The Returned

Two episodes in to this French mystery/horror/drama, I'm totally hooked. Everything about it is little short of excellent - great scenery, performances, suspense-building, pacing, story-telling, soundtrack. Another reviewer bitched about C4's chopping it up with adverts, for whom I have news; only the BBC channels could've broadcast this in the UK without them! Perhaps you'd like every programme you might like to only appear on one of these? Please.. I won't elaborate on the plot, as it was summed up perfectly elsewhere, but episode 2 ended on a fantastic question-raiser. It may struggle to maintain the quality of the first few episodes, but I sincerely hope not, because I don't know what else I'd do with my Sunday evenings.

This is the best creepy drama I've seen this year. I was gripped every second. The title sequence is full of mysteries. Disturbing and yet beautiful imagery. The music is by Mogwai and it stirs the soul. It is the very heart of the series. All the cast are excellent. The "Returned" characters, especially the young Vincent, are both sympathetic and scary by turns. Some are seeking love and acceptance. All are hungry and confused. They are not your typical horror monster. They are just people who happen to have been given a new chance at life. The plot-line unfolds slowly and subtly. Some scenes are left to the imagination, but there are still shocks. Certainly lots of questions which lead to questions, but that did not bother me. I was simply drawn further in. I am excited about the 2nd series.

Just finished watching the last episode of Series 1. Last time I was this gripped was in the 90's with Twin Peaks, not usually a TV fan unless something out of the ordinary is on. It takes it slow, gives you red herrings, plays down major plot parts, builds up tension, then BANG, you can't wait till next time. It is set in a small French town, where 35 years previous a dam broke causing many deaths, but "they will have their revenge". Don't want to give too much away, so will just tell you that every part of each characters life is given to you in fine detail, some things will make sense while bits of the plot are left open. However it flows like a full string orchestra playing the Blue Danube, and on that er,note, the music by Mogwai only makes it more enjoyable. The acting is terrific, characters believable, storyline as tight as a ducks hole, I cannot think of one thing to gripe about, which is unusual! Series 2 is on next year, need to keep my diary open. Unmissable, off to buy the series one box-set!

Great series. I'm watching the English-language version of it now with French subtitles and it's great. I can't remember when I watched something that passionately last, waiting for each Sunday installment on British TV. The beauty of it is, it's very realistic and human, spooky in a very believable way. How would you feel if your child or lover came back from the dead and you had to deal with all the problems of hiding them from all the friends and neighbors who were present at their funeral AND have to avoid the truth as the poor souls apparently don't realize they've been dead for years or decades!

I did knock off one point for the dialogue. I'm just not a big lover of "suspenseful" evasiveness when people just don't tell each other things because if they do, the mystery will end after just one episode! Sometimes I was on the verge of hurling something at the TV, so annoyed I was with the characters' constant ambiguities. I don't think I've heard one line of plain honest information in the whole film, it's all understatements, or alternatively something happens just when someone was about to say something important. To me, it's not suspense, it's sloppy manipulative dialogue. So one point off for that.

Otherwise, the actors are very good, the story is well-developed and the atmosphere is beautifully spooky. If realistic horror is your thing, this is definitely a film to watch.

Review of Series One:

THE RETURNED, a French TV series tackling a zombie epidemic, is one of the freshest and most inventive pieces of television I've watched in a while. Everything about it screams impressive: it boasts wonderful performances from a series of outstanding actors, huge attention to detail, and exceptional technical values from the direction to the camera-work, the set design, you name it. It's also very well written, with a cast of intriguing characters and just the right level of incident to keep you watching.

Another plus is the horror theme, which for once is handled with maturity and insight into human emotion. These aren't clichéd, flesh-eating zombies, rather missing loved ones, and watching them return to their family members - who have long since stopped the grieving process - is heartbreaking. The horror comes from a growing sense of mystery, of an increasing foreboding, enhanced by some excellent, long-held musical notes which send suspense levels through the roof. It truly doesn't get much better than this, and it puts Hollywood to shame.

If there's one problem with THE RETURNED, it's that it ends up incredibly frustrating, because it answers very few of the many, many questions it raises. By the end of the last episode of season one, we're no closer to the truth of the matter than we were at the beginning of the first episode, which is a real pity; the audience will only go along with you for so long, and there should have been some real, concrete answers to sweeten the mix. As it is, we're now forced to wait - for a very long time - for the second series, which should hopefully provide at least some explanation as to what it's all about.

Review of Series Two:

Most of us who were fans of the first series were eagerly awaiting this second series as it would hopefully tie up some of the mystery from the first. No such luck. Instead of finally telling us what's been going on, THE RETURNED continues to plough the same furrow, deliberately obscuring the viewer and raising more questions than it answers.

The use of flashbacks has gone into overload here. Every episode opens with a flashback and they recur throughout. They're pretty tiresome by now, especially when they add very little to the plot development. Plus, a bunch of new and rather extraneous characters are introduced and the series tells their stories instead of adding much in the way of new stuff to the existing characters.

The quality of the acting is still good, and the cinematography - all stillness and gloom - remains excellent. But the characters seem like they're stuck in a rut, and viewers are forced to wait until the final episode until something finally happens. I'm not sure what - the ambiguous nature of it means that the viewer must make his or her own mind up as to what transpired - but at least it provides a conclusion of sorts. Please, no third series though, as this was a huge step down from the excellent first.