Being Human S03E01 - massive spoilers

[gina_r_snape]

Yeah, alright. I'm in a sad funky mood and work is weird today what with clients complaining about the cold and the multiple people hospitalized over the weekend and the physical discomfort of wearing multiple layers to protect myself from the window draft. And I've got at least one conversation going on this topic, so I might as well just do a separate entry just on the season opener of Being Human. So who watched it last night?

As I said in my previous entry, I've got mixed feelings about it. I have shipped Annie/Mitchell since series one. I think they could be good for one another. I think there's rich material for exploration there in their journeys through life as undead. As they explore aspects of their humanity and their false sense of immortality. I think they are both very intense in their own ways and that translates well both in terms of character relations and on-screen chemistry.

But what was that about Mitchell's gauntlet before rescuing Annie? It was a bit anticlimactic in the end. The whole business with Mitchell revisiting his killings has been done soooo many times in television. I'm still not entirely sure what he was supposed to learn from it. He knows he has a dark side. He knows he has a struggle. He knows he can be both victim and perpetrator. He knows he took a risk coming to find Annie. Was he meant to go through a gauntlet just for the sake of "you can't come to the other side without facing something." Was it just a matter of principle?

Now he's been given the "fate" line with the intention of putting a wedge between him and his werewolfy mates. Are we meant to spend the next several episodes in dread? Is he? Are we meant to struggle with the whole fate vs free will debate? Or are they just trying, as dramas do, to mess with the secure relationships? I prefer character-driven stories over plot-driven stories. So this may turn out to be one of my sticking points this season.

As iddewes pointed out, moving the show to Wales ..." just will remind people of Torchwood and Dr Who..."

And that it did - completely. Having Kai Owen didn't exactly stop us from having Torchwood thoughts either, did it? I'm guessing the choice of relocation was less about the narrative and more about the budget, though. But how conveniently coincidental that there's a massive underground culture of vampires and werewolf father and son in residence. Obviously they are going to drive the narrative. It felt a bit formulaic though. And how will Herrick's resurrection play into this? I got chills rewatching that. He's a good protagonist. He really is.

George and Nina. I love their dynamic. I really do. They care for each other deeply. They are patient with one another. They can laugh off sexual mishaps and not lose sight of what's important. And the bit about them having sex while in werewolf form was LOLtastic. But am I to assume Nina got a job that easily at a hospital in Wales? Or do I assume she went back to Bristol? Did I miss something? It really threw me off, even if it was a genius idea to find a dying patient so they could access a portal. And I even like how death has a bureaucracy - that a religious zealot could mess up the system forcing Annie through the wrong door. I loved that George was able to gently guide the guy who died, and Mitchell's impatience being tempered. Plus, George's Jewish prayer was such a great touch. Not only because it pissed off Mitchell, but it reminded us of George's roots. Plus, I just like seeing Jewish characters on British tv as they are so few and far between.

There's so much commentary here about faith and dignity and what's the right thing to do and the ways in which humanity messes up a system that is larger than us. And yet, there's also a celebration of what brings us together. Those are the strengths of this series when it's at its best.

So the moment that moved me the most was George breaking into tears when he thought Annie wasn't coming back. It felt genuine. It really did. Russell Tovey may not be far from George in person, but that was a fine bit of acting.

Still, I felt the pacing was off. I found myself becoming impatient (especially with Mitchell's purgatory gauntlet). I felt no tension with the cage fight scene. And even George getting arrested didn't do much for me because having him transform last series in front of all those children really took that to an emotional edge for me. So this felt like a weak threat in comparison.

Is it possible that series two was SO good that they've already played their best hands? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.