Mental Illness and the Non-Neuro-Typical in Urban Fantasy

Mental illnesses and non-neurotypical people are both very much misunderstood in society. Feared, reviled, pitied and shamed, there’s a lot of ignorance, a lot of misunderstanding, a lot of fear and a whole lot of damaging tropes that are assumed and encouraged. Collectively these present real barriers for the non-neurotypical to seek help and support they may need or want (or even be aware they exist) and create massive difficulties in interacting with neuro-typical people whose assumptions and worries can render it almost impossible.

Needless to say, media depiction has a huge effect on this - with repeated depictions adding to all of these problems as we see the same tropes crop up over and over

Almost ironically, the most common mental illness and non-neurotypical tropes we see in Urban Fantasy doesn’t even involve the mentally ill at all; instead it epitomises neuro-typical people’s fear of becoming mentally ill or, as it is repeatedly called over and over “going crazy.”

Indeed, it’s very rare for an Urban Fantasy series not to take a neuro-typical person, introduce them to the supernatural world and have them not think “oh my god, I’m losing my mind!” with additional levels of angst and fear. It is indicative of just how much we have demonised being mentally ill that, when the character is convinced that what they’re experiencing is real, they commonly feel profoundly relieved.

Because a world where there are immortal supernatural beings with immense power that literally feed on people to survive is much more reassuring than the idea you may have a mental illness in need of treatment? Hey a supernatural monster is currently hunting me, but thank gods I’m not crazy!

Looking at it logically, this is an appallingly ridiculous reaction - but in series where the supernatural hasn’t already been established and it has to be discovered then this doubt and relief is almost ubiquitous. It’s considered as much a staple as the dead parent.

This trope of mental illness being a terrible worse-than-death fate that may afflict neuro-typical people is really well ingrained in our culture and frequently arises in fiction.

In Witches of East End rather than have Maura live with the mental illness Wendy magically inflicted on her (and, perhaps, be treated for it), they choose to magically send her into a happy deluded coma instead. That’s an extreme example - but there’s innumerable examples of neuro-typical people suffering the terrible fate of being wrongly locked in an asylum (especially in programmes set in the past). The whole of American Horror Story: Asylum rests on the trope. Teen Wolf had Stiles wrongly confined in Eichen House, Penny Dreadful has Eva confined in an asylum. Once Upon a Time in Wonderland has Alice escaping from Bethlem - in fact, Bethlem could have its own subsection of its own!. Her Own Devices has Claire rescue someone from Bethlem, one of the main terrors of Xandra in the Immortal Empire Series is being shut in Bethlem. The whole concept of Bedlam is set on the horrors of an asylum now afflicting modern neuro-typical people - and it’s even named after the infamous asylum.

All of these feature a neuro-typical person being wrongfully detained in an asylum. And it’s not being locked up in an asylum that’s the problem - it’s that they’ve been locked up while being neuro-typical. It’s the wrongful accusation. This even applies when the conditions in the asylum are horrific and brutal - the horror isn’t horrific for its own sake, it’s horrific because these people are “innocent” of being mentally ill. In fact, mentally ill inmates of these institutions are often used as background wallpaper or to even add to the horror the neuro-typical protagonist must endure. The mentally ill are often freakish horrors that add to the protagonist’s misery and torment until they can escape the unjust abuse.

GBLT Characters on our shows: What do you expect us to Watch?

As I watch many many many programmes and critique them I inevitably get someone saying the same damn thing:

“Just don’t watch it!”

There are many replies to this, but irritation has worn me down until even I, who am not generally given to swearing, have to ask

“What the fuck do you expect me to watch?!”

Seriously. I’m a gay man who likes to watch the fantastic – primarily Urban fantasy, what do I watch? Because we’ve now reviewed 39 television series from start to finish (or current) and we’ve got two – TWO – or three with a GBLT protagonist. Lost Girl, headed by a bisexual woman and her true love/primary love interest is already underscored as being a man. And Sanctuary where Helen Magnus is a bisexual woman – you may have missed it though since it was one reference in one episode of 4 seasons – the rest of the time was focused on men. The third is Switch that has a Lesbian as part of an ensemble cast. And while she’s the only GBLT protagonist I love without complaint, the same programme is grossly homophobic towards gay men.

