Being Human - S02E05

Seeing Mitchell (Aidan Turner) in 1969 was such a treat. It was so perfect, and fantastic. We were able to learn so much about what happened to him back then, what he was like and how he changed, how he was already different even then. And while the episode did focus mostly on Mitchell, I did like the small developments we got with George (Russell Tovey) and Annie (Lenora Crichlow).

So, Annie is still not visible. It's possible that that's not going to happen again, which is a little disappointing. I mean, it completely limits the possibilities of what the writers can do with her character if she can only interact with other supernatural beings. Then again, if ghosts start randomly dropping by her house all of the time, that could be quite entertaining. Seeing her deal with a ghost baby and go from incapable to really happy was very sweet, though the idea of a ghost baby is just depressing. Then again, we also learnt that ghosts have active social lives and go on dates with each other and such, so maybe Annie will have an alright time of it.

As for George, I totally agree with Mitchell. He's going to crash and burn and take Sam (Lucy Gaskell) with him because he's not being careful at all. He's still mad about Nina (Sinead Keenan) and the moment he sees her again, he'll be just as much of a mess as he was before. Besides, if he infected Nina, he can infect others, including the daughter! It'll be interesting to see how that sorts itself out.

But, really, it was all about Mitchell. I loved, LOVED the flashback segments. The moment I realized just who the girl was, I felt such joy. It was a perfect moment. Josie (Charlene McKenna) was the love of Mitchell's life until now. She allowed him to be himself, to not feel the urge to feed. The notion that Lucy (Lyndsey Marshall) is going to replace that is hilarious - she doesn't have the same kind of compassion for one man that Josie had. Lucy sees the entire race and their place in society. Frankly, Mitchell's had problems ever since it became about his people and not just about himself. Killing that cop is going to have some pretty awful consequences. What those are, I can't really say yet, but things are about to get worse, and they were already pretty bad.

So where does it go from here? Annie still can't be seen, George has become practically manic and blind to sense, Nina is still in the hands to those insane people, and Mitchell is holding back chaos with Scotch tape. What do you think will happen next?

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?

Being Human - S02E03

Oh my God! What an episode. The perfect mix of WTF moments and sweet calmness. George (Russell Tovey) and Annie (Lenora Crichlow) got to bring on the touching, human moments that gave us a laugh which Mitchell (Aidan Turner) has got himself in a world of trouble while trying to prevent total chaos. But none of that could compare to the surprise reveal in the last moments.

Thank you, writers, for the sweet subplot of Hugh (Nathan Wright) and his ex-girlfriend whom he obviously still loved. Annie and George tried to get their minds off their own troubles - that the other side will likely eventually drag Annie to her full death and that Nina (Sinead Keenan) took off - by helping to reunite the two former lovers. Naturally, the best plan ever was for George to try to take the girl on the worst date ever and send her running back to Hugh. I laughed a lot as their plans were foiled because everything horrible was something she liked, and then my heart swelled as George confessed his feelings for Nina to her, actually accomplishing their goal.

But as sweet and charming as all of that was, Mitchell's business is awful. Covering up murders, and using murder to do it, threatening children, and bashing out the teeth of disobeying vampires. Now that is cruelty and violence. But when he was proclaimed King of the Vampires, a role I can't imagine he truly wants, and he had to take it because the alternative to all that violence and cruelty was utter chaos. Poor, poor Mitchell.

At least we got that lovely moment when Mitchell and George let out all their emotions, angry because the television program they wanted to watch had switched its schedule. That was brilliant.

But if all the above wasn't bad enough, Nina is with those horrible people who are going to experiment on her. And Lucy (Lyndsey Marshal), Mitchell's new friend from work, is the doctor mastermind behind the entire operation. Last season, things were difficult, but the danger wasn't nearly so interminable.

Which option do you think is worse? The control over the chaos, as Mitchell sees it, the chaos which might ensue otherwise, or Lucy's vision of a world without monsters, even if they must all be killed through experimentation to "cure" them?

Being Human - S02E02

Being Human remains on the darker side of things, threatening chaos not only for our favourite vampire, werewolves, and ghost, but for the entirety of humanity as well. The power vacuum left in the wake of Herrick's death seems to be about as bad for the world as it would have been had his plans been allowed to go forth. And if things in vampire territory look bad, the werewolves still aren't happy and the ghost realm are really unimpressed with Annie (Lenora Crichlow).

