As expected, episode 2 wasn't as enjoyable as the feature-length opening, but despite some wobbles and the odd misfiring idea, there was enough here to keep me invested in the survivors' plight. But, one question stuck in my mind throughout: it's the end of the world and money is no object, so why in God's name would you decide to loot from Netto?Snobbery aside, this episode finds the characters tackling the essential business of simply living and eating. They draw up a rota to forage for food in supermarkets and houses, particularly items in danger of going past their sell-by date. But it's not long before they're involved in a territorial clash with a gun-toting goon called Dexter (Anthony Flanagan) who has staked his claim on the local supermarket where the survivors go to replenish supplies.
This idea of sitting on valuable goods carries over into the main subplot, where a portly middle-aged man called Bob (Daniel Ryan) has found a food-storage depot containing enough provisions to last a lifetime. He's partnered by Sarah Boyer (Robyn Addison), a useless twentysomething, incapable of surviving on her own, with a pipe dream of becoming a wealthy businesswoman now that she "owns" the depot. Give me strength. To help her, she keeps besotted Bob around for company and the heavy-lifting, in return for sex.
Unfortunately, Bob breaks his leg in a forklift truck accident one night, so Sarah finds help when Greg (Paterson Joseph) arrives looking for food -- quickly identifying him as a significant improvement over chubby Bob, if she can only persuade him to stay with her. Time to lose some clothing.
Elsewhere, Al (Phillip Rhys) and Najid (Chahak Patel) get into a tangle when a shopkeeper tries to stop Najid looting his sweet shop, resulting in Al accidentally killing the elderly man in the ensuing struggle. Later, Al grows closer to Anya (Zoe Tapper), who politely turns him down, but his actions haven't gone unnoticed by Tom (Max Beesley), who also a soft spot for the cute doctor and threatens Al into keeping his distance.
Abby's (Julie Graham) search for her son also continues, when she notices one of Dexter's gang is in a recent photo taken with her son. It's a huge stretch to accept this coincidence, and her investigation doesn't really get very far, anyway, but it does result in a few tense scenes when Abby gambles her safety to approach Dexter, despite the fact he's threatened to kill trespassers.
There's some good stuff here, but it's coated in a thick blanket of awkward plotting and dry spots. I'm still struggling with the idea that 90% of the UK's population have died, as that still leaves 6 million people. Indeed, global numbers must still be comparable to that of the 16th-century -- so, mathematically, it's not really the near-extinction we're supposed to believe in.
I liked the idea of an idiot latching onto a naïve survivor in the Sarah/Bob story, and it was a surprise to see such a dumb character join the gang by the end. If Sarah strips to her underwear some more, I'll be happy to ignore her negative IQ. Similarly, the villainous Dexter resembled an oily trainspotter who's achieved power in the aftermath of the pandemic, by simply grabbing a gun and surrounding himself with loyal dopes. I wouldn't be surprised if the dead body his gang strung up in the supermarket as a warning to looters was just a random 'flu victim they used to their advantage, too.
Of course, a real killer is an accepted part of the gang, in the shape of Tom. Max Beesley is again the best reason to keep watching, as the character's gameplan is hard to pin down. He seems reasonable and likeable around Abby and Greg, takes the time to flirt with Anya, and has only showed his darker side to Al. He's not a raving psychopath, but I hope the writers don't make him too sympathetic and smooth his edges. Not yet, anyway. He's undoubtedly the most mysterious and engaging presence so far -- although I'm enjoying Joseph and Rhys' subtle work, too. Zoe Tapper has yet to make much of an impression.
Julie Graham's charms are lost on me, too. My mildly positive reaction to her only extends to: well, at least she's not as annoyingly officious as her Bonekickers character. Abby's optimistic streak and dreary search for her son (who I couldn't care less about) could begin to grate after awhile. Young Chahak Patel is fine, but I'm not convinced a little boy would be this resilient -- I would have gone to pieces if my entire family had died when I was 11 years old, let alone then be taken in by strangers and have to deal with the end of civilisation!
A better child actor may have been given more heartfelt material to tackle; or maybe writer Adrian Hodges just doesn't want Survivors to get too bogged down by realism? Whatever the reason, I don't think Najid should be chasing chickens and playing football on day 2.
Overall; Survivors is off to a half-decent start, but could quickly nosedive if it's not to careful. Right now, events are fresh and the characters mostly unexplored, so it still has something to offer. But I'm not convinced this series has real legs beyond one season, if it's the intention of the BBC to make this a recurring drama and not a glorified mini-series.
A lot of my interest could be determined by the government scientist subplot, which reappears in the last five minutes again. Here it's made clear they they're not immune to the virus and will only venture outside in haz-mat suits and gas-masks -- which means there must be other survivors who are safely quarantined, too. We're still not sure if they orchestrated the whole event as part of a typically diabolic scheme to purge the world and repopulate it, or suchlike, but I doubt they're benign...
25 November 2008
BBC1, 9pm
Writer: Adrian Hodges
Director: Andrew Gunn
Cast: Julie Graham (Abby Grant), Phillip Rhys (Al Sadiq), Zoe Tapper (Dr. Anya Raczynski), Paterson Joseph (Greg Preston), Chahak Patel (Najid), Max Beesley (Tom Price), Bryony Afferson (Patricia), Robyn Addison (Sarah Boyer), Daniel Ryan (Bob) & Anthony Flanagan (Dexter)
