With so many
supernatural TV shows being produced at the moment, it was inevitable
that the BBC would follow. This is where Being Human the Complete First
Series comes into the picture that revolves around three seemingly
"normal" people who hold some very strange and dark secrets. It's Buffy
the Vampire Slayer of the 21st century meets high quality TV drama.
Just like Twilight, True Blood, the Vampire
Diaries or Harry Potter, Being Human attempts to normalise the
supernatural as the series revolves around three flatmates, Mitchell,
George and Annie. These three character may appear like any other
20-something TV characters but in actual fact are the stuff of
myth and legends.
Mitchell (Aidan Turner)
is a Vampire, George (Russell Tovey) is a werewolf and Annie (Lenora
Crichlow) is a ghost. These three are not your typical 20-something
American drama series but rather, the creators of Being Human have
designed a very intricate drama horror as these three attempt to live a
so-called normal life but around them, the world of the supernatural
threatens their very existence. More specifically, the murmurs of a
vampire revolution!
Each of the characters are delightfully
played by these British actors and whether it's Tovey as the nerdy
hospital porter or the suave and secretive Mitchell (just like Angel
from the TV series), played perfectly by Turner, these characters
immediately attach to you from the very first episode. Of course, the
trio would not be complete without Annie who is played brilliantly by
the attractive Crichlow who plays an almost shy spirit of the
underworld.
The
content of Being Human is quite adult orientated and is not your tween
Twilight adventure or Vampire Diaries romp but rather, the adult themes
help bring out these characters and sometimes shines a very dark light
on them. From dating to murder, friendships to hatred, the themes of
Being Human are quite twisted and include a plethora of interesting
concepts and genres. The first episode nicely sets up the motivations of
each character and as the series progresses, their friendship or perhaps
alliance grows stronger.
At times, Being Human is a little
depressing such as Annie being shown her grave by another ghost which
ends in a very metaphysical explanation of the after world and why she
remained on Earth and not moved on. But these insights give the
characters a uniqueness to them as they not only help themselves but
those around them which creates some interesting dynamics amongst the
group.
Season one
of Being Human ends with a bang as Annie attempts to leave the
boundaries of Earth but discovers that as a ghost, she has some very
powerful abilities which may be needed to quell the vampire revolution.
It should also be mentioned that there are some great co-stars included
in the series such as Nina (Sinead Keenan), the love interest for George
which becomes quite turbulent in the end. Whether it's turning
terminally ill patients into vampires or some other bizarre story, Being
Human is precisely that... these characters attempting to fit into a
normal world, filled with humans but linked to a world of supernatural
that is not meant to exist. It's a classic tale that has been twisted
with modernity and works perfectly in modern day England.
Video, Audio &
Special Features
Once again the BBC produce some outstanding
quality in terms of video and audio. The video is presented in 16:9 that
looks amazing on FULL HD but the only drawback to the series are the
sometimes Doctor Who-like special effects. Some are a little cringe
worthy. Thankfully the story more than makes up for this. Add in Dolby
Digital 2.0 and the dialogue is crisp and clear as is the wonderful
backing music. For special features, we have some interesting character
profiles, cast interviews, behind the scenes footage and some
deleted/extended scenes from series one. It's a good insight into the
creation of the series and characters.
Special Features
All in all, this is a
wonderful series and if you enjoy any of the supernatural TV series at
the moment, than you will definitely get a kick out of his adult
orientated drama horror. Recommended!
