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shadowkatLast night - watched Being Human episode 3, I think it is episode 3.
It's the episode about the zombie. The series is definitely better than last season, which drug more. This one is better paced. And episode 3 was hilarious in places.
Funny lines:
Nine: "How can't she know she's dead? Doesn't she smell herself? Talk about denile."
Or.
Mitchell: You think Annie fancies me and you didn't tell me?
George: No. We're not twelve. And for the record - fancy is sort of out of date.
Mitchell: Did she tell you that she fancies me?
George: So we are twelve. And no, anyone who isn't blind can see it.
(This is from memory, so most likely not exact.)
They are definitely doing a lot of foreshadowing regarding what's going to happen when Mitchell's friends find out about the Box Car Tunnel incident. (I'm not spoiled - but it's obvious shit is going to hit the proverbial fan when they do.) Also the clipping book is a bit too obvious a writer's plant for the characters to find out what Mitchell is hiding. I'd prefer they found a less easy method. I mean seriously - that's gothic romance thriller plotting 101.
Speaking of..in this episode they did the classic mislead that always annoys me - Mitchell pulls Annie aside at the very end of the episode and tries to tell her what he did, but she stops him before he can get a word out. So of course, he doesn't tell her and they kiss instead. (sigh. I swear - if I've learned one thing from tv shows it is to always let the other person talk. Particularly before you start kissing them, you've no idea what horrible thing they are hiding.) Later, when she does find out - most likely by accident or through finding that book of clippings that he stupidly held on to after killing Graheam, he'll claim - oh, I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't let me, because you didn't want to know. (No, you could have still told her - you dope. )
Writers pull this bit - so they can make the character redeemable - see, he tried to say something! [And yes, at this point, I'm realizing that I've watched one too many tv shows and read one too many gothic mystery serial novels in my life time.]
Once again - the best bits were Nina and George. Although I could have done without the fact that Nina had been beaten repeatedly as a child by her mom. (It felt too easy. Although I understand the temptation to do it - it basically explains everything about Nina in two short sentences - why she has relationship issues, why she's afraid of being a mom, and her issues with violence - also a great metaphor for being a werewolf - the violence inside threatening to break free and the fear of passing that monster to one's kid. The werewolf is a "perfect" metaphor for abuse or physical violence threatening to break out. A bit too perfect. I prefer the metaphor for George - which is OCD, a need to be in control, repressed, and completely out of control - which I thought was a bit unique.)
Sasha the zombie, on the other hand, was intriguing, if a bit on the gross side. Zombies are always gross. It did a good job of foreshadowing how Annie is likely to react to what Mitchell did in the Box (again they are going overboard on the foreshadowing). Annie reacts and understandably so in horror at how the people who can't die are being tortured in the morgue. Experimented on. Very gross and reminded me a little bit of The House on Haunted Hill. It is of course foreshadowing on how she's likely to react to Mitchell's homicidial killing spree with Daisy on the Box Car. While the Box Car incident is rapidly losing its horror quotient (mostly because they keep repeating it to the degree that I've gotten sort of used to it. Well that, and the fact I've watched one too many tv shows in my life time with nasty anti-hero characters who do progressively horrible things. Walt on Breaking Bad makes Mitchell look like a pussycat, and Walt isn't a vampire, nor does he appear to show any remorse - which may explain why I stopped watching. There's a limit to what I can handle, well that and the fact that I've met people like Walt.), it does provide an interesting obstacle to Mitchell's involvement with both Annie and George/Nina. Mitchell needs them to keep him grounded, but what he did -killing 20 innocent people on their way to work or school, trapped underground in a subway car,
defenseless and in a painful and terrrifying fashion - isn't something that you can just shrug off.
And I give this show a lot of credit for not shrugging it off - because there are numerous other tv series that I have, I know, I've watched them. And while it doesn't bug me as much as it does others,
it does make the show lose some of its resonance and interfere with suspension of disbelief. (I sort of roll my eyes and think, oh come on!)
Also, the addiction metaphor does sort of work. I remember meeting a professional hit man in Leavenworth Penitentary who killed a lot of people to sustain his heroine/cocaine addiction. He basically would do anything to get a hit. He was a vampire of a sort. Getting high off of the blood of others. Although, admittedly not as attractive as Mitchell, but certainly as strung out. He also didn't show a shred of remorse, which made defending him not the easiest thing on the planet.
