The Returned (US) - General Discussion

[Primetimer]

Sensational French horror series Les Revenants gets remade for A&E, and it's pretty good!

Read the story

[sacrebleu]

So, it's like The 4400? But on a much smaller scale I take it. I was a fan of The 4400 until it got lost in its own mythology.

[Jeffurry]

At least The 4400 had an explanation (people were sent back with special skills that they would need to save/destroy the world) until they completely forgot their own explanation. I watched all of Season One of Les Revenants and it was beautiful, but I won't be watching Season Two because I found the first season to be so unsatisfying.

[FormerMod-a1]

I never watched the French version, so I have no expectations (or spoilers). This first ep was enough to draw me in, I'll keep watching.

[methodwriter85]

Thoughts?

 

I think the biggest let-down was the scene between Lena and Camille...the original was so gutteral and intense, and I didn't think this one was as crazy.

 

However, I really like Mary Elizabeth Windstead, and I like that Rowan seems younger and Simon seems more like her age. I think they shortened the time he was dead.

 

Also, Kevin Alejandro is really, really hot.

Edited March 10, 2015 by methodwriter85

[calliope1975]

I really liked it, and I'm a big fan of the French version. I agree that French Lena and Camille were a bit better, (with fabulous hair) but I thought all the actors were pretty great. 

[FormerMod-a1]

I have not watched the French version so this is my first time seeing this.  I enjoyed the pilot enough to want to keep watching.  That reveal at the end with Lena? knowing something was wrong and wanting off the bus ASAP and then seeing the little boy there making it happen was just great.  That cemented for me that I'd be back for more.

[mjc570]

I didn't see the French version, but I like this.  I watched episode 2 (which was on demand) before episode 1, but it wasn't a problem because it was (relatively) easy to distinguish characters and follow the  story lines.  It's interesting (well, to me at least) to compare this to Resurrection, which I also liked.  Is the Mark Pellegrino character (Jack?) really wealthy?  The house is super nice and he mentioned that he owned the bar.  One thing that did seem odd to me - Simon seemed like a nice guy in the flashback, but he's a total creep now.

[Whimsy]

I just watched the U.S. version. I also have not seen the French one so I will not be comparing the two.

I enjoyed it. I liked how the parents were so freaked out when Camille came home and it wasn't brought to her attention that any time had passed.

I'm not sure what to make of that little boy. He seems quite creepy.

I love both Mark Pellegrino and Jeremy Sisto, so I'll be watching this no matter what.

Ps. I asked this thread be moved to the main page since the US version premiered.

[in2dust]

I haven't seen the french one either. It isn't available on netflix in my country so now I'm debating whether I should go look for it elsewhere.

 

Personally I really enjoyed it. So far the characters seem mostly likable. I really felt for the young woman who saw her ex-boyfriend(?) and freaked out. From the reaction I'm assuming it's his kid and not the new guy's.

The sisters are okay so far and I liked their mother. Psychologist guy is cool as well, maybe because I love the actor.

Not so hot on the father who kind of assaulted his psychic hooker(?) although I did like the actors performance.

Liked doctor "Adopt-a-boy" but found her decision to just snatch up the boy and have a sleep over pretty sketchy. I kind of understand the caregiver attitude but come on. Someone is looking for the boy. (I mean, probably not really, but she doesn't know.) I can't help but see all kinds of red flags in this situation. Not cool, lady. Even though creepy satan-child Victor is probably not even a real kid. Still not cool. 

 

Seems like the show is going more for the emotional exploration than for straight mystery which is fine by me. I have been burned by "find out what's really behind [event]... eventually... maybe... but not really" shows before. If I even get a whiff of "the authors don't know either" I'm bailing. (Looking at you Lost, FlashForward,...)

 

This show could turn out to be what I had hoped "The Leftovers"  would be. It has a similar feel except that it isn't as unwatchably depressing and I find most characters likable and (so far) rational.

Edited March 11, 2015 by in2dust

[candall]

Ps. I asked this thread be moved to the main page since the US version premiered.

I'm really hoping there will be a thread for each episode.  I get the feeling this show generates a lot of meaty discussion.

 

ETA:  And it has come to pass.  Thanks, Pre-TV!!!

Edited March 13, 2015 by candall

[candall]

I haven't seen the French version either but I thought the American series opener was intriguing and beautiful.  If all that moody imagery is imported from the original, great. Merci.