21 of those shows don’t have even a brief, token GBLT presence. Not for one second, not a bit actor, not a one off, not a thing. Completely and utterly straight from start to finish. Some of them have managed to reach their 5th season without any GBLT people.

4 of them have a GBLT character who appeared for one or two episodes – out of 8 seasons in some cases (yes, Supernatural, that’s you. Though your subtext means the slash fans love you and ignore your erasure) Of course that doesn’t stop these shows have a running commentary of bad gay jokes (Being Human US, Misfits – ye gods Misfits, the very poster child of a hot mess) or used these single episodes to push the horrible tropes (Being Human UK with the gay vampire killing his human lover).

2 of them have a recurring token. But, frankly, that’s generously deciding the Manscaping medieval prince who faints at the sight of blood (the dead Renly) and his lover, the knight of flowers count as tokens rather than one-offs on Game of Thrones. And despite Danny being nothing more than a token who only shows up in one episode in four whenever one of the straight characters needs something, Teen Wolf will always be loved by the slashers (If you want any greater evidence of how this damages us, both Racialicious (“I enjoy what Teen Wolf has done with homosexuality”)  and Kiss My Wonder Woman have actually praised Teen Wolf for their handling of sexuality while criticising it for its greater inclusion of other marginalised people. Yay for homophobic double standards and the glory of homoerotic subtext!) And no, they don’t get points for the constant gay jokes.

Bedlam, Season 2, Episode 6: Reunion

After the hugely dramatic revelations of last week, we’ve arrived at the season finale. Let’s see how they wrap this up (preferably without killing the whole cast again).

After the obligatory ominous scenes we actually start with Max seeing a ghost for once – his father at the foot of his bed who leaves behind a watch. When he goes to tell Ellie, he finds her trying to leave without telling anyone (nice, Ellie, real nice); she knows who Eve is (she is) so she considers all her questions to be answered (Uh… I can think of a few more). But Max begs her to at least try to speak to his dad since he’s started haunting him again, which Ellie grudgingly agrees to. Dad’s quite good with communicating with objects – leaving a photograph this time.

Max wants Ellie to touch the objects, see if she can get a vision; but she refuses, thinking Max wanted it too much and was just seeing things. As far as they know, he’s never been in the asylum, so what’s the point of even trying (really Ellie? Wow, 2 seconds touching the watch, that’s all he asks). She plays sceptic with the pictures and the watch appearing (really, after what they’ve been though, the medium plays sceptic). Finally, grudgingly, Ellie holds the picture, but doesn’t get a vision. He wants her to keep trying but she doesn’t want to see any more ghosts, she just wants to leave.

Max confronts her about leaving, she’ll be going somewhere she can’t tell anyone anything about ghosts, she came looking for answers and didn’t really get any etc etc. It’s not that productive

Meanwhile Dan returns, more than slightly panicked and tells Keria about following Warren, his blackout, and finding a dead body which may be Kate’s. Keira, being sensible, wants to go to the police, but Dan wasn’t to doublecheck what he saw – so goes to confront Warren. And Warren cracks and tells Dan about Joseph Baylor, the evil man who worked in the hospital how he could communicate with the dead and the evil, terrible things he did to the people here. He claims that when he found out Warren stopped him – but it was too late. He blames Joseph for Kate’s death – because killing girls is what he does.

Keira sees that Ellie is leaving and worries that it’s because Warren has said something after Keira told him that Warren and Ellie both had the same simple on their arm. Keira is treated to Ellie blowing up a bit at her as well as Warren - and Ellie deciding she needs to hear what Warren said himself. She drags Max into a search for documents – which gets nowhere. But Ellie is convinced Warren knows something and was involved in the Bedlam circle that abused people. Max points out it can’t just be a symbol for the abusers because they’ve marked Ellie with it as well – she’s being too simplistic.

