Jasmine Sahu is well suited with this new American drama exclusive to Dave.
Lois Cameron explains why this series is much more than your average cosy period drama.
The last episode of this series sees Sherlock and Moriarty attempt to solve the final problem with devastating consequences.
With major cast changes afoot, Jacob Martin ponders whether Being Human can live up to its own scarily high standard.
“But my dad, he worked hard, he never played away. I don’t think I ever heard him raise his voice. He’s... he was... ordinary. Boring. I don’t think I ever realised just how wonderful that was.”
When George goes to the funeral of his father, he’s surprised to find that George Snr is there as well, but there are even more surprises in store when the ghost tells him what’s happened since he left home. Back at Honolulu Heights, Nina’s tip-off to the police brings a young detective to the house wanting to speak to a visibly shaken Mitchell, who’s been trying to bring out the vampire in Herrick.
This episode felt very much like two separate stories: the scary half story at the house, with a creeping Herrick and a petrified Mitchell; and the more light-hearted story involving George’s reunion with what he thinks is the ghost of his dad. The two stories didn’t really come together, which is a bit of a problem, as one of them worked considerably better than the other.
It’s strange to think that a story about the death of George’s dad could produce so much laughter, but then this is Being Human: laughing at death what's written on the tin. From Annie unintentionally quoting Cheryl Cole lyrics while trying to comfort George, to the running Titanic joke and the "he's not been dead all along" reveal, there are genuine laugh-out-loud moments. It’s great to see Russell Tovey’s considerable comic talents being put to good use, and James Fleet was absolutely perfect casting as his dad. In this insane world, this was a timely reminder of the life that these people have lost out on. And the twist worked marvellously: I honestly didn’t see it coming, and it allowed for an unexpectedly happy ending.
What didn’t work so well, however, was the continuation of the Box Tunnel 20 storyline. I’m starting to find that I don’t really care about what happens to Mitchell, as his behaviour is becoming less and less easy to justify. The maybe-dippy, maybe-clever detective character was at her best with Herrick, thanks to a brilliantly judged performance from Jason Watkins: when she was with Annie or Mitchell, I just found myself getting frustrated. Annie’s been underwritten a lot this series, sidelined to the “happy but stupid” role. Yes, she’s always been happy, but she’s also shown again and again that she’s cleverer than they’re allowing her to be here. I long for the Annie that took on her murderous fiancé and won, rather than the silly girl who doesn’t even suspect that Mitchell might be guilty.
If the storyline about the two Georges had been used earlier in the series, paired with a another plot that wasn’t so dark, it could have been an absolute classic. Placed as it was here, the light relief against the increasingly dark developments of the main series arc, it wasn’t done justice. And with George finally reconnected to his old life, the cracks in the group are only going to get wider, bringing a dark edge to even this heart-warming story.
See the penultimate episode of this series of Being Human, 'Though the Heavens Fall', next Sunday at 9pm on BBC3.
You must log in to submit a comment.
