Channel Surfing: The Returned

WELCOME TO A NEW COLUMN CALLED CHANNEL SURFING, IN WHICH I SPORADICALLY LOOK AT CURRENT TV SHOWS AND TALK ABOUT THEM. THESE ARE NOT ONES THAT I CARE TO WRITE WEEKLY RECAPS FOR AND ARE INSTEAD REFLECTIONS EITHER ON THE EPISODE, THE SERIES, OR PARTICULAR MOMENTS. THIS WILL HOPEFULLY HELP TO SHARE PERSONAL OPINIONS AS WELL AS DISCOVER ENTERTAINMENT ON THE OUTER PANTHEON THAT I FEEL IS WELL WORTH CHECKING OUT, OR IN SOME CASES, SHOWS THAT ARE WEIRD ENOUGH TO TALK ABOUT, BUT SHOULD NEVER BE SEEN.IT ALMOST SEEMS TO BE CLICHE FOR A CHANNEL TO DEBUT A "HORROR" SERIES ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT. ONE OF THE FEW THAT HAD BOOSTED RATINGS FROM THIS GIMMICK WAS THE WALKING DEAD, WHICH HAD THE FORTUNATE GIFT OF HAVING THE HOLIDAY FALL ON A SUNDAY: A PRIME TIME FOR MAJOR SHOWS. IT HAS BECOME A CULTURAL PHENOMENON, EVEN SPINNING OFF INTO ITS OWN TALK SHOW. STILL, THE SUCCESS OF THE AMC SHOW SEEMS LIKE A ONCE IN A BLUE MOON TYPE OF LUCK THAT CONTINUES TO BAFFLE ME YEAR TO YEAR, AS CHRONICLED IN MY ZOMBIES CAN BE FUN SERIES.IN GENERAL, I DON'T GET THE APPEAL OF ZOMBIES, WHICH FEEL TOO LOWBROW AND ANTI-CLIMACTIC AS A PLOT DEVICE. WHEN I DISCOVERED A NEW SHOW FROM FRANCE CALLED THE RETURNED, I WAS SIMULTANEOUSLY INTRIGUED, BUT ALSO WORRIED THAT ZOMBIES WOULD JUST EQUIVALENT TO REALLY STUPID KILLS AND NO EMOTIONAL DEPTH.EVEN THE CHOICE TO FOLLOW THE WALKING DEAD PATTERN OF OPENING UP ON HALLOWEEN FELT WAY TOO COPYCAT. FOOTAGE UNSEEN, THE ONLY READ DRAW INITIALLY THAT IT WAS A FOREIGN SERIES THAT SOMEHOW FINALLY MADE ITS WAYS OVERSEAS.LIKE A LOT OF THESE SHOWS, THE BIGGEST PUSH CAME FROM LISTENING TO FIREWALL AND ICEBERG PODCAST. MORE THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE, IT IS WHAT GIVES ME INSPIRATION FOR TAKING CHANCES WITH THE CHANNEL SURFING COLUMNS. THROUGH GENTLE COAXING, I GAVE IN AND FINALLY GAVE IT A SHOT OUT OF INTEREST THAT THIS WAS NOT TO BE THE SAME ZOMBIES FROM THE GEORGE A. ROMERO MOLD, BUT ONE OF A MORE PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALE THAT RELIED ON PLOT MORE THAN VISUAL SCARES. THE DEAL WAS SEALED WHEN IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT IT WAS AIRING ON THE SUNDANCE CHANNEL, WHICH I FEEL HAS QUICKLY BECOME THE NEW HOME FOR PRESTIGE PROGRAMMING, INCLUDING TOP OF THE LAKE AND RECTIFY. MAYBE IT WILL TAKE SOME EFFORT TO EVEN REACH THE TRACK RECORD OF AMC, BUT IF THIS RECORD HOLDS UP, THE SUNDANCE CHANNEL MAY BE QUICKLY USURPING THE CONVERSATION.



