Post apoco / zombie fans: Les Revenants

[Johnny Vodka]

Tonight's is probably the 1st episode of this I've actually loved, maybe because it's all coming together a bit.

 

[cyprusclean]

I enjoy it, despite not grasping some of it. Can one die twice? As in the shooting of the already dead young guy by the policeman?

And is there a clue in the dead animals in the river? Must be, I should imagine.

 

[haushoch]

Can one die twice? As in the shooting of the already dead young guy by the policeman?

I thought that Costa tied his returned wife up before setting the house on fire with her in it and she survived. When Madame Costa was talking to Julie at the police station I thought that she suggested that killing yourself was a sure-fire way of finding out that you were returned, that's why Julie was about to jump out of the window. I don't think Simon will die.

 

[Pickman's model]

I thought that Costa tied his returned wife up before setting the house on fire with her in it and she survived. When Madame Costa was talking to Julie at the police station I thought that she suggested that killing yourself was a sure-fire way of finding out that you were returned, that's why Julie was about to jump out of the window. I don't think Simon will die.

more, i think, that if you're already dead you can't die again.

 

[scifisam]

I'm really enjoying this despite not understanding why most of the characters react in such odd ways to the undead. The only ones who seem normal are the family of the teenager. But it's extremely enjoyable to sit back and let the story be told to me.

Question: Julie's a doctor, right? She goes out and gives injections, but she works from home, goes to her patients' homes and seems to be really poor. Is this some kind of poor country doctor thing they have in France?

 

[belboid]

Question: Julie's a doctor, right? She goes out and gives injections, but she works from home, goes to her patients' homes and seems to be really poor. Is this some kind of poor country doctor thing they have in France?

A nurse. Possibly of the private variety.

 

[Reno]

I'm really enjoying this despite not understanding why most of the characters react in such odd ways to the undead. The only ones who seem normal are the family of the teenager. But it's extremely enjoyable to sit back and let the story be told to me.

I'm not sure what would be a normal way of reacting to a loved one returning from the dead. Some have breakdowns, some think they are imagining things, some get used to the idea faster than others. I think in genre films and TV we are used to characters who often too quickly adjust to any extraodinary situation so the plot can move along.

 

[scifisam]

A nurse. Possibly of the private variety.

Ta. Do they exist in real life then?

I'm not sure what would be a normal way of reacting to a loved one returning from the dead. Some have breakdowns, some think they are imagining things, some get used to the idea faster than others. I think in genre films and TV we are used to characters who often too quickly adjust to any extraodinary situation so the plot can move along.

I don't mean they should adjust. The teenager's family just don't know what to do so are doing nothing yet, Mr Costa went mad and tried to kill his late wife, and Adele assumed she'd gone mad. They all make sense to me.

But Julie has just taken on a silent boy without making much effort to find out who he is, Simon isn't trying to see his daughter (he heard her in the first episode) or really to talk to his former wife-to-be, the serial killer's brother simply hit him, which does seem kinda natural, but then he left him there and walked away nonchalantly. And obviously the silent boy is extremely odd but he's supposed to be. The whole town is absolutely insane. I quite like that.

I've only watched up to episode 2, so some of it will probably make more sense later on. I also assume the violence from Simon and Camille will be explained at least a bit.

 

[belboid]

How could Pierre ever think it would be a good idea to introduce Camille to the parents of her non-returned classmates? That could only ever get one reaction.

And is there a worse cop anywhere than Thomas?

 

[scifisam]

How could Pierre ever think it would be a good idea to introduce Camille to the parents of her non-returned classmates? That could only ever get one reaction.

And is there a worse cop anywhere than Thomas?

All the other cops for believing that a very young man who was new to the town could be their attacker from 7 years ago. Still, that's more realistic than most shows. I also like that they can't enhance their CCTV to see every skin pore when they want to.

 

[Looby]

Léna isn't a 'zombie", her sister is.

Did anyone else pick up on the Lena/Camille thing early on. I think the dead girl is actually Lena and they swapped places on the day the bus crashed.

Me and Mr s think this but I don't know if we've misunderstood.

 

[Reno]

Did anyone else pick up on the Lena/Camille thing early on. I think the dead girl is actually Lena and they swapped places on the day the bus crashed.

Me and Mr s think this but I don't know if we've misunderstood.

There is nothing in the series which backs up this theory. It's not the first time that I've read this about The Returned, but I think that's more because usually when twins appear in a mystery, they are there to swap places.

I can't quite see what the point would be here and why the surviving one would keep up the pretense after her sister has died.

 

[Looby]

There is nothing in the series which backs up this theory. It's not the first time that I've read this about The Returned, but I think that's more because usually when twins appear in a mystery, they are there to swap places.

I can't quite see what the point would be here and why the surviving one would keep up the pretense after her sister has died.

