Contributor: John Keegan
Written by Tom Grieves
Directed by N/A
I’ve not been particularly pleased with this series of “Being Human”, and with it already halfway through, there’s not a lot of time for the writers to turn me around on it. There’s also that small matter of momentum: shows that have an extended strong or weak run of episodes will inevitably be seen in a more positive or negative light. So it’s even harder, after a while, for a show to pull out of the downward spiral.
Bringing back Adam was probably not the best idea. As a minor character during the third series, he was irritating. But since he was quickly shunted off into the online spinoff “Becoming Human”, I was able to ignore him once he was off my screen. But here he is, back again, and just as irritating as he was the first time around.
And he brings in tow Yvonne, headmistress of a girls’ school, who has been scandalized by her affair with Adam. Somehow, Yvonne has missed the fact that she’s not particularly attractive, yet has gained a number of suitors over the years, many defying expectation. Of course, as we never see the courtship between Adam and Yvonne, there’s no reason for us to care.
More to the point, since Yvonne can see Annie right from the start, it’s obvious that there’s something supernatural about her, even if she doesn’t seem to know anything about the supernatural world. As soon as Tom starts exactly besotted, it’s even more obvious what is going on. Considering that’s very early in the episode, the rest of the time is spent waiting for the characters to remember the basic rules of their world and what they normally act like.
If this sounds contrived, that’s because it is. Yvonne is part-succubus, something that “Lost Girl” has done so much better that it makes this treatment feel tired and worn in comparison. But more importantly, this is done to get someone into the B&B and stir up trouble, which would be somewhat likely and even credible, if the main character hadn’t just dealt with a stranger slipping past their defenses to get to Eve in the episode just before this! (And since it was the same writer, that’s even more of a puzzling oversight!)
I can understand Annie being fooled and unable to see the pattern; she’s been written as such as vacuous idiot that common sense needn’t apply. And Tom is affected early, so his perception is understandably warped. But how does that explain Hal, who was the one most skeptical of Kirby in the previous episode? For an Old One, he’s lacking in proper paranoia, and he’s old enough that he ought to know better.
The subplot with the photographer was equally egregious. Never mind that most people would dismiss whatever claim was being made; what kind of fool remembers to paint a crucifix on the door, but doesn’t wear one himself? And then all but invites a trapped vampire to kill him? That Cutler’s propaganda plan relies on people like Pete undermines what little logic there is behind the ploy.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 1/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 5/10
