Sergeant James Hayes gets a call that there's some trouble happening at a grave site and when he arrives to investigate, he finds a woman covered in mud with a deep cut on her leg. James tries to question her as to what happened and who she is, but the woman is in far too much shock to answer. Deciding that the woman needs medical treatment, he calls for help and Doctor Elishia McKellar arrives. Am I the only wondering if this make believe area of Australia is too poor to afford an ambulance? As they work on the woman, two men appear, similarly covered in mud naked and in shock. Hayes is quick to give them a blanket to cover themselves and they also have no answers for him as to what exactly is going on. Elishia and Hayes decide to take the people back to the surgery but before they head off, another woman appears. Elishia decides to take the women, leaving Hayes to transport the men. Before Elishia can drive off, yet one more woman appears.
What neither Elishia or Hayes realises is that they missed someone. Paddy Fitzgerald is equally covered in mud, so he wraps himself in one of the blankets Elishia and Hayes left behind and leaves the cemetery. Beau, a young Aboriginal kid, having watched people crawl out of the grave decides to follow Paddy and record him.
By the time Hayes arrives back at the surgery, Elishia has started to get the women cleaned up so, he tends to the men, handing out clothing. Charlie remembers that he lives on a farm but that's all he knows. Carlos has flashbacks to running away from law enforcement, so he takes off, forcing Hayes to chase him. While Hayes is outside with Carlos, one of the women learns her name from looking at an inscription on the ring she is wearing. The woman learns that her name is Kate and what more, she's convinced that she's been at this particular surgery before. Before Elishia can look her up, Hayes comes back inside with Carlos and is astonished to see Kate. Yes, as it turns out, Kate is Haye's dead wife. Hayes doesn't want to admit it at first but the resemblance is uncanny and Kate even has the coffee coloured birthmark that his dead wife had.
When Beau turns a corner to follow Paddy, Paddy jumps on him demanding to know why he is being followed. Beau explains that he is filming this and Paddy lets it go though he seems confused. Paddy decides that after the night he has had, he wants to get a drink and asks about a bar he knows. Conveniently, the bar is around the corner but when they arrive it's closed. When Beau points out that he cannot enter, Paddy assumes it's because Beau is an Aboriginal. Thankfully, Beau immediately calls Paddy, a "racist fuck" and says that the bar is closed and that if they go in, it's breaking and entering. Paddy however will not be dissuaded, so the two break in. Once inside, Paddy finds his knife prominently displayed at the bar.
A shocked Hayes drags his reanimated wife back to her grave. Kate's overcome and remembers digging herself out. This enough for Hayes to apologise for bringing Kate there in the first place. They had to a playground - a place where they used to go when she was alive and talk for the first time.
Beau and Paddy leave the bar and just happen to go past a statue of Paddy. As it turns out, Paddy was the first mayor of Yoorona and has been dead well over 100. Pause and think about that for a moment.
If Paddy has been dead for 100 years, how was he not blown away at the sight of a cellphone, paved streets, electric lights the jukebox in the bar and all of the other wonders of the modern world? Even more importantly, how the hell did he recognize that he's in Yoorona in the first damn place? I don't care where you are in the world, it doesn't remain unchanged for 100 years. This right here is where Glitch officially dropped the ball for me. Paddy is shocked to learn that he is dead and simply doesn't want to believe it, certain that he's trapped in some sort of messed up dream.
Back at the surgery, the others are starting to have memories about their lives. Annie figures out her name by looking that the cover of Lucy Maude Montgomery's awesome book (yeah I'm biased as a Cannuck, so just hush) Anne of Green Gables. Carlos has a flash of himself walking into a room to find that his brother has slit his wrists. Carlos drops the knife that he's holding and stares at his hands. Kate and Hayes return and start asking questions. Anna remembers being born in the thirties. But when Kate asks her when she died, Anna doesn't respond. Carlos starts to talk and Anna translates for him. It seems that Carlos came to Australia for work and when the war broke out, he was placed in a camp. This shocks both Hayes and Elishia because they had no idea that there was an interment camp near their location. Anna explains that they put the Italians in a camp when the war broke out. Carlos returns to the holding area and found that his brother had slit his wrist because he was so desperate to get home. An overcome Carlos takes off yet again. You'd think that by now Hayes would be keeping a better eye on him.