(His defense was - yes, I've killed lots of people, I just didn't kill these people and my attorney was ineffective - get me off. Besides I was high at the time. I'm an addict. It's not my fault. Which reminds me a lot of some of the vampire addiction metaphors I've seen on tv actually.) So, as Fritz in The Closer states - the addiction can turn you into a monster, but you are the monster, because you chose to keep going, not to seek help, not to stop. Mitchell, even here, continues to put himself first - he doesn't want to help the vampire boy and pushes the kid off on George and Nina. And he doesn't want to help Sasha, only does so when Annie and George push him into it. He's so busy avoiding his guilt, that it consumes him. To give him credit - he doesn't run away - which was the option that he's given in the second episode. But instead he continues to hide, and in doing so, the guilt continues to eat away at him - which explains why he didn't destroy the clip book that he found on Graheam, part of Mitchell wants to be found out, wants to be punished.
While, Being Human is far from subtle in it's metaphors, sort of lays it on a bit thick actually, it is interestingly executed and does provide realistic (well as realistic as you can get with this type of show) examination of addiction and other human failings through metaphor.
Here, with Sasha - we see someone who is literally dead and rotting - express more joy with living and desire to enjoy life, than those who are alive and not rotting. Her joyful seize the day attitude has the necessary effect on both Annie and Nina who are cowering in fear next to her. Rotting inside as a result. Also Sasha reinforces Annie's compassion, her desire for a friend, and her dislike of others pain. As it does Nina's. The men are a bit more callous.
Being Human, while obvious and flawed in places, does resonate with me long after it is over. Each episode crisp in my mind - which is more than I can say for a lot of other tv shows that I've watched of late. Movies too for that matter.
Sigh, I need new icons. Mine are boring me again.
Oh, no spoilers past this episode please - it's episode 3, I think. Maybe 4. I'm having troubles figuring it out.
It's the episode about the zombie. The series is definitely better than last season, which drug more. This one is better paced. And episode 3 was hilarious in places.
Funny lines:
Nine: "How can't she know she's dead? Doesn't she smell herself? Talk about denile."
Or.
Mitchell: You think Annie fancies me and you didn't tell me?
George: No. We're not twelve. And for the record - fancy is sort of out of date.
Mitchell: Did she tell you that she fancies me?
George: So we are twelve. And no, anyone who isn't blind can see it.
(This is from memory, so most likely not exact.)
They are definitely doing a lot of foreshadowing regarding what's going to happen when Mitchell's friends find out about the Box Car Tunnel incident. (I'm not spoiled - but it's obvious shit is going to hit the proverbial fan when they do.) Also the clipping book is a bit too obvious a writer's plant for the characters to find out what Mitchell is hiding. I'd prefer they found a less easy method. I mean seriously - that's gothic romance thriller plotting 101.
Speaking of..in this episode they did the classic mislead that always annoys me - Mitchell pulls Annie aside at the very end of the episode and tries to tell her what he did, but she stops him before he can get a word out. So of course, he doesn't tell her and they kiss instead. (sigh. I swear - if I've learned one thing from tv shows it is to always let the other person talk. Particularly before you start kissing them, you've no idea what horrible thing they are hiding.) Later, when she does find out - most likely by accident or through finding that book of clippings that he stupidly held on to after killing Graheam, he'll claim - oh, I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't let me, because you didn't want to know. (No, you could have still told her - you dope. )
Writers pull this bit - so they can make the character redeemable - see, he tried to say something! [And yes, at this point, I'm realizing that I've watched one too many tv shows and read one too many gothic mystery serial novels in my life time.]
Once again - the best bits were Nina and George. Although I could have done without the fact that Nina had been beaten repeatedly as a child by her mom. (It felt too easy. Although I understand the temptation to do it - it basically explains everything about Nina in two short sentences - why she has relationship issues, why she's afraid of being a mom, and her issues with violence - also a great metaphor for being a werewolf - the violence inside threatening to break free and the fear of passing that monster to one's kid. The werewolf is a "perfect" metaphor for abuse or physical violence threatening to break out. A bit too perfect. I prefer the metaphor for George - which is OCD, a need to be in control, repressed, and completely out of control - which I thought was a bit unique.)
