Being Human - S02E04

I loved this episode. It really made me happy. For once, despite the gloom, it didn't seem as though everyone and everything was descending into unavoidable chaos, and that is definitely a good thing. Not that they aren't still headed that way, but there was still hope.

A big reason why this episode was so great was that, for the first time this season, we got normal interaction between George (Russell Tovey), Mitchell (Aidan Turner), and Annie (Lenora Crichlow). They sat around together watching the video of the sleeping werewolf, and George and Mitchell got to be super protective of Annie when other ghost Sykes (Bryan Dick) appeared to teach her how to keep the door closed. Plus, George and his obsession with lists gave me quite a laugh.

I've got to say that the costume designer for Annie is brilliant. She's been wearing the same outfit since the show started, but every episode it changes. The combination is so utterly flexible that you don't really notice it's the same clothes, only it never changes colours. Frankly, I want an outfit like that because who wouldn't want something with such versatility.

As for everything else, Mitchell's new vampire responsibilities are still incredibly rough. Poor guy, trying to get everyone into Blood Addicts Anonymous. And Ivan (Paul Rhys), the perfect poster boy, just can't give up the blood. Everything they are building is going to go up in flames if that ever gets out - and knowing this show, it will get out. They have yet to completely drop any storyline or plot point that I have noticed.

And while I really enjoyed the focus on Annie gaining power over the gatekeepers and George struggling with the wolf who refuses to constantly remain caged, the thing that again keeps me on the edge of my seat are the plans of Kemp (Donald Sumpter) and Lucy (Lyndsey Marshall). Lucy seems to be being won over by Mitchell. She wants to believe in the redemption of the soul, not just from werewolfism, but vampirism and everything else as well. Kemp thinks that werewolves can possibly be saved, though he's not above letting them die in the name of science, but vampires are beyond hope. I'm just glad that Lucy has enough of a conscious (as well as the sense of the importance of Nina in getting George on their side) to not let Nina (Sinead Keenan) die in that pressure chamber.

So, will Lucy eventually become a fanatic, seeing no redemption for the monsters, or will Mitchell convince her that they can be redeemed?

Merlin - The Moment of Truth, S01E10

Ah yes, the typical episode involving the former best friend of the protagonist and his current best friend. Neither can truly understand the other, but in the end, the former sacrifices himself for the other two, and all remains as it was. It may be a common plot line, but it always accomplishes important things in the character development of the leads, and was done very well.

When Merlin (Colin Morgan)'s home town is attacked, his mother comes to Camelot begging help. Unfortunately, the village is in another kingdom, and Uther (Anthony Head) can do nothing. But Merlin goes back with her, and Morgana (Katie McGrath), Gwen (Angel Coulby), and Arthur (Bradley James) go with him because they each care about Merlin. Honestly, Camelot's nobility cares far more than it ought about common servants.

While Arthur is busy trying to rally the people so that they will be prepared to fight, Merlin's best friend from home, Will (Joe Dempsie), who has a strong dislike of nobility, is certain Arthur will get them all killed. Funny thing was that I really agreed with Arthur on this one. Often when these situations present themselves, you agree with the person in Arthur's position, but you can still see the perspective of the other. But in this village, the options were fight or die. And I'd rather die fighting than of starvation.

Still, in the end, Will sacrificed his life to save Arthur, and claimed that he was the sorcerer who had saved the village so that suspicion would not fall on Merlin. It was the only possible way the episode could have ended, and I expected that outcome the entire time, but I thought it was really well done. Both taking the arrow for Arthur and his confession and last words to Merlin came out very naturally, and I nearly cried with Merlin when Will died.

But Merlin's secret remains safe for another week. The question is: what do you think would have happened if Arthur had learnt Merlin's secret?