Review of IN THE FLESH - season two

IN THE FLESH - second season

Discrimination, prejudice, rabble rousers, Nazi, persecution, zombies, living dead, undead, fantasy, released 2014

In the year 2009, an unprecedented event occurred: thousands of dead people reanimated, clawed their way out of their graves, and wandered the countryside in a rabid state, killing untold numbers of normal humans. In response, society formed groups like the HVF (HUMAN VOLUNTEER FORCE) to kill these 'rotters'. However, scientists developed a medication, neurotryptaline, that could restore these "PARTIALLY DECEASED SYNDROME (PDS) sufferers to their previous personalities and to sanity. Their skin was pasty and their eyes bizarre, but with makeup and contact lenses, they could assume a normal appearance and, after a few months rehabilitation, could return to society.

The problem was a society that did not accept them. The returnees found segregation, graffiti, and pervasive hatred reminiscent of segregation in the USA or persecution in Nazi Germany.
The basic premise is ridiculous, but the story is fantasy, not science fiction so the writers can legitimately ask for willing suspension of disbelief.  The strength of this series is not in the PDS phenomenon itself, but in the characters and their relationships. Were there such a thing as a partially dead syndrome, this is how people, both normal and zombies, would react. The episodes are thus powerful and gripping.

Characters continued from the first season include KIEREN WALKER, the protagonist, a shy, youth who committed suicide and his friend, AMY DYER, an irrepressible young woman who died of leukemia. JEM WALKER, Kieren's sister, had been an active member of the HVF and has great difficulty adjusting to the fact that her brother is one of the people she wanted to kill. This season introduces two new characters: SIMON MONROE is a PDS sufferer active in the UNDEAD LIBERATION ARMY (ULA) which fights the discrimination, at times with counterproductive tactics and MAXINE MARTIN. Maxine is admirably played by Wunmi Mosakua, is an attractive (though overweight), pleasant seeming woman with the soul of a Nazi in her chilling and callous disregard for the PDS sufferers who, when they are treated, are people just like she is.

The second series has less irony and more intensity than the first season. The interactions between these people, both alive and dead, are fascinating, and the parallels between their problems and the real problems in society make the story even more captivating. The first few episodes of the series are the best, and I rate them as +++++.  They will get your pulse up to a sprint.

ORPHAN BLACK is also in its second season, and Tatiana Maslany does her usual excellent job of portraying the various clones, but there are too many new characters and plot threads. The series is collapsing under its own weight. Season one was better. I give season two +++. It will get your pulse up to a jog.

Review of TRU-BLOOD

TRUE BLOOD - Episodes one and two.

In the near future, scientists have synthesized a compound called Tru Blood that contains all the nutrients of the human substance. This discovery has enabled vampires to survive without having to kill people. Thus, they have come out of the closet--or coffin--and now live openly with people. Not everyone accepts them.  In particular, the religious right regards them as Satanic, soulless monsters and vigorously opposes their integration into society. In response, vampires have formed advocacy groups with respectable looking spokespeople, and are lobbying for equal rights with humans.

SOOKIE is a pretty young woman who works as a waitress. She is telepathic and doesn't date because she can hear the lascivious thoughts of boys who take her out. A vampire, BILL, moves into an abandoned house once owned by his ancestors centuries ago. Sookie can't hear Bill's thoughts. Also, he's kinda handsome, and she's attracted to him.  Sookie's grandmother, ADELE, has no problem with this relationship, but most other people, including Sookie's loudmouthed friend TARA, boss SAM, and brother JASON are convinced that vampire Bill will hurt Sookie.

Like In the Flesh the parallels to prejudice against minority groups in real life are obvious. Certainly, vampire Bill is a nice guy, and the dislike so many people show against him feels unjust.  However, not all vampires are so benign.

The vampires are reasonably standard. They must have blood (or the substitute) to survive, they can't stand daylight, and they can move impossibly fast, appearing and disappearing instantaneously.  Some can change into bats or wolves, but not all. So far, there's no mention of garlic or crucifixes. They do have some atypical features. Silver weakens them, and is a means whereby some people can trap them and drain their blood, which can be sold at a high price as a potent tonic.

These vampires can definitely have sex.

The story has lots of action with various fights, murders, and soft-core-porn sex. The characters are interesting, though some of them, like loudmouth Tara are overdone. The vampires snap their fangs into place instead of taking a second or two to extend them, which is sort of silly, and the first two episodes end in cliffhangers that are way too obvious. But these are minor complaints.  In general, this promises to be a good series to help your workout, especially for people who like vampire stories.  I give it ++++ - it will get your pulse up to a run.