What is it with Annie and her terrible taste in men? It's like she looks at any nice and normal guy and dismisses him because he doesn't have some terrible and dark desire to sexually assault her. Now, in Saul (Alex Lanipekun)'s case, it's hard to say how much of the violence was really him. After all, he was manipulated by the other side, sent back to live long enough to find Annie, though clearly mentally disturbed, and when he got himself in another car accident at their request, he eventually stopped himself from trying to drag her through the portal with him. So perhaps he was just a nice normal guy before they got to him...though would Annie have been interested in him if that had been the case?

Regardless, the ghost world is after Annie, and she's been reduced to invisibility again. What will have to happen, have to change, before she gets her solidity back?

Mitchell (Aidan Turner) seems to be living the most normal life out of the three of them. He's not drinking, he's flirting not entirely awkwardly with Lucy (Lyndsey Marshal), and the problems that surround him aren't his personally, but there are so many problems surrounding him. Ivan (Paul Rhys) is a constant reminder of what could happen to the world if vampires aren't contained, and his vampire friend from 10 years before accidentally ate his lover. Keeping his existence, all of their existences, a secret is becoming more and more of a priority for him.

Sadly Nina (Sinead Keenan) can't see this at all. The most recent to join the supernatural state, she can't understand all the problems that come with their existence, the back door methods which must be taken to keep the humans safe and in ignorance. It is so sad that she felt forced to leave George (Russell Tovey), but worse that it now seems she will end up in the metaphorical claws of Kemp (Donald Sumpter). And the only thing we've learnt about his operation is that part of the reason he hasn't simple locked up the household yet is because he is interested in studying the interactions between the type 1s, the type 2s and the type 3s.

At least we got one good laugh when Mitchell realized that his ability to talk with girls was beginning to rival George's for failure. What moment made you smile?

Being Human - S02E01

Season 2 starts out a whole lot darker than Season 1. There were still some lighter moments, but between setting up the tensions for this season and sorting out those that remained from last, there wasn't a lot of time for those simple moments when George (Russell Tovey), Mitchell (Aidan Turner), and Annie (Lenora Crichlow) could just relax together on the couch and have a laugh.

When the episode begins, we immediately learn that Nina (Sinead Keenan) has moved into the house, but that she and George are not getting on well. They aren't having sex, they aren't talking to each other, they are both just harbouring building resentment. We know that Nina's issue isn't so much that George is a werewolf, but that he scratched her and she may well be one too, but George has no idea about this.

He's also basically going on a bender, enjoying the part of himself that is the wolf, and becoming more and more aggressive, less and less the George we've come to know.

If tensions at home aren't bad enough, two vampires - old friends of Mitchell's - show up to see the chaos that they believe will ensue after the death of Herrick. I still haven't quite got a read on the man and what he wants, but the girl is vulnerable and violent and does everything on a whim. She seduces George, offering sex (which he has been missing) and permission to give into his violent side. And he does give in. Later, however, when he finds her in the hospital preparing to kill an old woman he learns is her daughter, we discover that she hasn't been able to get over everything about the life she had 80 years ago, and George finally realizes what's important to him.

Mitchell and Annie did get some lighter moments. Mitchell's met a new colleague who's got a life about as shitty as his and could use a friend, while Annie decided to get a job in a pub. I really loved her 3-year-plan for the pub, and the negotiations to hire her. Gave me the laugh I needed at that point in the episode. But most of the time it seemed as though the 4 friends were simply lashing out to hurt each other because they couldn't contain their own hurt.

Nina, it turns out, is also a werewolf. The morning after her transformation, she and George really get into it, and most of what they are saying is trying to hurt. Finally Nina plays the trump card and tells George he's infected her with the curse. She hadn't wanted to tell him because the news would have destroyed the old George but this new George is such a prick that it doesn't seem to matter anymore.

In the end, though, they make up. There's something typical and tragic about the image where George is bawling his eyes out over his grief of having done what he did to Nina while she holds him, comforting him, but it's really a necessary step for him to be able to help her. She needs to grant him permission to try to repair what he has done, something that he can't ever undo, and he can't do anything for her until she allows this.

By the end, all seems well as George has returned to us, he and Nina are together again, and Mitchell, Annie and George pledge to help her figure out how to be part of this world. But there is an image from the night of the transformation which is burned in my mind, one of a werewolf not transforming but bleeding out throughout some sort of medical experiment. It doesn't matter how happy our heroes look, staring up at the sky surrounded by joy, because something ominous is lurking nearby.

