Review of The Fades Episode 4

SPOILERS: Do not read this if you have not seen episode 4, series 1 of ‘The Fades’

The tension was ramped up a notch this week as Paul lay in a critical condition, flitting between life and death.

Meanwhile Young Polus/John was wandering around town, killing and feeding off people, resulting in some fairly gory moments. There was also a lengthy explanation as to the history of the Fades, the Angelics and Polus, which revealed his motives and how he came to be. The most intriguing thing is that the battle between the Fades and the Anglics is not a simple case of good versus evil, there are shades of grey. The Fades were never ill-willed to begin with, just like humans they wanted a certain quality of life which could be achieved through ascension. It was only when they were denied help by the Angelics that they became resentful.

Joe Dempsie gave a mature performance as Young Polus/John, particularly in the earlier scenes where he was like a feral creature who is readjusting to life in a human body. Initially, there may have been some doubt over whether he had the gravitas to serve as the villain of the series but he earned his stripes in his episode.

One of the major strengths of ‘The Fades’ is the way it has been filmed, the cinematography enhances the quality of the storytelling. The scenes where Polus’ was hunting for Paul proved to be incredibly vibrant and it felt as if the viewer was experiencing everything with him. The colours were vivid and the sounds were distinct. Even if it was just the wind blowing the fabric of an umbrella, there was a real sense of Polus’ resurrection.

However, this episode was not without its flaws. The subplot involving Mark the history teacher felt redundant and added very little to the story as a whole. It is a minor thread but perhaps it will develop into something more. The other weak point was the extensive exposition given by Young Polus/John and it made the scene feel far too long. It all goes back to the limits of trying to explore so many ideas in a series comprising of six episodes – it is a persistent problem that does not look likely to be resolved any time soon. If the writing can match the standard of the camera work then ‘The Fades’ could be one of the best science fiction and fantasy programmes on television at the moment.

As a whole, this week’s episode was terrific and illustrated how ‘The Fades’ is growing stronger as it progresses but it needs to focus on a few themes rather than trying to cram in so much.

The Fades is on BBC 3 at 9pm on Wednesdays.

For more information about the series, click here.

Image credit: BBC

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