 

And they seem to be playing to an audience with a collective brain.  There's a refreshing lack of IN CASE YOU MISSED IT yammering.

 

(Although I did miss a few things and I have to watch again.  Heh.  Did we see the person who stabbed Lucy in the underpass or was s/he just a shadowed hoodie?)

Edited March 13, 2015 by candall

[Tara Ariano]

Ps. I asked this thread be moved to the main page since the US version premiered.

 

If people are going to be talking about it, the U.S. version should probably have its own forum. We're treating them as two separate series editorially.

[methodwriter85]

I haven't seen the french one either. It isn't available on netflix in my country so now I'm debating whether I should go look for it elsewhere.

 

Personally I really enjoyed it. So far the characters seem mostly likable. I really felt for the young woman who saw her ex-boyfriend(?) and freaked out. From the reaction I'm assuming it's his kid and not the new guy's.

 

I really like that scene. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is fantastic at highly charged, emotional scenes, and I completely believed she was a woman who had "seen" her dead boyfriend a lot of times and got heavy therapy because of it, and thought she had relapsed.

 

 

I enjoyed it. I liked how the parents were so freaked out when Camille came home and it wasn't brought to her attention that any time had passed.

 

My biggest bitch( and this goes for the French series as well), like I get the emotional punch of Camille seeing her twin suddenly much older and bigger and making her realize that time had moved on without her. But I just had a hard time with the idea that a such a short 15-year old girl would have ended up as statuesque as 19-year old Lena. I grew up with three sisters, and went to a high school that was 70 percent female. Fifteen year old girls are usually done with big growth spurts, and Lena looks like she's at least half-a-foot taller than her identical twin. They could have gotten two similar looking girls with similar heights, but one with a more developed body. (Or faked her having a more developed body while the other binds her breasts to look younger.) I've seen girls get wider hips, wider shoulders, bigger breasts well into their mid-20's, but I've never seen a 5'2" 15-year old girl become a 5'9" 19-year old.

 

I could've bought that with twin boys, but not twin girls.

 

I did, however, like how much Camille looked and acted like a normal teenaged girl with a normal teenaged life being annoyed that she had to do a big walk home after waking up in the middle of nowhere and wanting to do nothing more than eat and change out of her grungy, sweaty clothes. The seeming normality of her life contrasted with her parents knowing that it's not right was pretty cool.

 

The ratings were okay-ish in terms of A&E (not as depressingly horrible as VH1's Hindsight were), so we'll see how this goes. I hope the the show can build momentum. It did get a generally positive reception on Twitter so we'll see.

[meisje]

Count me in with this one; I liked the look, feel and the actors pretty much immediately. I haven't watched the French version yet, though I was sufficiently intrigued to the point where I wanted to pop over to my queue and begin a binge of the original, but decided to go for the 2nd ep, on demand, and got even more tied into the series. I worry a bit about the ratings on A&E, but I believe Netflix has already picked up this version to air within 24 hrs of showing on the network, thus insuring (hopefully) that it won't be yanked before the first season airs fully (or Netflix would show the rest if that does happen). 

 

Personally I really enjoyed it. So far the characters seem mostly likable. I really felt for the young woman who saw her ex-boyfriend(?) and freaked out. From the reaction I'm assuming it's his kid and not the new guy's.

The sisters are okay so far and I liked their mother. Psychologist guy is cool as well, maybe because I love the actor.
Not so hot on the father who kind of assaulted his psychic hooker(?) although I did like the actors performance.
Liked doctor "Adopt-a-boy" but found her decision to just snatch up the boy and have a sleep over pretty sketchy. I kind of understand the caregiver attitude but come on. Someone is looking for the boy.

 

Jeremy Sisto can do very little wrong, so I'm happy he's there, and the rest of the cast caused me to do several "where do I know him/her from?!"s. The psychic-hooker assault guy is the actor I loved from his stint on The Closer, so I'm pleased to see him again, despite the awful assault. I recognized Dr. Han from that disaster Hostages, but I"m working on trying to see her as someone totally different. I was pretty immediately drawn in by the Rowan character and her super hot dead/alive ex. Camille kept reading as Emily Kinney to me, but that might be intended. I was not psyched to see Michelle Forbes as my memory of her awfulness on True Blood will take a long time to forget. At least Kevin Alejandro's arc there was mercifully short, and it's great to see him again. The female police officer is very familiar but I can't place her just yet.

