“Partial Eclipse of the Heart”

Air Date: 4/2/12

The action picks up directly where we were left off from last week, with Aidan cornered by Henry and a couple of Mother’s henchman vamps. Instead of staking Aidan, Henry turns on the other vampires and helps Aidan elude capture. Henry wants to help Aidan on the lam, and run away with him (and leave Suren), but Aidan refuses, wanting Henry to move up Mother’s ranks instead and is unable to leave his love behind. He gives Henry a little stake in the side to make his point, and to save Henry from suspicion on returning empty handed. Suren, meanwhile, is starving and restless, wanting to feed and wondering if she made the right decision to leave with Aidan after all. To sate Suren’s hunger, Aidan goes off to find a new hiding place where they can find fresh meat, leaving her by herself. He’s an idiot.

After Nora dropped by last week to casually reveal the “cure” for werewolf-dom (one must kill their maker in human form), Josh has nightmares about his werewolf father Ray (the perfectly cast, wolf-y Andreas Apergis). There’s no Nora to be seen this week, but I’d be having nightmares about her killing him instead (as that would reverse Nora’s curse, even if she says she loves her animal side right now). Josh tracks down Ray, surprised to see the guy happy and with his former ex-wife and son. Turns out Ray told the truth about his other side, and the honesty did wonders for his personal life.

Adding to the newest angle of angst for our neurotic hero is the visit of Julia’s best friend Chelsea (Catherine Berube). Getting the third degree from another person he betrayed is probably the last thing he wants to do, but he owes it to Julia in this blessed second go round, even if his reappearance will open the floodgates of information to his friends and family back in Ithaca (go Bombers!). Josh also grapples with the possibility of revealing the real reason he abandoned Julia all those years ago.

Sally, with a firmer grip on reality and less Reaper incidents, flits around the hospital looking for Zoe (Susanna Fournier). Zoe no longer mans her post at the Maternity Ward and is clearly avoiding Sally because she and the Reaper shredded a bundle of her ghost friends and Nick (Pat Kiely), her “love.” Can’t say I blame her.

Sorry I killed your ghost boyfriend, but seriously, he was no Patrick Swayze

Aidan goes on a drive and ends up on a random farm, with a barn full of hanging, asleep vampires. Once there, he convinces the guard to wake up one of them. Our lucky early riser turns out to be long lost buddy, Atlee (Kyle Gatehouse), last seen fleeing from a pack of werewolves and leaving Aidan to die. Instead, Aidan delivered the corpse of a pureblood to him, and Atley, being the opportunistic sleazeball that he is, used the prize to rise up in The Dutch, some impressive European brood of vampires. Aidan threatens to tell his new friends the truth, unless Atlee can help him and Suren flee Mother once and for all. Atlee adds a twist to the bargain.

Sally finally finds Zoe and apologizes profusely and follows her around, Zoe understandably still bitter that she murdered her boyfriend, even if he was an apparition. But, then, because it’s SyFy, the partial eclipse referenced in the episode’s title abruptly occurs. This seems to bring back many of the ghosts that Sally shredded, including a few you may be able to guess. Zoe and Sally rush to the house to see them, while Josh is encumbered in an entirely different way. After a pretty damn impressive performance for Chelsea, the partial eclipse abruptly starts his transformation process in the middle of Happy Hour.

There is not a happy ending for Sally, Josh or Aidan in the penultimate episode of the stellar second season. Every one of our trio is thrown through the emotional wringer. Zoe and Sally are given a shot at closure, and it’s not a peaceful one for Sally. Aidan’s thrown for a loop and neither compares with what happens to Josh. There are some touching moments, but overall, this episode created a complete and utter eclipse of my heart, shocking the hell out of me and completely changing what we can expect from the season finale. I hesitate to say anything more lest I ruin anything, but as always, anything goes on this show, and next Monday’s season finale promises a few surprises, deaths (my money is on Henry, Suren and/or Mother) and longing for Season 3.

Sexy sad pose.

