The Returned Season 2 Episode 8 Review: Be Careful What You Wish For (Series Finale)

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).
Different types of undead- We have the dead that remember everything (Camille and Milan). We have the dead with memory loss (Etienne). We have the dead with no emotions (Morgane). We have the undead that live in caves. We never save them but they were referenced. I'm still not sure about the rules of this universe.
Loose ends- since Victor's wishing his adoptive father back to life started this whole mess, it would have been nice for Victor and he to reunite at least for a few minutes. Instead he became MIA like Laure.

Favorite Quotes:

"If you want, you can change things."- Etienne to Victor about Julie.
"We are as you want to see us."- Milan about how the living see the dead.
"She believes you."- Etienne to Victor.

Grade: 4 3/4 Monsters (out of 5). 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 (as it was back in 2013).