Survivors: Good and Bad

So I watched Survivors last night and when it finished I went to sleep quite happy about what I saw. But having had time to contemplate it I've begun to feel a little disappointed with the show.

Firstly I realised that despite the extended (compared to the original series) scenes of the beginnings of the virus as it spreads around London, those scenes are pretty terrible at relaying any sense of true horror or dread at what is in effect the end of the world. One second things are bad, the next everyone is dead. They may as well have just started with everyone dead and not bothered with the pointless, unexciting lead up. Are we really meant to believe half the population took days to die and then the rest suddenly died while everyone was asleep??

Then we have the acting. Jesus... I was so pleased to see Freema from Doctor Who but then she died leaving us with a bunch of actors who seemed unable to convey any sort of emotion. Do they really think everyone would just wake up one day, find the world dead and within 7 days be able to talk about their friends and family dying without any emotion?? Sure some might be totally shocked but others would be letting some emotion out.

And post apocalyptic Britain so far seems like a dream! Everyone died in their homes or in hospitals or mosques and the roads are practically clear except for the occasionally plot forwarding randomly placed car. In a panic that would follow a pandemic like this most roads would be clogged with cars and as accidents increased it'd only be worst. Where was the chaos? Losing power and water is hardly dramatic or really very important given that by the time the public found out about the end of their world they would have been rioting in the streets. Where were the piles of bodies clogging door ways? The fires out of control? Would Britain really just die out so quietly?

Finally in more storyline based concerns I really don't care for any of the characters. A Muslim preachy school kid, a less than preachy lapsed, nouveux riches Muslim who you just know will be praying within 2 episodes thanks the kid reminding him of Allah being great, a criminal who seems to have thought a bag full of £50 notes might somehow come in useful in a post apocalyptic world, and Abby who is the most dull lead character I've ever seen.

All in all not a great start... roll on episode two. Let's hope there's some improvement!