Lucy Is Attacked On 'The Returned' Premiere

If you've seen the original French version of A&E's new drama series The Returned , you already know most of what's going to happen on the American version. The basic premise is the same and much of the camera work is the same. In fact, some critics have touted the show as being slightly off because of it. But I have to completely disagree. The Returned is eerie, melancholy, beautiful, weird, and filled with great performances. I'm not saying it's perfect, but it definitely merits further investigation. The first episode of the series, which aired Monday night, left viewers with quite a few mysteries that are appropriately exciting to theorize about, obviously the main one being the returned citizens in general. But the plot and character that will certainly entice and could potentially end up being even more interesting than "the returned" is the apparent death of Lucy. Who stabbed her and why?

The pilot focused mostly on the reappearance of Camille, a high schooler who died four years prior in a bus crash. During this time, her parents split up, and her twin sister grew up but didn't handle the death of her sister well, thanks to some guilt about the day Camille died. Both of her parents also have new significant others. Her father Jack is sleeping with a woman named Lucy, who claimed she could communicate with those who had passed away, including Camille. But when Camille returned, Jack believed that Lucy was a fraud and angrily told her off. As she walked back home, Lucy was suddenly stabbed by a stranger in a hoodie and was left for dead in a tunneled sidewalk.

So who is the mystery killer? Well if the series follows it's Australian counterpart, we already know that answer. And it is a doozy. So before we go any further, here it is: Your official SPOILER ALERT!

The murderer is actually a returned himself. Seven years prior, the town was slowly being destroyed by Serge, a serial killer who was murdering women night after night. Serge's brother eventually ended up killing him by burying him alive in a grave. It's a frightening concept, especially when you think about how he returned (literally coming out of the cemetery).

Now the major question that remains is whether or not the American version will use this plot point. And to be honest, as much as people want the American series to forge its own path and not completely copy its predecessor (a critique with which I agree for the most part, by the way), I genuinely hope this storyline stays as close to the original as possible. It ends up becoming so important later on because (Another spoiler alert) Lucy ends up becoming a "Returned" herself as she is revived and discovers she has exceptional powers of healing. Lucy later develops into an important leader-like figure for the rest of the Returned for that reason, and it would be extremely exciting to see such a fascinating and strong female character arise from such a tragic death.

It's this kind of writing and these kinds of ideas that the American series should keep intact when creating the world and stories for The Returned. And even with this aspect of the series kept the same, there are so many elements that could be changed to make a still faithful yet fascinatingly different series, like character backstories involving the serial killer and his brother's relationship or Lucy's growth throughout the series into the de-facto leader of the Returned. That's what I hope and am excited to see as The Returned continues, hopefully for much longer.

Images: Stuart Petican/A&E; thereturnedus/Tumblr