Breaking Down ‘Revival’s Premiere Episode With Showrunner Aaron B. Koontz

Revival is the latest in a spate of zombified television but, this time, there’s a twist: what if the zombies were totally normal, retained their memories, and acted just as they did prior to dying? In the midst of a flurry of The Walking Dead spin-offs, and drawn-out The Last of Us narratives, I spoke with Aaron B. Koontz about the first episode of Revival, and how it hopes to be something different from what you might expect in a zombie story.

We discussed everything from the big swings in the premiere, to more intimate storylines and character arcs that will unfold as the show develops. Over the next week, I’ll be publishing bits of this interview but, for now, enjoy this breakdown of Revival.

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There will be spoilers ahead for Season 1 Episode 1 of Revival, titled “Don’t Tell Dad”.

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What makes Revival different from other zombie projects out there?

Fourth Take: There’s no shortage of zombie stories, but those are a lot more apocalyptic in tone. And what sets Revival apart is that it’s very intentionally concentrated on this one small town. Is that sort of what drew you to the project?

Aaron B. Koontz: Yeah. I love the idea that it was a zombie story that isn’t a zombie story at all, right?

That these people just look and act exactly like the way they were because I didn’t really want to make a zombie story. There’s just so many great adaptations of this that were there. I’ve seen everybody; like just when I think nobody can do it great again, then I watch Train to Busan and I’m blown away.

But now I’m like, this was so interesting because it took the elements of people who came back from the dead and then we created a murder mystery where the person was still alive to solve their own murder. And I’m like, that is so cool. I’ve never seen that before. And then you have these like Fargo-esque characters, and you’re trying to guess what’s going on, all mixed within an actual supernatural story; which, I’m genre through and through.

So it was just really fun to explore. Yeah, I was f*cked up on the first issue of the comic.

Fourth Take: I mean I haven’t read the comic myself, but I think [the show is] quite accessible for people like myself who haven’t read it. So it does a lot of setting up, which I appreciated. And the tone of the show is quite darkly funny, which again, it differs from a lot of the other zombie media that’s out there.

Was it important for you to maintain that specific tone?

Aaron B. Koontz: A hundred percent. Tone was; we had so many discussions about this, where a lot of people were worried. Even when I was pitching the show, people were always worried about, “Oh, you’re doing this melodrama, and then you’re doing this genre thing, and then you’re doing this comedy. Can you balance this stuff?”

And I’m like… that sounds fun to me. Like, I wanted a fun show. And we talk about this all the time with my main company. In the movies we make, we call it “Horror with Heart”. That’s really what we’re pushing forward.

I think this show has a lot of heart, and it has a lot of fun within it. And I think that was important. I don’t necessarily need to see the depressing stuff anymore. Don’t get me wrong; The Last of Us was one of my favorite things on TV; but I don’t necessarily want to watch The Last of Us every day because it makes me feel awful sometimes.

And so with this, I want to be intrigued, I want to have fun. I think we could use a little lightness in the world. But then at the same time, if you do that, you can have that tone where it can seem fun and you’re pushing it. But then if we can punch you in the gut at the right time with the right emotion, then it’s going to feel that much more visceral and hopefully keep the audience even that much more engaged. And that was the goal.

Fourth Take: Revival touches on a lot of themes of grief, guilt, unresolved relationships in ways that these types of stories usually don’t. Was there a particular emotional through-line or character arc that you wanted to emphasize in this adaptation?

Aaron B. Koontz: I think what’s so great about TV is it gives you this palette. You can play with all of this. You can really have a focus in episodes and even acts, if you will, of “this really needs to be something that can pull the rug.”

And once you’ve set a groundwork where you can go crazy a little bit with the comedy, you can go crazy with the genre elements, it keeps the audience on edge; of “I don’t know what’s going to happen next.” You don’t know where that’s going to go. And I think that was a lot of fun to explore.

But within this too, I think; there is just something about the acceptance of what a lot of zombie shows are really about: death. And we wanted our show to be about life and second chances and this idea of feeling like an outsider and not knowing where your place is in the world and being told for so long, “You are this thing.”

In our show, we call them Revivers; the people that have come back. And what is a Reviver? What does it mean to be a Reviver? And what if; does that mean your life is over, or does that mean your life is beginning? And one of my favorite lines that I wrote when we were talking about this was a line where someone says, “The irony is I had to die to feel alive.” And once that idea cemented, there was something special there. I’m like, this could be a really interesting story to tell; especially with what’s going on in the world today, with immigration and everyone not feeling wanted and being pushed out.

And I thought there was something really interesting to explore. The nice thing is, with a TV show, you can do it all.

And we’re not going to get too focused on, “It’s just about this thing.” Because; I don’t know; that gets more boring for me. I want to be able to push you in some direction and pull the rug out from under you.

Was Revival inspired by COVID lockdowns?

Fourth Take: A lot of the early scenes in episode one were very reminiscent of COVID lockdowns and news coverage regarding that; with the CDC guidelines and the quarantines. So given how different this show is from a lot of zombie media, with the undead keeping their personalities and their memories; was that an intentional parallel to help ground the show, or was it coincidental?

