I’m going to get to the most frustrating part of the episode first … I’m not entirely sure if Nora lost the baby or not. My first response was, “Oh God, she lost the baby,” but when I checked the Being Human website — they post summaries of each episode — it said nothing about her losing the baby. And neither Josh nor Nora actually mentioned the baby when they sat down after she discovered his terrible secret, so it could go either way.
Of course, the big reveal is something I kind of saw coming: Nora got scratched. Nora might be a werewolf. But does anyone else think this might not be the worst thing in the world? Josh has been afraid of hurting her during his transformation, but if she’s a werewolf too, he wouldn’t have to worry about her being defenseless. And he wouldn’t be so alone. The fact that she wasn’t angry at him for scratching her is a good sign. I wonder how much Nora comforting Josh was actually her fishing for information.
Aidan finishing off Bishop was really a necessity considering how things had escalated in the last few episodes. Discovering what his former ally did to Celine was just added incentive for Aidan. Speaking of Celine, her departure from the show was certainly an understandable one — isn’t it better to go out helping a friend than slowly dying over the next couple months? — but if my guess about Celine’s daughter coming into the picture for season two is correct, it’s going to make things a little awkward for Aidan. “Hi, I’m your mother’s former lover … and I technically murdered her for her blood.”
In the last three episodes, a good chunk of the established side characters have been killed, including two love interests and the two big antagonists of season one. If there’s one thing that frustrates me about this series, it’s how quickly they get rid of characters. The quickly-mentioned lady vampire who will surely be season two’s antagonist is already in the works, but will she stand up to the complexity that was Mark Pellegrino‘s performance?
My absolute favorite part of the whole episode were the Josh/Aidan flashbacks. I’ve been wondering how Aidan and Josh figured out each other’s secret. In an earlier review, I mentioned wanting to see how the two friends met, and we got it! Does this mean the Being Human writers read CliqueClack? Hey, it could happen! I audibly gasped at the last moment of the episode, when you see Josh and Aidan walking by the house and seeing Sally’s body taken from the house. It’s also ridiculous how much I enjoyed hearing Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back in Anger” in this scene. I gasped again when I realized the refrain goes, “And so Sally can wait/she knows it’s too late as we’re walking on by/her soul slides away/ but ‘Don’t look back in anger,’ I heard you say.” How absolutely perfect is that?
So, the good news is the show is coming back. However, Syfy’s website is saying it won’t be back until 2012, which means at least seven months until they resolve the cliffhangers.
So, that was the first season of SyFy’s Being Human. How did it do? Well, it definitely picked up speed towards the end. I’m surprised how much I ended up liking certain characters like Nora and Aidan. I still think Sam Witwer blew it out of the park in this role. In the second half of the season, I finally started to see that friendship between the roommates I was looking for. Honestly, for a series that was labeled a BBC clone before it even got on TV, Being Human has definitely been a treat to review. Here’s to season two.
Clacked by Katie Schenkel 
on Apr 13, 2011 @ 00:49 EST5EDT
ok … so I just got finished watching the UK series 1 of this show … couple of interesting differences
Ghost: Sally = US | Annie = UK
Vampire: Aidan = US | Mitchell = UK (played by an actor named Aidan if you can believe it)
Werewolf: Josh = US | George = UK
Doctor: Nora = US | Nina = UK
basically I am not sure which version is better … and I cannot say that my comprehension of the UK series wasn’t polluted by my following of the US series … but the US one is definitely much more fleshed out. Regardless … the UK manages to tell pretty much the same story in only 6 episodes (57min each)
in the UK series 1
1. how Aidan / Mitchell first met Josh / George is almost exactly the same in both Series … as is the basic premise that they want to be normal
2. Sally / Annie has no trouble being seen and talking with strangers (like Pizza deliverymen) and she can interact with the physical world without any problems … it’s only when she tries to get her ex to see her that she becomes invisible to people (emotional shock?)
3. the vampires eat and drink all the time … not like the US show … Ghost’s can eat/drink but the food ends up on the floor/chair … literally goes right through them.
4. Sally / Annie loves making tea (it is a form of routine for her) … which is a running joke that the house is always filled with cups of tea everywhere
5. both Aidan / Mitchell and the Josh / George are orderlies in the hospital (in the US Aidan / Mitchell is a nurse)
6. there are no “elders” in the UK series
7. vampires cannot be filmed or seen in mirrors … so the DVD just shows the guy having sex with an invisible person (the Rebecca equivalent character) … and being killed … the mom gets all the neighbors convinced that Josh / George and Aidan / Mitchell are pedophiles (and the kid gets hit by a car when trying to get his mom to stop a crowd that is threatening the main characters)
8. the kid is brought back to life when Aidan / Mitchell explains to his mom that he is a vampire and that he can bring him back to life … but she has to decide (and she does) (the UK version of the Rebecca character was not involved)
9. Nora / Nina (Josh / George’s girlfriend) is not pregnant (or at least it isn’t mentioned)
10. the Nora / Nina doesn’t get exorcised
11. there is no drowning ghost
12. the Sally / Annie’s ex is a real bastard who isn’t scared (at first) by Sally / Annie showing herself … in fact he makes the whole situation even more painful for Sally / Annie.
