Resurrection

In Arcadia, Missouri, Henry (Kurtwood Smith) and Lucille Langston (Frances Fisher) are shocked when their boy Jacob returns to them 32 years ago after his death. Immigration agent Bellamy (Omar Epps) brings him back to town from China. Sheriff Fred Langston (Matt Craven) and his daughter Dr. Maggie Langston (Devin Kelley) try to solve the mystery. Jacob's childhood friend Pastor Tom is trying to come to terms. Then more and more people return.

This starts with an interesting premise. Instead of digging into how they are returning, the show spreads out into everything except that. There's a widespread conspiracy of silence that keeps the general public in the dark. The great concept and tension slowly drains away over the two seasons. The relationships are fine. The acting is good. I just kept waiting for the show to move forward in the central issue.

After the X-Files TV show left the airwaves in the early 2000s, there was definitely a void left in us who craved stories of the supernatural and government conspiracy. Resurrected has, in a way, filled the void left by Agents Mulder and Scully. As a matter of fact, Resurrected seems to be one long drawn-out episode of my beloved X-Files.

If casting is the key to making a great TV series, then Resurrected definitely hit the ball out of the park. The actors' interpretation of the characters makes me care enough to watch each week to find out what happens to them. Omar Epps and Jim Parrack are definitely standouts for me.

If you liked the mysterious and eerie vibe of the X-files TV series, I believe you will like this Resurrected series as well. An emotional and thrilling journey through the town of Arcadia, Resurrected is quite different than all the other shows on the small screen today.

I have been excited for this show for the better part of six months since I found out about it. My excitement for it has mostly been because the source material, Jason Mott's The Returned, was one of my favorite books of 2013. While there are certainly coincidences, the show is not an American adaptation of the French show "Les Revenants". It is instead an adaptation of Mott's work.

Although certain relationships and characters have been changed/altered, thus far the show has captured impact of the return of Jacob Langston. Somehow the writers, and even director, have been able to capture the poetic and deeply philosophical nature of Mott's prose. My one complaint of the book was that Mott seemed to through a lot at the reader and everything going on became overwhelming. The pacing of the pilot was the complete opposite. While the teasers leading up to the premiere certainly eluded to more people being "resurrected," the show is not throwing too much at the viewer just yet.

In the book we don't ever really receive an explanation as to why these people return, but I am looking forward to how the show expands upon the mystery.

All available evidence shows that life is an emergent property of matter/energy in certain combinations/structures. "We"/"I", conceptualizing ourselves, is entirely dependent upon the specific structures of our brains. Any of the many studies on severe brain trauma patients will demonstrate this.

This is another TV show that teaches people not to deal with the fear of death in a mature, thoughtful way. But rather with the first and easiest way provided to them. Which turns out to be extremely harmful to humanity, as it leads one to focus on the invention of another life rather than the one life that all available evidence shows is our only one. The belief in an afterlife leaves one devaluing this life implicitly. That extremely important value is at least partially transferred to the afterlife belief.

I didn't know what to make of this show when I watched the first couple of episodes. I loved the very first episode but each episode after has been on a slightly lower level. While there is still drama and mystery it feels like it is going in a different direction. I personally still really like the show but I have a feeling that you will either love it or hate it.

To be honest the reason why I initially watched this show was because of Kurtwood Smith. I've missed seeing him in things since That 70's Show finished up but it is good to see him making great television again. In fact the whole cast is extremely talented and a big plus.

If your interest was piqued when you first saw the promotional clip then my advice would be to give it a go. The first season is short enough for you to take the plunge.