All I can say is that I hope that we don't lose the lighter moments. While I appreciate the darkness, we need a reminder of what it is they are fighting for - the chance to watch Casablanca and see where Mitchell knocked over a bench.

Being Human - S01E06 - Season Finale

The Season 1 finale ends with the message that self-sacrifice and love are what makes us human, but no matter how hard we try, we'll probably still hurt the people we love at some point in some way. Also, there are things out there that are probably more frightening then a funeral parlor full of vampires. I can't wait to see Season 2.

Mitchell (Aidan Turner) is rushed to the hospital in at attempt to save his life after Herrick (Jason Watkins) stabbed him in the chest with a stake. George (Russell Tovey) and Annie (Lenora Crichlow) accompany him. That's right, Annie decided not to go through the door to the next world, refusing to leave Mitchell in such a state. Although it would have been quite a shocker if she had left the world (and thus the show), I'm glad they kept her. It wouldn't be the same if George and Mitchell had to find a new ghost.

Mitchell, with his vampire abilities, healed rather quickly, but he was not regaining strength at a particularly fast pace. He knew that he had to stop Herrick and the vampire uprising, as did his friend Josie (Clare Higgins). She convinced him that she wanted him to take her blood, her life (which was almost over anyways, due to a terrible cancer) so that he could save them all. Still, he was weak, and most likely Herrick was going to kill him anyway. Trying to save Annie and George, he challenged Herrick to a duel.

The funny thing about a group of such dedicated friends - they are all so willing to sacrifice themselves for each other. Mitchell would die for the chance that George and Annie would continue on without him, and as angry as Annie was about it, George simply went behind his back to do the same thing. Only George was pretty sure he wouldn't be the one dying.

When Herrick arrived for the confrontation, he discovered himself locked in the basement with George, moments before the wolf came out.

Now this could have been enough of a conflict, but who doesn't want more if they can have it? Annie, having gained strange new powers to hear other ghosts and be a focal point, saved all the human victims kept as snacks in the funeral parlor and discovered George's deception. She and Mitchell arrived before he transformed to try to convince him not to. He won out, and Mitchell and Annie pulled back only for Nina (Sinead Keenan), who was rather annoyed about George hiding so much from her, to show up and learn his secret. She saw him transform, saw him kill Herrick, and knew that he was doing it for the people he loved.

So things are looking good. Annie's resolved her death, but is gaining new powers now that she's decided to remain in this world as a ghost (possibly) for good. The vampires have been stopped, and George has become very comfortable with who and what he is, plus his girlfriend knows about it so they have no more secrets. As Mitchell put it, perhaps safety is what follows? Nope! Can't have that.

Not only was Nina scratched by George moments before he transformed, most likely meaning she will become a werewolf herself, something for which George will never forgive himself, but there are also some mysterious men asking questions about ghosts, werewolves, and vampires, and their focus seems to be on our little house.

As we wait for season 2, let me know which of the creatures - ghost, werewolf or vampire - you would prefer to be if you had to choose.

Being Human - S01E05

Watching this episode, I couldn't help but compare it to what will probably happen in the American version. British television practices are so different from American ones, starting with things like episode length and going to what British writers/producers are willing to do and what their actors are able to do.

The penultimate episode of the season, a whole lot of set up happens for the season finale. This is common in both countries, but it is the way it happens that is so different. For one thing, to American audiences, a 6 episode season is ridiculously short. 12 is the lowest order expected, though it is usually 13, and 20-25 is expected for most shows. So to have so much happen in 5 episodes, while each episode was properly contained and worked extremely well is quite impressive.

Then we consider the number of important events that happened in the episode

- Annie (Lenora Crichlow) decides to haunt Owen (Gregg Chillin). She not only confronts him at the house, which does not work out so well, but then tried to convince Janey (Sama Goldie) of his guilt, and finally, after some other events which strengthen her resolve, she confronts him backed by George (Russell Tovey) and Mitchell (Aidan Turner). This time she is successful and he confesses.

- Mitchell, meanwhile, has joined back up with the vampires. He's all for their plan, even introducing to an old friend of his who is dying of lung cancer. She points out to him how wrong the plan is, and then he discovers that the vampires are holding humans prisoner to feed on them. When he confronts Herrick (Jason Watkins), the two prepare for a fight to the death.

