Last night saw the final installment of BBC Three’s brilliant
zombie-drama In the Flesh. In this emotional conclusion, the theme of
confrontation rings throughout as characters confront their past and true
feelings toward one another.
Following on from last week’s events in the forest, Kieran
journeys home through Roarton countryside eventually reaching a supermarket, the
place in which he attacked his last victim, Lisa. This memory has repeated throughout the series as recurring manifestations of Kieran’s
guilt. In this episode we are treated to it in its entirety. Whilst
Kieran is feasting on Lisa’s brains, Jem appears shooting any zombified shopper
in her way. She cannot, however, bring it upon herself to pull the trigger on
her own brother. The full recount of this memory urges Kieran to confront Jem
when he returns home and both have a wonderfully written heart-to-heart. Jem
reveals she told the parents of Lisa she ran out of bullets and Kieran
confesses his utmost guilt and hatred towards what he had done. Both decide to
confront the past and go to Lisa’s parents to confess the truth. This emotional
journey resolutely brings both characters closer together and it is nice to
finally see a vulnerable, ‘little sister’ side to Jem, contrasting her
tough-girl bravado that has reigned throughout.
On their way back from Lisa’s parents, in which they showed
unexpected gratefulness to Jem and Kierans confessional, Kieran sees Amy
waiting at the train station with packed bags. Amy has decided to leave Roarton
as she believes PDS sufferers will never be accepted there. This follows an
unfriendly encounter with an HVF officer, whom forces cover-up upon Amy,
declaring her au-naturel attitude a “slap in the face to the Roarton community”.
She invites Kieran to go with her, but he decides to stay in an attempt to
solve things with Rick. It is a wonderfully written, comedic (“Optimist?! Amy I
killed myself”), heart-warming and genuine goodbye. A somewhat enjoyable,
bitter-sweet moment lulling us viewers into a false sense of optimism before
the drama between Bill and Rick unfolds.
Following
Rick’s inability to shoot the ‘rabid rotters’ in the woods, Bill is ashamed of
his son. He believes Kieran to be a bad influence and in a totalitarian HVF
manner, encourages Rick to kill him. The anger and frustration is so pent up in
Bill, surmounted with his continual ignorance of Rick’s PDS condition, it is
only a matter of time before something tragic occurs. Although, the elephant in
the room is confronted, as Rick takes off his make-up and confesses to his
father; he will not kill Kieran, his best friend, one of his own.
At
first Bill appears understanding and hugs his son, creating a suspicious moment of relief and
happiness for us viewers. Phew – everything will turn out fine. Kieran and
Rick can now embark on a wonderful relationship with one another right? Wrong.
It is not long until Bill retrieves Rick’s ‘shrine’ from the loft and when
asked by his wife the whereabouts of their son, replies, “Rick? We haven’t seen
him for five years”. Bill, you bastard. Not only did he murder his own son, but
he placed the body outside Kieran’s house. Nice. With that sort of behaviour,
it is only fitting that Bill eventually gets killed by receiving a few shot-gun
shells to the chest. It's a welcomed beacon of retribution amidst the turmoil and
heart-break, felt by Kieran upon his discovery of Rick’s body. This moment is so wonderfully acted by Luke Newberry, a tear to the eye is unavoidable.
The loss of Rick ultimately leads to a sense of de-ja-vu,
Kieran has lost his loved one again. Whilst mourning in their cave hang-out,
walls adorned with their adoration for one another, he exclaims to his mum “It’s
becoming just like before and I don’t know how to change it”. She responds, “...you live. You don't leave, you stay”.
This time, Kieran should confront what is happening instead of escaping. It is
a chance for him and his family to start over. This touching moment of
discourse between Kieran and his mum is another well written and beautifully
directed sequence. It is a somewhat resolute ending to all three episodes as, in
a way, we have come full circle, only this time a very different path is to be
taken by these captivating characters. The episode ends on a bleak yet
optimistic paradox at Rick’s funeral. Yes, Kieran is burying his loved one but
at least audiences are reassured of his future.
Other highlights this week included an emotional sequence in
which both Rick and Kieran’s mums confront their true feelings of fear and
anger toward their PDS suffering sons. The score was also brilliantly
handled, orchestral tones of apathy and devastation really underlined the
emotional impact of events on screen. Not melodramatic but cleverly
understated.
Overall, In the Flesh has been a fantastic drama and a welcomed
addition to the zombie genre. It has showcased some new British talent to be
very excited about. Particularly Dominic Mitchell, who so cleverly brought every
element of the series together by tackling incredibly deep and emotional content in such a
confident manner. Also doing so, in a very short space of time. This brings me on to my only complaint about the show - three episodes!? Please BBC, take us back to the perils of Roarton
soon.
If you fancy watching this episode, its on BBC iPlayer, just click here.
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