We’re in the home stretch of The Returned’s first season, and I have to say I’m actually really into it now. There are still some similarities with Les Revenants (mostly with Camille’s story), but the show has slowly been deviating from its source material that it has nearly formed it’s own identity separate from the original. It would not be surprising if the second season (should we get one) no longer has anything to do with the French original (especially since that show’s second season hasn’t even aired yet). Let’s check in on our returned citizens, shall we?
Helen
So Helen is a bit of an activist. 29 years ago, she was in a mental institution for burning down City Hall. This is of course when the dam bursts and she is killed by the oncoming debris (which looks suspiciously like that black goo that has been erupting from the sinks all over town).
Like so many of the other episodes this season, we don’t get to spend that much time with the character that the episode is named after. Other than receiving a bit of her backstory, Helen’s scenes serve primarily to set up the finale, as she seduced a dam worker to find out the location of the TNT. Helen seems to be going back to her old ways, as she feels the need to cleanse the town. No doubt the big event next week will be the dam bursting again.
Simon
We finally got some closure with Simon, as he kidnapped Chloe and then faced Rowan in the church he abandoned her at. It was a sweet moment between Simon and Rowan, as she finally forgave him and he came to terms with the fact that she will never want him.
I know that answers, closure and finality are traits of American television. I’m not supposed to say that I like this turn of events more than I did what happened in Les Revenants, but honestly I really do. We get a catharsis watching The Returned that we didn’t get with Les Revenants. I enjoy both shows, but for entirely different reasons. I loved this resolution to Simon’s story. I have absolutely no idea where it will go from here, but that’s a good thing.
Victor
Victor has slowly become the little Damian of the season, but that has made him all the more interesting. We get more of his backstory as Nikki finds out that he has appeared a few times over the past few decades, with each of his finders dying a few weeks later. Victor uses his power to produce hallucinations again as he produces one of Julie so that she may push Nikki down the stairs before she is able to warn Julie about Victor.
It’s an interesting turn of events, and it’s nice to see the series take an official stance on Victor, which is something Les Revenants never got around to doing. I’m a little worried his scenes will devolve into the standard “evil child” trope, but it’s a little early to tell. For now, it’s definitely intriguing. Also, it’s good to see Nikki wise up to Victor’s shit. Hopefully with her accident(?), Julie will wise up too.
Camille
Honestly, nothing in Camille’s scenes matters more than Peters big revelation in the final moments of the episode. He is one of the returned, and he died 29 years ago when the dam burst. I’m hesitant to believe that this is the truth, since he could just be doing this to help Camille, but it was a surprise nonetheless.
Not to sound like a broken record, but this is a huge departure from the French series. This breaks every rule The Returned has set up. If Peter didn’t come back with the rest of the returned in the pilot, there’s no telling how many others there could be. This is a well of twists that the original never dipped in to and it will be interesting to see here the series goes next week with the finale.
Random Notes
- I don’t really have any this week, but this exchange between Helen and her suitor made me laugh: “Damn girl, you screw like the world’s gonna end.” “Yeah well, you never know.”
- Lucy and Jack have sex, she hears voices and sees more black goo coming out of the sink. It’s very mysterious.
- I just can’t get into Tommy. I don’t think it’s Kevin Alejandro’s fault, Tommy is just kind of a dick.
- Next week’s finale is named after Peter, and after his big revelation at the end of the episode I’m not surprised!