Netflix Summary:
On returning home and finding they’re believed to be dead, a collection of near-strangers from the same village try to find a reason for their plight.
FYA Summary:
No, not the American remake. Not that one, either. This is the original French series about a bunch of people who have seemingly come back to life, just as they were before they died. Is it a divine miracle? Maybe mass hallucination? Or the zombie apocalypse? No matter what’s really going on, it’s definitely CREEPY AS SHIZZ.
Plus, it has a killer score (um, pun unintended), which you can catch a glimpse of here in its fantastically spooky opening credits.
Familiar Faces:
Yara Pilartz as Camille and Jenna Thiam as Léna
Camille was killed in a bus crash during a school trip that her twin, Léna, had missed. And now, Camille is somehow back, but four years younger than Léna and all their friends.* Which kind of reminds me of Travis’ sitch from Noggin, except with wayyyy less humour.
*The twins’ ages kept tripping me up; I wasn’t sure how old they were supposed to be, which would have been highly relevant information to me during some of their scenes. (15 and 19, for the record.)
Clotilde Hesme and Pierre Perrier as Adèle and Simon
Young lovebirds Adèle and Simon had their entire future ahead of them — until Simon’s untimely demise ten years ago. Just as Adèle has put together a family of her own, guess who waltzes back into her life?
Guillaume Gouix and Grégory Gadebois as Serge and Toni
This is probably the most misleading photo of these brothers, because there really aren’t a lot of warm fuzzies in their relationship. Although they have MAJOR family dramz.
Swann Nambotin as Victor
Omg, this kid. He actually has a very sad backstory, but his vibe is totally Children of the Corn.
Couch-Sharing Capability: Low
If it wasn’t already obvious, this isn’t exactly a slumber party crowd pleaser. (Or maybe you have different slumber parties than I do. I don’t know your life.) While it isn’t torture-porn gory, it does have a bit of gore — but not like the excessive, cartoony type of violence. It might also feel like déjà vu for anyone who’s seen the short-lived American remake**, so it’s probably best viewed by fresh eyes to the concept.
**Obvs don’t read them to avoid spoilers, but the Wiki episode descriptions are damn near identical.
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Low
As with all subtitled affairs, alcohol consumption and reading comprehension can be a tricky combo. Although wine might be necessary if you don’t have much patience for occasionally s-l-o-o-o-o-o-w pacing and unresolved storylines. And also because France.
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: Creeptastic
I know I might be overselling the creep factor by using five variations of the word so far, but really and truly — The Returned delivers the heebie-jeebs. Eerie and atmospheric, it’s the kind of horror that makes you feel unsettled without needing to show you anything actually scary, i.e., MY FAVE KIND.
