Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Review Being Human U.K. Season Three Episode One: Lia

George, Nina and Mitchel move into a former bed and breakfast in Wales. George and Nina are excited because the house has a basement that one of them can change in, while the other changes in the woods.  While they are downstairs checking it out, Mitchel sees Annie on the television again.  They have moved her to a secure room and she is absolutely terrified of what is going to happen next.  He promises her that he will come for her.  What I find interesting about this dynamic is that George and Annie seem content to mourn Annie and move on, while Mitchel refuses to stop until he gets Annie back.

In restaurant, Tom and his father McNair discuss seeing a werewolf movie of all things.  McNair is worried that the movie will trivialize werewolves and he is concerned about the nudity.  Tom responds that there is a woman wearing a bra.  McNair then goes on to complain about the price but Tom promises to sneak in through the fire exist.  McNair consents saying that is what he used to do as child.  He gets up to pay their bill saying that he is going to visit the broken down carnival that they passed in the hopes of collecting copper wiring.  This gives us a really good understanding of just how poor the father and son are.    As McNair walks down the street some men jump out of a van and kidnap him.  Tom tries to catch up, but they are far too fast for him.

That night George and Nina decide to have a little fun because Nina bought some lingerie.  They have a few missed starts when George gets a pen in the stomach and then Nina gets her hair cut in his glasses.  They are just about to warm up when Mitchel comes charging into their room to grab their radio because he is desperate to contact Annie again.  George is upset that Mitchel ruined the mood, and for Nina this confirms everything she thought about sharing a home with Mitchel to begin with.

The next morning, Nina, George and Mitchel are at the local hospital (must be nice to be able to pick up a new job so easily) to wait for patient Sean Hancock, who was diagnosed a year ago with malignant melanoma to die.  Nina demands that both George and Mitchel be respectful to Sean.  George is worried that Mitchel is doing this so close to the full moon, but Mitchel is adamant that they are running out of time to save Annie. As they wait for him to die, Mitchel does a crossword puzzle and George starts to pray.  George's praying disturbs Mitchel but George simply says deal with it.  When Sean dies, Mitchel tries to open the door but finds that he cannot and so he tells Sean to take his time.  On the other side of the door, Mitchell finds himself alone.  He is met by a guide, whom he immediately asks to take him to Annie. 

Mitchell is taken from room to room where he is forced to confront the people that he killed.  In each situation he has an excuse for his actions.  It is only when he is taken to what looks to be a train that he realizes that the woman who has been his guide, is one of his victims.  She introduces them one by one and he says that he is sorry.  He tries to deflect the blame by reminding them that another vampire was with him, that he didn't choose this curse and finally that they don't understand that hunger.  Finally, he is forced to admit that he did this for the pleasure of it and that he is a monster deserving of any punishment that they can dream up for him. He begs once again for Annie and is finally told that he will be released with Annie and that his destiny is to die at the hands of werewolf and that is why he is being sent back.

George goes into the woods dragging a chicken preparing for that nights full moon when he comes across Tom, who is also dragging a chicken.  He goes racing after Tom but loses him when he comes across a group of people who have clearly gathered to have sex in the woods.  He tries to tell them that he is looking for a young boy but they mistake that for a desire on the part of George to have sex with a man.  I know that this was meant to be funny,  but considering that in three seasons, Being Human U.K. has only had one episode with two gay male characters I hardly find reducing sex between two men to be amusing. The police arrive and arrest the entire group even as George yells that he has a medical condition. George manages to leave a message on the answering machine before his cell phone is taken from him.


In the jail they lock George in with another man and George tells him that he must kill him because that is his only chance of survival. Nina shows up at the station and flashes her medical badge. She claims that George is mentally ill and show not be locked up.  In the background George screams as the change comes upon him.  The police release George into Nina's care and they walk to a ravine to change.   I think it's a problem that mental illness was utilized in this way.  It is further problematic that Nina called George outright crazy.  It's ableist as hell and so unlike what real interactions with neurologically atypical people commonly have with the police.

McNair finds himself led into a cage while the song Who Let The Dogs Out is  Playing. Inside the cage is a man armed only with a knife.  As it nears the rise of the full moon, McNair crawls closer to the man as the crowd outside of the cage screams for blood.

When George and Annie make it to the ravine they are both worried because they have never changed so close to each other.  They are worried that one of them will kill the other.  In the morning they awake and realize that not only did they not kill each other, but they had sex in their wolf form.

Lia head off to free Annie, who is very confused.  Lia asks if she and Mitchel have a thing because the fact that he went to purgatory to save her speaks loudly about his feelings.  When Annie says no, Lia tells Annie that she should consider a relationship with Mitchel.  Mitchel stands alone in a long hallway and Annie runs to him.  They embrace and it looks like they almost kiss.  Annie's clothing is slightly different from that which she normally wears as well. When she opens her eyes, they are standing on what appears to be a beach, and Mitchell then tells her that they have moved to Wales.  Annie jokes about going back to purgatory.

McNair awakes to find the remains of the man he killed in the ring.  One of the men who kidnapped him slowly comes down the stairs eating french fries.  McNair stands, begins to dress and announces his name.  The man simply taunts him about being a dog and promises him a chew toy as  Tom sneaks up behind him and stakes him.  It is then we realize that McNair was held captive by vampires, because the man's body crumbles to dust.  Tom frees his father and then tells him about his encounter with George.

Mitchel walks into the bed and breakfast alone and the minute George sees him, he begins to cry.  He raises his cup and Annie pours tea into it.  That is when George and Nina realize that Annie is just fine.  The four begin to celebrate.  In a voice over, Annie talks about finding peace and humanity with what are commonly thought of as monsters and how she had to die to actually live.

There were moments of this episode that were homophobic and ableist; however, as regular readers knows, this is common to all forms of media.  I loved the snipping back and forth between George and Mitchel throughout this episode.  I loved that Lia forced Mitchel to admit that he is not a victim but that the people he killed were.  I am a touch that this will bring out self loathing Mitchel but even if it does, if what Lia says is true, Mitchel may not last much longer on Being Human.  I also really loved the idea of Annie and Mitchel together.  I think it would complete them as a foursome.