The Returned: Season 2

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Universal acclaim based on 11 Critic Reviews

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Generally favorable reviews based on 45 Ratings

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8.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 45 Ratings

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Season Details & Credits

Sundance Channel | Canal+ | Season Premiere Date: October 31, 2015

Summary: The second season of the French drama picks up six months after the end of season one.

Genre(s): Drama, Horror, Suspense

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Season 2 Episodes

tbd
S2:E8. The Returned
Air Date: December 19, 2015
tbd
S2:E7. Etienne
Air Date: December 12, 2015
tbd
S2:E6. Esther
Air Date: December 5, 2015

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

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Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Tom Long

Oct 30, 2015

It’s all very complicated, but at the same time easy to follow and terribly mesmerizing and haunting. Read full review

100

David Wiegand

Oct 26, 2015

All of this may seem complicated but is not only easy to follow, but impossible to ignore because of the care with which Gobert, Fabien Adda and other writers weave the stories and characters together. You come away from each episode of The Returned more deeply involved in the story and characters than you may be used to with other TV shows. It’s a series that will haunt you, in the best possible way. Read full review

Alex McCown

Oct 30, 2015

By the end of episode three (titled after yet another brand-new character, Morgane), almost everyone is miserable, and there doesn’t seem to be much hope for relief from the unrelenting gloom. Thankfully, the show remains so brilliantly acted and written, and so masterfully shot, it’s never anything less than compelling. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Brian Tallerico

Oct 27, 2015

Season two may not have the punch of the series premiere's bus crash and return, but it has a tonal grayness that matches the lost nature of its characters. It sometimes feels more meandering than moody--not unlike the now-tonally similar “The Leftovers” did in season one. Read full review

Robert Lloyd

Nov 2, 2015

There is a quiet naturalism to the production, quite distinct from Hollywood horror, in which every trick in the audio-visual book is marshaled to jolt you as far as possible out of your seat when the scare comes, and also from supposedly found-footage films ("The Blair Witch Project" and its progeny) that use aesthetic chaos to suggest actuality. This is altogether more mature. Read full review

Ken Tucker

Oct 30, 2015

The achievement of The Returned is that it creates its frights chiefly from an atmosphere of the quietly uncanny. Indeed, the show is at its best when it’s impossible to tell who is more dead: the returned population, or the living whose souls have expired from despair. Read full review

Hank Stuever

Oct 30, 2015

Morose aesthetics aside, it also feels as if Gobert and company are pawing around in the dark, looking for a way to extend The Returned and not coming up with anything other than to further puzzle the viewer. Read full review

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User Reviews

BogKid

Nov 3, 2015

Good opening for Season 2. "Les Revenants" is deliberately murky like the dark waters of the flood that has swallowed the valley and the town. I had watched Season 1 intently, but I have to admit that I had to go back to some of the later episodes of Season 1 (on Netflix streaming) to beGood opening for Season 2. "Les Revenants" is deliberately murky like the dark waters of the flood that has swallowed the valley and the town. I had watched Season 1 intently, but I have to admit that I had to go back to some of the later episodes of Season 1 (on Netflix streaming) to be sure that memory was accurate. It was not always accurate.

If you feel confused about any of the happenings on this new episode and if you have access to Netflix streaming, it will be worth some of your time to check over the last two episodes of Season 1. You are likely to come to Season 2 with enhanced memories and enhanced enjoyment.… Expand

3 of 6 users found this helpful33

PoeticDumpling

Nov 1, 2015

Slow-burning perfection. The mystery and intrigue continuously builds as clues or answers are fed with simultaneously frustrating yet satisfying slothful, quiet dis-ease. Somehow it all works magnificently. I always want more. It is foreign film horror cinematic achievement qualitySlow-burning perfection. The mystery and intrigue continuously builds as clues or answers are fed with simultaneously frustrating yet satisfying slothful, quiet dis-ease. Somehow it all works magnificently. I always want more. It is foreign film horror cinematic achievement quality brought to television. Other shows have tried to re-visit or re-make this successful story, but none have matched it's originality or craft.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

gmonster320

Jan 6, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Was the finale of "The Returned" everything you had hoped for? For two seasons I longed for answers. I eagerly dissected each episode looking for clues. Now that we have them, to be honest, I feel a bit let down. A mystery that is stripped of it's mystery seems less potent. The old adage holds true. "Be careful what you wish for." Don't get me wrong though. "The Returned" continues to be one of my favorite TV shows of all times (which is no small feat).

There were four major revelations in the final episode per my calculations (and a number of minor ones):

1. Victor is the key to everything- We knew something strange was going on with the little boy from the first scene of the series. Remember the bus containing Camille and the other students careened down the cliff after avoiding him on the road? We later learn that Victor can predict tragedies but is helpless to prevent them. Thirty five years earlier Milan's thugs killed Victor and his mother and brother because they feared his prophetic gifts. What we didnt learn for sure until later was that Victor was not the Lewansky's biological child. He showed up at their door one day after visiting Etienne (Berg's father) to warn him about the dam's failure. After his death/burial Victor returned and was hidden away by Mr Lewansky until his heart attack. Victor wished him back to life but in doing so brought back all the other dead as well. Pops survived but remained in a coma until his death.