Being Human

Season 2, Episode 11

“Don’t Fear the Scott”

Air Date: 3/26/12

The mantra of this week’s BEING HUMAN is that “time heals all wounds,” a cliché warped by the presence of vampires, werewolves and ghosts, and as something that is revealed as not true through the events of another hour of great TV.

Aidan and Suren, in love and proud of their work in ridding Boston of the orphans, nervously prepare for Mother’s (Deena Aziz) imminent arrival. Josh and Julia, newly love birds (again), take it slow after a “guy stole [Josh’s] penis,” to consummate it, because they’re worried about diving all in after how damaged they were before. Plus, Julia doesn’t want to go to his place because Aidan called her a slut and she hates his guts. That and the house is haunted, probably smells and looks like it’s on a shady side of town, but who’s keeping score?

Josh is determined to make it work with Julia, so he wants to have a dinner with Aidan at the house. Aidan relents, but only if Suren can go on the world’s worst double date. Add in Sally trying to ignite the conversation, and you have another in a long line of awkward dinners on BEING HUMAN. After a few false starts, surprisingly, things go rather swimmingly (despite Aida’s nightmares of Suren chewing on Julia) due to ANTIQUES ROADSHOW and brutal honesty. This euphoric mood is quickly interrupted, on cue, by Nora’s return and Mother’s visit.

Hey, another love triangle!

Nora wants Josh back, is extremely sorry, and has seen things her wolf side would rather forget, in her romps around in the woods with Brynn. Julia, instead of flipping out at her rival’s appearance, implores Josh to consider them both, and make an informed decision, so as not to break her completely once again. Josh is forced to choose between his normal and (being) human life and first love in Julia, or his animal instincts, his ‘wolf’ in Nora. He lays out his concerns to Aidan, and we’re reminded why we love their unique friendship. It’s amazing how a few episodes ago I loved Josh and Nora, and now, I can’t decide who I want Josh to be with. Mercifully, Josh comes to a decision by the end of the episode, so we don’t have to suffer through a TWILIGHT tinged love triangle.

To get in Josh’s good graces, Nora helps Sally reach out to Janet (Amber Goldfarb), who’s landed in the mental hospital because of Sally’s possession. Sally, still haunted by the reaper’s presence and all the harm she’s caused, desperately needs a win. And Janet deserves a redo.

Mother (Deena Aziz) congratulates Aidan and Suren on a job well done, but has a funny way of showing it. Suren isn’t advanced as she expects, and Aidan is free…to get the hell out of Boston and to disassociate himself from every vampire around, including Henry and Suren. Aidan’s decision puts himself, Suren and probably everyone in jeopardy, and will most likely end up resulting in the death of Henry or Suren or Mother, or all three. We only have two more episodes to find out.

In a rather intense scene, Nora makes another plea to Josh, dropping a massive bombshell of a revelation, which not only puts in question Nora’s motives for returning, but sheds light on future plot lines past the last two episodes of the season.

The suspense and action has been slowly building all year long, and it’s exciting to contemplate what will remain when it all goes down. See ya next week to start finding out.

Surprise! No more (fore)skin

Being Human, Season 2, Episode 9

“When I Think About You I Shred Myself”

Air Date: 3/12/2012

Even without Nora and her wolfpack, BEING HUMAN improves by the week. This week we get a frightening resolution (of sorts) in Sally’s Reaper storyline, Aidan helps the skinless Henry heal while he ruminates over their shared past, and the awesome Jay Baruchel guest stars as Josh’s deceased friend Stu, who, ahem, complicates Josh’s relationship with his original ex, Julia (When I think about Natalie Brown I _____ myself).

