In the Flesh (TV series)
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| Original title | In the Flesh |
| Country of production | Great Britain |
| original language | English (BE) |
| Year (s) | 2013-2014 |
| length | 58 minutes |
| Episodes | 9 in 2 seasons |
| genre | Drama , horror |
| Director | Jonny Campbell |
| idea | Dominic Mitchell |
| script | Dominic Mitchell |
| production | John Rushton, Ann Harrison-Baxter |
| music | Edmund Butt |
| First broadcast | March 17, 2013 on BBC Three |
| occupation | |
In the Flesh is a British television series broadcast by BBC Three . The first broadcast of the television series began on March 17, 2013. The first season ended on March 31, 2013. From May 4, 2014 to June 8, 2014, the second season aired.
In early 2015, the BBC announced that it would cancel the series due to budget cuts.
action
The series, which takes place in the fictional town of Roarton, describes life after the so-called resurrection ("The Rising"). Thousands of people who died in 2009, including the teenager Kieren Walker, emerge from their graves as aggressive zombies . The undead were hunted by armed militias during "The Pale Wars". In order to give consciousness to the undead and restore the personality they had before death, a drug has been successfully developed. This must be sprayed daily, otherwise the undead will turn into carnivorous zombies again. The undead not killed by the militias were rounded up and treated with this drug. A plan drawn up by the government is intended to ensure the rehabilitation and reintegration of those affected into society. In order to hide their status as "partially deceased" and to adapt to the living, the undead are given contact lenses and camouflage make-up. They are officially referred to as “Partially Deceased Syndrome Sufferers” (PDS), but often disparagingly called “Rotters”. Many PDS sufferers suffer from recurring memories of the atrocities they committed while they were aggressive, unconscious hunters. In the extremist town of Roarton, to which the protagonist Kieren Walker returns after being treated in a special facility for PDS patients, PDS sufferers are confronted with prejudices from the villagers. The series raises the question of whether such marginalized groups can be reintegrated into society or whether they are destined to live as outsiders and persecuted.
occupation
| actor | role | episode | description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luke Newberry | Kieren Walker | 1x01- | Kieren Walker is an 18-year-old high school student who committed suicide when his friend Rick left him. A little later he was resurrected as a zombie. After his resurrection, he killed several people, including Lisa, his sister's best friend. However, he came to a research center where an antidote was found. Kieren is not completely healed, but his character and personality are the same as before his resurrection. Kieren suffers greatly from the acts he has committed as a zombie. |
| Harriet Cains | Jem Walker | 1x01- | Jem is Kieren's younger sister. After the zombies rose and attacked the population, Jem joined the Human Volunteer Front (HVF) to protect her family and friends from the zombies. She received several medals for her work in the HVF. However, when she watched her resurrected brother kill her best friend Lisa in the supermarket, she froze. She saw how he ate her dead friend together with another zombie (Amy). She couldn't kill her brother. She cannot forget this experience and it still terrifies her greatly. She gets flashbacks in the supermarket . Even looking into the eyes of the undead reminds them of their experiences. Therefore, it is initially difficult for her to accept Kieren as her brother after his return and no longer see him as the monster that killed her best friend. |
| Marie Critchley | Sue Walker | 1x01- | Sue is Kieren and Jem's mother. On the one hand she is happy that her son Kieren is coming home, on the other hand she is afraid of her son. To deal with these feelings, Sue joined a self-help group where she can talk to other family members of the undead. |
| Steve Cooper | Steve Walker | 1x01- | Steve is Jems and Kieren's father. At first he talks very little about his own feelings and thoughts, but later becomes more open. |
| Emily Bevan | Amy Dyer | 1x01- | Amy is Kieren's best friend. She also suffers from PD syndrome. She died of leukemia and is glad that she now has a second chance to live. |
| Kevin Sutton | Gary Kendal | 1x01- | Gary is a radical member of the Human Volunteer Front and has killed a number of zombies, which he is very proud of. |
| Stephen Thompson | Philip Wilson | 1x01- | Philip is a member of the Human Volunteer Front but hasn't killed a single zombie himself. He sleeps with Amy and falls in love with her. |