2. Lucy is also a supernatural creature- Lucy arrived in town 35 years earlier as well. She told Milan she was from a "very long way away" and was waiting for a little boy. Who/what are Victor and Lucy? What are they trying to accomplish? Victor draws pictures of his visions. Lucy gets visions while having sex (and she apparently has sex a lot). Lucy later tells Victor he has to help the returned because she failed. I'm very fuzzy on what her plan was. We know Nathan played a big part but that's about it.

3. Baby Nathan is like Victor and Lucy- Victor tells Lucy that Nathan is just like him. After the dead leave for parts unknown, she places the baby on a doorstep and runs. Does that mean the process will start all over with a new person? Does being the offspring of a dead guy (Simon) and a living girl (Adele) give him special abilities?

4. Victor's time warp- When Victor wished a happy ending for himself and Julie (after she jumped into the sinkhole because she didnt want to live without him) did it only affect the two of them (and Ophele)? Or did he change the past so that the dead never returned? Or maybe he wiped the memories of the living. I have no idea.

Other Points To Ponder:

Milan- I thought Milan played a bigger part in the overall mystery but it turns out he's just a psychopath with a suicide cult and a screwed up family. Upon encountering Pierre he says "there is no peace". Pierre still shoots himself in the head (like he was supposed to all those years ago). What does that accomplish though?
Skin rotting-Those who stated that the dead's skin decays when separated from the others were absolutely correct. We saw this with Camille, Toni, Serge and Audrey. On a side note, why did Audrey eat Sandrine's body? I still dont understand that one.
People need people (whether alive or dead)- Camille tells her family that she will not be alone in death. She has Virgil. We also see some of the other dead reunite including an old Mr Costa and a still young and sassy Mrs Costa. The living also get back together. It appears Claire and Jerome will reunite. Lena has the hardest time separating from her twin but in the end their psychic bond is still not broken (as she images Camille next to her).
Serge does penance- Serge stays in the tunnel alone in order to pay for murdering all those girls (instead of leaving with the others).
Will Victor ever age? Is he going to remain a kid forever or will he grow now that he's reunited with Julie? And will Baby Nathan age? I hope so or that new couple is stuck with a psychic baby for the rest of their lives.
Simone and Adele- They wander into a cave where Adele encounters some scary looking creature. Who/what was that? I think it's Simon since Milan said previously "we are as you want to see us". So in the end, Simone and Adele get married and live happily ever after on the other side. Did they forget about their children? Luckily Chloe seems to have been adopted by Lena and the Seguret family.
The police- I'm still uncertain what the deaths of all the police officers have to do with anything. We typically did not see the returned turn violent (unless they were in life or were threatened in some way). And what happened to Laure? She was never seen again (even amongst the horde).

Despite feeling a bit let down by the answers in the finale, "The Returned" remains miles ahead of other shows. The actors, the cinematography, and the writing are perfection. I'm still voting it my favorite show of 2015.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

Ravens1294

Oct 31, 2015

The show retained the beautiful cinematography, creepy score, and great acting. The season was great and I'm hoping a season 3 happens. Many questions were left unanswered in the season finale and I would love for them to be answered.

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

drlowdon

Feb 13, 2017

To be honest I can’t say I found the season (and possibly series) finale totally satisfying as it left a few too many things unexplained but, much like the first season, Les Revenants offers great character drama with a central supernatural mystery that’ll continue to intrigue viewers.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

ozymandias79

Nov 18, 2015

This show has definitely lost its shine. There was no cohesion in this season. The near 3 year production delay is obvious because the children are noticeably older. Main characters take a back seat this season and the finale is awful. Too many questions remain, which makes it veryThis show has definitely lost its shine. There was no cohesion in this season. The near 3 year production delay is obvious because the children are noticeably older. Main characters take a back seat this season and the finale is awful. Too many questions remain, which makes it very unsatisfying. The excellent soundtrack is also underused. If you want to keep a high opinion of this show, do not watch the second season.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Seasons & Episodes

89

Series Overview
Season 2

82
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: October 31, 2015
- tbd
  S2:E8. The Returned
  Air Date: December 19, 2015
- tbd
  S2:E7. Etienne
  Air Date: December 12, 2015
- tbd
  S2:E6. Esther
  Air Date: December 5, 2015
- tbd
  S2:E5. Madame Costa
  Air Date: November 28, 2015
- tbd
  S2:E4. Virgil
  Air Date: November 21, 2015
- tbd
  S2:E3. Morgane
  Air Date: November 14, 2015
- tbd
  S2:E2. Milan
  Air Date: November 7, 2015
- tbd
  S2:E1. The Child
  Air Date: October 31, 2015
Season 1

92
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: November 26, 2012