As I sat down to watch the first episode in a new series of
supernatural comedy-drama Being Human, I
was a little apprehensive. For the uninitiated, Being Human has the quirky premise – that also sounds like the
start of a bad joke – of ‘what if a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost shared a
house?’ The stories, in practise, revolve around the trio trying to forge an
ordinary life despite their horror–story handicaps. What I have always liked about
its previous series is the mix of big plots with a keen sense of humour which
prevented it from taking itself too seriously. I also found myself caring about
what happened to the characters next – which is really what you want from any
good story.
So, even though I enjoy Being
Human, the reason I was apprehensive about this new series was, because most
of the main cast had left, it was being promoted as something of a ‘reboot’, a
term often used to describe new versions of film franchises. I wasn’t totally
against the idea of a reboot as the amount of additional characters that had
joined the show meant it had maybe become a bit bloated – for example, the
premise of last year’s series was more ‘three werewolves, two vampires and a
ghost share a house.’ However, as I as a big fan of the show I was worried this reset
would go awry. Thankfully, it didn’t and I really enjoyed it.
Firstly, this opening episode really hits the ground
running, or perhaps sprinting would be more accurate. We are immediately shown
a ‘Terminator’-style future Earth where vampires have taken over before
returning to the present day to find Annie (she’s the ghost) comforting a
grieving George (he’s the werewolf) who’s girlfriend was apparently not long
ago killed by the fanged fiends – it’s shocking news although annoying this big
event happens off-screen.
If this all sounds a
bit solemn then there’s plenty of fun to be had when the vampires turn up, hatching
plans for world domination, no less, relishing their amorality as they go. Special
marks here go to Mark Williams (Ron’s Dad in Harry Potter) who gives an entertaining turn as the geeky ‘Vampire
Recorder.’ The mention of whose name elicits the sarcastic ‘‘I’m sorry for a
second there I thought you had a stupid name.’’ Also, for those of us who like
noticing little in-references, their hideaway is an old warehouse named ‘Stoker’s Imports and Exports’, a nod to
the Dracula author.
The whole thing culminates with another cast member biting
the dust (I’m not telling who) in a genuinely poignant scene which acts as
closure for the series’ past, followed by a look to the future as new resident
nice vampire, Hal is introduced. Overall, there could have been more humour but
with the amount of game-changing plot the episode was stuffed with I’m willing
to forgive. I’m sure the balance will be redressed as the series progresses.
Based on this episode, I think I’ll definitely stick around to see it.
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