| Ricky Tomlinson | Ken Burton | 1x01-2x01 | Ken initially seems to be against rehabilitation of the undead. However, it later emerges that he himself has a wife who suffers from PDS. He wanted to protect them with his behavior and not draw the HVF's attention to himself. However, his wife is discovered and shot dead by Bill Macy. |
| Steve Evets | Bill Macy | 1x01-1x03 | Bill Macy is the head of the Human Volunteer Front. He has a very radical attitude towards those who suffer from PDS and thinks they should all be destroyed. When his son Rick returns from the war with the PDS, he initially suppressed its condition. In the end, he kills his own son because he is unable to accept him for who he is. Bill is eventually shot dead by Ken whose wife he killed. |
| David Walmsley | Rick Macy | 1x02-1x03 | Rick Macy is the son of Bill. Rick and Kieren were in love with each other and met secretly in a local cave. To avoid his feelings for Kieren, Rick went to war as a soldier. There he was killed. The news of his death disturbed Kieren so much that he killed himself. Years later, Rick reappears in the village suffering from PDS. He still loves Kieren, but still subordinates himself to his father and tries to please him. Rick is eventually killed by his father, who can neither accept that Rick suffers from PDS nor that he loves Kieren. |
| Sandra Huggett | Shirley Wilson | 1x01- | Shirley Wilson is the mother of Philip. She looks after PDS sufferers and their relatives as part of an official program and shows them, for example, how the antidote has to be injected. She also heads the family's self-help group. |
| Gillian Waugh | Pearl Pinder | 1x01- | Pearl Pinder is the owner of the pub. In the second season she hires Kieren as an employee there. |
| Gerrard Thompson | Dean Halton | 1x01- | Dean is a member of the Human Volunteer Front. When he first experiences the discrimination and hostility of people because of a zombie bite, he becomes a little more cautious about his own hostility towards the undead. |
| Wunmi Mosaku | Maxine Martin | 2x01- | Maxine Martin was elected to represent the constituency. She supports the Human Volunteer Front. Maxine's brother died when he was very young. |
| Emmett J. Scanlan | Simon Monroe | 2x01- | Simon Monroe is a friend of Amy's. Later he also meets with Kieren and a romantic relationship develops between the two. |
Concepts
- PDS (Partially Deceased Syndrome): The name PDS was invented by researchers to give a name to the syndrome that affects the resurrected. Those who suffer from PDS need to be injected with an antidote every day to avoid turning into carnivorous zombies. They can also no longer feel anything through their skin, e.g. E.g .: they don't feel rain on their skin. The eyes are different from normal people and their skin is pale. They get sick from ingesting food or liquids. If you take a blue drug called Blue Oblivion, you will become man-hunting zombies again.
- HVF (Human Volunteer Front): The HVF was founded after the resurrection of the zombies to protect the population from them. While it initially served this good cause, more and more members have become radicalized over time. They don't want those with PDS to come back to them. In order to achieve their goal, some do not even shrink from "murder".
background
In the Flesh is a co-production by BBC Three and BBC America . Dominic Mitchell developed the concept for the series and worked as a screenwriter. The first season consists of three episodes, each 60 minutes long. It ran every Sunday from March 17, 2013 on the BBC Three TV channel. Luke Newberry played the leading role . The audience ratings for the first three episodes averaged 530,000 viewers. The second season consists of six episodes. These began broadcasting Sundays on BBC Three on May 4th. In the second season, the number of viewers fell significantly despite very positive reviews. An average of 283,000 viewers saw the second season. The first and second seasons have been released on DVD in the UK, Ireland and North America. For a long time it was unclear whether a third season should be shot. The author Dominic Mitchell stated after the finale that he already knew exactly what would happen after the end of the first. Ultimately, however, it would be up to the BBC to see if it really happened. In September 2014, fans tried to broadcast the third season on Twitter. Under the hashtag "#SaveInTheFlesh" the fans explained on Twitter why a third season should be shot. Actor Luke Newberry also took part in the action . The screenwriter Dominic Mitchell thanked the fans for the action. In January 2015, the BBC announced that there would be no third season.
