The Living and the Dead

It's 1894 Somerset, England. Pioneering Victorian psychologist Nathan Appleby with his wife Charlotte return home to visit his sick mother. When she dies, Nathan inherits the estate's farm. Charlotte tries to inject new thinking into the farm work but she is opposed by the locals. One night, Nathan finds local girl Harriet in a trance and waist-deep in the lake. He sees it as a psychological disturbance and the locals' fears as superstitions but dark forces may be abound.

This is an interesting BBC show. It's 6 episodes. It is obviously planning to continue but got canceled after the first series. I really like the old rural Britain society and the conflict between modern science and old superstitions. The show transitions into the modern world in the last episode and it's a little jarring. It almost feels like a different show. The book of light is a fun term but I don't really like the modern story of that last episode. It may work better if the modern day story is presented right from the beginning of the show.

If I'm honest I didn't think the BBC had the capacity to make a series like this, nothing to do with production or calibre, just that a series such as this feels less mainstream somehow.

It's fantastic from start to finish, you get a horror vibe from it, it's full of intrigue, suspense and manages to get you on edge. Beautifully filmed, it oozes quality, the cinematography is sublime, and the music is perfect throughout, it really added to the overall 'gothic horror' feel of the show. Fantastic costumes, which looked incredibly authentic. I got vibes of the recent Woman in Black and The Others, a very definite positive.

Colin Morgan goes from strength to strength, he has a definite quality, and somehow seems to have matured into an actor of some presence. Entire cast were great, Charlotte Spencer and Kerrie Hayes particularly good, as was the all too brief appearance of Fiona O'Shaughnessy.

It's disappointing that a second run was not commissioned, particularly in light of the ending of the final episode, but as I said earlier, it may not have been 'mainstream' enough.

I have a feeling this will be a series remembered for years to come, 9/10

The series is beyond words, truly another one of BBC's fine works. The plot is something that I have never encountered before, with its elegant and swift twists. The characters are absolutely lovely, and watching the character development flow is simply beautiful. The series take on paranormal is genius. It is nothing like being afraid of the beast under the bed, or the creature that lingers within the shadows. It is almost like a dreadful feeling of a living being stalking behind you, or eyes that follow you in a painting; and that's what managed to capture me in joining Naethan's journey. The concept of time between the living and the dead is very thoughtful. It allows the viewers to question themselves, "is time real?" and that's the beautiful thing about this show. It gives everyone something to ponder at night, staring into the ceiling with questions that have no right answer. Of course, I must mention the unique dark misgivings that invade the village. It is very interesting to watch how everyone copes with the hectic difficulty, especially Naethan. His struggle with trying to separate the blended lines can be frustrating for a viewer, but that's the whole point I think. You know a show is good when you have a love-hate relationship with it, and all you wanna do is smack the protagonist in the head, then point them in the right direction. All I can say is that it has potential, and hopefully the writers don't waste it.

It is beautiful. Just beautiful Gothic story, served by impecable acting, inspired atmosphere, great care for details, haunting theme. A couple, a farm,possesed children and shadows of past, old stories, the effort to save the other and himself and beautiful love story. Short, just impressive.

The Living and the Dead taps into the late 19th century obsession with spiritualism and runs with it.

This is a well crafted series. It examines the obsession with spiritualism of the time but hints, ever so subtly, that there may be more going on than one man's obsession, in the face of bereavement.

The settings and in particular, the beautiful, well crafted visuals and set pieces breathe Victorian "atmosphere". Familiar settings reminiscent of agricultural scenes from paintings by the like of Constable are cleverly combined with an unspoken, eerie, other worldly quality, that sits just below the surface of rural normalcy.

The acting is of a high standard and the chemistry, in particular, between Colin Morgan and Charlotte Spencer's young couple, the Appleby's, who own a struggling country estate is electric. They are an inherently likable couple whose shared warmth helps to soften the "chilliness", found in the supernatural aspects of the series.

This series is in many respects highly original but also familiar. Certainly there are aspects reminiscent of films like The Other's, to be found in The Living and the Dead. I have enjoyed this slow burn psycho supernatural mystery series and plan to keep on watching. Nine out of ten from me.