It is completely
unfair to make even the slightest comparison of “In the Flesh” to “The Walking
Dead,” although it is inevitable that this association will be made between the
two zombie television events. For one thing, “In the Flesh” is not a
post-apocalyptic storyline. We join the story after civilization has recovered
almost entirely, and it instead becomes a story about integration and
acceptance. The horror elements are all but removed and zombies instead become
a symbol for diversity and a metaphor for homosexuality.
The main
narrative decision to remove the horror from this story is the choice to make
the protagonist a zombie, and to make those monsters nearly indistinguishable
from humans. Normally this might add an element of fear, as if having them
hidden amongst us would make them dangerous in new ways, but not in this
miniseries. Instead they are integrated back into society in secret for their
own protection, with the humans being the monsters with the capacity for
destruction. My biggest issue with the zombies in Dominic Mitchell's “In the
Flesh” is that they don’t really resemble zombies in their monstrous form. The
storyline almost seems to insert the zombies simply because they are the hot-ticket
horror monster of the moment, although it seems to be a narrative better suited
for vampires or werewolves.
We follow
teenager Kieren Walker as a zombie returning home after being rehabilitated and
placed on medication which removes the flesh-craving tendencies of the undead
“disease.” His demise is somewhat of a mystery, involving a relationship he had
with a hometown hero. The strength of season two lies in the increased
importance placed on other characters as well, most significant being Kieren’s
best friend, Amy (Emily Bevan). The narrative also introduces new mysteries
about the disease, including theories that there will be a second rising. The
town in joined by forces in opposition; on one side is Maxine Martin (Wunmi
Mosaku), a government official sent to Kieren’s small town to enforce new laws
discriminating against the partially dead citizens, and on the other side is
rebellion leader and love interest for Kieren, Simon (Emmett J. Scanlan).
Seeming to have
heard the complaints from the first season, there is a great deal more action,
excitement and intrigue in these follow-up six episodes. I can honestly say
that I am curious to discover what will happen in season three, whereas I have
very little memory of how season one even finished. This still is not a show
likely to appease horror fans in the way that other zombie entertainment might,
but it has found a better balance between entertainment and heavy-handed
messages.
Entertainment Value:
7.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 8/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
Special Features: 0/10
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