Beau is in a market and when he reaches the cash out, Paddy bursts in, holds his knife to Beau's neck and threatens the cashier, demanding he had over money or he will kill the "Abo". They head outside, split up their loot and take off. Beau however does stop long enough to tell Paddy not to call him, "Abo".
Carlos gets picked up by another officer, who assumes he has something to do with what happened at the graveyard because of the dirt under his nails. Carlos is unable to defend himself because he only speaks Italian. Hayes drives to the station and explains that what happened at the graveyard was the result of a couple of kids fooling around, adding that he has no plans to press charges but will be talking to the kids parents. As soon as the other officer leaves, Hayes releases Carlos and they head back to the surgery.
Paddy and Beau have lit a fire in what appears to be outside of town and seem to be roasting marshmallows. Beau questions if Paddy remembers being dead, but Paddy says no. Paddy is distraught at dying so young which naturally, causes Beau to quip that Paddy wasn't exactly young. Beau tells Paddy that he still has descendants in town and that many of them are rich. Paddy is glad to hear this. Paddy then announces that he came back for justice and revenge.
Back at the surgery, Carlos reveals his brothers name and after some quick research, Elishia finds someone living just outside of town with the same name. The man in question however is 90 years old. In order to confirm that these people have indeed come back from the dead, Hayes decides to take Carlos to see the man they believe to be his brother. As Hayes and Carlos approach a bridge, Carlos begins to bleed from his eyes. Hayes stops the vehicle and Carlos gets out, walking half way across the bridge. Carlos collapses and desiccates in front of a very shocked Hayes. Hayes quickly picks up the clothing Carlos was wearing and sweeps as much of Carlos's ashes as he can into a bag and takes off but what he doesn't know is that someone witnessed what he did.
Hayes rushes back to the surgery in a panic that something has happened to Kate but she is fine. Hayes then pulls Elishia aside and tells her what happened to Carlos, requesting a medical explanation. Since people just don't come back from the dead, Elishia has no clue. Hayes then asks Kate to keep what happened to Carlos between them for now.
It's now morning and Beau returns home. Clearly things at home are not great and he has a strained relationship with his mother.
An exhausted Hayes decides to head home. When he walks in, he finds who I can only assume to be his very pregnant girlfriend asleep in his bed. Yeah, I know, I was hoping we wouldn't have a love triangle either.
Back at the graveyard someone else has dug themselves up.
We don't know much about why these people came back from the dead yet. We don't know if there's a connection; however, this just feels like been there done that and it's only the first episode. It's all to reminiscent of Les Revenants and The Returned, except with acting that's only half as good. When Hayes realises that he is talking to his dead wife, it shouldn't feel like they are discussing what to have for dinner. It should be earth shattering and it's anything but. Tossing in a pregnant girlfriend at the end of the episode feels like a cheap hook and I'm really not pleased with that.
Treating Paddy and Beau like the odd couple and playing them for laughs simply didn't work for me. Of all the people who came back, Paddy should be the most out of the loop since he died well over 100 years ago. Exactly how is this man who was last alive in the 1800's adapting to a modern world so easily without any questions at all? It simply doesn't work. I know that as a viewer I am supposed to suspend belief when watching shows like Glitch; however, the writers aren't supposed to add elements which pull you right out of the story.
I think it's clear that I'm not sold on this show but hey, maybe I'll get to use some cool GIF's at its lackluster performance and if nothing else, maybe Glitch will lend itself to a drinking game.