Episode list
season 1
| No. ( total ) |
No. ( St. ) |
German title | Original title | First broadcast in United Kingdom | German language first broadcast (D) | Director | script |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | - | Episode 1 | 17th March 2013 | - | Jonny Campbell | Dominic Mitchell |
| One day, dead people rose from their graves as zombies. They attacked and killed the people. The government was initially powerless. Therefore, the people in the villages united to take action against the zombies. They founded the "Human Volunteer Front" to destroy the zombies and protect their families from them. Several zombies were killed, others were taken to a research center. An antidote has been invented at the research center that does not completely cure the zombies, but enables them to live a human life. For example, their skin color is unnaturally pale, wounds do not heal and their eyes remain zombie's. However, her character and personality are back to what they were before her death. Doctors now refer to the syndrome they suffer from as PDS (Partially Deceased Syndrome). In order not to become mindless zombies again, the undead have to be injected with the antidote every day. After all, the undead should go home to their families and be integrated into society. They should behave as normally as possible so as not to irritate the population. Therefore, they must wear contact lenses and make up their skin in a natural skin tone. One of the first to leave the research center is 18-year-old Kieren Walker. But when he comes home, he realizes that a lot has changed in the four years of his absence. The Human Volunteer Front (HVF) does not want to accept that the undead return to the village. Fearing that Kieren will be killed by the angry mob, his parents smuggle him into the house under a blanket. But there are many other things at home too. Kieren's sister has joined the Human Volunteer Front and thinks Kieren is a monster she doesn't want to have anything to do with. Kieren's parents are friendly towards Kieren, but they would like to ignore Kieren's otherness completely. Meanwhile, Kieren should stay at home so that none of the HVF can harm him. Kieren has flashbacks from his time as a zombie. He remembers killing his sister's best friend and feels guilty. Meanwhile, Kieren's sister hears that the HVF has found an undead on their street and wants to destroy it. She immediately believes it is her brother and wants to save him, so she informs her parents. However, it turns out that the HVF is after Kieren's neighbor. She is dragged away by her screaming husband and shot outside in front of everyone. | |||||||
| 2 | 2 | Episode 2 | March 24, 2013 | - | Jonny Campbell | Dominic Mitchell | |
| In the episode it becomes clear how Kieren died. His ex-boyfriend Rick went to Afghanistan as a soldier and was killed there. Even before his death, Kieren was an outsider in the village because he was different, and now saw no more meaning in his life. He killed himself.