There was something in the first couple of episodes. I think it was a conversation between Camille and Lena on the day Camille died.

Maybe Lena felt guilty because it should have been her that died? I dunno, but we were quite sure early on. : D

 

[Reno]

There was something in the first couple of episodes. I think it was a conversation between Camille and Lena on the day Camille died.

I saw the whole series last spring, so I don't remember everything in detail but I'm pretty sure that they did not swap places. Camille pretends to be her cousin to explain her presence and make her less of a freak, but that's all.

 

[scifisam]

There was something in the first couple of episodes. I think it was a conversation between Camille and Lena on the day Camille died.

Maybe Lena felt guilty because it should have been her that died? I dunno, but we were quite sure early on. : D

Yep, when Lena was about to shag Frederic instead of being on the bus, she said that she could be Camille and he wouldn't know. So that was hinted at. It would also be a typical narrative twist.

But both Lena and Camille have always responded immediately to those names and used them for each other. Lena even cried "that's Camille!" when trying to convince Frederic that Camille wasn't Alice. I'm pretty sure they didn't swap.

 

[hegley]

There was something in the first couple of episodes. I think it was a conversation between Camille and Lena on the day Camille died.

Maybe Lena felt guilty because it should have been her that died? I dunno, but we were quite sure early on. : D

Maybe thinking of the conversation Lena had with Frederic when she first had sex with him? She says something like "you know Camille has a crush on you? Perhaps we've swapped places and I'm really Camille ..." but I think she was just teasing him as it's not been referred to since.

Lena will feel guilty anyway as she feigned sickness to get out of the school trip, so she could shag Frederic - by rights both twins were supposed to be on the bus.

 

[hegley]

Scifisam beat me to it!

 

[Reno]

They wouldn't have anything to gain in the long term by swapping places. Usually in those films or TV series (most recently the awful Ringer with Sarah Michelle Gellar) one twin is good and the other one is evil/mad/bad or one is rich and the other one is poor.

 

[Looby]

Cheers everyone, looks like we're completely wrong! : D

 

[stavros]

There was a lot of sex in last night's episode, especially strange was Lucy seeming to channel Lena and/or Camille whilst fucking.

 

[Johnny Vodka]

This would be a lot better watched in a binge. Lose touch with it a bit with episodes being a week apart...

 

[Part 2]

Aye, I can see me watching it all again once it's finished.

 

[gosub]

got a real worry it will twin peak or lost. Already filming a second series so stuff ain't getting fully resolved in this one

 

[Reno]

got a real worry it will twin peak or lost. Already filming a second series so stuff ain't getting fully resolved in this one

It's an ongoing series, so that's the nature of the beast.

Twin Peaks never got resolved because it got cancelled. However we did find out who killed Laura Palmer, the big mystery the series set up at the start. Lost never got cancelled and did get resolved.

BTW, the 2003 film which Les Revenants/The Returned is based on had an unresolved open ending. I don't think the point of the film and the series ever was to find out why the dead come back.

 

[D'wards]

Are Camille and Lena sisters in real life? They look so alike, but have different names.

Plus is it me or is a prominant part of the soundtrack Over by Portishead with one note missing?

 

[scifisam]

Are Camille and Lena sisters in real life? They look so alike, but have different names.

Plus is it me or is a prominant part of the soundtrack Over by Portishead with one note missing?

I don't think they're sisters, merely well cast. Everyone in it is well cast, tbf; for example, Pierre looks so creepy despite most of his actions being well-intentioned.

Anyone else notice how much Pierre looks like David Walliams and Toni like Dara O'Briain? After seeing that I even think the young blonde cop could be Robert Webb's French cousin. A cast of British comedy lookalikes. (I know Dara isn't British, but most of his career is).

 

[D'wards]

*stereotype alert* In general i think the French are quite a good looking nation, or maybe have a certain poise that is attractive. Adele, Lena and Simon are all pretty easy on the eye.

I suppose they have a "I don't know what", lol, that is hard to describe

 

[Reno]

*stereotype alert* In general i think the French are quite a good looking nation, or maybe have a certain poise that is attractive. Adele, Lena and Simon are all pretty easy on the eye.

I suppose they have a "I don't know what", lol, that is hard to describe

Most of my screen crushes are French. I think in France small imperfections are considered beautiful, which makes people look more interesting than the bland beauty that Hollywood favours.

 

[D'wards]

Charlotte Gainsbourgh is the perfect example, though half English.

Une jolie-laide sums it up perfectly, and is a French concept - so they know what they are talking about

 

[Reno]

Charlotte Gainsbourgh is the perfect example, though half English.

Une jolie-laide sums it up perfectly, and is a French concept - so they know what they are talking about

She is one of my major French crushes.

And my male crush is Vincent Cassel who also is not what you'd describe as a bland pretty boy.