13. the initial fight that killed (Sally / Annie) was over a thong (seriously) … which gets stuck in the plumbing and causes similar problems that the wedding ring did in the US version
14. When Sally /Annie’s ex tries to burn the house down to get rid of Sally / Annie … Aidan / Mitchell and Josh / George reveal their true nature to him … and Sally / Annie whispers something to her ex that drives him nuts … he then goes to the police to turn himself in (they send him to the loony bin)
15. the werewolf who initially infected Josh / George … that is handled in much the same way as the US series
16. the vampires are farming humans in the UK series too … but it isn’t presented as glamourous as the US series … more like slaves in a dungeon.
17. Aidan / Mitchell’s long lost love appears in both series … although there are no flashbacks in the UK version … everything is inferred but the same result is reached.
18. Josh / George tells the Bishop character where the fight will be … and it is Aidan who decides to fight … in fact we don’t know that Josh / George is planning until the Bishop character shows up in the Hospital basement … much to Sally / Annie and Aidan / Mitchell’s surprise
19. Josh / George’s plan to kill the bishop character unfolds like they were leading us to believe it would … Aidan / Mitchell and Sally / Annie try to stop it and Nora / Nina follows them into the hospital basement and gets in the way and gets scratched … Josh / George DOES kill the bishop equivalent … and I think it strengthens his character in the UK show.
As for UK Series 2 and US Season 2 …
it looks like much of the story may diverge here … as I said there are no “elders” in the UK series … but something else that the characters will have to deal with … don’t know if the US version will include any of the UK’s story line … but well at least get to see.
I recommend catching the UK version if you can … it’s only 6hrs and at the very least is an interesting look at how the same story can be told differently with more or less the same results.
*POST AUTHOR*
Wow, thanks Gordon for your very detailed comment. :)
Because I’m planning on watching the BBC equivalent myself soon, I very lightly skimmed your comparison. I promise to go back and reread your comment once I’ve seen both for myself.
Was just reading your comment and it seems that you probably havent seen the series 3 of UK Being Human, being English myself I’ve seen all 3 series and would just like to give you a tad more info on the whole similarities.
So spoilers ahead!
In the UK version you do happen to find out in the latest seres that Nina (US Nora) is pregnant wth George (US Josh) and there’s lots of complications, the have sex when werewolfs so they begin towother whether the baby will be born a wolf like fully, a normal boy or change at a full moon like themselves.
And though we dont have ‘Elders’ (I’m not too sure what they are) there are superior vampires -ones who are wiser, better, and I suppose in a sense respected by other vampires- and connections with the police and media so that vampires cant be exposed to the world.
Just a little more insight into the UK BH, I’m debating whether or not to watch the US version, I only heard about it a couple of days ago.
I love the series and your redux katie!
I live in Venezuela so the only way to see it is online! – I found that everything was going super fast on the episode, i did not expect bishop dead, though, is an evil character, I would liked to see more of him.
I wish that bishop death was against a werewolf (as gordon mention in the uk version). the fight with Aidan was too fast, and I really like the scene where Josh become a werewolf and sees nora below the door !!!. I hope to see the second season! hopefully not in 2012! is too long!
*POST AUTHOR*
Aw, thanks for that lovely compliment. I’m glad I can help you enjoy the show, even with the limitations of being in another country. I thought the moment with werewolf Josh looking at Nora was sweet, too… of course, there’s always the chance he was trying to eat her.
I really liked reading your Reviews of these all season.
Thank you SO much for mentioning the Oasis song, I had the refrain stuck in my head and it actually made me tear up a bit thinking about how perfect it fits into the story line. (I am also Pregnant so that may have partially caused the tearing up)
I was kind of also expecting the Nora Being Scratched part, and I would like to know what happened with the baby, if it changed while inside her and had transformed in her, I think she would have been turned either way, but that’s just my feelings. The way she is all bundled up at the end and sitting there, she kind of looks like a woman that just lost her baby (Or how TV Shows portray them).
I guess we wait til next year to find out.
*POST AUTHOR*
I don’t think it was just because you were pregnant… I am very NOT pregnant and I was tearing up, too. It’s also one of my favorite 90s songs, so that might have had something to do with it. I wondered whether the baby itself was a werewolf and if that would make her one, too (or if the baby would scratch her in the womb, you know?).