
The Protagonists.
I had hoped to round out this week with a look of the latest Doctor Who special, Planet of the Dead. Unfortunately, some real life things came up and I was not able to catch it. So instead I want to write about the first episode of Being Human, which also made it’s BBC America premier this week.
When I first heard the premise of this series I was skeptical. Actually, I was more than skeptical, I was convinced that the show would be utter, complete trash. A vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost sharing a home and trying to live normal lives? No thanks. It smelled too much like a show trying to latch on to the current vampire and other supernatural creature craze started by Twilight. I was not particularly interested.
These misgivings did not stop me from watching the first episode, however, and now my feelings are mixed. On the one hand, I was right to think that this show would be a gimmicky, angst ridden soap opera. (Apparently, angst and vampires go hand in hand in this modern age, it’s a bit like bread and butter.) On the other hand, I did find myself somewhat intrigued by the way this was carried out. The first episode had some particularly well-written scenes and enough hint at a “plot” to make me think about tuning in for another episode or two.
I was sorely disappointed by the way the series portrays vampires. When I was younger, I wanted to grow up to be a “vampire scholar” and so I am always on the lookout for new and refreshing interpretations of this king of otherworldly creatures. Being Human‘s vampires are tiresome at best, and downright disappointing the rest of the time. A part of me expected to see them start glittering in the sunlight and driving Volvos. Then again, the werewolf character was not much better. I did, however, like that he had a very shy, mild personality as opposed to the aggressive werewolf types I generally come across in the media.
What really drew me to this show was the ghost, Annie. I found the way that they dealt with her as a character to be very well done. At the beginning of this episode, she is starting to become more “real” in the sense that non-supernatural creatures are beginning to be able to see her. By the end of the episode, however, she has reverted to not being able to be seen at all. I would like to see the way her character develops throughout the rest of the series.
All in all, I was not terribly impressed with the show. It was a bit too full of angst and lacking originality to keep me interested. If, however, you’re looking for an overabundance of trite themes and underdeveloped plots, this is the show for you!