.
I've mentioned both of these shows briefly a couple of times but I'm feeling the need for a proper post all their own - if you're not already you guys need to be watching Utopia, which airs in the UK on the channel called Channel 4 (is Channel 4 actually on channel four on the dial? Sorry I've never actually been to Great Britain, I'm a wanker, et cetera), and you need to be watching In the Flesh, which airs on BBC Three. (Is that channel 3? Okay I'll stop asking. It's probably just like the numbered HBOs I am guessing.) The latter show actually I believe airs here in the US on BBC America - it's on demand at least; I saw it listed there.
The former show doesn't seem to be available to us here in the States through, you know, the more legal channels of attaining things... but you can find it. I did. That's probably because David Fincher is in talks to remake it for us here. But really, see the original. It's a spectacular thing and all you have to deal with is some heavy accents - it's not like it's (gasp of horror) subtitled or anything!
I just finished the first series of In the Flesh on the train this morning (it's only three episodes, it's easy to catch up!) and you should've seen me blubbering away. In the Flesh tells the story of zombies being returned to their former states of humanity through medication, and how they're reintegrated into society - it does what all the best zombie fiction does, uses the undead as metaphor, and it does it does it in a way I've never seen before. It's really something special. The second series is currently airing right now in the UK.
Utopia is a big government conspiracy thriller thing that I've found myself having a really hard describing to people, but everybody I've turned onto it has been blown away, as I was. It's so much fun and so involving from the first fifteen minutes, and it doesn't let up once. The first series of it ran six episodes, and the second series hits in July. I know some of you guys watch these shows - hell you're the amazing people who turned me onto them, so thank you! I'm kind of in entertainment heaven right now.
.
Posts
10 comments:
I re-watched the first series of In the Flesh before starting the second and it was even better than I'd remembered. I was blubbering like an idiot for most of the third episode. I haven't watched Utopia yet, but I did "fly to England" to get the first series so I guess I should get on that.
Utopia was the first show in a long time to actually creep me out. The comic book store scene was rough.
I was liking the show very much through the first and second episodes but OH MY GOD THAT THIRD EPISODE. It just hits you like a fucking train! And I was on the train, on the subway, trying to not cry on the lady I was standing over with my iPad.
That was in ref. to In the Flesh, my first comment there.
shawnp - I knew I would love the show from that comic store scene. Which is THE FIRST SCENE. But the show has big giant balls and I was impressed, as I am, with balls. ;)
Glad you gave IN THE FLESH a chance. More people need to see it! And yes, that third episode is everything. God.
thanks to you I checked out UTOPIA and it was indeed GREAT. I still think "Janus" may not be the worst idea as extreme as it is. Looking forward to Season 2
Yeah I love that we can see both sides on Janus. Down the road (and we've already seen some of it) it will allow for characters to switch sides and complications to arise that MAKE SENSE and don't come out of nowhere.
The last Dan Brown book INFERNO has virus that also causes systematic sterilization. It was a silly quick read but I liked the ending -SPOILER - where it turns out the virus has been released and the FDA choses to do nothing.
Have the 3 episodes of IN THE FLESH all ready to binge-watch this weekend.
The easiest way to introduce Utopia to newbies is to just have them watch the first 5 minutes, which you can do here:
http://youtu.be/01VGtX9xfh0
I can't imagine seeing that and not wanting more. It’s a great introduction, because it captures a lot of what’s great about the series: The WTF plot, the saturated colors, the jet black humour (e.g. The smiley-face murder kit), the violence, the great soundtrack, etc.)
As I’ve posted before, I thought the brilliant Utopia was the best thing to come out of UK TV last year--my Top Ten list had it in a 3-way tie for second place, w/GoT and The Returned. (Uh, Breaking Bad, of course. What else?)
And In the Flesh! Sad, sweet, and totally original. Series creator Dominic Mitchell just won a BAFTA (The British Academy of Film and Television Arts) award for “Best Writer – Drama”for the show, and the show itself has won the BAFTA “Best Mini-Series” award. Star Luke Newberry was nominated for “Best Actor – Drama”.
The show runs in the UK on Sunday night, and the episode then runs on BBC America the following Friday. Right now, it’s at the v end of its 6-episode run, so it’s not a good time to start watching the series until you’ve seen the earlier episodes, and people should definitely watch the first series before checking out the second.
Hope Utopia comes to BBC America sometime soon. Some YouTuber has five of the six first season episodes up, but not episode 3, which is, you know, kind of useless.
I avoided In the Flesh based on the horrible commercials on BBCA, but will seek it out now. Thanks for the tip.
Post a Comment