It all starts on the night of the rising, when everyone who died in 2008 rose from the dead. A little rural town, Roartan, northern England, was no longer safe. Zombies terrorised the town, attacked, ate and killed people. The only 'good' thing was that they could not multiply and if you were bitten, you wouldn't turn into a zombie. Eventually, a cure was found, and by taking shots daily, the zombies could function just like they did before they had died. They were put into a rehab facility, where they had all the help they needed and, when the doctors felt they were ready, they returned home to their families and friends. Also, they were given contact lenses and make up to cover up their pale skin and zombie eyes.
Militia, the Human Volunteer Force, was based in that town and the residents were against zombies, in fact they hated them. They didn't believe that zombies, or rotters as people called them, could be cured from their 'zombieness', and wanted their village to stay PDS free. PDS stands for Partially Deceased Syndrome and Kieren Walker, is one of the sufferers. So when he returns home, he had to stay in the house and his parents tried very hard to keep him protected. His sister, Jem, who was acually a member of the HVF, hated him with passion and walked arond the house with a gun. It took her a while, but eventually she realizes that Kieren is the same person he was before and not a monster, as she thaught, she tries to protect him from the militia, too.
When in his untreated state, Kieren killed a girl in the supermarket. The past keeps haunting him and he often gets flashbacks from that awfull night. Encouraged by his sister, he goes to see the parents of his victim to confess and gets an apology.
Before the suicide, Kieren Walker was just a normal 18-year-old boy. He was an excellent student, interested in alternative music, books and counter - culture. Counter-culture is a subculture that is basically everything opposite of the mainstream cultures. Being very quiet and demure that he was, he had only one friend, Rick. Him and Rick were unseparable, until Rick joined the army and went to fight in Afganistan, where he died. During the series, we find out that they did not only have a friendly relationship, but a romantic one, too - Kieren is bisexual. Loosing not only his best friend and lover, but his other half, left Kieren heart-broken, lonely, he felt like his life had no more meaning and knew nothing will be the same ever again. He had always knew and felt that he was different from others, but he truly expirienced the meaning of the word outsider when he returned to his home town. Surprisingly, Rick returns to Roartan as a PDS sufferer and Kieren is happier that he ever was. But Rick's father, the leader of the HVF force, encouraged by others and believing there would be another rising of the dead, kills Rick, again.
When I first heard "Oh it is a story about zombies." I wasn't interested at all, as I am not a big fan of zombie series (such as The Walking Dead) and films. But then I started researching, read a few reviews and there were so many great things said about the series that I had to watch at least one episode. One episode turned into one season and just after seeing the first scene, I had many different ideas for my characters running through my head.
The reason why I loved it so much it is because it may seem as just another story about zombies, but actually, there's so much more to it. The title of one of the articles I read was 'In the Flesh: A suicidal, gay, post zombie story'. Even though it sounds quite intense and a bit offending, that is basically the series in a nutshell. The series has a very different and fresh take on the undead, giving them a second chance at life. Here the undead are portrayed as heros and the living as monsters and real-life issues are addressed by using the supernatural, in this case zombies. These days people get labeled by the society so easily and a lot of people can feel as outsiders in their comunity. All PDS sufferers were that were once loved members of their comunity now became outsiders, people called them offensive names, some were scared and some wanted them dead, yet again. Here we see strugles that every teenager goes through; heart break, loosing a friend, being made fun of and name calling etc. This could be cause of mental illnesses such as depression, psychotic breakdowns and scarring young people for life, and, sadly, some turn to the 'easiest' escape - suicide.
Never judge a book (or a series) by its covers because it could surprise you. This is a series with an amazing and interesting concept and I would highly recommend it to everyone, not only people who are into supernatural - I'm definitely not.
The audience that watches this TV series is between the age of 16 and 40, but it mostly appeals to an younger audience. I think it is because, even though supernatural is involved, it is very real. A lot of people, expecially teenagers, who are trying to find their place in the society, batteling with bullying, a mental illness or exploring their sexuality, probably feel like they can relate to the characters, understanding their struggles.
http://www.salon.com/2013/06/06/in_the_flesh_a_suicidal_gay_post_zombie_story/
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s223/in-the-flesh/tubetalk/a469883/in-the-flesh-why-bbc-threes-zombie-drama-deserves-a-second-series.html#~p7G3vq8izAyLGF
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2480514/
http://www.zap2it.com/blogs/in_the_flesh_season_2_luke_newberry_navigates_having_no_sell-by_date-2014-05
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/V5m5DQ3NsTxP7WQ0KtKFZl/kieren-walker
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/V5m5DQ3NsTxP7WQ0KtKFZl/kieren-walker
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