Resurrection

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.

Interesting premise at the beginning. A young boy wakes up in rural China 32 years after he died in the US. Everyone wants to know why. But I want to know how. I'm half way through season 2 and not a single theory has surfaced yet. Was it aliens? Secret government experiments? A result of evolution, global warming, or chlorine in the water? Or could it be a twisted version of the fulfillment of biblical prophecy when the dead are raised ushering in the apocalypse? Why are none of the characters in this series curious enough to get the bottom of what could become an unmanageable crisis or the greatest discovery in human history?

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.

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.

To be honest I wasn't optimistic at all. Les Revenants was a brilliant and unique creation, award winner for International Grammy. I couldn't see any way how they could re-enact that brilliance. But after watching this 1st episode, I must admit this one isn't bad at all ! They expanded the boundary, brought their own twists and made it something new. Whether u have watched the original or not, that won't affect at all! Les Revenats had an Godly location, this one might not have that. But they tried with some new characters and aspects to make up for it. While you are at it, you better enjoy the ride ! Its gonna be shocking and bumpy !