Meanwhile, Kieren gets on a little better with his sister Jem. Although she hasn't forgotten the monster in him, she still believes she has her brother in front of her again. One day Kieren can no longer stand it in the house, he runs out and meets Amy, who also suffers from PDS. This immediately dragged him to the fair. At first the two have a lot of fun, but then Kieren is suddenly recognized by others and identified as undead. Desperate, he runs away. Meanwhile, Kieren's ex-boyfriend, Rick, returns home with PDS. His father Bill is the head of the HVF and had previously shot Kieren's neighbor. Bill is happy that Rick is coming home. However, he suppresses the fact that Rick has PD syndrome and regards him as a normal war returnee. He takes Rick to the local pub and demands that the others treat him normally. When Kieren finds out that Rick is home, he runs to him immediately. Rick makes sure that Kieren can also enter the pub. A little later, two zombies are discovered in the forest. The HVF wants to go to kill them. Bill asks Rick to go with him. Rick takes Kieren with him. When the HVF sees the zombies, Rick should shoot them. However, Kieren stops Rick by explaining that they are just like themselves. He explains to the others from the HVF that they would get a lot of money if they deliver the zombies alive. For most of them this is a reason to let the zombies live and collect the money. However, Bill is furious that his son didn't shoot the zombie. |
|||||||
| 3 | 3 | - | Episode 3 | March 31, 2013 | - | Jonny Campbell | Dominic Mitchell |
| A member of the HVF was bitten by a zombie. Although this does not turn him into a zombie, the population treats him as if that were happening. He experiences firsthand the discrimination that the undead also suffer from. He is spat at, locked up, insulted, etc. Meanwhile, Jem feels guilty because she could not kill her brother when he attacked and murdered her friend Lisa in the supermarket after he was resurrected as a zombie. Together, Jem and Kieren decide to go to Lisa's parents and tell them the truth about Lisa's death. Lisa's parents take the truth amazingly well, but still believe Lisa is returning. Kieren and Jem do not want to take away their hope and explain to the parents that this is entirely possible. Meanwhile, every household in which an undead lives has to mark the house as a "PDS house". The abbreviation PDS is written on the house or garage wall. Meanwhile, HVF member Philip starts an affair with the undead Amy. Meanwhile, Bill tries to force Rick to kill Kieren. Rick calls Kieren and says on his answering machine that Kieren is in danger and should run away as soon as he sees Rick and Bill. However, Kieren did not receive this message. Meanwhile, Bill realizes that Rick will never shoot Kieren. He kills Rick, clears Rick's things out of the house and pretends that Rick has never returned. He explains to his wife that he last saw Rick five years ago. Meanwhile, Kieren discovers the body of the now finally dead Rick on his doorstep. Desperate, he runs to Bill. It is only when his wife attacks him with a knife in her desperation that Bill realizes that he has killed his own son. Desperate, he runs outside, where he is shot by the husband of Kieren's neighbor, who he killed himself. Then Kieren goes to the cave where Rick and Kieren used to meet and where Kieren committed suicide. His mother is bringing him back home. Only now does Kieren realize that his parents were very worried when he disappeared without a word. The situation was very similar to the situation after his suicide. | |||||||
season 2
| No. ( total ) |
No. ( St. ) |
German title | Original title | First broadcast in United Kingdom | German language first broadcast (D) | Director | script |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th | 1 | - | Episode 1 | May 4, 2014 | - | Jim O'Hanlon | Dominic Mitchell |
| It has now been 18 months since the first undead returned home. Some radical groups have formed among the undead who take a drug called Blue Oblivion, which removes the antidote and turns them back into man-eating zombies. A group of the undead takes this drug in the subway and kills the people present, including Kieren's former neighbor and his son. Meanwhile, Maxine Martin, a new MP for the constituency, comes to the village. She shares the views of the radical HVF members. Meanwhile, Kieren meets Amy's friend Simon. Jem still suffers from traumatic memories of Kieren's murder of her best friend Lisa. She also goes to school again, where she is an outsider. | |||||||
| 5 | 2 | - | Episode 2 | May 11, 2014 | - | Jim O'Hanlon | Dominic Mitchell |
