The first series of Dominic Mitchell's In The Flesh was a very welcome surprise, a politically-infused small town drama that just happened to be about zombies. Whilst the first series was extremely close in its focus, following Kieren (Luke Newberry), a Partially Deceased Syndrome sufferer who attempts to re-integrate into his former community and finding resistance at every turn. The series was brilliant and heartbreaking from start to finish and Mitchell picked up a well-deserved BAFTA in the process.
The second series begins several months after the events of the first. Roarton exists in a fragile state, peaceful for the most part but with outside threats spilling into the village every now and again. The wider country is also in turmoil with factions set up as a reaction to the Rising; extremist attacks are carried out by the Undead Liberation Army whilst the pro-living political party Victus is making ground. Kieren is desperate to leave Roarton for Europe where he believes people to be more tolerant of PDS sufferers, but this is complicated when his best friend Amy (Emily Bevan) returns from a commune with her new boyfriend Simon (Emmett J Scanlan), a disciple of the Undead Prophet.
The expansion of events to include the wider political landscape proves to be a masterstroke, further highlighting the microcosmic nature of Roarton whilst also building an atmosphere of unease. The presence of Victus feels particularly astute, especially considering the amount of publicity a certain intolerant, right-wing political party is getting. Maxine Martin (Wunmi Mosaku) looks set to be an antagonist for this series, considering the way she allowed Kenneth Cranham's vitriol-spouting reverend to die in his own garden. She's collecting the names of the risen for some as yet undisclosed reason, but it seems to be to do with the rumour that the first to rise were the dead of Roarton village. Her reactions to PDS sufferers makes your skin crawl and her intolerance and discomfort in the face of Kieren is uncomfortable.
However, Mitchell doesn't let the other end of the spectrum off the hook either. The opening attack on the tram is a blistering first scene, tying events back to Roarton with Ricky Tomlinson's Kenneth Burton (who also provides some handy exposition). The tram attack is chillingly realised; the sudden transformation of the Undead Liberation Army is as shocking as any zombie horror movie, made all the more so by the claustrophobic location of the train. Much like Victus, it also carries uncomfortable parallels to our own reality in a post-9/11 society where we're constantly told to be on the alert for potential threats.
Despite their continued affirmations that PDS sufferers and the living are very different, both extremes are remarkably similar, chiefly through the use of religious rhetoric. The Undead Liberation Army's attack is preceded by paraphrased extracts from the Book of Revelation. Roarton's right is characterised by their belief that this rising has somehow prevented the real Judgement Day from happening. Then there is the Undead Prophet, a Jesus-figure complete with his own twelve disciples, one of which happens to be Amy's boyfriend. The religious aspect builds into the social commentary that is inherent within In The Flesh as well as the uneasy atmosphere. In both extreme factions, there is a sense that it irrationalism rules and it makes them all the more predictable.
With this background, it could be easy for the personal aspects of the story to get lost in amongst it. However, Mitchell creates the perfect anchor in Kieren, helped by Luke Newberry's melancholic yet warm performance. In Kieren, the conflicts become more focused; he is still struggling psychologically with who he is, unable to confront himself in the mirror without his mousse on and refusing to take out his contact lenses which hide his undead eyes. His desire to escape is particularly relatable, especially as Roarton has swept most things under the carpet in that very Middle England way, and he has no one with which to share his torment now that Rick is gone.
The return of Amy and his repaired relationship with his family particularly his sister, Jem, go some way to repair that, but they are not without their complications. Jem is clearly suffering her own mental anguish from her militia days and his father, though better at sharing his feelings, is perhaps sharing them a little too much. Amy's return, along with the arrival of Simon, offers Kieren a form of escape, but one that he doesn't wholly agree with. They are more in favour of Kieren embracing his undead self, stopping him from using words like 'zombie' and standing up to those who are prejudiced against him.
