The first season of Resurrection was unnecessarily slow, with all the elements that one might have expected from the second or third episode held off until the finale.  The cliffhanger saw Bellamy on the run with Jacob, as soldiers descended upon Arcadia to remove the vast numbers of Returned that were swarming in.  One might have expected that to be the starting point for the second season.

 

In some ways, it is.  While there’s no shock at all to the big reveal at the end of the premiere, Bellamy’s new status as one of the newest Returned brings something new to the story.  Previously, the Returned were all apparently people from Arcadia’s past.  Bellamy represents the first time, so far as I recall, that one of the Returned was someone who didn’t live there.  That suggests that the town of Arcadia itself holds the key to the truth about the Returned.

 

Meanwhile, Arcadia is more or less back to normal, with Jacob and several others of the Returned back in the community.  Interestingly, not all of the Returned are in the town; those who weren’t directly related to living people seem to have been “relocated” as part of the government cover-up.  The effect on Sheriff Fred is palpable, as he’s now hated by just about everyone, but otherwise the effects of the first season finale are sadly muted.  That may change, however, with Bellamy’s role as a “mole” among the Returned.

 

The most potent addition to the story has to be Margaret Langston, mother of Henry and Fred, played by the ever-formidable Michelle Fairley.   She brings a gravitas to the role, especially when Margaret finds herself slapping the crap out of a very drunk Fred to get him to accept that she’s returned.  (And stop him from committing suicide in the process.)   The question is whether or not solid casting and a few intriguing elements will be enough to keep this show from getting lost in the busy fall schedule.