 

But I just had a hard time with the idea that a such a short 15-year old girl would have ended up as statuesque as 19-year old Lena.

 

ITA. All I can figure is that someone decided a US audience wouldn't be able to make the stopped-time connection without making one girl look like a kid and the other like she might be working as a truck-stop hooker.

 

One thing that did seem odd to me - Simon seemed like a nice guy in the flashback, but he's a total creep now.

 

Whatever is going on here with some of "the returned" seeming perfectly pleasant but understandably confused -- and then others seeming to have received an ice pick to the frontal lobe -- is definitely confusing me for now.

 

This show could turn out to be what I had hoped "The Leftovers"  would be. It has a similar feel except that it isn't as unwatchably depressing and I find most characters likable and (so far) rational.

 

I agree that it has a Leftovers vibe, but I actually think the casting here is a bit better in that no one's star power is distracting or supposed to give the show (possibly-undeserved) merit, and there's no HBO bullshit "not-tv" hullabaloo that would cause the same problems.

 

And, I'll take the subtle and not-subtle creepiness of people re-entering their old lives, relationships and the repercussions of loss over the supposed terror of monsters you're safe from if you have a bike or a deer fence handy, no question.

Edited March 11, 2015 by meisje

[Meredith Quill]

Seen Them Elsewhere? Tell Us Here!

[Aquarius]

Wow.  I have no experience whatsoever with the French version, and in fact had not heard of this show until I saw the ad during Bates Motel before it.  But seriously, are Camille and Lena supposed to be identical twins??  They barely look like sisters!

 

I like the premise of this show and I might keep watching.  I liked the cast, too.  I just hope it doesn't get too stupid too quick.  </diminished expectations>

[Dirtybubble]

But seriously, are Camille and Lena supposed to be identical twins??  They barely look like sisters!

 

 

This is what I thought as well.  It wasn't until the very end when Camille was on the bus freaking out that I put the 2 together that they were twins that were....."connected emotionally" I guess is the right way to describe it. 

 

There's a lot of unanswered questions I'm sure/hope will be addressed soon so I will be tuning in again to see whats up. 

 

My only concern is I feel like I've seen this show 100 times before.  Between Resurrection & The Leftovers and whatever else has been shown...IDK I'm just worried this subject matter has been done too much.

[FormerMod-a1]

Residents of the small mountain town of Caldwell, Washington grapple with the mysterious return of their dead loved ones. With no memory of their deaths, and no awareness of the time that has passed in their absence, the returned struggle to reintegrate into a world that has changed without them.

 

 

[FormerMod-a1]

Simon pursues Rowan, complicating her feelings for Tommy. Jack and Claire decide to hide Camille's return while Tommy investigates a brutal attack in town that has similarities to attacks that occurred years before.

I am tagging this as spoilers since it is available On Demand but hasn't officially aired yet. After it airs, I'll remove the Spoilers tag.

 

Edited March 17, 2015 by aquarian1
Removed the Spoiler tag since the episode has now aired.

[alias1]

I thought they did a pretty good job with the casting of the sisters.  They are what, 5 or 6 years apart now?  There's a big difference between a 14 year old and a 19 or 20 year old.   Although, they did a really fabulous job with the casting in the French version.

[dr pepper]

One thing that impressed me about the french program was how they found two actors to play the formerly twin sisters who really do look alike, and also found someone to play their mother who could easily be an older triplet of them.

[walnutqueen]

I was hooked at the opening aerial shots of my beloved Pacific Northwest scenery.  Yes, I am that easy, and have been away from it for far too long.  The story & characters were a pleasant bonus.  ;-)

[Netfoot]

Am I supposed to believe that woman picked up a creepy little kid in the street, a kid who refuses to speak a word of explanation for his circumstances, and she just takes him home?  What, is he a puppy?  She didn't think maybe the cops and a team of doctors was in order?  This, in the USA where people poop their pants at the sight of the mere shadow of the word 'liability'?

 

Worse, am I to suffer another show with the unspeaking kid who wanders around doing exactly what he wants, and gets allowed to do so, instead of getting a straight-jacket, electric shock therapy, and a frontal lobotomy?