Their argument is derailed by Max walking into his room and seeing a funeral urn full of ashes dumped on his bed with the word “son” written in them – and a key buried among them. As soon as Ellie touches it, she gets a vision. Through which she sees a place – a passage to a garden with a sundial. Max sets off to search, but Ellie sees Eve and decides she can’t go – that Max has to go alone – until Max gasps at the sheer ridiculousness of this

They find the sundial, Ellie takes a moment to chide Max for being obsessed with his issues (please, join me in gaping at that statement) before the find the door Eve left through – which the key they found fits. They open it – and Eve is inside there as well, time for another vision of Eve down the tunnel.

Back to Dan and Keira, with Dan telling Keira what Warren told her – she is both trauamtised at her friend’s death (Kate and Keira have been friends since they were small children) and duly suspicious that Warren knows Joseph has come back for revenge but doesn’t know what he’s getting revenge for. She thinks Warren has lost his mind and killed Kate – and wants to call the police now. Dan promises he will.

Bedlam, Season 2, Episode 5: Dare

 

We have a man breaking and entering a long disused chapel -  he seems less than pleased and lobs a cross across the room, lights a ciggie and then realises… he’s being watched. Cue Bedlam spookiness – even in broad daylight. The ratchet it up a notch by having the cross he threw reappear on the altar. The man isn’t frightened though – he shouts a challenge instead.

Now to Bedlam, Max and Ellie are doing the friendy thing and finally Ellie tells Max that she had an abortion last week, she chose to go alone. Max is supportive, she’s apologetic for not telling him, but he’s very clear it’s her choice and she’s very clear she did the right thing with the position she is in life.

And 2 more people are breaking into the same chapel, meeting up with their friend – and Ellie gets a vision of a vicar running from something and grabbing the cross – the one that tidies itself up after being disturbed. Quick summons to Max, a check to see a church local to bedlam (where inmates may have gone) and it’s time for a little trip.

This involves awkward scenes as they visit local churches and pose as an engaged couple, which is awkward but not quite so much as Ellie’s way out (which I had to admire). At least Max learns that the Bedlam inmates never went to the church – they went to their own chapel (which makes more sense and they really should have thought of it).

Max and Ellie do more jokey flirting – Max amused at the idea of Ellie as a bride, saying he’d always stand by her unlike her fiancé (who she defends), but Ellie assures him he can have a big fancy wedding so long as she gets to be bridesmaid. Ouch, Max, not-so-subtle hint there

In the spooky chapel, 1 of them (Liam) wants to film evil/ghosts/demons/lack of common sense whatever and put it on the internet. He’s poking the ghosts, it seems, because of his religious father and something apparently unpleasant that happened. Liam’s dislike of the church seems to be provoking the ghost, though.

Bedlam, Season 2, Episode 4: Jude

We have new residents - Scott and his young brother Jude, a child who doesn’t talk. Max, being the super-nice guy he is, helps Scott move in since the lifts are broken. And Jude wanders off into the no admittance super spooky area, the old medical wing to the background of creepy flickering lights (welcome to your new home! The first murder attempt will be in, oooooh, 15 minutes).

And his little toy phone starts ringing. Which we’ve already seen has no batteries in it. A child’s voice in the phone whispers to him in Latin – which he then speaks aloud.

Well that was some early creepy well established.

Ellie wants Max to help her find the staff records for the bald guy with the Bedlam symbol on his head who she is sure did something to Eve; though Max is working. But he has got a contact with photos to help her – and she touches his wrist, just in time for Dan to come into the room and see them being close. We’re also reminded that Ellie is living on sick pay (since she’s on paid leave from being a paramedic).

And Ellie spots Jude with his Scott, scribbling randomly with crayons and she has a vision – of a child in ye olden times being taken to the Bedlam hospital. Ellie leaves, disturbed by the vision and Jude continues not to talk and to randomly scream and whisper under his breath.