| Kieren wants to leave the village and start a new life in Paris. He has already bought the plane tickets. He says goodbye to his sister and his parents. However, when he enters the station, he is stopped by the ticket seller. Tickets should no longer be sold to the undead. In order to be able to travel again, they should now work for free in the community. You must wear vests that identify you as a PDS while completing the tasks. After six months they are supposed to get a travel permit if they do a good job, but most of the undead think this is an empty promise. When Jem's classmates hear that she was at HVF, she suddenly becomes a popular student. Everyone wants to hear how she killed the zombies. However, a little later there is actually an incident with an undead who takes Blue Oblivion and becomes a zombie. Jem is sent into the hallway alone with a gun to fight the zombie and freezes in fear. She wets herself, cries and asks the others to let her back into the classroom, but her classmates keep the door closed. The effects of the drug finally let go and the zombie turns back into a harmless undead. In the evening, Jem is comforted by HVF member Gary. He explains to her that without her he would be dead and helps Jem feel better again. A little later, she shoots her undead classmate Henry Lonsdale because she thinks he is a zombie. | |||||||
| 6th | 3 | - | Episode 3 | May 18, 2014 | - | Damon Thomas | John Jackson, Fintan Ryan |
| Jem wants to report her murder to the police. Gary tells her that he will take care of everything and that she shouldn't say anything. However, Jem suffers so much from guilt that she can no longer take it. She turns to Maxine Martin. She doesn't think Henry's death is worth mentioning, but still wants to know where and how he died. Kieren and Simon get closer and kiss. Meanwhile, Maxine explains to Henry's parents that Henry had become radical and was last seen in a zombie radicalization camp. Additionally, both an Undead Organization and Maxine are looking for whoever was resurrected as a zombie first. Gary continues to support Jem and make her feel better. At the end of the episode, Jem and Gary also kiss. | |||||||
| 7th | 4th | - | Episode 4 | May 25, 2014 | - | Damon Thomas | Fintan Ryan |
| Jem invites her friend Gary to dinner at home, where Kieren and Simon are already sitting. When Gary and Jem proudly report their zombie killings and brag about it, it becomes too much for Kieren. He can't understand why his parents think it's okay for Jem and Gary to brag about killing his own kind. Therefore, Kieren also reports on his murders as a zombie and explains that this is the same as the murders of Gary and Jem. Then he goes upstairs with Simon to his room. Kieren's parents are shocked by their son's actions. Meanwhile, an undead brothel is attacked by an angry mob. Philip takes the side of the undead and is watched by Amy. She is touched by his behavior. | |||||||
| 8th | 5 | - | Episode 5 | June 1, 2014 | - | Alice Troughton | Dominic Mitchell |
| Two undead released caged zombies from their cages. Since Kieren and Simon worked there, they are suspected of having released the zombies. There is an indictment. However, this is not fair. Either Kieren signs an admission of guilt and receives a fine, or he does not sign it and is sent back to the research camp. Kieren is innocent, but his parents do not support him. They consider him dangerous and want him to go back to the research center so that he can be who he once was. Meanwhile, Philip and Amy get closer. However, Amy has some strange symptoms, such as her hand shaking uncontrollably and bleeding. Amy thinks she's going to be a zombie again and asks Philip to kill her. Shortly afterwards, however, she notices that she can feel the rain on her skin again and is becoming more human again. Simon's story is shown in flashbacks. He had killed his mother as a zombie and then came to the research center, where he participated in the experiments to find a cure. When he got home, his father threw him out of the house a little later. He could no longer live with his son, who had killed his wife. | |||||||
| 9 | 6th | - | Episode 6 | June 8, 2014 | - | Alice Troughton | Dominic Mitchell |
| Both the Undead Organization and Maxine are still looking for the first resurrected zombie. There is a legend of a second resurrection that only happens when the first resurrected zombie is killed at exactly midnight, on the twelfth stroke of the bell. Maxine believes she can get her long-dead brother back, while the undead hope to find new comrades in the second resurrection to support them. They believe that after the second resurrection, people will no longer be able to suppress and discriminate against them. Simon agrees to kill the first resurrected. Maxine wants to do the same. Amy is becoming more and more human and can even eat again. She enjoys her time with Philip. Meanwhile, Gary forcibly instills the drug into Kieren that turns him into a