To atone for his mistakes of the past and to rejoin Aidan and Suren’s ranks, Henry got flayed at the end of the last episode. While we were spared that image, we aren’t spared the creepy Red Skull-like results of Suren’s revenge. Aidan brings him to the house, which doesn’t sit well with Josh, who begrudgingly invites Henry inside. Once there, he needs fresh blood to heal, so Aidan pulls a TRUE BLOOD and “glamour’s” a couple college aged gals upstairs for a vampire sex romp gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Having accepted her role as a future reaper (and helping to shred poor Stevie in the process), Sally now undergoes her training with the man she’s eventually replacing, the Reaper (Dusan Dukic) himself. It doesn’t go well. Killing or “shredding” ghosts doesn’t sit well with her, and the Reaper is impatient for progress. When Boner (Reason #43 this show rules: there’s actually a character named Boner) pays a visit inquiring about Stevie’s disappearance, he reveals that the Reaper was lying, that Stevie hadn’t shredded anyone else, and that he wasn’t stalking the bullies of his high school days. Sally goes to Zoe (Susanna Fournier) to ask for advice on getting rid of the Reaper, but they are less than helpful, merely leading the Reaper to the ghost group Zoe meets with, who shreds all of them, including former love interest Nick (Pat Kiely). Oops.

At the hospital, Josh sees Stu (in ghost form) for the first time since he was killed on the same camping trip that made Josh a werewolf. Clearly, there’s some resentment, but Stu says he has finally forgiven him in that whiny, scratchy voice of Baruchel’s that should be annoying but is instead endearing. After showing his face, Stu is always by Josh’s side…when Julia’s around. It’s no coincidence. Stu isn’t there for Josh. He’s following Julia, who he loved before Josh ever did…

]]> http://famousmonstersoffilmland.com/2012/03/20/tv-reviews-being-human-season-2-episode-9-when-i-think-about-you-i-shred-myself/feed/ 0 BloodyHenry Surprise! No more (fore)skin Next-Page-Button http://famousmonstersoffilmland.com/2012/02/29/bbc-america-announces-new-genre-shows-wired-the-dead-beat/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bbc-america-announces-new-genre-shows-wired-the-dead-beat http://famousmonstersoffilmland.com/2012/02/29/bbc-america-announces-new-genre-shows-wired-the-dead-beat/#comments Wed, 29 Feb 2012 18:03:27 +0000 Justin http://famousmonstersoffilmland.com/?p=54001 [Continue Reading]]]> BBC America announced this week that they are developing two new genre series with UK producers Clerkenwell Films. WIRED will come from the pen of Steven (AFTERLIFE) Volk, and THE DEAD BEAT comes from writer John (BEING HUMAN) Jackson. Both series will be distributed by BBC Worldwide.

WIRED synopsis (courtesy BBC America):
“WIRED takes place in a world that looks exactly like today, except for one thing: this is a world with ‘Syns’ (‘Synthetic Organisms’), exact replicas of human beings and the newest luxury accessory money can buy. Wired explores our evolving relationship with technology, the boundaries of society’s values and moralities, our hypocrisies and contradictions – holding up a mirror to who we are today and what we might become.”

THE DEAD BEAT synopsis:
“In THE DEAD BEAT, two cops, one dead and one alive, become a reluctant team, working from leads in the world of the dead to track down killers in the world of the living. Subverting the crime genre, The Dead Beat brings a whole new meaning to cold cases, underworld informants, dead leads and buried evidence.

Being Human

“Mama Said There’d Be Decades Like These”

Air Date: 2/20/2012

We need new shirt slogans.

Decades from now we will look back at this episode as the day when Marikym Hervieux made her sterling debut as Female Blood Whore #1. Or maybe not. A week after Nora joined Brynn and Connor’s wolfpack, she has since left Josh in lurch, ditching him entirely. Sally, taking a break from her addiction to possession, finds her Dad (Joseph Antaki) in the hospital mourning the impending loss of her mother Rena (Rahnuma Panthaky). Aidan is haunted by the vision of his maker and mentor Bishop (TV’s ubiquitous Mark Pellegrino) while reuniting with his own son and creation Henry after 80 years of radio silence.

When Josh alerts Sally about Rena, she watches and wistfully remembers idealized family time as her Mom slowly dies and her Dad sits resolutely by his wife’s side. The poor guy has lost his daughter and wife, but this episode is more about Rena. Upon her death, Rena ghosts up and is a lively and happy person, especially for a dead one. Turns out, all these years Rena was nursing love and affection for next door neighbor and fellow ghost Mr. Patterson (Gerry to you, and Graham Cuthbertson to everybody else). Instead of hanging out with Sally, she does whatever spirits can do sexually, which amounts to blurry cosmic foreplay on SyFy.

