Being Human (UK)

Starting off not too long after the first series conclusion Mitchell and George are jumped by two vampires, Ivan and Daisy, two old war tourist types and Ivan has a message for Mitchell regarding the danger of the Bristol vampires being without a leader now that Herrick is gone. Professor Jaggat and her old friend fellow bug the flat to observe the three, George and Nina face couples' hardship and a rough decision is made after a discovery is made on the count of Nina and Annie. George, fresh off the kill of Herrick is still having trouble coping with what he did. Good intro, albeit darker than typical but the new characters such as Ivan and this Professor Jaggat promise to bring quite a bit of external conflict for our heroes.

I really liked Georges personality change, it was well used to show what he had gone through with killing a man (Herrick) and all he needed was for someone to be there for him and to understand, and who better to be there for him than his now werewolf girlfriend as they can now support each other.



I loved the fact that George has developed an anger and rage now that he never had before unless he transformed, he is no longer the scared weakling anymore and wants to fight even when he has not transformed, fair enough he is not very strong at all and needs to work on his fighting skills but it's a good to see him sticking up for himself now.



I am intriqued by the guy who Annie took home from the pub, there is something strange about him, even the barman did not want Annie to mess around with him, and the "Gas leak" team turned up at there door not long after Anie brought the guy home, so seems a bit fishy to me.

Someone grab a box of Kleenex, everyone has a good aul cry in this episode. Well, almost everyone. Mitchell just feels a tad insignificant. Bless 'em.



It feels only right that this hour delved deeper and darker than what we've seen of this show previously. After garnering quite a following, season 2 has had some serious buzz surrounding it in the geek world, and so everyone had to up their game and, thankfully, everyone has, without sacrificing what made the series feel different, feel special, in the first place.



A lot of things are tackled head on, actually. There's none of that US let's-drag-it-out-for-four-episodes nonsense. We find out fairly quickly that Nina is indeed a werewolf, wereboobs and all. She's quickly becoming a new fave, but more on that later. And we get a gruesome insight into what that old man from last season's finale is up to (his name escapes me, obviously). I got some heavy Watcher vibes off of him, only, ya know, a little more grisly. That compression chamber was nasty stuff!



As for our leads, Annie gets the short straw in terms of development, but I didn't mind all that much. The same happened in the pilot. Although I must admit, her 'humorous' moments felt a little forced, and quite frankly, alien, in such a dark, dark episode. Have I mentioned this episode is Dark? George, our second in command of comic relief, is cheating on his girlfriend, enjoying his transformations, and acting a right aul git to his friends. I know it's that time of the month, but Herrick was a vampire, a murderer, and not exactly human, so I doubt its grief or shock he's feeling, but more so guilt because he reveled in the kill.



We're introduced to two new vamps in this episode, Ivan and Daisy. They're no Spike and Drusilla, but they certainly intrigued me, especially Daisy. But that may have something to do with her sexual advances towards George. There's an affable quality to her that's lethal, if you get what I mean. I'm not sure I even get what I mean, but I enjoy how bonkers she comes across one minute, cheerful the next, raunchy and then somewhat human towards the end screaming, 'I'm not like you!' at George. Ivan, well, ehm, Ivan seems to be the laconic half of the duo.



I've always liked Nina, but never considered her to be main character material. I was clearly dead wrong, cos this is mostly her episode, and it didn't feel like the other leads were being shorthanded, her gradual interaction with everyone felt natural. I really liked her transformation scene with Anne, and I loved that Annie was just sitting their crying and terrified. The transformation process is not pretty. I highly enjoyed the mixed-up Buffy reference, too. Nina's fight with George was so brutally honest, and magnificently acted by Russell and Sinead.



Feeling a little groggy, so I better wrap this up. We're already expanding on the supernatural lore, as we see some sort of humanized EMF scan the apartment, very cool. Why was that guy who Annie brought home taking so many pills? Is he another supe? And I already have a strong feeling Lucy is of the not so good variety. I think she works for the Council (I'm sorry, that's what they'll be until their name is revealed). All in all, a great episode. Oh, and dark too!

I wasn't the biggest fan of the first season of "Being Human". The first few episodes felt a little forced to me, especially the comedic elements that were tossed into the mix. The story was always much better when it focused on the tensions within the supernatural community, and once Herrick's plot to take control became the primary focus, the show was much better for it.



In that respect, I wasn't all that thrilled with the main characters. Mitchell was fine, since he was mostly tied to the vampire plot. Annie and George, on the other hand, were less consistently. Annie had her deeper moments, but she tends to be flighty from my perspective. George was just too bumbling at times; his relationship with Nina and his role in the resolution of the first season arc was his saving grace.



So it's probably not surprising that I enjoyed the portions of the premiere that dealt with the fallout of Herrick's demise and George's psychological fallout from committing murder. And, of course, his accidental infection of Nina. I love the idea that Herrick's death will spill into various repercussions. And I liked Daisy quite a bit!



I'm also intrigued by this organization that has taken it upon themselves to handle the threat posed by supernatural creatures. It's a bit of a standard take on the idea, of course, but it always seems to pat when humanity is completely unaware of the true existence of these creatures, when they interact with society on a regular basis. Sooner or later, enough people will recognize the situation and act to eliminate a threat, regardless of whether a more peaceful solution might be found.



Still, in the end, Annie is my least favorite character. Her subplot was more silly than serious, and that grated on my nerves. I know some were likely thankful for the comic relief, given how dark the second season is already, but I suppose I just haven't warmed to the character yet. I also suspect that it's the actress that is failing to sell the character.