- George helped Annie with her haunting plan, and was then warned about Mitchell's involvement with the vampires. He and Annie headed out to help their friend, getting into a fight with Seth (Dylan Brown) on the way. Eventually they find Mitchell, but the three are cornered until Lauren (Annabel Scholey) kills Seth and they escape.

-As they are escaping, Lauren convinces Mitchell to end her sorry existence, and he does. And, when the group has recovered at home and forced Owen to confess, Annie's door to the other world appears. But, as she is preparing to go through it, Herrick arrives at the front door and stabs Mitchell in the chest when he opens it. Cliffhanger.

All that happens in one episode, and in the States would likely have been the subject matter for half-a-dozen - the same number of episode of Season 1.

On top of that, choices like killing off Lauren and Seth would not have been made so lightly, as each probably would have had a decent fan base by this point in time and audiences would not have been so keen on it. British television is far more willing to kill off characters if that's what the story requires.

Also, removing Lauren, Seth, and Owen (as well as Janey) from the story in one episode would also never happen. Each of those events could be the climax of one episode, and it would be a waste considering how often American shows end up with filler episodes where nothing actually happens.

Finally, if this were an American show, I wouldn't be so worried at the junction of this cliffhanger. There is NO WAY an American network would kill off either of its main characters, particularly not after purging so many of the secondary ones. Neither Mitchell nor Annie would be in any danger of dying/disappearing. But this is British television we are watching, and I have seen many a show from across the pond where lead characters are killed off because it's what is necessary.

But which is better? Would you rather watch a show with extra episodes, which, while a little predictable, gives you exactly what you want? Or do you want a show that surprises and follows the storyline because of what makes the most sense rather than what makes the most cents?

Being Human - S01E04

Until now, the focus of the series has been how werewolf George (Russell Tovey), vampire Mitchell (Aidan Turner), and ghost Annie (Lenora Crichlow) can live a life were they are as close to human as possible, but this episode reminded up that being human isn't so very far from being a monster.

Last week, we learnt that Owen (Gregg Chillin) had killed Annie, pushing her down the stairs because he was an abusive bastard with a temper. So far, she had always come across as the most human of the roommates, the only factor of difference being that she is dead. Her anger at her discovery manifested itself into poltergeistism, and, unable to control it, she's about as dangerous as Mitchell and George can be. Not to worry, by the end of the episode, a ritual burning of the possessions which reminded her of her former relationship not only helped calm her but have also resulted in normal people being able to see her clearly again. Confident and powerful, Annie now has the power of reminding her monster boyfriend what really bumps in the night.

George, meanwhile, obsessed continually over his relationship with Nina (Sinead Keenan). Was he wearing the right shirt? Would she prefer the wolf to him? Wasn't she safer without him? He tried to break it off, to protect her, but neither he nor she was completely able to give up on the other. In the end, while George was still not able to share his secret, Nina showed him her stomach. It was covered in scars which looked to be tissue repair after burning. Apparently humans did that to her, so how much worse could a werewolf who genuinely cared about her be?

Finally, Mitchell was living an almost perfectly human life, not even reacting to the sight of blood anymore, but one mistake destroyed it. Granted, people interacting with children ought to be a lot more careful, and if they are hiding pornographic videos in their collection, they should make sure none of those are lent to children, but in the end it was still a mistake.

The entire street turned against the household, accusing them of being pedophiles and refusing to serve them in the local shops. They threw garbage on the doorstep and smashed windows with bricks. Refusing to listen to reason or explanations, the mass turned into a mob, as eager to destroy as the mobs in monster movies.

In the end, it worked out - the death of the child forced the mother to finally listen to what her son had been telling him. But the child was still dead, and Mitchell found himself again embittered towards men.

Fighting one's true nature is never easy, but seeing constant reasons that make the fight seem pointless...well, that's even more complicated. Mitchell has relapsed, again, and Annie is just as set against humans...well, at least one particular human, as he is. With two episodes of season 1 remaining, what will the consequences be?

Being Human - S01E03

Some episodes of Being Human revolve around a story which involves all three leads, and other episodes tell three separate stories but do an excellent job of tying them together through their connection to the house. This was such an episode, accomplishing major developments for Annie (Lenora Crichlow), Mitchell (Aidan Turner), and George (Russell Tovey).