Aaron B. Koontz: Man, this came from the comic. The comic was made in 2012 and they had a quarantine zone. What we did was we took it a step further, and we learned a lot through COVID about how this actually works; and the difference between a lockdown and a quarantine and all this.

We play with that a little bit, just from our own lived experiences now of going through 2020 and 2021.

But no, yeah; I mean, that was in the comic from the get-go. And part of what made it feel so relevant is that we know what it’s like to be cooped up in a place. We know what it’s like to have people who feel unsafe in their own homes.

And so, what can this mean, and how can we play onto that fear? But then also give it some humanity at the same time, as you were saying before.

Is Em the only Reviver?

Fourth Take: So Dana, in the middle of the episode, sort of wonders if people could have died and revived without realizing it, which had me thinking at the time that maybe she was a Reviver. But obviously, at the end of the episode when we learn it’s Em; is that mystery solved, or is there a hanging thread that you want people to think, “Okay, anyone that she’s speaking to could be a Reviver,” or that she could be a Reviver herself?

Aaron B. Koontz: I think we want to operate in a world where anything’s possible. I think that’s really fun. And I think the idea; even one of the characters in the first episode, Miles Miller, right? He’s the person who was sentenced to life in prison, dies in prison, and says, “I served my life sentence.”

I just think there are interesting things that come up to play here; of what does it mean to be one of the Revived? What are these opportunities that exist within our story? And yeah, who else could be revived? Who else do we think is, but maybe isn’t? But yes; trying to set up, it was tough to make a show where, in the first episode, you are not giving away what Em’s reality is.

Because I had to push NBC to not do this. I was like, “Don’t tell anyone.” I think this was really fun; if you can get to that barn and you don’t know. Because I didn’t know; it was in the comic and I didn’t know when I read the comic. And it just feels so visceral. And I’m like, “Oh my God, her sister’s dying.” And then; but she’s not. And I’m like, “Oh, it’s so good.” And I got chills reading it.

That’s why I knew that was the pilot. When I read it, I was like, this is the pilot. Like this first issue of the comic. And then we go off from there. But really, this first issue of the comic is absolutely the pilot.

What’s the deal with the healing from the Revivers?

Fourth Take: I haven’t read the comics, but Em’s fight with the Reviver at the farm hints at something a bit more complex, like regenerative biology. I don’t know if the comics explained what caused this event, but does the show have an explanation? And is that something that audiences can expect to figure out or miss? Or will pieces of that get added in as the show goes on?

Aaron B. Koontz: Yeah, absolutely. Look, I’m a big believer; I grew up loving Lost, and the J.J. Abrams speech where he talks about the mystery box and what’s there; and I love that.

Yeah, I almost got “Not Penny’s Boat” tattooed on my hand.

Fourth Take: Oh no…

Aaron B. Koontz: So this is very much in my DNA. But at the same time, I’m a big believer that if you’re going to ask a new question, you need to answer another.

And I get frustrated when I go too long without; “Okay, just tell me what the hell is going on here, or what’s happening.”

So I want to be careful with that. Look, there’s two central questions; or three. I would say three central questions.

One is: What’s in the woods? I’ll say that. It’s a little side question. We’re hearing something, there’s something that’s there, we don’t know what it is.

1. What’s in the woods?
2. What caused Revival Day?
3. And who murdered Em?

And those three questions are things that you will; I can say definitively; you will have an answer to by the end of Season 1.

But it might open up doors to a lot of other places. But I think it’s going to feel; I’m a big believer that if something goes wrong and I’m not ever allowed to make another season, that this needs to feel compelling and needs to feel like this can be its own thing.

And it is its own thing, but also; with a, hopefully, we’ve dashed enough there to “Oh my God, I’ve got to see where it’s going to go.” Because it does, it’s a little bit of a fun thing at the end too. But I think it still is; we have these questions, and we need to answer those. And I’m a big believer in having that mystery box and holding it as long as you can, while also finding ways to give answers. And even; I don’t know how many episodes you’ve seen; but we answer some pretty big questions pretty early in the show too.

So there’s some things that start to really fall into place.

That old lady did what?!

Fourth Take: Talk to me about the enhanced strength that Arlene had. What can you share about that? Is that something that’s unique to her, or is that all Revivers?

Aaron B. Koontz: That’s something that the show will start to answer for you, I would say. I think it’s a great question to ask. And it’s like; why is this? We know that they can heal at this point, but what we don’t know is: Why is Arlene different? Why does she appear to be different; or is she different? And I think that’s a question that I want the audience to be asking at this time: “Wait a second, I thought this isn’t like a zombie show; but she sure seems zombie-ish. Can’t be, like… this seems different.” So there is something going on here. And we do start to play with that, and there are answers that start to come. And maybe; or maybe not; the Revivers might have some of Arlene in them as well…

Revival airs Thursdays on SyFy and streams one week later on Peacock. Catch the first episode now.