Dan and Ellie have an Awkward Moment and then Dan goes to interrupt Keira and Warren’s “meeting.” Dan instantly steps waaaay into the out of line territory by telling Warren he thinks Kiera is after Warren’s money and how generally what a bad idea she is – something Warren slaps down before leaving. He leaves his phone and Dan starts poking around in it.

Max is the Nice Guy to new resident Scott – bringing him a beer and looking after Judge while he gets a pizza, and trying to question the silent Judge about being haunted. Jude doesn’t say anything but he does make the lights flicker and make unplugged in appliances work (this would be menacing if the appliance weren’t a whisk. It’s hard to be menaced by a whisk). Of course, making everything else electrical in the flat go on and off while chanting Latin – that’s considerably more menacing indeed. Scott comes back and the creepy light show ends (see, the ghost just wants pizza. Perfectly understandable)

When Max leaves, Jude continues to ramp up the creepy with electronics and Latin on the tape recorded. Creep factor rising to critical levels – why is it children make the spookiest ghosts?

Max goes to explain this to Ellie – but Ellie has another concern – she’s pregnant (of course she is. She had casual sex with Dan and in TV land, consequences must be shown!) naturally she shuts down Max’s information and slams the door on him.

Later he gently asks if she’s ok and gives her the history notes she was asking after; but she (obviously) has other things on her mind. At this point Scott arrives with his tape recorded full of Latin to show to Max. Scott is happy that his brother is finally speaking! Max is a little more concerned that he’s apparently reciting the Last Rites in Latin. Then the tape devolves into him protesting “it wasn’t me” and then screaming. Throwing Ellie into a vision where she sees a small boy in past Bedlam being subjected to electroshock therapy. Scott is worried someone tried to hurt Jude – but Ellie says it wasn’t Jude that was hurt, and then the recorder starts making death threats while Jude gives Scott an evil little glare.

Dan and Max have a run in and I cringe waiting for the emotional drama about Ellie – but they actually talk sensibly (and mock Dan’s taste in music). How Dan is always playing a role and an act, and how Max doesn’t pretend to be Ellie’s friend – he just is her friend, but has trouble being considered for something more. But then Dan gets angry because the Bedlam Ghost website is back up, which he rants about to Max (who, of course, writes it).

Bedlam Season 2, Episode 3: Unfaithful

Dan is in his usual flirting form showing Rita, a new character, around part of the Bedlam building. She’s looking for a venue to get married in after her last choice blew up in a gas leak (go for the rubble, Rita, it beats ghosts). Despite the reason she’s there, Dan is still on full flirting form – much to the disapproval of a bridal-dressed ghost haunting around. The flirting escalates as he promises to fix everything for her wedding within a week – and they kiss (I agree, Dan beats a hen do any day). It geos no further as the lights go off – and bride ghost is furious.

After the credits we catch up with them dressing which means a) it went further than a kiss and b) we didn’t get to see Dan half nekked. Boo. Rita has understandable regrets and Dan promises discretion. Unfortunately the haunting begins and in Rita’s flat a little bridal-themed music box is playing.

Max and Dan have some banter then Max goes on to play with his ghost site and the information he received last episode (unknowingly from Dan to try and shut down the site) when Ellie barges into his room without knocking and grabs his closed lap top against his objections (hmmm, she has complained about him crossing boundaries when he looked in her rucksack – but she’s doing this?). She finds the ghost blog and puts it down as her life online (because if it’s about the ghosts it’s her life?) and orders him to shut it down. She belittles him as if he were a child and accuses him of treating it like a game – as if he wasn’t there trying to save Cass’s life last episode and if he hasn’t saved Ellie’s as well. Of course, according to Warren and Dan, this website is the main reason more tenants (and victims) aren’t flocking to the building.

