Les Revenants / The Returned

[stefcha]

Anyone catch this on C4 last night? I'd read it billed as a French zombie thing, but it's not like that really as it's more understated than it might sound, the Wikipedia synopsis puts it is more how it is (but don't go read that as there's a Victor spoiler right after this sentence on there, ffs)

In a small mountain town, many dead people re-appear, apparently alive and normal

It's not even In the Flesh levels of zombie, they just are the returned who don't realise they've even been gone. I thought it was great, seemed like it might be a bit too slow at first but I enjoyed the atmosphere which gave me a smalltown Twin Peaks / Alan Wake / Let the Right One In feeling, and then came plenty of unexplained events to keep me interested like:

Where the hell did they appear from and why? Simon has a grave, so I assume he'd been buried plus Camille's body had probably been recovered but they just appeared at their place of death at a guess?

Why was Pierre so certain Camille would come back?

What's the significance of the dam water dropping?

Is that Simon's kid that Adele has had? Presumably, might explain the mental breakdown she seems to have had.

What happened to Mrs. Costa's body after he torched the place - there was nothing found - and was he hiding something given he started the blaze with some very specific stuff or was it just old memorabilia of his wife? Actually, given the age difference, she seemed to have taken it all a bit in her stride in the first place, odd in itself what with Camille's reaction to her now older sister.

I guess from that horrible stabbing a pretty nasty murderer has come back?

And why is that doctor so shit at doing her job? She should've found Costa's wife in the first place and then shopped that spooky little bastard Victor to the police

Mogwai's soundtrack was excellent as well, low key and really fitting with the feel of it all. I'd say I'm hooked as I wanted to watch the next one as soon as the first had done, always a good sign. And Jerome was right, that monument was shit.

[barkbat]

I thought this was amazing. Really gripped me, loved the characters, and totally intrigued as to how it will pan out. I loved the Frenchness of it too. I was also amazed just how much similarity there was in atmosphere between this and Alan Wake. That game becomes more and more impressive to me as time goes on.

[Space Renegade Ulala]

I was sceptical going in but yeah, I really enjoyed it.

[Guest]

I've seen it all in French. It gets much better. I hate zombies but this is properly amazing.

[zuum]

That was really excellent; if the rest of the series carries on the quality it's going really to be one to watch.

[Guest]

As I said, it's excellent. Wonderfully low key and the tension continues to build throughout the series.

Great to see adult programming in another language being shown on C4.

[stefcha]

I thought this was amazing. Really gripped me, loved the characters, and totally intrigued as to how it will pan out. I loved the Frenchness of it too. I was also amazed just how much similarity there was in atmosphere between this and Alan Wake. That game becomes more and more impressive to me as time goes on.

I had AW in there as a comparison but must've deleted it between edits somehow, it's back in. It reminds me of a bit of everything really, even maybe the start of Silent Hill. Perhaps it's just because it all seems so empty as a place, there's no traffic or much in the way of people on the streets (admittedly it's all been fairly late at night so far), just gives it a general unsettling eeriness.

[twinklyspangle]

I loved it. I don't have an issue with subtitles, City Of God is one of my favourite films and I was convinced I was actually understanding the words by the end of that film, and I can speak a little french anyway.

The bit that REALLY got me I can't say because I don't know how to make a spoiler box?

[twinklyspangle]

Okay I read the Spoiler thread.

So what really got me was:

Camille and Lena - I had NO idea they were twins, even after they stood there screaming at each other, I was like, wow, what's going on, and then suddenly Mr Costa is burning pictures in which you can clearly see two ginger twins, and then it hit me that is why they were screaming, so creepy!

I can't wait for the next episode.

[wullie]

I really liked it, and it all looks so beautiful and tranquil too which really lends itself to the unsettling feeling. I did think that Lena and then the waitress shouldn't be walking round in the dark and then kablammo! gratuitous stabbing scene (wasn't keen on that). At first I thought that it was exclusively kids from that bus coming back to life so I wasn't sure if Simon was looking for his mum and probably shouldn't have been served, so the graveyard scene made it a little more clear. Can't wait for the next episode, it's all I can do to not read spoilers of the next one. I'd be tempted to skip ahead but I guess you can only watch the French version without subtitles at the moment.

[barkbat]

Yes, I didn't get the link to Camille and Lena until the burning photograph.

Also

Mr. Costa's reaction to his wife returning was very different to the others - instant burning of evidence plus wife - suicide in the lake that appears to be spawning them...

My hunch is he murdered his wife all those years ago and threw her body in the lake.

My hunch is all the returned have been wronged in some way and are seeking vegence, whether they know it or not. And all their corpses were lost to the lake - hence there is no hole at the young guy's graveside.

