Spoilers. Quite a muddled episode, but there was enough to enjoy -- even when the whole thing floundered in its attempt to morph into a thrilling actioner. Being Human doesn't have the temperament to be convincing in that respect, and a few of the dramatic moments towards the end fizzled out under the strain.It didn't help that episode 5 focused on the uneven vampire plot-strand that's been woven throughout the series, with Mitchell (Aidan Turner) having decided to rejoin Herrick (James Watkins) and his fellow vamps -- having become sorely disappointed by humanity recently (see: last week's paedophile witch-hunt misunderstanding.) The tipping point for Mitchell's change of heart wasn't really strong enough for me to buy into the idea of him turning his back on mankind, though -- and, to be honest, I don't feel that Being Human has done enough to draw a big distinction between "humans" and "monsters". George (Russell Tovey) and Annie (Lenora Crichlow) are particularly close to being regular people -- George only turns lupine once a month, and Annie is more corporeal than supernatural (touchable, audible, newly visible.)
Writer/creator Toby Whithouse made a wise decision to ensure antagonist vampire Herrick wasn't much of a stereotype (certainly not as clichéd as the original pilot's wine-quaffing Adrian Lester), so having a diminutive fruity-voiced villain has been quite intriguing. Unfortunately, this episode demanded we see Herrick's true colours as a terrifying fanged monster, and Watkins just didn't have it in him. Cue a few silly camera-zooms as Watkins gurns in constipation with a mouth full of rubber teeth. For a show that does an impressive job copying An American Werewolf In London's transformation sequence on a low budget, it's disappointing that more care and attention couldn't have been placed on making Herrick's clique of neck-biters genuinely threatening and scary. I'd have loved to see some 30 Days Of Night-style creatures rattle the audience.
Still, it was good fun meeting Mitchell's ex-girlfriend Josie (Hellraiser's Clare Higgins), a woman he dated in the '60s who's now middle-aged with terminal lung cancer. The moral question of the episode concerns sparing humans untimely death, in return for a cursed immortal life. Slowly, with the help of Josie, Mitchell comes to realize that Herrick's masterplan (to turn everyone into vampires; ending hunger, illness and death) goes against the very thing that makes us human: the certainty of death. Josie's tempted by Mitchell's offer to turn her into a vampire to save her life, but ultimately refuses. Meanwhile, Mitchell gets confirmation that Herrick's plan isn't so benign after all -- when he discovers a basement in the funeral parlour containing anemic imprisoned people the vampires are feeding on. Indeed, come Herrick's revolution, a small portion of the world's population will be kept human to nourish their vampire overlords.
A subplot for Annie once again wobbles from dramatic and stirring to irritating and weak; as she prepares to make her presence known to ex-fiancé Owen (Gregg Chillin) and spook him into confessing to her murder. However, Annie's haunting doesn't prove very effective (Owen actually scoffs at the fact death was no barrier for his dead fiancée's sulkiness)... so Annie instead turns her attention on Owen's new girlfriend, Janey (Sama Goldie).
Again, there wasn't much for George to do, which is always a shame, as even the brief scenes we're given between George and girlfriend Nina (Sinead Keenan) are more interesting and appealing than everything else put together. Towards the end, George and Annie join forces to rescue Mitchell from the vampire's lair -- a sequence that starts off being quite amusing because of their ineptitude, but increasingly disappoints as it chugs along. Lauren (Annabel Scholey) got a few redemptive moments -- helping them escape by staking an assailant, then begging Mitchell to kill her in an alleyway as they race home -- but it all felt very forced and unearned.
In the final scene, Owen confronts his three tenants at their home, where they reveal their true nature in a triangle of solidarity. Owen finally feels threatened, but is tipped over the edge into abject fear by a "secret" whispered in his ear by Annie (which we never hear, so can only speculate on), and immediately heads to the local police station to confess to her murder (where his babble about a vampire, ghost and werewolf may even get him committed!)
The expulsion of Owen from Annie's life has the desired effect of opening a door to the afterlife for Annie to walk through, but before she can leave... the moment is interrupted by a knocking at the front door, which Mitchell answers -- only to receive a stake in the chest from Herrick on his doorstep (a badly-handled moment that came off as silly when it should have been shocking.) So, will Annie stay behind to help her injured friend, or take her chance to terminate her ghostly existence? No prizes.
Overall, this wasn't disastrous, but raking over a threadbare vampire masterplan didn't unearth anything new for audiences, Herrick wasn't frightening in fang-bearing mode (as expected, but I had hope for a surprise), Lauren's demise just felt rushed and anticlimactic, the action beats were laboured, and Mitchell was still too damn likeable even after returning to the vampire fold. That man has no edge. The few bright spots (any George scene, the hissable Owen's comeuppance) weren't enough to tip the scales in the episode's favour. Here's hoping the Being Human gets its groove back for the finale next Sunday...
22 February 2009
BBC Three, 9pm
Writer: Toby Whithouse
Director: Colin Teague
Cast: Lenora Crichlow (Annie), Aidan Turner (Mitchell), Russell Tovey (George), Annabel Scholey (Lauren), Jason Watkins (Herrick), Sinead Keenan (Nina), Dylan Brown (Seth), Sama Goldie (Janey), Gregg Chillin (Owen) & Clare Higgins (Josie)