Warren is suffering from sleep deprivation after his many spooky dreams, but Dan comes in with the good news – the site has been taken down (Max was obedient to Ellie’s orders) though Dan intends to keep looking for the culprit. Dan attributes Warren’s distraction  to missing Kate (though the mention of family seems to be hitting sore spots for Dan). When Dan leaves, Warren looks up Kate in his phone, but then gets woozy – and enters one of the spooky dreams with a  shadowy figure. When he comes out of it, seemingly seconds later, he’s in the deserted, still-under-construction part of the building (which has a body in the walls, still). His phone rings – from Kate, but he only hears noise and static.

In the lobby Max runs into Rita – and they know each other from the past. There’s a somewhat awkward reunion (and, perhaps  a suggestion that he may have had an unrequited crush on her). Her mobile rings – but when she answers she only hears static-fuzzed bridal music. Yes, the spooky is beginning. She returns to her room to find the bridal music box playing again – and the television showing BBC news has scrolling text at the bottom “Forsaking all others” over and over. The tension ratchets up in perfect bedlam style, until Ed, her fiancé leaps in, breaking it. He has a copy several wedding vows for them to look through – but Rita focuses on the “forsaking all others” line. They both then get to discuss wedding plans with Dan which isn’t awkward at all

Later in the bar, Ellie attacks Max some more and Max reveals that he was haunted as a child by his dead father. She’s briefly stunned by this revelation (that Max may have feelings?) but Max moves the conversation on quickly to assure her the blog is shut down and to offer her some sweets she got from Rita (who he reveals to have been his girlfriend when he was 17, hence the awkward). The sweets trigger Ellie’s Spook Vision – showing the music box and a bride being dragged away during her wedding day. She also finally tells Max about Eve – the spooky  little glowing girl with the marbles.

Back with Rita, the haunting continues – with a piece of paper whjere the ghost has scrawled “forsaking all others” dozens of times – and “whore” on the other side. She rushes to Dan to tell him someone’s been in her room – and asks if he’s told anyone. He says no… and they end up in bed together. After the action she reveals this isn’t the first time and that her fiancé has no idea. She discusses her motives for getting married which seems to be more based on familial obligation rather than what she actually wants.

Bedlam, Series 2, Episode 2: Pool of Tears

A swimming pool. Oh dear they built a swimming pool. Considering they had ghosties that could drown you in a bathroom sink last season, building a swimming pool is so very not a good idea. And yes, there’s a ghostly figure and dark shadowy stuff. Dry land! Dry land!

Ellie, our medium, is still squatting in the building (remind me again her reason for being in this place?)  And she’s still being followed by the glowing girl who drops black marbles (and gives her images of the child being carried off by a bald man with the scary symbol carved into his head).  The name of the child is Eve, or so she writes on the wall. I tell you, the youth of today and their graffiti, shameful!

At the bar, Kiera is introduced to the swimmer Cass and her trainer Dominic a former swimmer in the Commonwealth Games. Dominic leaves and Kiera starts plying Cass with vodka.  And Ellie comes down to get a drink with Max (the bar man who she’s squatting with) being ultra-ultra nice as seems to be the norm. Ellie shoots down his offer to be a friendly ear rather abruptly to be honest.  Kiera decides the best way to clear Cass’s head is for them all to go to the pool semi-fully clothed in the middle of the night. There is much slashing and ducking and Cassie gets a ghostly vision – of a woman being dragged to and thrown in the pool during the asylum days where she was held under (the asylum had a pool?) – and seeing a black clad ghost of her under water. She comes to the surface and urges everyone out of the pool (damn ghosties ruin all the best parties) using the excuse that they’ve been drinking and it’s not safe. As Cass leaves the pool, Ellie notices she has some scars on her wrists.

Dominic is passive aggressive and snippy about Cassie coming to bed late (she trains at 5:00am). Kiera and Ellie leave, with Kiera commenting on both Dominic’s control freakiness and also mentions the scars on Cass’s wrists believing they are marks of an attempted suicide – but Ellie shuts her down, disliking the assumption and the gossip.

