Friday, December 30, 2011

Being Human U.K. Season Two, Episode Two: Serve God, Love me and Mend

The episode begins with a flashback to Vienna in the year 1999. Mitchell is tied to a chair.  It seems that this is the beginning of him coming off  blood.  He asks how long drying out is going to take, and Carl tells him that to do it properly, maybe six months. 

At the bar, Saul and Annie are flirting.  George walks in, and Annie introduces him to Saul and Hugh. Annie and Saul are clearly focused on each other, and from the way that Hugh is looking at Annie, it is clear that he is very interested in her.

Back at the hospital, Mitchell is in an elevator with Lucy, the woman he is interested in. He tells her that he does not know how to talk to her and that he knows he came on too strong the other day.  Lucy assures him that the goldfish was the perfect gesture, and that this is the speed that she is comfortable with.  Lucy asks him to go for a coffee, and he says that he is a huge fan of coffee.  When he asks where she is going, Lucy tells him that the paramedics just brought in a body, and that she has to go and declare it.

At the body, Lucy notices that there are puncture wounds on the neck.  The cop in attendance says that it is probably a gay thing. Once again, I see that we have returned to homophobia on the show.  Mitchell listens as he hears that the body has been drained of blood, and Lucy says somewhere in Bristol there is a gay vampire as the cop laughs saying, "I bet he would like to see my full moon."

Back at the house, George brings Nina breakfast in bed.  He brings her a large selection of food and a cigarette, because he has given up the fight on that one.  He gets up to leave, and she asks him to stay because she would feel weird sitting there eating on her own. 

In his home, Saul walks in and turns on the television.  He starts to feel out of sorts and takes some medication.  He hears his name being called and it turns out that, Sir Terry Wogan is talking to him from the television.  He says that he needs to talk to Saul, because he thinks that he and Annie make a smashing couple. When Saul suggests that there is a hidden camera somewhere, Sir Terry Wogan tells him that it is about the corridor.  Sir Terry Wogan says, "Until you had your little accident, I can't say that I paid too much attention, but the minute you walked into that pub, and saw that lovely girl, I knew I had to lend a hand.  Terrence I thought, lend a hand.  And I'm saying tell her about the accident and all of the interesting things that you saw.  It will make you seem special and vulnerable. The ladies go potty for that. Your face, you look like you have seen a ghost."

Back at the house, Mitchell is looking for George. The scene then switches briefly to a recording room where someone is clearly listening to every word that is being said. Mitchell tells Nina, that there is stuff that they can teach her, and she says that she is fine and is just going to move onto plan B. George tells her that he is making sheppards pie, and Nina responds saying that she won't be home 'till late and he answers that it is not a problem, and that she should just pop it in the microwave.  

As soon as Nina leaves, Mitchell tells George about the dead body that came into the hospital that day. "The thing is I know him", Mitchell says. "One of the times I tried to stop drinking blood properly, I was living with this vampire, Carl.  He's been clean for like twenty years".  George being George, immediately gets fussy because Mitchell has lived with someone before him. "Of course I've lived with other people," Mitchell says. "Do you think I've waited the last eighty years for you and your three different types of upholstery cleaner to show up? Anyway, after me, he lived with this other guy, Dan a human, and that's the body that came in." George asks if Carl killed Dan, and Mitchell tells him that Dan and Carl were lovers, and that he does not believe that Carl hurt him.  Okay, I have to take a pause to point out that it only took Being Human U.K.,7 episodes to finally getting around to introducing a gay character.  The writers had no problem with including all sorts of homophobia before this, so this latest addition is hardly something to celebrate, especially considering that it begins with the death of a gay man.  Mitchell tells George that Carl has disappeared, and that anyone could have killed Dan.  George wants to know how it got to the point where there is a body.