The lowering of the lake water level and the flickering electricity makes me think there will be some psuedo-scientific attempt to explain the lake corpses re-animation. One of the stills in the opening credits was two perfectly preserved deer in water, presumably the lake.

It's all very fascinating.

[twinklyspangle]

Urgg, I really didn't want to click the spoiler but I couldn't help myself, I'm really struggling not to find out a little bit of what happens next online.

In relation to Mr. Costa's reaction and what he has to do with it, plus about the lake:

He obviously has some link to the twins, plus the butterfly in the case was in his house when it returned to life and that wasn't in the lake at the point of it's return.

Anyway I hadn't made the link of the preserved goats, if there are people who died in the lake water coming to life and there were goats in there, surely there would suddenly be a lot more goats walking around?

Finally, Mr. Costa chose to commit suicide by jumping over the dam, there has to be some significance in that. If he drowned his wife or killed her and disposed of her body in the lake, surely he would have some inkling before deciding to kill himself in that way

Goats, deer, same difference.

[barkbat]

Forgot about the butterfly! Lake theory quashed!

[Timbuktu]

My feeling wasn't that Mr Costa has killed his wife years ago or that all the returned were wrong and is back for any particular purpose. My inkling is that Mr Costa was the one responsible for bring them back, the photographs had something to do with it and were of the people he brought back. He killed himself perhaps because he couldn't believe it actually happened and think sits finest nature. With him gone and his place burnt down, the only one who knows what's going on is dead dead, which prolongs the mystery. Maybe he is related to the little boy, I have no idea what he is. The girl murdered under the tunnel, who presumably will come back, will also throw my theories out of whack.

Really enjoyed it, reminded me of the Twin Peaks pilot and the more recent Broadchurch as well.

[NoVisAnima]

Really enjoyed it and looking forward to more. One thing that was funny though was the first all french ad break with the french dubbed version of adverts or the french version. It was a nice touch that made the program feel more that it was a special thing.

[twinklyspangle]

Forgot about the butterfly! Lake theory quashed!

It's possible that the butterfly died or was found near or in the lake though.

The little boy was standing in the road when the bus went over the edge. I assumed in the trailer that was the reason for the accident. In the actual program, you could see the road was clear then all of a sudden it veered off, like the kid just materialised.

I wanted to think that the lake water had dropped because the dead bodies that were in it had been raised, naturally lowering the water level once they left the lake.

[kerraig UK]

This sounds right up my street, and a little like Dan O Bannons excellent 'dead & buried'. Will check it out

[sofasurfer]

Shit..missed it and I have been looking forward to this for ages.

Is it repeated?

[barkbat]

On 4OD now.

[sofasurfer]

On 4OD now.

Thanks..it was also on the C4 catch up channel so I recorded it last night.

[milko]

eeh, caught up on 4OD and think I'll be hooked. I could watch it just Mogwai doing pretty piano and drones but the show seems great too so far, will love it if it holds up.

[superfunk]

Loved it. It was so atmospheric. And the twins reveal moment was so skilfully done.

[sofasurfer]

What else is there to say? Of course I loved it and cannot stop thinking about it. Far too many questions. Did the twins switch? Who is Victor? What's up with the electricity?

Beautifully filmed and even though I have listened to the Mogwai soundtrack many times but hearing it used in it's proper setting just makes me love it more.

The butterfly escaping from the glass is not possible though is it? I know it's a signifier of the dead returning but no butterfly is that strong. Or are the dead more powerful than their living selves?

Stab girl has to come back surely? She is used in the promo posters so it cannot be the end of her.

[Guest]

Watched this the other night and loved it. So haunting and I have no clue how it's going to pan out. Can't wait for the next episode!

[Pixelated Ben]

The early promo for the series certainly seemed to allude to it being "a French zombie thing" (to quote the OP). I was half-expecting subtitled zombie-groans, but thankfully this was not the case.

The opening episode was hugely atmospheric; great characters, locations and music, and it has a nice pace too (a kind of zombie shuffle, I guess). I'm looking forward to seeing how things develop. I think we can safely assume that things will turn nasty.

[ZOK]

Yes, a brilliant opener to a series, that's for sure. First time I've been interested in a telly show for a long time.

[twinklyspangle]

It hadn't occured to me until I read this that there was something much more freaky going to happen. Do we think it's going to turn into full on zombie apocolypse?

[Pete]

This is really good, properly creepy and some great acting going on too.

Also I'm in love with the older twin.

[Space Renegade Ulala]

It hadn't occured to me until I read this that there was something much more freaky going to happen. Do we think it's going to turn into full on zombie apocolypse?

The fact they all come back with the munchies is a tad worrying, certainly.

[Pete]

Scary kid is seriously upsetting me, he looks like a real life ventriloquist's dummy