The Day of the Triffids TV series (2009) - A Review

I first heard about this show from my Mum and Dad. They were talking about a very old version of it. I happened to find it at the library once a good few years ago, and we watched it. This is a summary of it:

With the world blinded and the Triffids set loose, it falls upon a band of scattered, sighted survivors to fight this carnivorous plant invasion. With a brave new world of maniacs, warring factions and renegades, the battle on the streets is not only directed at the purple-headed organisms but a battle to survive the sinister street-army headed by megalomaniac Torrence. - www.IMDB.com 

I didn't think much of it. It was old, rather boring, a plot that - for all its potential - didn't seem to have a goal, and ended on a bizarrely pathetic note that left me with my mouth open exclaiming in exasperation, "Is that it?!" Needless to say, this TV series did not make much of an impression on me.

However, since I am a believer of second chances, when I found a new version of the series that was done in 2009 at the library last week, I checked it out. I knew Dad would at least get a kick out of seeing a newer version of the old one, and since we knew the storyline already, I guessed it would be pretty safe to watch. After all, it could not have been much worse than the old one, could it?


It wasn't.

It was better.

In fact, I loved it.

It was chock full of action, suspense, brilliant effects, great acting, awesome story arc, (heaps better ending!) and - most surprisingly that impressed me most - full of awesome, thought-provoking moral lessons which were put across brilliantly and scattered throughout the film.

Bill Masen, the MC

Just stop and think for a moment: with just about the entire world population gone blind and an army of carnivorous plants unleashed onto the streets, what would you do? There is obviously no way that you can save everyone. Do you choose stick with the minority of sighted people and try to fight off the plants to protect yourselves and save the remains of the world? Or do you attempt the impossible and save as many blind you can? The main characters of this series are faced with this decision, and its consequences.

There is one line in particular that I love. When Bill Masen discovers that someone has been sending the weakest people outside of the safe walls of their sanctuary to be consumed by the Triffids in exchange for their own safety, he stands up in the middle of the monastery and says boldly:

Bill Masen and Jo Playton (MC 2)