his nightmares head on by visiting the parents of one of his victims also demonstrated the power of the script writing.

Perhaps three parts were never quite enough, as there was so much more that should have been developed further. However, that said, there is no denying that In The Flesh is the kind of television drama needed. Indeed, writer Mitchell must be congratulated on his vision - a debut in more ways than one...

Thank goodness for ‘Northern Voices’, the BBC Writersroom scheme that gave us, the viewers, an opportunity to enjoy the skills of a very talented man. And, equally, a very talented team that brought his world to life.

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In The Flesh: Episode 1 - TVReview

Article author: Alwyn Ash


"In The Flesh is a human story, looking at tragedy, guilt, acceptance, and both justice and injustice..."

Imagine, a world of zombies, the kind of soulless creatures that rise from their graves to devour human flesh, aimlessly stalking the neighborhood, a ravage hunger and a violent nature for killing. There would be a fight for survival, as those who lived fought the dead, destroying these ghouls in the most traditional of methods - the head! But what if... the state of a zombie could be conditioned with medication, and the deceased returned to society?

In Dominic Mitchell's well-crafted drama for BBC3 we are introduced to a world proceeding a zombie apocalypse; those who were once monsters undergo treatment and rehabilitation, before being released back into the community, where they are returned to families and friends. How will people respond? The unease of knowing what the zombie - now officially recognised as a sufferer of PDS (Partially Deceased Syndrome) - has done in the time of its untreated state would always sit in the back of anyone's mind.

Eighteen-year-old Kieren Walker (played by Luke Newberry) is one such person. We are introduced to him at a Partially Deceased Treatment Centre in Norfolk. This is the place where he has been prepared for his new life in the remote Northern village of of Roarton, where he lived before his death. Adjustment is key, a chance to exist again. That is, unless the Human Volunteer Force (HVF), a vigilante group, has other ideas...

Sisterly love, Cains as Jem

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His sister Jem Walker (excellently portrayed by Harriet Cains), who has been a member of the HVF since the rising, clearly has mixed feelings toward her brother; however it is pleasing to see that her loyalty to the family outweighed any existing apprehensions.

Three-part drama In The Flesh is a human tale, looking at tragedy, guilt, acceptance, and both justice and injustice; a cleansing, the need for some to hunt down and destroy those who had died only to rise again (those who had murdered family, friends and neighbours in the process), and the existence of informers within the village, had my mind visualising the persecution of the Jewish community during the Second World War under German occupation; how people would be dragged out of their hiding places into the street, and shot in front of neighbours and loved ones, or forced to leave due to the constant fear of being caught, always looking over your shoulder, through gaps in curtains, questioning who to trust... It is an uneasy reminder that, given extraordinary circumstances, the unthinkable is possible.

Even the very idea of a PDS sufferer being released back into their old lives, once more interacting with friends and family, medication keeping their condition at bay, reminded this reviewer of someone recently out of a psychiatric hospital, now medicated but memories of their previous imbalanced actions still present in people's minds. Stigma and discrimination, an uneasy sense of suspicion and fear, the doubt of whether this person might just revert back to how they used to be, especially if they had once been violent and dangerous, as these "Rotters" clearly were... The world that Dominic Mitchell has visualised is more than just a story of survival in a zombie apocalypse - In The Flesh portrays the walking dead as victims that must face anger, suspicion, and guilt.

The cast is nicely gathered, with fine performances by Marie Critchley and Steve Cooper (as Kieran's parents Sue and Steve), Ricky Tomlinson (as Ken Burton), Steve Evets (playing HVF leader Bill Macy), and Kenneth Cranham (as Vicar Oddie - he's all about forgiveness, this one!)

Jonny Campbell directs superbly, clearly loving Mitchell's script as he takes every scene, shining such visual depth and haunting bite that, every step of the way, we are drawn into the drama with a sense of our very own apprehension - we want everything to work out, for the past to be forgiven, and these sufferers to be accepted; but we fear the possible, know that any one of these medicated "Rotters" could be held accountable for their "crimes". Or that, without treatment, they are nothing more than mindless killers...

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