 

And the guy (Simon?) wanders into town.  He's unaware that four years have passed, right?  So why doesn't he go home?  Why doesn't he turn up for his job next morning?  Why is it that nobody  recognizes him?  I mean, people go away and come back four years later and get recognized.  He can't afford breakfast, so instead of going to the bank, he decides to rip off a meal?  Why is he acting so weird around his girlfriend?  How come no "Boy!  You wouldn't believe the day I've had..."

 

Are the viewers supposed to be so swallowed up with the strangeness that we simply forget all expectation of reasonable behaviour?

 

This show has the potential to be good, but it also has the potential to be a rotten egg.

Edited March 12, 2015 by Netfoot

[Red Fields]

What the heck, I'm in! I loved the French one. I can't tell if the American one would've captivated me as quickly, since I knew what was happening as it unfolded.

[methodwriter85]

All I can figure is that someone decided a US audience wouldn't be able to make the stopped-time connection without making one girl look like a kid and the other like she might be working as a truck-stop hooker.

 

To be fair to this version, the French version also asks us to believe that a tiny 15-year old girl should have grown up to be much taller. Although I don't think the height differential is as big. U.S. Lena literally looks like she's pushing six feet tall while U.S. Camille looks about 5 feet nothing. In the French version, it looked more like a 5'2" girl vs. a 5'7" woman. U.S. Camille doesn't even look like she would come up to Lena's shoulder.

Edited March 12, 2015 by methodwriter85

[placate]

I wonder why the old man didn't set fire to his house in this one.

  I'm really just curious how they're going to make this 10 episodes based on an 8 episode series.

[meisje]

This, in the USA where people poop their pants at the sight of the mere shadow of the word 'liability'?

Ha! It's true that in the US it would be suspect for there not to be an amber alert out for a child who was newly missing; the news would be everywhere. And given that he doesn't look unkempt or starving, it's unlikely he's been missing for a long time. 

 

And the guy (Simon?) wanders into town.  He's unaware that four years have passed, right?  So why doesn't he go home?  Why doesn't he turn up for his job next morning?  Why is it that nobody  recognizes him?  I mean, people go away and come back four years later and get recognized.  He can't afford breakfast, so instead of going to the bank, he decides to rip off a meal?  Why is he acting so weird around his girlfriend?  How come no "Boy!  You wouldn't believe the day I've had..."

 

It was pretty unbelievable that he wouldn't be recognized after only being gone for 4 years, especially in the bar where his band was either the house band or played frequently. If I'm gauging the size of the town sort of correctly, it makes no sense that that no one recognized him at the town's one(?) establishment. Especially when you consider that the dude hasn't aged a day. Even the girl finally realizing who he was didn't make sense given that she was supposed to be about 16 when she got the little drum lesson from him. Had she been a little kid when she met him, that totally makes sense, but for a 16 year old to not recognize the same face/person when she's 20 is silliness. All of this brings up an unanswered question I have which is (some of this is ep. 2 I'm pretty sure...):

apparently all of the returned disappeared at different times? I'm guessing that based on the wife's return to her elderly husband, but both Simon and Camille seemed like they'd been gone for the 4 years. Simon's kid seemed about that age as well.

 

To be fair to this version, the French version also asks us to believe that a tiny 15-year old girl should have grown up to be much taller.

I don't know if I'll be able to control my need to binge this on Netflix, and all of the French details are just making it harder to not watch! I thought I'd be chill enough to stay away from it, but now I realize I've already seen next week's episode and I don't know if I'll make it two weeks to see more.

[GaiusB]

This seems like a pretty good remake. I did not had that familiar feeling it was butchered like by some other remakes. Which is good since atleast US shows are known for their new seasons coming relatively fast without years between them.

 

While i enjoyed it a lot, there were two things that were much better in the French version. First the music, it was not so bad, but it was no comparison to Mogwai theme. Secondly Julie and Victor part was done badly i think. Victor seems like a typical bland bad child actor instead of that supremely creepy kid from the original version. Julie looks too professional and mentally together. In French version she was tired, depressed, messy and not all that professionally looking, which made her more interesting and her actions made more sense. Also it seems in the US version episodes are shorter and Julie and Victor part was cut most and as result it was not so well developed.

[sugarbaker design]

It seems the Returned originally died at different times, while Lena and Simon seem to have died around  the same time, Michelle Forbes' character seems to have died way earlier, judging from that wedding photo beside her husband's bed.

