BBC | 2010 | 464 mins. | NR
Given the Twilight mania currently sweeping across the globe, and the critical praise heaped on HBO’s True Blood, it would be easy to dismiss another vampire related series as a cheap knockoff. But to do that, would be a real shame. Created by writer/actor Toby Whithouse (who has contributed his pen to Doctor Who), Being Human has managed to find its own niche within the vampire mythos.
Flatmates John Mitchell (Aidan Turner), George Sands (Russell Tovey), and Annie Sawyer (Lenora Crichlow) are a little different from you and I. John is a vampire, George is a werewolf, and Annie is a ghost. While this might sound like a plot for a joke, it’s the setup for what turns o to be a fairly dramatic series.
At the end of the first season (also available on DVD and Blu-ray), Whithouse shattered much of what had been established about the characters. George was turned into a murderer, Annie freed from her exile and Mitchell, the vampire, realized he had a light side as well as a dark one.
Picking up where the first season left off, John is chosen to be the new vampire “king” and reunite his people or face persecution, should their bloodletting be discovered. George, unable to comes to terms with being a werewolf, longs to be “normal” again. His relationship with his girlfriend Nina (Sinead Keenan) is strained when, in the process of defeating the evil vampire leader Herrick, Nina is scratched by George, causing her to become a werewolf. George’s guilt over what he has done and Nina’s desperate need to escape what she has become, ultimately tears them apart. Annie gets a job of her own to keep pace with John and George and just as she seems to be settling into her newfound ability to be seen by and interact with non-supernaturals, malevolent forces and the “Door to Death” return to torment her.
This season, we were introduced to a mysterious organization known as the Centre for the Study of Supernatural Activity or CenSSA, and another mysterious group of scientists who are tracking, studying and experimenting on supernaturals. If Whithouse and his fellow writers were looking to increase the tension; mission accomplished. I mean what good is any show about supernaturals without some sort of mysterious force or organization lurking in the background? Along with the tension, it seems producers also upped the ante in terms of graphic scenes and language. As anyone familiar with British programming likely knows, this is nothing particularly unique for shows out of the U.K., but in the case of Being Human, it makes for a much more intriguing viewing experience.
Being Human: Season 2 arrives on Blu-ray with a somewhat underwhelming 1080i transfer. Other than some light background noise, poor color gradations in select shots, and slight blocking, it looks fine for what it is. The image delivers adequate detailing and color, both of which can spike to a higher and more stable level at times, but the general feel is that of a highly mediocre high definition presentation. Blacks are mostly stable, and flesh tones appear naturally rendered. This isn’t a reference quality transfer by any means, but it delivers an image that’s several notches better than a standard definition presentation.
Being Human: Season 2 features a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack that delivers both the instrumental score and popular music well enough, but it’s far from perfect. Unfortunately, many effects play as crunchy and lack precise definition. Dialogue — the season’s most critical element — is crisp and accurate. They don’t get much more indistinct than this; the soundtrack is fine at a very base level, but it comes up well short of format standards.
Being Human: Season 2 contains special features on discs two and three. Disc two begins with Blood Bursting (480p, 8:51), a piece featuring series Creator Toby Whithouse and others discussing one of the first episode’s most gruesome scenes — featuring the decompression chamber — and discuss its place in the series, set design, and the makeup effects that supported the scene. The Caves (480p, 6:28) looks at shooting at the Bristol Catacombs. Unleashing the Beast (480p, 7:02) looks at one of George’s character arcs that partially defines his place in the season. Finally, The Swinging Sixties (480p, 8:52) focuses on the season’s episode that flashes back to the 1960s. Disc three contains three more featurettes. Behind the Makeup (480p, 7:16) introduces audiences to the people behind creating the series’ makeup. Making the New Werewolf (480p, 11:05) more closely examines the changes made between the werewolves seen in season one versus season two. Rounding out the special features is Train Carnage (480p, 7:31), a piece that features a glimpse into one of the season’s most horrific moments.
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