Setting up several threads and themes to explore over the next six episodes with ease, it's a fascinating opening for In The Flesh. The expansion of the social and political landscape around Roarton proves to be an inspired decision and the show expands its mythology organically and quickly whilst losing none of the emotional power that made the first series so special.
- Becky
You can read Becky's reviews of the first series here: Episode One, Episode Two, Episode Three
Follow @AssortedBuffery on Twitter
Or like our Facebook page
A concept so original, it's actually quite startling that no one had thought of it before, In The Flesh is set in the aftermath of a zombie uprising, a world in which the undead have been rehabilitated and medicated to become Partially Deceased Syndrome (PDS) sufferers. Focusing in on one PDS sufferer in particular, we follow Keiran (Luke Newberry) back to his parents' home as he deals with his new affliction and the consequences of both that and his death back in 2009. Meanwhile, a group known as the Human Volunteer Force (HVF), who really really don't like anyone with PDS and will take quite violent steps to stop them coming back into the community, remain on their guard in Keiran's home town.
Good horror or science fiction is always at its best when acting as a mirror to our own society, rather than just offering up victims to be sliced or diced by the mad scientist. In The Flesh does this brilliantly, packing in more metaphors, analogies and themes than you can shake a zombie-killing cricket bat at. The most obvious is the theme of prejudice and the notion of PDS can be applied to just about any form you can think of. With its reality of living with a disease and relying upon daily medication, my first thought was of PDS as a metaphor for HIV and In The Flesh would not look out of place as a reaction to the public stigmatisation of that particular condition.
The village of Roarton, a microcosm for wider society, brings a whole new meaning to the phrase 'grim up North' and it is this particularly that highlights the satirical side of this horror narrative. The emphasis on people who are seen as 'not quite human' could be a cypher for homophobia or racism, invading the community of 'normal' people and supposedly destroying them from within. The role of the church is also thrown in there with Kenneth Cranham's fire-and-brimstone vicar extolling all sorts of Biblical justification for the alienation of the PDS victims.
Then there's also the Biblical references in the zombie gathering taking place online and gearing up for the revolution, building in another potential theme of religious fanaticism. It's not all big soaring institutional metaphors though, there are also smaller themes like the breakdown of a family, the loss of a child and sibling relationships. Like I said, it's jam-packed, but the satire of In The Flesh is finely tuned and extremely cutting, whilst the quieter drama also packs a punch.
For a first time television writer, Dominic Mitchell's script is assured and confident, weaving in all of these themes without it seeming too shoe-horned in. It is also to its benefit that it chooses to go at a slower pace rather than trying to draw in viewers by packing the episode full of action it doesn't need. Kieran's flashbacks to his zombie days are more than enough to give you an idea of what the zombie uprising was like and fills enough of the gore quota to keep horror fans happy. The pace allows for the more philosophical aspects of the narrative to develop and I'm particularly interested to see where the plotline of the fanatical Bill Macy (Steve Evets) and his PDS son goes.
The pace also allows the action-orientated sequences to shine with the climactic confrontation between the HVF and Ricky Tomlinson's character, Ken. Ramping up the tension, with the Walker family believing the HVF are on the way, we get a big showdown in the street as poor Ken's PDS wife is dragged into the street. As set pieces go, it was both suspenseful and heart-breaking as we see just how far Bill Macy is willing to commit to his cause. I'm hoping that it is this scene that sets the tone for the rest of the series; a strong, social commentary drama with a dash of action thrown in.
An already intriguing concept to begin with, In The Flesh is off to a cracking start and if this is the standard of the rest of the series, we're going to be in for a treat. Zombies may be the go-to supernatural creature at the moment, but this is a different take on a genre close to saturation; let's just hope it remains as original and as sharp as its first episode.
- Becky
You can follow Becky on Twitter @beckygracelea or on her blog beckygracelea.wordpress.com
Assorted Buffery is now on Facebook and on Twitter @beckygracelea