 

Victor seems like a typical bland bad child actor instead of that supremely creepy kid from the original version.

 

Word, the French actor was tres creepy.

Edited March 12, 2015 by sugarbaker design

[FormerMod-a1]

Some of The Returned seem to have odd effects on people.  The little boy, for example, when the woman was calling the police he just looked at her and she said "never mind".  And the old man, when he called the doctor, his wife walked over and then he was all like "never mind", too.  Granted, that's only 2 out of the 4 we've seen, but it seems odd.  Somehow, the parents reaction to Lena made more sense to me, and Rowan thought she was hallucinating but even if she didn't her reaction would make sense.  Am I making sense?  I feel like I've rambled.

[Netfoot]

It seems the Returned originally died at different times, while Lena and Simon seem to have died around  the same time, Michelle Forbes' character seems to have died way earlier, judging from that wedding photo beside her husband's bed.

 

What?!??  Weren't they all supposed to have died when the bus fell off the cliff?

 

And about this "French Version", Was it all in french?  I don't parlez any français.....

[sugarbaker design]

Well all the people on the bus did die, but Camille is the only one of those poor souls to return.  Simon's death is not related to Camille's.

 

And about this "French Version", Was it all in french?  I don't parlez any français.....

 

 

 

Pretty much, it was a French show.  When it aired on Sundance it of course had subtitles.

Edited March 12, 2015 by sugarbaker design

[candall]

I appreciate being forced to pay attention for plot points instead of being spoonfed while I stare at my computer screen.  There are many lovely subtle notes in this show that they didn't turn into Dialogue For Dummies.   ("Eeps, but you can't be my wife!  She died 30 years ago!")

 

Likewise, I don't think the identical twin angle was too complicated, since one person played both parts in the flashback.  If Tall Twin's a good actress, that's a better casting choice than closer physical resemblance, eh?

 

I'm just so jazzed about this show.  I've watched most of the series openers and I'm OD'ed on gritty cop procedurals.

[methodwriter85]

It was pretty unbelievable that he wouldn't be recognized after only being gone for 4 years, especially in the bar where his band was either the house band or played frequently. If I'm gauging the size of the town sort of correctly, it makes no sense that that no one recognized him at the town's one bar.  Even the girl finally realizing who he was didn't make sense given that she was supposed to be about 16 when she got the little drum lesson from him. Had she been a little kid when she met him, that totally makes sense, but for a 16 year old to not recognize the same face/person when she's 20 is silliness.

 

It's been more like 6 years...I'd kind of give them a pass on this because restaurant/bar's have a pretty high turnover rate. I've been going to this one bar quite a lot for close to ten years...you might see a few bouncers or bartenders still around from circa 2009, but most usually leave, and the clientele can completely change over. It's possible that this is a bar that is mostly popular with college students, which would mean that the bar basically resets every four years.

 

As for Lena, I mean...it was a couple of minutes with one guy that she saw at her dad's bar a long time ago. Six years is a very long time for a 19/20-year old. I can't blame her for not going, "Oh god, you're Simon the guitarist from that band that used to play here like six years ago!" It's not like she would have frequented it back when she was 13/14. And there have probably been tons of bands that come and go from the place- I can't picture her keeping the memory of one random guy from one random band (who was not the lead singer) that she talked to for a few minutes while being bored and playing around with a drum. I've seen a lot of college bar bands in my day and I'd be hardpressed to tell you what every band member who was not that lead singer looked like even if I briefly chatted to them. I thought it was realistic that Lena thought he looked really familiar but couldn't quite place him.

 

I loved the opening scenes of the second episode. Mary Elizabeth Winstead just SOLD me on Young Rowan's love/infatuation for Simon in the scenes where he's playing her song. I also thought the scene where Rowan thinks she's talking to her hallucination of Simon, and making peace with the idea that she'll probably always see him and that doesn't make her crazy, was so well-done.

Edited March 12, 2015 by methodwriter85

[methodwriter85]

The 1970's-looking wife also seemed like she knew that time had passed or didn't seem to feel shock at her circumstance, whereas Camille and Simon thought they had just stepped out for a few hours.

 

I did like the little smile that Camille had on her face when Lena knocked back- I have two twin nieces who are toddlers right now who were always checking to see if the other one was there, and that reminded me of that.