Saul returns to the bar and he tells Annie that he almost died.  He says that he had a car accident and that he fell asleep at the wheel. Carl says that he was the only one who was hurt - in fact, he was technically dead for almost 6 minutes.  He tells Annie that when he died there was a bright white corridor and that it was frightening.  He says that there were men with sticks and rope.  Annie tells him that she saw it a few years ago when she was attacked.  He takes her hand and she says, "For years I have wanted to talk to someone about this. What on earth made you tell me?" Annie leans forward and kisses him on the cheek and he smiles. 

There is a knock at the door and its Carl. Carl tells Mitchell that he had been dreaming about blood and it frightened him.  He says that Dan didn't even look frightened, he looked disappointed. Mitchell tells him that this is going to take a bit of handling, and offers to let Carl stay at the house.  George asks why he didn't recruit him, and Dan says, "because he was kind, and if I had, when he came back, he may not have been kind anymore."  George tells Mitchell that Carl is not staying because he is trying to create some semblance of normality. "Mitchell it's not just your house, it's not just your decision", George says but Mitchell tells him that it won't take long.

The mysterious Kemp is kneeling in prayer, when Mark the technician walks in holding a transcript from the house. Mark tells Kemp that there is something that he should look at. They now know that Nina is not just a sympathizer, and that she is in fact a werewolf.  Mark wants to know why they have not been contained. Kemp says this is an opportunity to study them, and that this the first time a ghost, werewolf and vampire have cohabitated.  Kemp still believes however that beasts should be put in cages. Mark points out that the next full moon is in 20 days, and that they don't have a type 3.

At the bar, Annie is going on and on about Saul.  George asks her if she is being careful, and responds  that she is a bit old and dead for contraception concerns. George points out that she already has two blokes chasing after her and that this could get messy. Annie asks George what he means when he says two blokes, and he responds Hugh and Saul.  Annie tells him that Hugh is like a brother to her and George responds, "Oh promise me you won't ever tell him that. Why not just stab him in the face. A brother, Annie, the only man who would want to hear that is your actual brother." Annie denies once again that Hugh sees her that way, and George concedes the point saying that Saul clearly does. Annie tells George that she and Saul have a lot in common, and that she cannot spend the rest of eternity spectating. Is there anyone George will not control?  Annie asks again if he is sure about Hugh, and George responds, "I know that look. I've given people that look, usually while they are giving that look to someone taller." Annie smiles and says to herself, "I've still got it."

Nina walks in and Carl is eating the shepherds pie.  He tells her that he is a friend of Mitchell's and that he is going to stay out of her way.  Carl asks if Mitchell told her why he's there and then says that she is not in any danger.  "You've killed someone, it sounds pretty dangerous to me", Nina responds. He tells her that she doesn't understand, and then adds don't be too hard on George. Nina stops him, asking how this became his business and Carl admits that it is not. Nina says, "two months ago I lost control, the worst that could happen was (she sighs), but now, we shouldn't be in houses, in streets where there's children". Carl tells her that there are safe guards that you can put in place, but Nina says that, "things go wrong. Christ knows that we're both proof of that. I'm radioactive now, that's how that feels". Carl continues to eat and says, "trust me, he knows what he's done."  Nina sits at the table with Carl and they finish the sheppards pie.


At the park with Mitchell, Lucy brings up "gay vampire man."  When Mitchell asks if she is actually using that title, she explains it away as a ridiculous tag.  Lucy says, forensics do their thing and the body gets taken to the pathologist.  Mitchel responds, "I bet you anything the cause of death will be completely dull." Lucy says, "exactly, it will turn out that the guy had a heart attack and the wounds on his neck were because the cats started to eat him."  Mitchell realizes that she would actually find it disappointing and Lucy says that a gay vampire would liven up her week.  It turns out that Quinn the coroner has approved a second autopsy, because the police were not satisfied with the first one.

Back at the bar, Annie asks Saul if he wants to go see a movie, and Saul says that he would like that very much.  When Annie leaves, Hugh tells Saul that he is watching him. "You might have Annie fooled with your face and your hair, but you don't fool me"  Saul turns the page in the newspaper that he is reading, and there is a picture of Hugh with the words, Hugh is a dick.  This causes Saul to burst out laughing.