The next day Max continues to play on the ghost hunting website and Dan walks around in a towel letting us know that while Jed has left the show, we still have some mighty nice eye candy around. We get some nice little inserted character development learning that Dan doesn’t get on with his family – and that Ellie grew up in care. Max also questions Ellie about her little freak out the night before – recognising a ghost sighting when he sees it. Being the nice guy he is, he offers to go down to the pool with Ellie to check it out. But down at the pool Ellie gets another vision of the ghost being held under the water back in the asylum days and turns and leaves, unwilling to talk.

Warren and Kiera are sorting through Kate’s things and Warren discusses how he doesn’t expect Kate to return (since she was kidnapped by the creepy bald guy last episode, this seems likely) since Kate has been so angry with him since Jed’s death. Kiera is parsing through the stuff she wants to keep when Dan comes in – they’ve lost one of their potential residents because of the Haunted in Bedlam website. But they do conclude that, given the time the pictures were posted, that they must be posted by someone from within the building (Max most likely).

Cass is back swimming and being stalked by the spooky ghost - and we get the first drowning attempt, her hair caught in a vent at the bottom of the pool after she’s lured by her stopwatch left next to it. But when she gets back to the edge – she see her stop watch hasn’t moved. She returns to boyfriend Dominic, worrying that she’s over training but he pushes her to keep going.

Bedlam, Season 2, Episode 1: The Long Drop

Bedlam is back for another series. Prepare for much spookiness and amazing atmospherics which so characterised the first show in this story of the haunted London asylum

And we start setting the tone well with the spookiness ratcheted up to maximum levels, running through the dark, abandoned and deeply frightening building – to a man with something carved into his head.

Now there’s an introduction for you.

Back jarring to reality and in a block of flats a paramedic (Ellie) is trying to resuscitate and old lady, which doesn’t seem to work. Especially when the old lady’s black-pupil-less-eyed ghost gets up to make the tea (of course British ghosts make tea. Just because you’re stuck in the purgatory of limbo is no reason to be denied a brew). The paramedic isn’t having these ghostly tea makers and runs out of their pretty sharpish. At the hospital her fellow paramedic, Andy, advises her to go see the doctor again, presumably for seeing things; she’s not thrilled because the pills et all are doing nothing after 6 months – maybe she’s really seeing the dead

Of course, paramedics playing the “I see dead people” aren’t well looked upon (especially since they’re trying to stop the dead people being, y’know, dead) so back at the hospital it seems Ellie’s been put on indefinite leave. But her friend, Laura, knows they had a patient on the psych-ward who had similar symptoms but was discharged – if she gets the address then maybe Ellie will be able to talk to him and find a way to make the ghosts go away.

Using the door code from Laura (which could get Laura in a lot of trouble) Ellie sneaks into the records. Outside she tells Andy how amazing it is that the person in the psych-ward apparently saw exactly the same things she does. Andy, who she is marrying in 2 months, is not reassured that she is pointing out she has identical symptoms to someone who was detained on the psych-ward. Andy leaves, angry that Ellie won’t help herself, won’t get help and won’t admit that she needs help.

In tears, Ellie puts away her engagement ring and examines the file some more – it’s the file of Jed Harper, the man who could see ghosts in the first season. Lacey tries to call him but his numbers are disconnected.

We get another quick introduction to Max (the bar man in the building) and his apparent flat-mate Dan who is saying goodbye to his latest female companion and rushing out the door to Bedlam Heights (now being renamed Brightmoor) – it seems he’s the new building manager, taking over Kate’s old role in season 1. He goes to work trying to convince Lisa that there’s no-one else – shame he calls her Leanne. He runs into Kate (though it’s apparent he doesn’t know her), laden by a huge backpack who expresses cynicism at him being able to save the place with a simple re-branding.

