Well, I watched all 3 parts of it. The short review is, to put it simply, it sucks.
OK, that seems harsh so allow me to explain. And, yes,
spoilers ahead so don't say I didn't warn you.
Let's start out with the fact that it isn't zombie movie. Yes, there are zombies in it but that is not the actual focus of the story. Instead of zombies, or sufferers of "Partially Deceased Syndrome" (PDS), the exact same story could have been told using AIDS & set in the 1980's as the plot element or mental illness & set in the 1950's. Essentially think of any reason why, in days past, society may have treated somebody as an outcast, and that could have been used instead with barely any changes to the script. The writers, or somebody making the decisions at the BBC, instead decided to apparently put a spin on it by using zombies.
Speaking of the writers, did they think nobody would notice the last name of the main character was Walker? I mean, really?
The Walking Dead is the highest rated zombie property in pop culture and in that universe zombies are called "walkers" amongst other things. So here we have another show that has zombies and the story centers around one named Kieren Walker? Total coincidence, I'm sure.
The story is set in Roarton, England, a small village where the local church leader essentially rules. Kieren is returning home after being away for two years, during which time he did some very violent acts but is now under medication. The church leader, the Vicar, gives fire & brimstone sermons to the village congregation that those who suffer from the condition that Kieren does are an abomination of God and should not be existing. It does not help matters that before a medication was found for the condition in question that it was a near pandemic outbreak and hostility still exists amongst the local militia who openly attack those with the condition. Kieran returns home to find out that his family is torn apart with his little sister a member of the militia now and is opposed to Kieran being in the house versus his parents who are trying their best to welcome him home but need to resort to hiding him at first so that the other locals aren't aware that somebody with his condition is now in their town.
Notice in that description the word zombie did not come up? That is how generic this story is.
Kieren became a zombie a year ago after he killed himself. When the zombies first arose during the "Rising", an apparent one-time event, they were the typical zombies you see in movies & TV, going around killing & eating people. At some point a complicated & complex medication was developed to allow them to return to their prior state of mind. They are still dead technically but thanks to the medication shots & makeup they can more-or-less be reintegrated back into society.
Fast forward and Rick, Kierens' friend who was a soldier that died in Afghanistan, is now also coming home to Roarton. His father, however, is the leader of the militia that goes around killing those who suffer from PDS. The father is denial and treats his son as though he was just wounded and is coming home from the war and not that he actually died, became a zombie, and is now a PDS sufferer. Rick & Kieren happen to be best friends so it makes for an awkward situation with Rick & his mother trying to live with Rick having PDS, Kieren happy to see his friend, and Ricks father taking Rick out to hunt down & kill untreated zombies. A conversation between Rick & Kieren gives the implication that they may have been more than just friends.
Fast forward a bit more and Rick's father is intent on killing Kieren, because, after all, he has PDS & apparently they can just go around killing PDS sufferers in the town without repercussions, and he blames Kieren for having a negative affect on Rick. That negative affect? That Rick is not the over-the-top machismo son that went off to war but is now a sensitive man that won't shoot a child zombie after his father tells him to. Rick breaks down and confronts his father that whether he likes it or not that Kieren is his friend and they both have PDS. Rick's father finally acknowledges that the Rick who came home is not the same Rick who left.
End of story? Not quite.
The Vicar has convinced Rick's father that the zombies need to be dealt with and a second Rising will occur but this time it'll be different for only the "righteous" will rise. That, of course, in their view means Rick. The father kills Rick and dumps his body in front Kieren's house. Kieren gets mad and confronts the father. The father is acting as though killing his son was no big deal because it wasn't really his son and his real son will come back during the second rising. Rick's mother, as you can imagine, does not agree. The father walks outside to avoid dealing with his wife and Kieren where he is promptly shot in the chest with a shotgun by the husband of a PDS sufferer that the father had brutally executed in the middle of their street. Kieren runs off to a cave in the woods where he used to spend time with Rick. Kieren's mother find him and, in their talk and with the writing on the wall in the cave, it is clear that Kieren & Rick were indeed gay lovers and Kieren killed himself because he was despondent over Rick's death. Kieren's mother tells Kieren that it is time to come home and deal with the real issue that nobody has so far talked about. Eh, what?
Kieren and his mother arrive home to find Kieren's father & sister waiting for them. The father is happy to see them home because he was worried about Kieren's safety after running off. Kieren apologizes to his father for running off and tells him that he should reprimanded. The father raises his voice and Kieren tell hims that it isn't enough, that he left without leaving a note or saying goodbye and was selfish for not thinking about the rest of the family and his father needs to tell him how angry he is and... oh, see, there, there it is, they aren't really talking about Kieren running off, they are talking about him killing himself without leaving a note or talking to anybody and his family being shattered as a result of it.
That's the end, credits roll, end of story.
What I didn't mention is that there was also a side-story going on about a girl that Kieren used to 'hunt' with when he was a zombie. The girl also came back home but left town after an attack by one of the militia members. Along the way both Kieren and the girl were given a web site to visit where a mysterious masked character was welcoming PDS sufferers to join him so that their kind can be together in peace away from the rest of society. It is also implied that they may be answers as to how & why the Rising took place. Only those with PDS are to visit the site and both Kieren and the girl hide their laptops when somebody comes upon them while visiting the website (Kieren home with his family, the girl in her home with the militia member who would go on to attack her). When the girl leaves she is going to meet the masked character. Kieren is concerned because how will she get her medication but the girls says that the masked character has access to plenty of it and she'll be welcomed there. Is there some type of PDS-only community being created? Is it really a trap for PDS sufferers? Does he really know how the Rising took place? Who is the masked character and where is the girl going to meet him? Good questions but nobody knows because after the girl leaves town the website & masked character are never seen nor talked about again.
So, there you have it.
In The Flesh is nothing more than a generic story about mental emotional issues that also has some plot elements that go nowhere, predictable developments, and outdated stereotypes. Don't bother with it and watch something else instead.