THE APPEAL OF THE RETURNED HAS VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT IT IS A ZOMBIE SHOW. IN FACT, THE TRADITIONAL ROMERO MODEL IS SCRAPPED HERE. THERE IS NO FLESH-EATING DEAD PEOPLE AROUND THE CORNER READY TO SCOOP UP A PATRON. THE "ZOMBIES" IN QUESTION COME MORE FROM A PLACE OF REALISM, CHOOSING TO CREATE CHARACTERS THAT UPON DEATH, HAVE THEIR PHYSICAL PRESENCE AND MENTAL CAPACITY REMAIN SIMILAR, BUT NOT RECALL THE ORIGINS OF THEIR DEATHS. IN FACT, THE GENERAL UNDERSTANDING OF ZOMBIE DOESN'T SEEM TO THE SAME AS THE ONES EXECUTED IN THIS SHOW.THE FIRST EPISODE REVOLVES AROUND CAMILLE (ALMA ARNAL), WHO YEARS AFTER DYING IN A BUS ACCIDENT COMES BACK TO HER SEE HER FAMILY UNFAZED BY THE WHOLE DEBACLE. AT MOST, SHE IS CURIOUS ON WHY EVERYONE IS ACTING STRANGE. SLOWLY THROUGH HER ENTRANCE, WE MEET HER WHOLE FAMILY, WHO ALL BEGIN BEING CALLED UPON TO WITNESS THIS BIZARRE EVENT. CAMILLE, WHO IS LIVING DEAD, IS TOO INNOCENT TO EAT HUMANS AND INSTEAD CHOOSES TO MAKE SANDWICHES AND TAKE BATHS. BESIDES HER DECAYING BODY, SHE IS NORMAL. SHE IS ONE OF SEVERAL LIVING DEAD WHO BEGIN POPPING UP IN THIS SMALL, DESERTED TOWN WHERE NOT MUCH SEEMS TO HAPPEN. THERE'S AN ELDERLY MAN (GREGORY GADEBOIS) WHO ALSO HAS A DEAD RELATIVE RETURN THAT HAUNTS HIM TO THE POINT THAT HE BURNS THE HOUSE DOWN AND COMMITS SUICIDE ON A DAM. THE SCARES OF THIS EPISODE DON'T ACTUALLY DRAW FROM MANY ACTS OF VIOLENCE. WHILE THE UNIVERSE OF THE RETURNED IS TOO YOUNG TO FEEL AN EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT TO A SINGULAR FIGURE, THE FEAR COMES FROM SOMETHING RATHER GENIUS. THE LIVING DEAD AREN'T VIOLENT, BUT IT MAKES NO SENSE WHY THEY ARE ALL COMING BACK NOW. WHAT IS THE SUPERNATURAL EVENT THAT DRIVES THE EPIDEMIC FORWARD? WHAT DO THESE ZOMBIES WANT?NONE OF THIS IS MADE CLEAR. IN FACT, MAJORITY OF THE FIRST EPISODE SERVES AS AN INTRODUCTION TO THE UNIVERSE. CAMILLE'S FAMILY IS PLENTY INTERESTING, INCLUDING HER SISTER ADELE (CLOTILDE HESME) BEING INTRODUCED TAKING SHOTS OF ALCOHOL AT A PUB AND AVOIDING HER MOTHER'S (ANNE CONSIGNY) PHONE CALLS. THERE'S A DYSFUNCTION AND RELATIVITY THAT IS UNDERSTOOD AMONG ALL OF THE CHARACTERS THAT IT SUBSTITUTES FOR ANY NEED FOR TYPICAL ZOMBIE FARE. THIS IS AN EPISODE ALL ABOUT MECHANICS, AND THEY ALL WORK AMAZINGLY WELL. THIS MOSTLY WORKS AS A ZOMBIE SHOW BECAUSE THERE IS A POTENTIAL END GAME. THIS IS A SUPERNATURAL OCCURRENCE THAT MAY HAVE AN EASY SOLUTION. EVEN IF IT REMAINS UNRESOLVED FOR FUTURE SEASONS, THIS IS MORE OF A SHOW GEARED AROUND CHARACTER STUDY THAN SHOCK AND GORE. SERVING AS A MYSTERY, I GET THE IMPRESSION THAT THROUGH THE PROGRESSION OF THE SERIES, WE WILL SLOWLY UNDERSTAND THE SOCIOLOGICAL MINDSET OF THIS TOWN AS WELL AS SLOWLY UNRAVEL THE REASONS BEHIND THESE EVENTS. AS THE ENDING OF THE EPISODE SUGGESTS, THERE IS ALSO A MYSTERIOUS MURDERER AFOOT, WHICH AT VERY LEAST GIVES THE RETURNED AN ADVANTAGE TO EXPLORE HORROR BEYOND THE LIVING DEAD. ALONG WITH A CHILLING, INTENSE SOUNDTRACK BY MOGWAI, THE RETURNED IS A SATISFYING TAKE ON HORROR IN GENERAL SIMPLY BECAUSE IT DOESN'T GO FOR THE QUICK SATISFACTION. THE STORY MOVES SLOWLY, BUT THE REVEALS ONLY WORK WITH BACK STORY THAT PARLAYS AT VARIOUS INTERVALS. IN FACT, WE DON'T UNDERSTAND THE ENTIRE STORY BEHIND THE BUS CRASH THAT BEGINS THE SERIES UNTIL THE FINAL MOMENTS OF THE EPISODE WHEN A CREEPY, QUIET KID (SWANN NAMBOTIN) STANDS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET AND DIVERTS THE TRAFFIC OVER THE HILLSIDE. THERE'S MORE TO IT, THOUGH IT IS LARGELY BECAUSE OF CAMILLE'S FAMILY LIFE THAT THE PAYOFF WORKS. EVEN THOUGH I HAVE TROUBLE CLASSIFYING THIS AS A ZOMBIE SHOW, I THINK IT IS MOSTLY BECAUSE THE AMERICAN CONCEPT OF IT IS VERY DIFFERENT. HOWEVER, THE ONE REVELATION THAT COMES ALONG WITH THE RETURNED IS THAT THIS FEELS LIKE A STORY ABOUT THE LIVING DEAD DONE CORRECTLY. THERE'S ACTUAL MYSTERY NOT ONLY AROUND THE SUDDEN PHENOMENON, BUT ALSO AROUND HOW IT ALL RELATES TO FAMILIES, RELATIONSHIPS, AND THE TOWN AS A WHOLE. IT IS RATHER BLEAK AT POINTS, BUT THE MYSTERY IS THE DRIVING FORCE THAT HOPEFULLY WILL CONTINUE TO BE EXPLORED AND EVENTUALLY RESOLVED IN A SATISFYING MANNER. AS OF THE FIRST EPISODE, THIS APPEARS TO FINALLY BE THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND NOT ONLY MAKING ZOMBIES INTO A COMPELLING NARRATIVE, BUT ALSO INTO SOMETHING OF HIGHER ART.

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