Mitchell sort of kind of fell off the wagon again. Offered the possibility of sex and blood without the risk of harming his partner, Mitchell and Lauren (Annabel Scholey) connected. The colour of their eyes remained black for much of the time, and Mitchell admitted to having watched the vampire porn movie dozens of times. In most mythologies, vampirism is strongly associated with sexual desire, and that is very present in Being Human.

George, meanwhile, finally had dinner with Nina (Sinead Keenan), thanks to Mitchell who arranged the whole thing. When they started getting physical, George panicked as the wolf emerged and he backed off. Nina would have none of it, and the next day, the day of the full moon, she insisted on having a conversation with him about his issues. Gotta love how direct and straight forward Nina is. She sees a problem, she wants a solution, and she gets one. Of course, all her talk about other ways to pleasure a lady got George in such a state that he took her passionately before running to lock himself in the basement for the night. It seems that if he could control himself so soon before his transformation was to occur, then he could control himself the rest of the time too.

Finally Annie had the most important story in the episode. Not only did she meet Gilbert (Alex Price), an 80s ghost who taught her about the importance of resolving your issues so you could cross to the next world, but she also suffered the pain of "living" through what was to be her wedding day. Still, she launched herself into the project of being a proper wife to Owen (Gregg Chillin), assuming that is what she need to do. Instead, she was distressed to discover that Owen had caused her death when he pushed her down the stairs. Makes you think about the previous episode, when Tulley grabbed her arm and she called him Owen. Instead of a romantic association, it was certainly one of being manhandled.

The mystery, of course, is that Annie did not move on after her discovery. For Gilbert, the simple act of meeting Annie, loving her, and telling her so was enough to bring him a door to the next world, but Annie stayed put. At least the plumbing problems in the house, most likely caused by Annie's subconscious connection to the house, are over. Will she resolve her death and be able to move on? And do we really want her to?

Being Human - S01E02

Admitting what you are is the first step to accepting, controlling, and being happy with who you are. Mitchell (Aidan Turner) denies his nature as much as George (Russell Tovey) does; the difference is that Mitchell has to be aware of his denial every single moment, while George's denial temporarily allows him to forget what he is. Annie (Lenora Crichlow) has no problem admitting that she is a ghost, but she has blocked out her reasons for staying behind far more definitively that either George or Mitchell.

When Tully (Dean Lennox Kelly) shows up, offering to help George learn to deal with his problem, George is terrified at first. He's not particularly good at letting people into his life in the first place, and this man, also a werewolf, reminds him every moment of what he is. Yet he quickly starts to see the advantages. Tully knows how to take care of himself in the forest, has tricks to protect the werewolf from detection, and to protect people from encountering it. He's charming and hitting on women comes so easily to him, and he accepts who he is and wants George to do the same. Mitchell, as much as he wants George to admit what he is and to become comfortable with it, does not want George to give in to that nature anymore than he wants to give into his own.

Of course, to those of us with discerning tastes, Tully comes across as a creep. Sure, he's charming, but his seduction is too intent. Any intelligent girl would reject his comments, as Nina (Sinead Keenan) does when George tries to use them on her. It's not just that George lacks smoothness, it's also that those lines only work on someone unused to any kind of flattery.

And when he tries to seduce Annie, an act that comes across far more like assault than romance, well, let's just say that Mitchell should maybe have killed the werewolf rather than let him stick around.

Still, George needed time to realize what a jerk Tully was. He knew that he didn't exactly like what he was turning into, and he knew that he didn't like how comfortable Tully was with what he was becoming, but when he learned that Tully was the werewolf who had attacked him, that his tricks didn't always work and that he was happy to have made another creature in his image, well, that George couldn't stomach at all. That's the problem with a nice guy like George. He's so easy to manipulate and so wants to hold on to things tightly that more often then not he says something he really regrets. Good thing he is able to make it up to his friends.

Meanwhile, Mitchell's attempts to ignore his blood lust suffer as Lauren (Annabel Scholey) refuses to allow him to do so. She shows up, she taunts him, and she sends him a very disturbing vampire-porno movie. And as much as he wants to shut that part of him up in a box, he really can't forget about it...even if Lauren wasn't trying so hard to keep the thought at the front of his mind.

Finally, Annie. In some ways, it didn't seem like her story developed much in this episode. Yet, that assumption would be wrong. Her relationship with Tully and her responses to it may well be very telling, and her decision to leave the house, terrified, because for once she felt safer to be outside than within also show progress.

Three rich characters, each getting proper attention, continue to give us fantastic episodes.