Bedlam: Season 1, Episode 6: Burning Man

Ryan and Molly are reading the tarot in the much haunted house. Later they'll have a séance, then get out the ouija board. A candle falls over and burns Molly. And yes, Molly is this episodes haunting victim. - and this is a fiery ghost! Sets fires in mirrors, to pictures – definitely a menacing one

Ryan plays den mother and we're getting foreshadows of a relationship between Molly and Ryan. Lots of hints, lots of eye contact and lots of getting close to each other. Molly wants to move in with him elsewhere. She discusses him being gay with Kate but it's largely stereotype laden. They come together in tender caring and concern and love, kiss and spend the night together. Isn't it nice that he found true love with a woman rather than those anonymous hookups in gay bars.

Research points to a man who burned his family to death – including his sister who was the primary target – and his sister's boyfriend. And the sister looks awfully like Molly.

Kate is her normal caring sharing self. Y'know if I'd known at the first episode what I do now, I would totally have been cheering on the watery ghost with the lost bling. Despite her being so wonderful, Jed tells Ryan about the texts he's been getting telling him to save Kate – from number 2439. A number Ryan recognises form his research from a photo of Jed's mum. He goes to that ward but his ghost sight sees nothing. Get some ghost glasses.

Bedlam: Season 1, Episode 5: Committed

Phone rings in the middle of the night – and we have a new haunted tenant, Mark, Jed's friend - he answers the phone and hears a voice repeating “don't leave me”. He hangs up and it rings again. He pulls the cord out of the wall... and it rings again. Did I mention that Bedlam does do the Spooky well?

Of course going into the empty flat next door where he hears scratching and they find “Don't Leave me” written on the wall. Did I mention the spooky? I did, didn't I? And the writing keeps on coming back, of course and his pictures are also showing up there. And the spooky calls? Coming from his own flat. Again with the spooky. We need to mention the spooky. And the spooky is – a ghost of a woman who committed suicide after being abandoned and betrayed by her lover – Robert Bettany – Kate's past relative.

Jed summons side-kick Ryan to do some grave robbing – to bring the two old lover's corpses together – but not soon enough.

Interestingly, this ghost touches on elements of stalking. I think there's something to examine here how they use ghosts to speak about other matters – mental illness, child abuse, stalking. It's actually pretty good how they can touch on these issues and their effects through this interesting lens. And the spooky. Let us not forget the spooky. And how it can be done with such a low budget.

Bedlam: Season 1, Episode 4: Hide and Seek

We begin with Kate and Jed sniping at each other – both kind of on the out of line side – I don't think the argument shows either of their stellar side. Jed lashing out at Kate because of what her dad did and Kate lashing out at Jed because she hasn't slept well, is in an arsey mood and is, well, Kate. Yes Kate is still sleepwalking and seeing women killed with bags over their heads – which I assume links back to the missing women we heard about from grace in the last episode.

Kate decides to blow off steam with her married lover (just in case we've missed the coding about Kate not being a very nice person – see, she's wearing a slinky red dress and going to seduce a married man?! Jezebel! Hussy!). Ugh, I don't like this I really don't. We've already established how nasty Kate and be, she's dismissive and insulting to Ryan and Molly, she's downright vile to Jed at times and in the last episode she was all kinds of nasty to Sadie. She's nasty, we get it. Now can we not use extremely sexist sexual coding to make her the devil woman. We don't need it and it leaves a bad taster in the mouth.

Kate's in a bad mood and Warren (Evil Dad) decides to cheer her up by showing her an old film of her granddad performing experiments on people. Kate, not being irredeemably evil, doesn't find this overly comforting. She does, however, go and scope his wife's lover – and reveal their affair without revealing herself.

Where do the Bedlam Ghosts Come From?

Have you ever wondered about the real story behind the British show Bedlam? Where do these ghosts come from, and how tortured were they in life to lead to such an unhappy after life? Well, now is your chance to find out.

Bedlam: Season 1, Episode 3: Inmates

So, we begin with Kate have a... vigorous work out with her married gym buddy. And yes, that was a euphemism. Now I'm leery about this – in the last 2 episodes we've seen that Kate isn't all that nice of a person by any stretch – but I wouldn't want this to be another not-so-subtle indicator of what an unpleasant person she is. Yes, she is knowingly having an affair with a married man (and talking about how hot it is that she might catch them) but he is the one cheating – I don't want this affair to be all about what a bad person she is when he is far more at fault.