Sam Huntington is in fine form as Josh this week, as his life unravels in front of him. Not only is he slowly losing Aidan as his best friend and confidante (because he’s drunk and drifting and you know, seeing dead people, which usually isn’t an issue for a show with ghosts, but Bishop is merely his imagination), but Nora’s left and two Boston police officers (Harry Standjofski and Holly O’Brien) have taken her place, investigating the death/murder/mauling of Will (who Brynn, Connor and Nora chewed up at the end of last week’s episode) and following his every move.

After seeing Henry for the first time since he told him to leave Boston and never come back eighty years previous, Aidan searches their old haunts for his whereabouts and contemplates what to do with him with Bishop (or at least a “drunken” vision of Bishop). Alternately mocking, proud, wise and conniving, I think the writers and I finally realized how much BEING HUMAN has missed Pellegrino’s villainous Bishop by walking down memory lane (thankfully Aidan’s long life promises many potential flashbacks). Essentially, Bishop believes that Aidan needs to kill Henry to insure his Boston kingdom. Aidan not only denies this resolution but denies even wanting such power, even if his actions (like beheading Bishop) betray the truth. When Henry arrives at his doorstep, the two hash it out, and like grown men, try and kill each other.

Josh, as always, tries and fails to balance everything, by making food for everyone when Rena and Gerry come over (of course, he’s the only one who eats) for the most awkward dinner ever (we all know Huntington thrives at being awkward). Because Nora won’t return her calls and doesn’t show her face when he arrives at Brynn and Connor’s doorstep, Josh foolishly decides it’s a good idea to pay a visit to newly turned Cecilia (Olunike Adeliyi), Suren and Aidan’s cop on the inside, to solve his problem with the police. To entice her help, he promises her the purebreds, Brynn and Connor. This is probably bad for Josh, but it’s good for us when these character’s worlds blend like last season’s finale, and now we know how it will in the coming weeks.

My Mom gets more action than I do. Sadface.

While we learned about Sally’s childhood and how people can be crappy parents even after they die and this was good and necessary character development, this episode will be remembered for Henry and Aidan’s tussle and what it portends for Aidan and his city. Judging by Bishop’s fateful words at the end of the episode, it ain’t looking good.

If only Mama could save us from decades like these.

BEING HUMAN
“ALL OUT OF BLOOD”

Season 2, Episode 3

Review by Andy Greene

A show about ghosts, werewolves, and vampires (groan) based on a BBC show that still runs airing on Syfy. That has disaster written all over it. Instead, Being Human is one of the best shows on television. Just three episodes into season two, and it’s clear the show isn’t going anywhere. This week’s “All Out of Blood” is written by Chris Dingess (Reaper), directed by BH veteran Paolo Barzman and as we’ve come to expect, packs an emotional wallop with a shocking twist.

Note: If you haven’t seen this season’s premiere, skip down to the bottom to avoid spoilers.

The show’s central core is about how these monsters attempt and routinely fail at being human (hey, that’s the name of our show), and Aidan is always at odds with his hunger for blood and his desire to be a better man. In this week’s episode, Aidan (Sam Witwer) continues to see newcomer Julia (Natalie Brown), a woman about to start work at their hospital. He struggles not to devour her every time they meet, yet his feelings for her and his vegetarian diet stay his fangs, barely. To make it more difficult, the hospital he works at has finally amped up security due to the massive amounts of blood routinely being stolen from the premises. Video cameras presumably wouldn’t capture his reflection, but now only a supervisor has the key cards to get in to the blood, so Aidan’s stash is running out. There’s probably a simple solution here, but the guy’s starving and delirious, making Julia in danger of becoming his next meal.

While Aidan battles with himself in his burgeoning relationship and seeks out alternative methods to feed, Josh (the great Sam Huntington) and Nora (Kristen Hager) prepare for their second “turn” together (but their first when they know that Nora is, in fact, a werewolf). Sam has purchased two neighboring storage sheds and enlisted Sally to keep an eye on them. Nora, as the full moon approaches, has more and more disdain for this “safe” plan, wanting to be free and to explore the wolf side of her, with or without Josh. Josh is torn on whether or not to tell her that she’s a killer (she ate vampire heavy Hegeman in her first furry go round) to convince her to follow the plan.

