GLITCH

Drama | TV Series (2015– )

When Senior Constable James Hayes, a police officer in the small town of Yoorana, is called out to the local cemetery in the middle of the night, he makes a discovery that turns his world upside down. Six people have inexplicably risen from the dead in perfect health.

Season 1 of Glitch begins with the rising of the dead from a bush-town cemetery somewhere in outback Australia. Witnessed by a young teen and a constable, it’s a diverse and unrelated smattering of folks whose deaths occurred in different eras throughout the century. These are not zombies but actual people, naked and mud-covered, who don’t have a clue why they’re there. The undead include the policeman’s wife who after discovering he has remarried, is looking at an impossible triangle.

In spite of the action, the shocking opening, and the subsequent complications surrounding the plight of the risen, (people long dead can’t just come back and say, Here I am!) the show seemed to move slow for me. The story line is not quite dramatic enough, and the characters lack a certain depth. Still, I found it captivating and watched the 6 episodes of the 1^st season in short order. As I got further into it – the entanglements, spectacle, and lurking terror lurking beneath – the characters became more real to me, maybe because they are somewhat underplayed.

The attention to small visual detail is well-done: bruises, dirt, clothing stains, and marks remain constant throughout. The scenery is lovely, unusual to someone living halfway across the globe, and I wish I they had showed more. The scenes are understated, laying out a background for the action rather than making a statement of their own. Only once did they show one of Australia’s strange animals, a mammal with big eyes and a rat tail curled up in the eaves of a cabin. It was so astounding that it seemed like they should have either shown more fauna or none at all.

Glitch has been picked up for a second season which is good because there were few questions answered in season 1. It is, however, somewhat satisfying as a stand-alone, leaving the watcher to draw their own conclusions.

I enjoyed watching Glitch, and though I’m not breathless with anticipation, I look forward to season 2.