Being Human UK Series 4 [** Spoilers **]

Sesudra

This started back at 9pm on BBC 3 last night, did anyone watch?

All in all, I enjoyed it. I didn't think Mitchell leaving was a loss they couldn't get over, but they were very brave to get rid of both Nina and George in the first episode as well! The new vampire seemed interesting, from the little we saw of him, as well as his own werewolf/ghost buddies. The ending was a shocker as well, I was expecting the woman in the future to go back in time and assumed that she was George and Nina's baby but apparently not.

One negative - the vampire lackey who was taking the video of the werewolves transforming was a annoying motormouth, didn't take to him and he looks like he could be the new antagonist maybe its just a matter of getting used to him, or they might tone him down for later appearances

Wow.

Killing off the main character? Brave! But I can't remember their killing Nina ...

Sesudra

Deleted User wrote: »

Wow.

Killing off the main character? Brave! But I can't remember their killing Nina ...

Yeah, she died off screen (the actress left to be in another BBC3 show, Lip Service). George mentions that two weeks previously she went to the shops and was ambushed and killed by a group of vampires, in retaliation for George killing Mitchell. Though we never saw a body, so maybe she's still alive!

You don't really need to use spoilers when discussing current episodes, only when it's relating to future episodes or else hear'say, which might come true.

It seemed like a bit of a cop-out to me, killing her off screen. It would have felt more effective had they shown her being attacked, would definitely have added to the shock value, rather than causing confusion as it did.

Sesudra

Oh didn't think of spoilering the title, thanks! Not used to opening thread myself!

Yeah, it did seem odd and maybe smacked of there being trouble behind the scenes, given that she left so abruptly and didn't film any scenes at all. I can't wait to see how they resolve the lady from the future coming back to kill the baby, I just assumed all along she was the baby.

I liked the bit of ghost lore they dropped in as well, that if a ghost loses the place they're rooted to and the people they're familiar with, they fade away. I hope that doesn't happen to the 1950s ghost, I liked her!

ednwireland

thought it was brilliant when he's stalling on killing the baby and going on about Caecilius (cambridge latin course)

brave killing off the main character

JP Liz V1

I'm starting to like Tom more

I knew George was leaving but it was shame to see him die

ixoy

The actors wanted to leave. It wasn't a decision on the shows part so there's nothing really brave here. The show would have preferred for them to stay. This is them doing what they can with the circumstances of the actor's departure.

Sesudra

ixoy wrote: »

The actors wanted to leave. It wasn't a decision on the shows part so there's nothing really brave here. The show would have preferred for them to stay. This is them doing what they can with the circumstances of the actor's departure.

Well, brave in the sense that having lost one of the 4 main characters last year, one was killed off screen between series and the other at the end of the first episode. I'm sure they could have filmed material to be slotted into later episodes, i.e. George or Nina being held captive or whatever, but it's like a clean slate almost. Mitchell, George and Nina gone, leaving Annie as the only remaining original cast member.

ixoy

Sesudra wrote: »

I'm sure they could have filmed material to be slotted into later episodes, i.e. George or Nina being held captive or whatever, .

I'm assuming the only reason we didn't get to see Nina at all is because the actress didn't want to (or wasn't available) to film any scenes at all. I'm open to correction on that but it'd seem the only reason you wouldn't show her.

As for Russell Tovey's departure: Maybe he really wanted no chance of coming back? Aidan Turner also wanted a final exit.

Given the demands of working with a situation where half your cast suddenly leaves (something that's very unusual!), I think Toby Whithouse did a good job of working in the plot details and I'm quite happy with what we saw here.

flazio

They had scripted a parting scene for Nina which can be read on their official blog.
2 Weeks Earlier.

Basq

Thought the first episode was far better than what we saw in the majority of the third season to be honest.

More of the same please.

Russell Tovey's departure was.. sad.. but nowhere as shocking or sad as Mitchell's (partly due to the fact that Aidan Turner kept schtum on his departure - unlike Tovey). That plus all promo shots for the 4th season has Tovey in the background so I was expecting him to die / leave in either episode 1 or early episode 2.

vibe666

for fecks sake the second episode was awful and it might as well be a totally different tv show with 3/4 of the original cast members missing.

the actor that played george turned up in an episode of sherlock a while back, ironically playing someone getting hounded (literally) by a big dog in the hound of the baskerville's episode.

one thing i did notice is that the actor that plays the Tom character really really reminded me of the actress that plays the Kelly character in Misfits. he has some similar features and his accent and mannerisms are almost identical.

i did a little bit of googling and it turns out they are brother and sister Michael and Lauren Socha. :eek:

i probably should have known that, but sure you don't know anything if nobody tells you.

Basq

vibe666 wrote: »

for fecks sake the second episode was awful and it might as well be a totally different tv show with 3/4 of the original cast members missing.

Hate to say it but I gotta disagree!

While the show is definitely playing it slightly more comedically now, I'm impressed in both Lenora Crichlow and Michael Socha.. and I'll admit I'd written them off completely before this season started.

It's not the same 'Being Human' anymore.. but like I said earlier, I'm certainly enjoying it more 2 episodes in than I was this time last season.

