[Pride 2022] 'In The Flesh': A Dissection of Queer Identity

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Almost a decade after BBC’s In The Flesh first aired back in 2013, the show’s vision of a post-apocalyptic society remains just as gripping, innovative, and poetic to this day. A fresh take on the zombie genre, this series ponders survival from the perspective of the undead, or “Partially Deceased Syndrome Sufferers,” who have started receiving medical treatment in order to re-assimilate with the living. It is at one of these treatment centers where we first meet our openly queer protagonist Kieren Walker — a man riddled with guilt, shame, and trauma as he prepares to meet his family again three years after “The Rising.”

As the two-season series unfolds, we see how Kieren struggles to get by in his prejudiced hometown of Roarton and navigates various complicated relationships in his life. Against all odds, a community once dictated by the violent hands of The Church and the Human Volunteer Force begrudgingly accepts undead members back into its fold.

For queer horror fans such as myself who grew up in restrictive and religious households, watching this well-written and nuanced show explore themes of indoctrination, mental health, and gay/non-traditional relationships was nothing short of a revelation. It is a deeply complex and detailed narrative which does not pull its punches in terms of violence, yet still manages to maintain a certain gentle vulnerability to it. A dichotomy that is imperative during interactions between Kieren and his loved ones, particularly when discussing his own suicide and the deep depression he’d fallen into.

When he had initially taken his own life, Kieren felt immense guilt for the death of his childhood sweetheart, Rick Macy, who joined the military to please his bigoted father. Even after the two are reunited, however, Rick still does not feel that his circumstances have changed and tries his best to please his Dad who is the current leader of the Human Volunteer Force. Still in denial about his son in many regards, Mr. Macy burdens Rick with all of his unreasonable expectations of having a heterosexual Human son.

Although much of Kieren and Rick’s relationship is revealed in a subtle and ambiguous manner, queer viewers can quickly pick up on references to their unlabeled sexualities. During a conversation with his father about sports, Rick jokes about “switching teams” now that their favorite isn’t doing so well, to which Mr. Macy lightheartedly replies, “don’t you dare or I’ll kill you.” Later, after Kieren and Rick’s reunion, they take some time to speak alone about the past and vaguely allude to having “messed around” before Rick left for basic training. They also realize that Rick never received any of the letters Kieren sent him, suggesting that someone — most likely Mr. Macy — interfered with their correspondence. Despite the silence between them during that time, Kieren insists, “I kept us going… in my head, I kept us alive.” It is clear from this conversation that, not only were their feelings reciprocal, but their bond was beyond intimate.

Despite the vast differences between Kieren’s father and Rick’s father, it is notable that both men similarly struggle with opening up to their sons and expressing their true emotions out of fear. In Mr. Macy’s case, he fears being perceived as weak or unmanly, even holding himself back from hugging Rick upon his return. Comparatively, Mr. Walker fears expressing his feelings because of how much Kieren’s suicide hurt him; in an attempt to maintain the peace, he tries to avoid sensitive subjects which could worsen his son’s precarious mental health. Even though both men have their flaws and don’t always understand their sons’ perspectives, kind-hearted Mr. Walker represents the ideal father for queer viewers who are more likely to know Mr. Macys in the real world. In The Flesh broaches these complex father and son relationships in a natural (albeit fantastical) manner before breaking down the boundaries between them.

Whether Kieren is protecting unmedicated “rabids” from being killed by the Human Volunteer Force or bonding with his new “Best Dead Friend Forever” Amy Dyer, it is abundantly clear that he is a character motivated by empathy. Though he wishes nothing more than to live in peace, when push comes to shove, he faces his fears head on and makes any personal sacrifices he needs to for those he loves. These character traits make it all the more painful when his first relationship ends tragically once again, with much left unspoken between the two. After standing up to his own father and protecting Kieren — loudly proclaiming, “if Ren’s evil, Dad, then so am I” — Mr. Macy convinced himself that killing Rick was for his own good, truly believing he’d return “pure” in a second rising that Vicar Oddie preached about. The consequences of The Church’s preachings culminate in this episode as Mr. Macy’s delusions consume him and motivate a past victim of the HVF to kill him for the lives he’d taken.

With the conclusion of the first season allowing Kieren to mourn the loss of his first love, the second season delves into his identity and personal goals in a politically tumultuous world. Fortunately, it also allows him to move forward and fall in love again with a different man — an act rarely seen on televison where the “Bury Your Gays” trope is concerned. It is also notable that his new relationship takes a different approach where, instead of heavily implying that they’re together, their feelings are addressed openly without any room for misinterpretation by the viewer. Before exploring that romance, however, it is important to discuss The Undead Prophet and The Undead Liberation Army who only seemed to play minor roles in the first season, but were secretly gaining influence. This particularly concerned Kieren’s friend, Amy Dyer, who previously fled Roarton to live free of harassment at the Undead Prophet’s Commune.