[candall]

 I'm really just curious how they're going to make this 10 episodes based on an 8 episode series.

 

I think the European television "hour" doesn't include 16 minutes of commercials.  So glad they're not paring the stories down so I can watch Mark Cuban negotiate his AT&T plan.

Edited March 13, 2015 by candall

[candall]

I was hooked at the opening aerial shots of my beloved Pacific Northwest scenery.  Yes, I am that easy, and have been away from it for far too long.  The story & characters were a pleasant bonus.  ;-)

It reminded me a little bit of a less campy Twin Peaks.  Both premieres made me excited that the show was going to be "different," with a mystery to be solved and a supernatural element.

 

You must have been mad for Twin Peaks, WQ--nothing more PNW than that.  And pie.

[walnutqueen]

It reminded me a little bit of a less campy Twin Peaks.  Both premieres made me excited that the show was going to be "different," with a mystery to be solved and a supernatural element.

 

You must have been mad for Twin Peaks, WQ--nothing more PNW than that.  And pie.

 

Sadly, I missed the Twin Peaks phenom.  But I did visit Snoqualmie Falls and had a lovely time there.  Not to mention visiting Roslyn, WA and all my favorite Northern Exposure locales.  :-)

[BooBear]

I never watched the French version, so I have no expectations (or spoilers). This first ep was enough to draw me in, I'll keep watching.

I did. Loved it. I would highly recommend watching it.

 

But this is a very good adaptation so I am happy to watch it. I think the casting is well done. Carmelle has the same "face" / attitude as the french version and I thought Simon and Victor were both perfect.  I just hope they don't try to find answers. That never works.

[Proteus]

I watched Resurrection on ABC and despite being told this show was so different, after having watched it I didn't see anything that sets it apart from the ABC series.

[BooBear]

I watched Resurrection on ABC and despite being told this show was so different, after having watched it I didn't see anything that sets it apart from the ABC series.

You should stick around because if they follow the french version it was different.

[shapeshifter]

Sensational French horror series Les Revenants gets remade for A&E, and it's pretty good! http://previously.tv/the-returned-us/is-the-returned-as-beautiful-and-scary-as-it-needs-to-be/

I had set this board to "follow" in "My Shows," but then removed it because I was tired of "horror," Mondays were pretty packed already, and just too much TV. But then some buzz somewhere about it caught my eye, and I decided to give it a try, and discovered, as Mark Blankenship put it in the PT review:

It's a show about the undead that prefers visual metaphor and taut suggestion to zombie guts and dystopian hellscapes.

When the opening scenes began, the expression on Camille's face reminded me of X-Files' Dana Scully/Gillian Andersen. Note: Although the two characters are/were probably at least a decade apart in age, the actresses are/were only a few years apart in age for the respective pilots.

Then I saw Mark Pellegrino's name and thought: Oh, I hope he plays something like the gay-ish lawyer on The Closer again for a change, but nope. He's always reminded me physically of my ex, but in this show, it's a little too uncanny, so, that might be the real "horror" issue for me.

A lot of other good H!ITG! actors, including Kevin Alejandro (who I loved in Southland). Jeremy Sisto is an actually likable shrink. Dr. Han was nice with Victor too. So as long as the characters aren't always going to be mean to each other, I can put up with some random violence here and there.

One thing that impressed me about the french program was how they found two actors to play the formerly twin sisters who really do look alike, and also found someone to play their mother who could easily be an older triplet of them.

I was struck on this show by how much the 3 did look alike.

[Starchild]

I think if this were me, I'd be asking more questions.

[Guest]

I just watched Ep1 and 2.  I'm putting all thoughts here since the two episodes have blended together and I don't want to inadvertently spoil anyone.

 

I was really surprised that Simon turns out to be a nice guy.  I was convinced in episode 1 that he was an abuser and had died in a domestic incident.  But it makes sense that he's confused and Rowan reacted that way because she'd had prior psychological problems with seeing Simon because she couldn't cope with his death.

 

I get the feeling that Tony is a relative of the person that attacked Lucy; and his 'its impossible' on seeing the photo indicates that he killed the serial rather than turning him in and now the serial is 'Returned'. 

 

Its creepy as hell that Camille's dad has been paying Lucy for sex so she'll channel his daughter which she only does, apparently, while they are banging.  That is enormously screwed up.