Being Human - Pilot, S01E00

Again, I really think that watching the first episode of season 1 and then watching this pilot makes a lot more sense. What happened in this episode isn't entirely taken back, but much of it is covered again in the proper premiere. It's still entertaining to watch, and it shows us how George (Russell Tovey) and Mitchell (played by Guy Flanagan in the pilot) meet Annie (played by Andrea Riseborough at the time).

In the episode, George and Mitchell decide to find a place to live together. It's not clear where Mitchell is living, but George is staying in a hostel. We get a little bit of humour as George comes across as slightly effeminate and the real estate agent believes that the pair are a couple. Although George is surprise by the assumption, Mitchell is amused and plays it up. I actually thing that Tovey and Flanagan had great chemistry. About as good as that Tovey has with Aidan Turner (who now plays Mitchell).

It turns out that their apartment is haunted by Riseborough's Annie, who comes across as a lot more intense than the Annie portrayed by Lenora Crichlow. Frankly, I found Riseborough exhausting. There is never a moment where she is calm. Perhaps it was the nature of the episode, but I'm glad she was replaced because I think she would have driven me batty.

Other than the discovery of how the 3 became roommates, we also see Mitchell turn Lauren (then played by Dominique McElligott). His uncertainty over whether he successfully turned her shows how little he planned on biting her in the first place, and his guilt foreshadows Turner's Mitchell's decision to let Becka die for her own sake.

The most important arch, and the one that luckily was portrayed by the returning actor, is George's encounter with his ex, Julia (Claire Foy). Mentioned in the premiere, we actually get to see George go through to pain of seeing her again, with the added poignancy of her inability to deal with his curse. Worse, of course, were the moments when he thought she was going to be locked in with him while he turned.

In the end, I do prefer the changes that were made, the world that is presented in Season 1, but it is also a treat to be able to watch some of the events which are only mentioned once the episode is left behind.

Being Human - S01E01

Although a pilot for Being Human was shot and aired, I feel that talking about (and watching) the first episode of Season 1 first makes the most sense. The pilot involved mostly different actors, and getting a little background on the characters through it works, but it might set up different expectations than are present in the full series.

The premise, of course, is one of sheer genius. A werewolf, a vampire, and a ghost are roommates. How fantastic is that? But Being Human goes beyond the challenges of a simple, supernatural show, questioning what changes there former humans need to make, as well as allowing us, the viewers, to question our own reactions to life.

As high-minded as the show can get, it is also hilarious. George (Russell Tovey), the resident werewolf, has to find himself a hideout for his time of the month. Annie (Lenora Crichlow) points out that she's glad she no longer has to suffer through that experience, when she was moody and liable to bite someone's head off...George might literally do just that. And when George finds his usual sanctuary full of people, he runs madly through the woods, running into dozens of people, only to end up back in their own home.

The premiere also gives us origin stories - George was on vacation in Scotland when he was attacked. He was only scratched, thus he lived, now cursed. Annie fell down a flight of stairs and broke her neck. She left behind her fiancé. We get to meet Owen (Gregg Chillin), and although he seems to have formed an attachment with another woman whom Annie hates, the love that both of them felt when they were alive comes across as warm and deep. Finally, Mitchell (Aidan Turner) was turned into a vampire to save his company during the war. Which war it was, the First or the Second, I'm not certain, although I get the impression it was the first.

Mitchell tries to resist his vampire roots, but not long ago he killed and turned Lauren (Annabel Scholey) whom he and George worked with. She is resentful, and your typical newly turned vamp. She wants vengeance on Mitchell, and goes after a new friend he made, forcing him to either allow the girl to die, or to turn her as well. Mitchell refuses to make her a monster like him, and Lauren leaves, blaming the incident on Mitchell.

I think the most revealing part of the encounter is that Lauren is unable to take responsibilities for her own actions. Despite her repeatedly stated desire to cause harm, she refuses to be blamable. It's all Mitchell's fault and has nothing to do with her...perhaps she's not as far gone as one might imagine.

So there you have it. 3 "monsters" trying to live a "normal" existence while dealing with their own personal issues. Annie is a ghost because she has unresolved issues, which may have something to do with the fiance she never got to marry. George wants to contain his inner beast, and Mitchell needs to fight himself every day to not be what every vampire is, while resenting himself for the mistakes he's made - like turning Lauren.

It's complex and full, and fantastic.