At the hospital, Mitchell approaches Quinn about the application for a second post mortem. Mitchell says, "The man was killed by a vampire. I thought we were clear, the pathologist does what he can, but if it gets bumped up, you kill it."  Quinn says, "It doesn't get bumped up, Herrick keeps things away from my desk."  Mitchell tells him that Herrick is dead and Quinn says that the deal is off. "I caught a glimpse of what my life would have been like without this. For ten years I have been abetting the slaughter of fathers, and mothers, and daughters, and sons. Herrick said your kind were a facet of nature, like a tiger, or an earthquake. You're not, you're just murderers."  Mitchell asks if Quinn thinks that he is being noble, and points out that it is actually suicide. Mitchell then goes on to say, "We all have a role. One slip, one fucking road to Damascus moment, and everything gets exposed, but it won't just be the vampires, it will be everyone. All of the people who covered for us."  Quinn tells him that he will take the consequences, because he wants to look his grandchildren in the eye.

George gets a note in his locker at work.  He goes down to the basement and finds Ivan waiting for him. Ivan says, "some say you had to drug him first. Others say that you begged for a place in the new world, and when Herrick refused you killed him. What really happened?" George tells him that Herrick came in and he changed and then tore his head off. Ivan says that he doesn't give a shit about Herrick and that he is 237 years old and doesn't feel anything.  He goes on to say that he knows that George screwed Daisy, and he wants to know what George did to make her feel again.  George says that Daisy was going to kill her daughter, and that he convinced her not to.  Ivan says that he was hoping that it would be something that he could understand and then grabs his coat and leaves.

At Saul's house, Annie is babbling about the movie, and he cuts her off to ask if he can turn the television on. Saul asks her if he can get her a drink and she refuses, and then he asks her if she is hungry and she says no. Finally, Annie tells him that she does not like to drink or eat in front of people. Saul makes himself comfortable on the couch and once again the television starts talking to him.  The man on the screen tells him to give Annie a kiss.  Saul asks if he can kiss Annie, and he immediately forces her down and she is forced to throw him off her.  He tells her to get undressed and Annie disappears in front of him.

Back at the house, Annie tells Mitchell that she disappeared on Saul because he was all over her. Mitchell loses his temper and tells her that he is a human, a civilian, and that it's absolutely the last thing he needs right now.  Annie yells, "you're right, he should have picked a more convenient time to assault me."  George buds in to say that even if Saul says that a girl teleported out of his room, that no one would believe him.  Annie is still angry and says to Mitchell, "I think it's a bit rich you taking the moral high ground. I think I am owed a couple of screw ups". George says, "for the time being you should stay in the house.  Annie asks about her job, and Mitchell says that she can forget about the job. For the record, this is the second time that Annie has been assaulted that George and Mitchell just seem to blow off. It's all yet another example of how easily George and Mitchell can decide that Annie is under their control.

Mitchell leaves the house in search of Carl, and he finds him at the house he shared with Dan.  Mitchell tells Carl that there's a problem, because the coroner won't cover for the vampires anymore, and that he needs to get out of town.  Carl is worried that Mitchell has identified himself, which means if they can't find him, that they will go after Mitchell. Carl asks why he is doing it, and Mitchell answers, because we're murderers Carl.  Carl says that he is tired. 

Carl is lying in the house that he shared with Dan with a needle in his arm, and Mitchell calls the police.  This of course looks like Carl killed himself because of grief.  In the morgue, Nina recognizes Carl.  In the hospital, Mitchell pulls the fire alarm and walks into the morgue to find a naked Carl crying over Dan's body.