Looking back at season one, our first introduction to The Undead Prophet was through a password-protected website and dangerous Blue Oblivion pills which allowed the undead to temporarily revert back to their “unmedicated” selves. As we shift into the second season, these pills play a larger role as members of the Undead Liberation Army plan out terrorist attacks that involve going “rabid” in public areas and quoting The Undead Prophet’s scriptures. Although The Church and The Undead Prophet claim to have opposing goals, both have managed to seize control by pitting humans against the undead in order to accomplish their shared goal of a second rising. It is under these circumstances that Amy finally returns to Roarton with another member of the ULA and a mysterious mission for them to accomplish. While Amy sincerely believes that The Undead Prophet had nothing to do with the recent tragic attacks, Kieren is nonetheless worried about her well-being as she intensely repeats their preachings back to him.

Shortly after their reunion, Kieren meets Simon Monroe — Amy’s current flatmate and one of The Undead Prophet’s twelve disciples. Intentionally waiting on Kieren’s gravestone, Simon slights him for trying to “pass” as a human with the makeup and lenses that are given out at treatment centers. While it has come to be expected of every undead individual, members of the Undead Liberation Army pride themselves on not covering up or living in shame for their unique appearances. Comparable to the expectations placed on intersex, transgender, and non-cishet members of society in general, the question of passing as cisgender or heterosexual is often a point of contention for the LGBT community. Even within the show, many of the undead do not have the option of passing: scars, burns, and cold handshakes being a dead giveaway — regardless, the way people choose to present themselves is viewed as a political statement rather than a matter of personal taste.

As the show further examines Kieren’s insecurities, his body dysmorphia is accentuated during his daily routine which involves applying coverup mousse and repeating affirmations in the mirror. His discomfort is most evident during a doctor’s visit where it is soon revealed that he stopped taking out his contact lenses for the unspoken reason of avoiding his own reflection. Yet, despite struggling to accept the undead aspects of himself, when Amy and Simon get harassed at his job for the way they look, Kieren fights on their behalf and resigns on the spot without hesitation. As discriminatory circumstances continue to impact their lives, Kieren and Simon find themselves continually working together and eventually realize that they have more similarities than differences. As the two grow closer, Simon makes his feelings for him known and tries his best to convince him to stay by his side. Though they don’t always see eye to eye, Kieren realizes he wants to be with Simon after a particularly awful day and rushes over to kiss him.

While trying to make things work between them, Simon romantically assures Kieren — “there’s what I believe and then there’s you” — making it clear that he’s fully committed to their relationship. Coming to an agreement, Simon makes an effort to accommodate the Walker household by wearing makeup and lenses to meet his parents. A scene that’s all too relatable for queer viewers soon follows as their nice family get-together quickly devolves into an argument where Jem’s boyfriend inappropriately brags about them killing “rotters” together during The Rising.

Upset that no one spoke up on their behalf, Kieren decides to discuss his own experience of being buried underground, rising in an empty cemetery at the stroke of midnight, and feeling liberated as he ate humans. Bringing an end to the conversation, he announces their departure before going back to Simon’s flat; there, in the safety of his partner’s bedroom, Kieren boldly removes his own coverup while Simon watches in awe. A powerful and intimate scene, Kieren soon bridges the distance between them before wiping off Simon’s own makeup — silently letting him know he accepts him as he is and has at last come to terms with himself too.

After realizing that Kieren was the first to rise in Roarton and receiving a clear directive from The Undead Prophet himself, Simon is forced to decide what he’s willing to sacrifice for the sake of a second rising — kill his own boyfriend or betray the organization that once offered him salvation. Paralyzed by memories from his tortured past and the medical experimentation he once endured, he seemingly comes to a decision as he packs his knife and meets with the other disciples in preparation for his return to Roarton. While many variables come together during the season finale, when the opportunity presents itself for Kieren to die by another person’s hand, Simon proves that what he said before was true — while he truly believed in The Undead Prophet’s teachings, Kieren and their relationship would always come first.

Although I’ve analyzed various relationships within this series and how they intersect with Kieren’s queer identity, there is much more to this story that I urge unfamiliar readers to discover on their own. In addition to exploring Kieren’s journey of self-acceptance, characters such as Jem Walker and Amy Dyer were further developed in the face of various obstacles — given just as much time as our protagonist to make their own decisions and grow from their mistakes in the process.

After the show’s premature cancellation left fans on a major cliffhanger — absolutely devastating our diehard community at the time — we collectively shared our disappointment online under #SaveInTheFlesh and #RenewInTheFlesh. Unfortunately, those pleas failed to change the show’s circumstances, but still let the cast and creators know just how much we loved their work. Even to this day, creator Dominic Mitchell happily interacts with fans on Twitter, very much open to the possibility of a revival. Despite everything, many of us still cling on to hope that we’ll see our beloved characters return one day, even if the medium itself changes altogether… In The Flesh is a tale of resurrection, after all.

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