Hacked By Ahmed 01 Nerd News & Needs
In case you aren’t familiar (and many in the states probably aren’t) In the Flesh is a three-part mini-series that aired on BBC last week (June 6-8).
Zombie teenager Kieren Walker isn’t comfortable in his ‘undead’ state. He didn’t want to come back – he wanted to be dead. After his suicide four years ago, his friends and family thought they’d never see him again
But then, shortly after his funeral, thousands rose from the dead; and after months of rehabilitation and medication, the zombies, now known as PDS (Partially Deceased Syndrome) sufferers, are gradually being returned to their homes.
I saw the series described as the “thinking man’s Walking Dead” this weekend (sorry, no source to credit there) but I honestly don’t think that does the show justice. The two shows describe a very different post-zombie-breakout scenario and each handles a very different aspect of “survival.”
Why You Should Watch In The Flesh
Overall, I really enjoyed In the Flesh and I think any zombie fan will. Here are a few reasons you’ll want to watch:
1) Makeup – The visual effect/makeup dept. on this show absolutely nailed the creepiest zombie eyes I have ever seen (seriously – well done) and the way they handle the makeup of the PDS sufferers was just fun and creative.
2) Emotion – Where Walking Dead may occasionally make you sad (more often angry), In the Flesh REALLY tugs at your emotions from several angles, dealing with some very serious subject matter that would have worked on any show, zombie or not. I fought back some tears near the end of the series and it really had little to do with the zombie-aspect.
3) The Twist – There isn’t a big twist at the end (a la M Night Shyama-lama-ding-dong), but I do love the twist on the zombie outbreak in this show. Much like vampire movies/TV shows, it is always interesting to see another artist’s vision or interpretation of something as iconic as zombies. Do bites cause you to turn? Are you still hungry for “brains” after rehabilitation? What memories (if any) do you have after you “come back?”
Americans Beware … and Prepare Yourself
Sadly, I do have one criticism of the show – the accents. To anyone living overseas, I’m sure this isn’t a problem, but for me – I sadly still have a difficult time enjoying British shows because of the thick accents. I honestly think I only understand about 80% of what is said, but I followed closely enough to fill in the blanks where necessary.
It will be interesting to see the ratings results for this show. If it performed well, I’m sure we’ll see a series AND, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see an American version of this popping up on FX, or another cable network, in the near future. I mean, you know every other network is insanely jealous of AMC and the success they have had with The Walking Dead.
Send the PDS over to the USA, ASAP… please!