Sasha the zombie, on the other hand, was intriguing, if a bit on the gross side. Zombies are always gross. It did a good job of foreshadowing how Annie is likely to react to what Mitchell did in the Box (again they are going overboard on the foreshadowing). Annie reacts and understandably so in horror at how the people who can't die are being tortured in the morgue. Experimented on. Very gross and reminded me a little bit of The House on Haunted Hill. It is of course foreshadowing on how she's likely to react to Mitchell's homicidial killing spree with Daisy on the Box Car. While the Box Car incident is rapidly losing its horror quotient (mostly because they keep repeating it to the degree that I've gotten sort of used to it. Well that, and the fact I've watched one too many tv shows in my life time with nasty anti-hero characters who do progressively horrible things. Walt on Breaking Bad makes Mitchell look like a pussycat, and Walt isn't a vampire, nor does he appear to show any remorse - which may explain why I stopped watching. There's a limit to what I can handle, well that and the fact that I've met people like Walt.), it does provide an interesting obstacle to Mitchell's involvement with both Annie and George/Nina. Mitchell needs them to keep him grounded, but what he did -killing 20 innocent people on their way to work or school, trapped underground in a subway car,
defenseless and in a painful and terrrifying fashion - isn't something that you can just shrug off.
And I give this show a lot of credit for not shrugging it off - because there are numerous other tv series that I have, I know, I've watched them. And while it doesn't bug me as much as it does others,
it does make the show lose some of its resonance and interfere with suspension of disbelief. (I sort of roll my eyes and think, oh come on!)
Also, the addiction metaphor does sort of work. I remember meeting a professional hit man in Leavenworth Penitentary who killed a lot of people to sustain his heroine/cocaine addiction. He basically would do anything to get a hit. He was a vampire of a sort. Getting high off of the blood of others. Although, admittedly not as attractive as Mitchell, but certainly as strung out. He also didn't show a shred of remorse, which made defending him not the easiest thing on the planet.
(His defense was - yes, I've killed lots of people, I just didn't kill these people and my attorney was ineffective - get me off. Besides I was high at the time. I'm an addict. It's not my fault. Which reminds me a lot of some of the vampire addiction metaphors I've seen on tv actually.) So, as Fritz in The Closer states - the addiction can turn you into a monster, but you are the monster, because you chose to keep going, not to seek help, not to stop. Mitchell, even here, continues to put himself first - he doesn't want to help the vampire boy and pushes the kid off on George and Nina. And he doesn't want to help Sasha, only does so when Annie and George push him into it. He's so busy avoiding his guilt, that it consumes him. To give him credit - he doesn't run away - which was the option that he's given in the second episode. But instead he continues to hide, and in doing so, the guilt continues to eat away at him - which explains why he didn't destroy the clip book that he found on Graheam, part of Mitchell wants to be found out, wants to be punished.
While, Being Human is far from subtle in it's metaphors, sort of lays it on a bit thick actually, it is interestingly executed and does provide realistic (well as realistic as you can get with this type of show) examination of addiction and other human failings through metaphor.
Here, with Sasha - we see someone who is literally dead and rotting - express more joy with living and desire to enjoy life, than those who are alive and not rotting. Her joyful seize the day attitude has the necessary effect on both Annie and Nina who are cowering in fear next to her. Rotting inside as a result. Also Sasha reinforces Annie's compassion, her desire for a friend, and her dislike of others pain. As it does Nina's. The men are a bit more callous.
Being Human, while obvious and flawed in places, does resonate with me long after it is over. Each episode crisp in my mind - which is more than I can say for a lot of other tv shows that I've watched of late. Movies too for that matter.
Sigh, I need new icons. Mine are boring me again.
Oh, no spoilers past this episode please - it's episode 3, I think. Maybe 4. I'm having troubles figuring it out.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-16 09:39 am (UTC)*nods a lot* And it's beautifully done.
And re. the cliches/tropes (the 'not telling' and the whole Annie/Mitchell thing, the scrap book), then yes the show readily uses them, but then doesn't really go the way you might expect. I hesitate to say that it subverts the tropes, because that's a bit of a cliche too... But it takes stories that seems beyond familiar (oh Lord how I winced with that Mitchell/Annie kiss), and take a step left.