Yakuza

I'm enjoying it so far, I like the visiting ghost from the future thing, and Mark Williams is a hoot. Lord Harry - Rain Man meets Dracula

I haven't seen the third episode yet, but I loved the end of the second episode, where the new cast are sitting around the TV with Annie and "The Real Hustle" (well, I assumed it was, because the way they commented on it) - before switching over to the Antique Roadshow and watching that all together. Was quite a nice way to hand the torch over, I think.

Basq

Yeah.. even my girlfriend said to me that she's finding it all far more entertaining than last season - and I have to agree.

C'mon.. the bit with Hal and Tom pretending to be gay in that episode was superb!

Tom: "Where were you?"
Hal: "I was having a sh*t!"



Full scene here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEE6S5mOTXQ

Basq

Loved this season..

.. and shame to see Annie go!

However, Hal & Tom were a worthy addition to the cast.

Dr Bob

Basq wrote: »

Loved this season..

.. and shame to see Annie go!

However, Hal & Tom were a worthy addition to the cast.

a complete cast recycle eh? still it was actually done quite well.
Also , they snuck in a mention of

demons

a few episodes back , which might somewhere to take the show if they get renewed..

lestat21

I love the new series Hal and Tom are brilliant together but I'm starting to wonder what a fifth season will look like and it aint pretty..

I imagine the baby will be killed off and the world will return to normal.. but will Annie survive that or pass on?? will hal go all super evil like in the alternate future?? ... and then theres jst Tom.. ben Tom..

Richard Dower

Renewed for a 5th season: http://www.spoilertv.com/2012/03/being-human-uk-renewed-for-5th-season.html

oxygen

Watched the last episode last night. I really enjoyed it and like the way they have successfully recycled the cast. I like all of the new characters, didn’t think I would and it didn’t feel too cheap to introduce a new Ghost/Werewolf/Vampire mix. Really like the new ghost, she is very funny.

But it took them 8 episodes to do that, which is what it should have taken, but ending the season after just 8 episodes was really crap. Can they not follow the American season format, and go for 22 episodes a season. Having to wait another year, for two months’ worth of a TV show gets really trying. It’s the same with other British produced stuff like Sherlock or doctor who. The budget for Being Human cant be that expensive surely, considering they got a higher viewership for the season opening episode than the UK season premiere of True Blood.

Basq

oxygen_temp wrote: »

But it took them 8 episodes to do that, which is what it should have taken, but ending the season after just 8 episodes was really crap. Can they not follow the American season format, and go for 22 episodes a season. Having to wait another year, for two months’ worth of a TV show gets really trying. It’s the same with other British produced stuff like Sherlock or doctor who. The budget for Being Human cant be that expensive surely, considering they got a higher viewership for the season opening episode than the UK season premiere of True Blood.

It's always been this way.. partly due to money / budget etc.

And that's exactly why there's so much padding / poor episodes in most series in US TV?

Give me a strong 8 episode season than the majority of the 22 episode seasons coming from the US right now.

oxygen

Basq wrote: »

It's always been this way.. partly due to money / budget etc.

And that's exactly why there's so much padding / poor episodes in most series in US TV?

Give me a strong 8 episode season than the majority of the 22 episode seasons coming from the US right now.

I agree there can be some padding in a 22 episode season. *24, urgh that was terribly padded.
And I agree a strong 8 episode season is a good thing, but this did not feel like a complete season. There were 8 strong episodes, but it just successfully introduced the new characters for next year. They should have bulked it out to 16 or 18 episodes introducing new characters and settling them into the tv show should not be considered a season.

Sarn

I really enjoyed this season, next season with the cleaners should prove interesting. The new cast has a good dynamic and their own quirks and humour, roll on next year

I agree that having a shorter season is better. Eight strong episodes keeps the story tight and avoids filler.

OakeyDokey

Absolutely loved this season! Hal is just amazing and Tom is so innocent and hilarious. I thought Annie was great and also sad to see her go but really excited to see how Alex's character goes next season.

Must contain myself eep!

vibe666

tom and hal are really good, but after they killed off mitchell, george and nina, i found the annie character to be very annoying and the new scottish bird is shaping up to be equally so. i'm not sure how i didn't see them killing off annie's character though, it was very obvious but i missed it completely until it had happened.

i anticipated the whole annie blowing up everyone thing, but i assumed she'd just come back. silly me.

has there ever been another TV show that has replaced ALL the main characters and left none of the original cast in the space of a single season?

Kaner2004

This season was the best season. I nearly stopped watching after last season.
Is the US version any good?

Basq

Kaner2004 wrote: »

This season was the best season. I nearly stopped watching after last season.
Is the US version any good?

The normally fairly reliable DenOfGeek had a lot of praise for the first season of the US one, but says it's taken an absolute nose-dive for it's second season.

vibe666

i dunno about that. if my wife is anything to go by, we''re both still watching the US one, but she gave up on the UK one a couple of episodes ago and refuses to watch it, even though we're both still watching the US one.

we are a couple of episodes behind on the US one though, so it might not stay that way if it gets any worse.