Being Human Review: Solo Ventures

Last night’s Being Human saw our three protagonists spend most of the hour going about their separate lives.

Josh (Sam Huntington) awoke the morning after the full moon, having been saved from Hegeman’s bullet by Nora (Kristen Hager) who, in a surprise to no one but her, underwent her first werewolf transformation. Josh finds her sitting on the steps of his house, a little shaken, not really remembering anything that happened. Throughout the episode, their relationship spirals somewhat, Josh dealing with the fact he’s accidentally turned his lover into a monster, and Nora, in a great display of realism in a surreal scenario, is just not handling it well.

They decide to go to Josh’s med school mixer, since he’s re-enrolled and doesn’t want to alienate himself from this new part of his life so quickly. After a few too many drinks, Nora makes an embarrassing display as she cracks about losing the baby and her future chances at having anything normal. Josh wants to drop out and search for a cure, but Nora doesn’t want that responsibility on her shoulders.

Aidan (Sam Witwer) has unearthed Suren (Dichen Lachman), Mother’s daughter and the new ruler of the Boston family. She knows Aidan from the 30s and is expecting the ravager she’s familiar with, and is let down when she learns he’s basically gone vegetarian on her. They argue over with whom to replace Bishop (Mark Pellegrino) at the police department, knowing they need someone to cover up future messes. Suren also knows about Mother’s orders to eliminate Josh, and holds Hegeman’s death over Aidan’s head.

When not dealing with vampire business, Aidan meets a new young doctor interviewing at the hospital for her residency. They reconnect at a bar later, thinking the interview didn’t go so well, and hook up in a back room where Aidan fights a losing battle with his urge to feed.

Sally (Meaghan Rath) starts hanging out with some adolescent ghosts, who show her there are more ways to live than just her newfound dream abilities. They go clubbing and show her how to “take.” Her high school friend warns her that it changes people, and that he has sworn it off. She does it anyway, and gets a taste of what it’s like to feel again. Things go a little too far when one of the other ghosts starts making out with her, and she tries to shove him off, not wanting to abuse this person’s body. Her high school friend rips them both out, because it’s apparently harder to leave than enter, and somehow destroys the other ghost, leaving Sally weakened and gray.

A lot of things came to a point quickly in the first few minutes of this episode. Nora could see Sally now. Sally’s new friends took the house as their hang out spot, with great reactions from Aidan and Josh. Josh owing his life to Nora’s wolf instincts.

Speaking of Nora, it was refreshing to see her newfound plight not go so well. Genre shows have a tendency to rush through the adjustment period, but this is a show about trying to be normal, so it would make sense for her to react in a not-so-positive way. Blurring it with her miscarriage from the end of the first season, an issue she put off dealing with thanks to the revelation her baby’s daddy is a werewolf, who happens to live with other supernatural elements she didn’t think existed, and just scratched her. The revelation that she also remembers her wolf actions may have a bigger role to play as the season goes on. Either way, I’m excited she can see Sally and the two can now interact.

Dichen Lachman plays Suren with a fun, kind of mad vibe reminiscent of Buffy’s Drusilla. She should be good times to watch as her plans for Boston and history with Aidan come to the forefront of things.

Sally’s story was the most intriguing for me, raising all kinds of questions about consent and actions. It’s easy to see how you might become addicted to simple sensations again after losing them, but what lines are okay to cross? Plus, can ghosts still die?

Season 2, Episode 2: “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” (Original airdate January 23, 2012)

Being Human airs Mondays at 9/8c on Syfy.

Find more Poptimal coverage of Being Human here.

 

Images courtesy of Philippe Bosse for Syfy and IMDbPro