At home, Saul is watching the television and it starts talking to him again.  The man on the screen says, "all women are whores. What a bitch leading you on like that. It just goes to show you they're whores every fucking one.  Here's the thing, Annie is dead. It's complicated, she's in limbo. She should be here with us, but she's turned death down and now she's pissed off some very important people. We want her back. It's a lot to take in I know. Pour yourself a nice big drink, and I'll tell you all about it. Pour yourself a nice big drink and then afterwards maybe you would like to go for a drive to clear your head."

At the house, Hugh shows up to talk to Annie because she didn't show up for her shift. Annie tells Hugh that she spent the afternoon with Saul and that it didn't go very well. Hugh asks her what Saul did, and if she is going to see him again, because he never liked him. Annie says, I wanted to be normal, a normal girl, kissing a normal boy. I wanted to escape, just for a second. Annie leans forward and kisses Hugh, but he pulls away. Hugh says, "Annie I have wanted to kiss you from the moment I saw you. All of my life I have been the consolation prize, and I won't do that anymore. I need you to want to kiss me."  

Carl and Mitchell are standing outside and Carl asks what happens next. It seems that with Carl's faked suicide, that the murder investigation has been closed.  Ivan pulls up with his car and says that he has papers for Carl. Ivan says, "today it's Carl, and tomorrow it's someone else. They've been in hiding since Herrick died, but they're going to get hungry soon, and you're going to be waking up to headlines about vampires."  Mitchell wonders about what would happen if they did declare themselves, but Ivan tells him that it would be chaos, world wide panic and that it would be good news for Christianity.  Carl thanks George for helping him, and George tells him that he is only doing this because Mitchell asked him to. 

As George and Mitchell return to the hospital, an ambulance pulls in with another body.  It turns out that it's Saul and he was drinking and driving. Apparently, he was in an accident and hit a couple.  Annie calls George out of the room, and that leaves Saul alone with Annie.  

Lucy pulls Mitchell aside and tells him that Carl's body is missing. Lucy said this is serious. What if I got it wrong. What if he was alive and then he walked out. Mitchell tells Lucy that he heard that they found a lot of occult shit. Lucy says that "the hope is that some sex cult stole his body."  She then asks him to buy her a drink and Mitchell says okay.  In another hallway, Nina confronts George about Carl, and George admits that he let him out and put him on a container ship to Brazil. Nina asks if this is the next stage and wants to know what she will consider a normal day. George responds that she has to understand the reality of the world that they inhabit now, but Nina comes back with, "a reality that involved aiding and abetting a murderer, my God you've lost your way." 

Back in the room, Saul is shocking and his ventilator is going off.  The lights begin to flicker on and off and Annie sees Saul's ghost.  Saul walks over to his body, and Annie tells him that he is dead.  Suddenly, Saul's door appears, and Annie says this is why we were supposed to me, so that I can help you cross over.  A voice says, "oh Annie how we have missed you. Have you noticed that you can't disappear. We have you trapped like a fly under a glass. Saul get her through the door."  Saul tries to drag her through the door and Annie attempts to resist.  The voice promises that if he gets Annie through the door that he will spring back to life.  George hears the commotion and tries to get in but the door is blocked. At the last moment, Saul has pity and casts Annie aside and walks through the door." 

Back at the house, George is sleeping and Nina leaves her key on the table and leaves.  At the front door, Mitchell begs her not to do this because she needs time to adjust, but Nina responds, "Adjust? The three of you have gone native. It's a consequence of your condition, our condition. You're humanity, this thing, are you even looking for it? Are you protecting it? Take it from me, it's long gone and this house accelerates it."  Mitchell asks what Nina said to George and she responds that she left him a letter.  She says I love him, I really do, but I look at him and I want to pull chunks of flesh from his face.  Mtichell tells her good luck and she walks out the door. 

When George wakes, he finds a letter next to his bed.  Alone in the city, Nina is drinking a coffee when she is approached by Kemp. Back at the house, Annie leaves for work. She walks out into the bar and says hi to Hugh and he does not respond.  Once again, Annie is invisible.