Today I'm going review the supernatural drama, In The Flesh. It was originally aired on BBC Three in March 2013 and the first series was comprised of three hour long episodes. Series two finished earlier this year and I really wanted there to be more. Now usually in my reviews I give you the basic plot and a brief description of the characters, but with In The Flesh there are so many elements that I really just need to break it down a bit in order to get my own head around its brilliance and also to give you a greater insight into what the hell is going on in the village of Roarton, Lancashire.
The premise of the show is that the whole world is reeling from 'The Rising' where all of the people who died in 2009 rose from the dead in 2011 and went rabid, killing and eating poor innocent soul's brains, yet somehow thanks to the miracles of modern medicine and science, they have been treated and are being reintegrated into their families and wider society. Now this show would usually be a massive turn off for me as I normally dislike the whole supernatural, zombie/vampire genre which is why I never made it through the whole of Twilight (please don't hit me), but let me just say unlike those usually superficial 'I'm gonna eat ya and bite ya and take you to my castle' types of supernatural shows, In The Flesh has a depth and a sense of realism that is really refreshing in this genre.
One of the main themes of the show is the discrimination and prejudice that the Partially Deceased Syndrome Sufferers (the Zombies) endure at the hands of the locals and also wider society. Quite rightly, the village of Roarton is scarred by the whole event and it has damaged the community almost beyond repair which is displayed quite clearly in the constant patrols and paranoia of the Human Volunteer Force, a type of army set up in The Rising to destroy those who had rose from the dead and were at the time in their 'untreated state'. I think what I loved so much about this drama was that it was so realistic and so hard-hitting in a sort of weird kind of way because you weren't really sure if you were suppose to feel sympathy for the PDS sufferers but you did! Also, by using terms such as 'Partially Deceased Syndrome Sufferers' and 'untreated state' it made them seem so much more human, which they were but there was always this underlying fear that they could snap at any time if they stopped taking their medication and that was so thrilling to watch.
Talking about the humanity of the show brings me onto my next point, the protagonist Kieren Walker (portrayed by Luke Newberry) was one of those who rose from the dead and is just a young boy trying to navigate his way through this whole new confusing life he never really wanted. His friendship with fellow PDS sufferer Amy Dyer (Emily Bevan) provides an aspect of fun in what is a pretty dark show and watching their friendship reminds the viewer that even in times of great disparity there is always someone there who you can rely on to keep you going. His complex relationship with PDS sufferer and rebel Simon Monroe (Emmett J Scanlan) shows how vulnerable and confused Kieren really is as he latches onto the hope and passion that Simon has that the world will be better for PDS sufferers when they rise up again.
I really admire the way the writers didn't just make the fact that they are zombies the only problem they've got going on in their lives which is often the way in many supernatural dramas, and even in those where there is other story lines weaved in, it is often unrealistic and two dimensional. In The Flesh incorporates themes such as sexual identity, depression, love, grief, loss and discrimination which really gives it so much more credibility and makes it so deserving of the BAFTA it received for a mini-series in May 2014.
I would recommend this show to anyone, even if you are like me and think 'ugh no I hate anything supernatural', I guarantee In The Flesh will pleasantly surprise you.