zombie. Then he takes Kieren to the cemetery, where Kieren begins to transform. However, he can willingly stop the transformation so as not to hurt anyone anymore. When Kieren is shot, the approaching Simon throws himself at Kieren and saves him. Kieren's father is grateful to Simon for saving him, and he is also sorry for having treated Kieren negatively. Kieren's mother is also sorry for her behavior. Meanwhile, Maxine is at her brother's grave. When Maxine sees Amy and Philip nearby, she runs up to Amy and stabs her with a knife. The resurrection of her brother hoped for by Maxine does not take place. A little later, Maxine returns to the village and explains that the population should help her to destroy all the undead so that there is a second resurrection. Amy doesn't seem to have been the first to be resurrected, that must be someone else. The citizens are horrified and turn away from Maxine. Meanwhile, Jem breaks off her relationship with Gary. | |||||||
Awards and nominations
Royal Television Society, UK
- 2013: Best Lighting, Photography & Camera - Photography, Drama (Tony Slater Ling)
- 2014: Nomination in the Best Drama Serial category (Hilary Martin, Ann Harrison-Baxter, Dominic Mitchell, Jonny Campbell)
Broadcast Awards, UK
- 2014: Best Scripted Program (Dominic Mitchell)
- 2014: Nomination in the category Best Drama Series or Serial
Bafta TV Craft
- 2014: Writer - Drama (Dominic Mitchell)
- 2014: Best Mini-Series (Ann Harrison-Baxter, Dominic Mitchell, Jonny Campbell, Hilary Martin)
- 2014: Nominated in the category Best Leading Actor ( Luke Newberry )
Reviews
"The excellent series In the Flesh is a contemporary allegory of racism, intolerance - and zombies."
" In the Flesh is a complex and thought-provoking allegory."
“In In the Flesh the undead do not symbolize the evil of the planet, but the intolerance and despair in everyday life. It is a sensitive, moving and cleverly humorous family drama - in the form of a horror story. "
“The script is brilliant, deep and powerful. The show is on point. The stories are perfection. We want more!"
" In the Flesh is refreshing and uncompromisingly different from everything that is shown on TV."
Web links
- In the Flesh in theInternet Movie Database(English)
- In the Flesh at Fernsehserien.de
Individual evidence
- ^ In The Flesh canceled by BBC Three after budget cuts . January 16, 2015. Accessed May 1, 2016.
- ↑ In The Flesh. British zombies. . Serienjunkies.de. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ BBC AMERICA's 'In the Flesh' Three-Night Zombie Miniseries Event Begins June 6 . Bbcamerica.com. May 7, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ Louisa Mellor: What is BBC Three's In The Flesh? . Denofgeek.com. February 18, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ In the Flesh under review - New Zombie series from BBC. . Zombie-planet.de. May 17, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ In The Flesh: BBC announces return date for critically acclaimed BBC Three zombie drama. . Mirror.co.uk. March 27, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ a b Morgan Jeffery: #SaveInTheFlesh - Will BBC Three's BAFTA-winning series rise again? . Digitalspy.co.uk. September 2, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ David Lambert: In the Flesh - 'Season 2' Set is Scheduled for North American by the BBC . Tvshowsondvd.com. July 17, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ In the Flesh . Dvdtalk.com. November 9, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ Louisa Mellor: Dominic Mitchell interview: what's next for In The Flesh? . Denofgeek.com. June 8, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ Ellie Walker-Arnott: In the Flesh fans take to Twitter to save the BBC3 zombie drama. Luke Newberry has rallied the troops on Twitter in an attempt to secure a third series of In the Flesh. . Radiotimes.com. September 4, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ^ In The Flesh canceled by BBC Three after budget cuts
- ^ In the Flesh (2013 TV Mini-Series). Awards. . Imdb.com. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
- ↑ Stuart Jeffries: In the Flesh; The Man in the Hat - TV review. . In: Theguardian.com . May 4, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ 'In the Flesh' review: Season 2 chews over shame of a zombie. . In: Sfgate.com . May 9, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ Mike Hale: Seems Like a Nice Guy. So What if He's Dead? 'In the Flesh' Shifts Gears in Season 2 . In: Nytimes.com . May 9, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ 'In the Flesh': Why we need a series 3 . In: Ew.com . June 21, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ Dave Golder: In The Flesh 1.03 REVIEW . In: Sfx.co.uk . March 31, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2014.