And we're introduced to Sadie, this episodes ghostly haunting victim. She bonds with Jed over their mutual stay in mental health units as patients. I was actually leery of this given their past actions with mental illness – but it touches on a few issues quite well - how isolating it can be – how their friends dropped them when they became ill (or apparently ill, in Jed's place) – the fretting of family members over how you are – and doubting your own actions. Especially with the ghosts messing with her. It also calls out some of the spiteful jokes and behaviour from Kate (which is, again, raised to the next level this episode) which very much needed doing.

The whole haunting of Sadie has an extra level of being disturbing due to Sadie's own worry about how it could be related to her mental illness – whether the paintings were defaced by her, the boxes left by her – that doubt seems very real and very well portrayed.

I am leery for the reasons for this haunting – it feels a little like she is being attacked – being punished – for being tragically the victim in the past

Bedlam: Season 1, Episode 2: Driven

So we return again to ghost central! And within 5 minutes of the episode starting I am given my reason for watching this programme – Theo James in a towel. What? I need something to encourage me to keep watching. Alas, Kate wants him to put some clothes on to do some handyman work... hmm... maybe a toolbelt.

Anyway, I digress. Molly's friend Zoe is still missing and Molly is going on blind dates, Kate is still sleep walking and hallucinating and being a not-very-pleasant person and Ryan's upset about his brother's killer coming up for parole. I dunno, not doing much but this episode follows the much distracted Leah (I don't blame it the 4 main characters of this programme don't exactly lead fascinating lives), another resident of Bedlam heights and Molly's new friend – who keeps seeing spooky tire tracks, ghosts in her car and spectral car trouble. Her car keeps breaking down but she daren't take it to a garage because it belongs to an abusive ex who has probably reported it stolen – if it goes into a garage, he can probably find Leah.

So Jed is looking for the ghost while pretending to fix Leah's car that its haunting – and Ryan is playing research assistant. And in their research they find there's a terrible thing in her past she's running from – and the deaths that are the real reason the ghost is pursuing her. And Molly's friendship with her is sorely tested with the revelation – as well as some pointed questions as to the reason for the friendship in the first place.

Bedlam: Season 1, Episode 1: Cohabitants

Now that's an intriguing beginning – the menacing, ominous hitchiker turns round, threatening and doesn't attack the driver – he convinces him to move on. The driver's already dead, died in a crash several; days before. Very good beginning, dark, slightly scary and very intriguing.

So, this is Bedlam apartments, high end luxury apartments converted from an old asylum. With a graveyard next door. And a big sign over the roof marked “SPOOKY!” Yup, laying it on thick with the reasons for the hauntings. The building was owned by Kate's grandfather (who ran the mental institute) and is now owned by Kate's father (Warren), who bought it in an attempt to do something “good” with it after allegations of dark happenings and patient abuse in the grandfather's time.

With such a history, of course the flats are haunted. In fact I imagine there's queue of ghosts.

We have Kate, who manages the flats, with Ryan and Molly who live in them (also looks like the token POC inclusion, though as is very common on TV they have chosen a very pale WOC for the inclusion).

And they are joined by Jed – just out of hospital and on medication for seeing... ghosts. I'm not entirely comfortable with this – the somewhat demeaning references to mental illness. The patronising and angry attitude of both Warren and Kate towards Jed for what they perceive to be his mental illness. Because he is actually psychic rather than ill this is never addressed – and his constant response to their rather snide comments is “I'm better now”. It's a trifle vexatious, the idea that being “better” (i.e. no longer mentally ill) is the only thing that would make him a tolerable presence.

In a much haunted building, of course, having someone who can see ghosts is quite useful – especially if said ghostie is going around drowning people to get her bling back (though, personally I think said ghost is just offended by the new decorations – honestly their taste is horrifying).