Contributor: John Keegan
Written by Lisa Randolph
Directed by Adam Kane
As the penultimate episode of the season, it makes sense that this installment would deliver a few punches, while setting the stage for a killer finale. As usual, the writers exceed my expectations by dragging the characters, and by extension the audience, through the wringer. It’s a bit exhausting, but it’s also one of the best shows on television right now.
I was very surprised by Henry’s loyalty to Aidan. The writers did a perfect job of setting him up as Aidan’s adversary, but instead, he was the catalyst for Aidan to reconsider his choices. Suren’s inability to handle the slightest inconvenience certainly didn’t help. As mentioned in my review for the previous episode, Aidan and Suren’s runaway plan was all too similar to young lovers who think they just need to get away for everything to be perfect, only to find that the first obstacles drive them apart.
Of course, while this provisionally allows Aidan to return to Boston, so long as he avoids vampire society, there’s still the little detail of whether or not Mother will be content to let that happen. Will Suren decide that it would be better to eliminate Aidan, if only to remove a reminder of a life she cannot have? I wouldn’t put it past her or Mother to keep Aidan on the hit list.
I had a feeling that Julia was not going to be long for this world, and sure enough, Josh’s secret killed her, albeit indirectly. Part of me was hoping that Josh would recognize the futility of trying to keep his secret and maintain a normal human relationship, after how things went with Nora, but he is still coming to grips with it. If anything, his visit with Ray gave him the wrong message. Then again, Ray was trying to tell him that it’s about honesty, so it’s still on Josh and his personal issues.
The question is where this will lead him in the finale. Will he just try to pick up the pieces, or will this send him back into Nora’s arms? Worse, will he be so distraught that he might actually make an attempt to kill Ray? I doubt he’s that far gone, but if this season has demonstrated anything, it’s that the characters have no depth to how far they can fall.
Sally doesn’t exactly get off easy. She tries to make amends with Zoe, and seems to be making progress, but then an eclipse comes along and brings back all the ghosts she shredded as the Reaper. Unfortunately, their fate is not as simple as being cast to the winds; they are actually trapped in a hellish limbo, suffering terribly. In fact, there are plenty of souls there, trapped for various reasons, including walking through the wrong door.
While the situation gives Sally a moment of closure with Danny, and Zoe some peace with a heroically deceptive Nick, it opens the door to a ton of other implications. Who knew that there was even such a thing as a “wrong door”? And how is a spirit supposed to know the difference? This is another layer of the ghost side of the mythology that begs for more exploration, especially now that Sally is on a hunt for redemption.
Unlike a lot of other shows, I really have no idea what to expect in terms of a season finale for “Being Human”. In some respects, any of the past few episodes could have been a reasonable season finale, which leaves the door wide open. And perhaps that is best, since trying to anticipate how events will play out this season has been next to impossible, even when it is a consequence that makes perfect sense.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
