The Fades

What can I say about this show other than its great.

Interesting, well developed characters you really care about. An original story with compelling subplots. The mostly young, mostly unknown actors all play their parts with heart and soul. All in all a well acted, well thought out new show.

Recently I began to watch two new shows, this one and Terra Nova. Whilst I was fully aware of Terra Nova (and it was hard not to be with all the money Fox threw at advertising it) I found The Fades entirely by accident (and was already 4 episodes in). After watching the first episode of The Fades I was hooked and immediately dived into the other three. After watching the first three episodes of Terra Nova I decided not to watch anymore. These two shows highlight the current gulf in quality between American and British sci-fi/ fantasy with America starting to really fall behind (with honourable exceptions to Supernatural and The Walking Dead). Whilst Terra Nova boasts a massive budget and tons of CGI, its characters are weak, its plots are derivative and clichéd and all around is frankly uninteresting. The Fades has a tenth of its budget but manages to stand head and shoulders above it in terms of quality. American shows clearly have no respect for the intelligence of their audience and believe people are simpletons who will clap happily at expensive special effects and big explosions. Therefore, for the moment at least, I think I'm sticking with British shows like The Fades who do not feel they need to hold the hand of the viewer and prefer to rely on well crafted stories than meaningless CGI (then again American shows stopped being about storytelling long ago and these days are simply a vehicle to sell advertising).

The Fades has the potential to run for many years and puts me in mind of another BBC success that came from humble beginnings, Being Human. I can't recommend this show highly enough and if you yearn for fantasy with substance then this show is for you.

As a footnote I'd just like to make a prediction. The date today is Oct 21st 2011. I guarantee at some point in the future an American network will take note of The Fades and, as they always do, rather than simply re-showing the British version will remake it for American audiences. It'll boast a bigger budget but will end up, as every other one has, a pale imitation of a better quality original. It's about time the main American networks (and those who enjoy their p*ss poor programming) had a bit of humility and realised that their way is not automatically the best way.

Following on from the launch of Being Human a couple of years back, BBC 3 have struck gold again with The Fades. Teenager Paul (Iain De Caestecker) disturbed by apocalyptic dreams for years stumbles across their possible cause whilst trespassing with his best friend and film referencing geek Mac (Daniel Kaluuya).

Paul like so many characters from great TV shows is not your average teenager, he is special and can see the Fades - the ghosts of people who didn't move on. Now he must help to stop the future he sees in his dreams from coming true.

The show packs a lot of lore and mythology into its first episode and it will be interesting to see how it all comes together.

Surreal (yet almost believable) - get the kids off to bed because they'll be freaked in no uncertain measure! Your six year old will be certain there's a monster in the dark places. I'm not the kind for listing actors names or plot synopsis - my reviews are just an emotional impression based on whether I'm hooked or not (which makes the 'ten line mandatory rule'of IMDb a bit frustrating at times)- I'll leave the name dropping to the geeks that love that kind of thing. What I can say is the story is absorbing, cashing in on the apocalyptic view of the world that we all seem to have at the moment, yet not cashing in as it's intelligent, witty and philosophical in its approach; (morons won't get the 'message's', but will enjoy the action, freak factor and the odd naked teenager.....well almost naked). There isn't one dud or wooden performance in here, a solid script backed up by solid acting that makes you beg for more of the story; a real 'I can't wait!' kind of effect (on me anyway), clever underplayed directing (the best kind in my view as it's more 'real', yet it's not Dogme). Do I have my mandatory ten lines yet, let's see? YUP

All the problems with this show pretty much stem from the rushed ending. Through episode 4 everything was entertaining enough; probably an 8.3 or so but then the booster rockets ignited and a lot of weight (i.e. subplots and believability) were jettisoned in order to fit what probably was intended to be another seasons worth of plot into 2 episodes. So, most of the side characters became plot devices instead of people and what could have been somewhat believable developments, given enough time, became lobotomizingly absurd. It is a shame too because I think the writers had a lot more story to tell and they could write some believable and interesting characters. I think they knew they were going to be canceled though and decided to give some kind of ending even though it basically ruined it for me.

I can't recommend this show but there were some performances that I think are worth mentioning. Mac steels the show for me as his character is very well performed, mostly well written, and given some evocative scenes that left quite an impression. Neil, is another mostly well written character, well performed and is my favorite anti-hero of the show. Also, Anna and Paul need to be mentioned for similar reasons.

"The Fades" is a BBC production that is unbelievable in its effects, cinematography, and acting. Regrettably, I have only found seven episodes (on Amazon Prime) and I am heartbroken I can't find any more. Because of this open-ended nature, I titled this piece so you will know that if you can live with absence of closure, then this series is a must see.

The plot is a mixture of teen angst and upgraded TV horror (think of "American Horror Story" but a little more bloody since it is designed for British audiences). Some have likened this series to "Buffy," but the acting, the effects, and the overall story line is far superior to "Buffy" (at least from my viewing of both).

Admittedly, there are types (since this is TV drama): close male friend, obnoxious twin sister, and typical high school drama. However intertwined is horror and real emotions (see Paul's relationship) that this series employees that recommends this series.

Keep in mind there are only seven episodes that I have found, so if you can live with that sort of ambiguity, engage in a binge weekend and watch these episodes. It is well worth your time!