 

Lena also seems truly screwed up by her sisters death.  She seems traumatized by the fact that she lost her virginity to a boy her sister liked while the bus crash happened.  There are also a lot of little beats; like with Simon and the cop where she is practically desperate for attention.

 

Most of the reactions to a dead person returning seem plausible in that people would react in different ways.  The only reaction I look at sideways is the psychologist.  His reaction is suspicious.  Instant acceptance and complete calm, that makes no sense at all. I would have expected Lena's 'she must be an impostor this doesn't happen' from him because he didn't know Camille. 

 

At this point, if I didn't know the person I'd be going the soap opera route of maybe you had triplets not twins and one was stolen from the hospital and abused and she studied all of you and is trying to take her rightful place in your lives.  She should be four years older you say, well I say maybe she was malnourished and it stunted her growth.

 

Anyways, it seems like the psychologist is going to have foreknowledge that this type of thing can happened.  He's probably 'returned' too.

 

I've got to give the show credit, they completely faked me out about Dr. Han.  I thought she was going to drown in her tub and resurrect.  The reveal that she was one of the victims and the wounds makes me think Victor is a child she lost when she was attacked.  For some reason, he's the only one that aged; but it explains why he didn't have a name until she gave him one and the thousand yard stare and minimal speaking is because he died before his personality formed.

 

Now for all of you that saw the original.  I don't want concrete facts telling me that my guesses are wrong.  I prefer unspoiled debate.  Thanks.

Edited March 14, 2015 by ParadoxLost

[BooBear]

Now for all of you that saw the original.  I don't want concrete facts telling me that my guesses are wrong.  I prefer unspoiled debate.  Thanks.

 

Your wrong. :) But I would say that seeing your speculations I am struck by how american they are and how french the original is.  Also, though I am not sure if it is true, the producers of the show "claim" it is going to go its own way soon so you still could be right.

 

I loved this episode. I think the actors that play Rowan and Simon are better than the original.  I like that the Simon actor reproduced the menace that the character had and that Camelle has sort of the petulant child / teen thing down that the french character did.

[methodwriter85]

I think Rowan and Simon had really good chemistry. I really did like that opening flashback scene.

Edited March 15, 2015 by methodwriter85

[meisje]

Since I have yet to spoil myself by watching Les Revenants (why did Netflix rename it, for christ??), I dipped into the episode descriptions online and I'm torn about how much longer I will be able to white knuckle it and not watch Les Rev's. And now I'm worried about what the US version is going to do differently when it (possibly) veers off its own cliff?  

 

I did see that a second series of Les Revenants is underway, with some of the plot already outlined. My impression was that the US version was going its own way because further source material was not available, but now I wonder if they're just going to crap it up because they can, sigh...

 

I finally listened to the original score/soundtrack and it's fantastic (love Mogwai), so I have no clue why they did what they did with the US score at all. In fact, it was the oft-run musical-promo ads on A&E that had me avoiding it straight out of the gate. It was only because Bates Motel was a bit underwhelming and A&E smartly began The Returned early so it would be included in the recording, that I happened across it at all. But, the production value had me about 5 minutes in and now I'm all up in its grill. 

[meisje]

I loved this episode. I think the actors that play Rowan and Simon are better than the original.  I like that the Simon actor reproduced the menace that the character had and that Camelle has sort of the petulant child / teen thing down that the french character did.

 

I just had to dip my toes into the French Simon episode to have a look for myself, and je suis totalement d'accord! (any French speaker is free to correct my errors as it's been 20 years since I sat in a French class.) 

 

Adèle (Rowan) looks to be a 40-something androgynous woman (at the start) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead somehow makes the character more compelling and more believably pained for me.

 

I wonder why French Simon

gave the bartender a beatdown and US Simon simply bailed on the check? To make him more likable?

 

 

Man, the reviews about the US version being a scene-by-scene remake are not far off at all

(sans the animals). And Victor looks like a 60-yr-old man face trapped in a child's body, and Julie is the French Gillian Jacobs!

Edited March 15, 2015 by meisje

[BooBear]

Man, the reviews about the US version being a scene-by-scene remake are not far off at all

I am somewhat happy about that. When the original was on Sundance I was doing errands around the house and I missed some stuff ...darn subtitles... so I am happy for this to be so close. I also happen to think the original was a good take on the idea... I cannot say that about the American version.