Sally (Meaghan Rath) continues to figure out what the hell to do with all her free time. While werewolves and vampires have been done to death (nailed it!), the ghost mythology is relatively untapped in television or otherwise. I don’t count Medium or Ghost Whisperer and neither should you. As such, I always find myself the most interested in what the writers have planned for Sally and the ghost mythology they are slowly constructing. This week, Sally meets Zoe, a nurse who can see her due to her second sight. Zoe is a cranky medium, but helps ghosts be reincarnated in the newborn babies in the maternity ward. Creepy and controversial stuff. Sally immediately becomes drawn to the idea, and tries to convince Zoe of her worthiness for reincarnation. This leads to one of the weirder ‘job’ interviews ever with the whole gang, more insights into the supernatural, and another mild epiphany for Sally on life after death.

While barely in this week’s installment, fans of Dollhouse will recognize the newest addition to the cast, Dichen Lachman as Suren, the new head of vampires in Boston and a key figure in Aidan’s tortured past. Add Julia to the mix and you have perhaps a potent love triangle and more trouble for Aidan, and it’s exciting to fathom the possibilities, because you know the writers won’t shy away from anything.

More than the action and the horror, BH is about the friendship between its trio of monsters, and it’s a real treat watching these actors develop together. They get better with each episode, as their chemistry grows and their camaraderie becomes more rewarding to watch, almost to sitcom-like levels. Despite all of the horrifying things that routinely happen, this is a funny show, and this episode was particularly hilarious in terms of banter. Any show that has a Dawson’s Creek reference and a guy drinking blood out of a refrigerator deserves to be praised. The fact that an episode is funny when a massive, potentially heartbreaking twist occurs right before the third act that will warp the relationships between Aidan, Julia, Josh and Nora is a testament to the writers.

I’ll admit I have not watched the original BBC show, so I have no inclination of how much of the plot and pace of the source material they borrow any given week, but I know good television when I see it. Most shows drag out love stories, prolong reveals till finales or sweeps, while moving at a snail’s pace to keep the show’s foundation unaffected and its audience hanging on for way too long. BH does the opposite: so many unexpected things happen in each episode that fundamentally change the characters and the direction of the show, perhaps the perfect tonic to an audience likely fatigued by vampires and werewolves. But with the consistently excellent writing, acting and plot twists that Syfy and its creators infuses into Being Human every week, I’m in no danger of growing tired of this show.

“Netflix is already the streaming home of Mad Men and Breaking Bad in the U.S. and Latin America,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix chief content officer. “AMC’s programming sensibilities have struck a chord with our members and with the overall viewing public.”

AMC Networks president and CEO Josh Sapan: “This agreement supports the cable “ecosystem” by making our content available to Netflix nearly a year following the linear premiere, it brings our content to a wider audience, and it provides additional revenue to support production of new shows.”

Subsequent seasons of the show will go online just prior to future premiere dates.  For instance, Season 2 airs this October on AMC, and it will be released to Netflix presumably in 2012, just prior to the cable premiere of Season 3.

In addition to The Walking Dead, AMC has also acquired the rights to various scripted and unscripted programs from the whole AMC Networks empire, which includes IFC, Sundance, and WE Tv.  The announcement comes just a day after Netflix announced their expansion into streaming content from across the United Kingdom, snapping up the rights to BBC television program BEING HUMAN and its American SyFy channel cousin.

Considering all the bad press Netflix has been getting lately what with its price hikes and Qwikster name changes, it’s clear they’re making an aggressive effort to both appease current subscribers and gain new ones.  Hopefully such a run will continue with even more big announcements.

SYFY.COM RISES 24 PERCENT IN PAGE VIEWS

NEW YORK – March 1, 2011 – Led by the new hit series Being Human and Face Off, along with returning powerhouse Ghost Hunters, Syfy leaped 14 percent in total viewers, 25 percent among Adults 18-34 and five percent among Adults 18-49 in February prime compared to February ’10.

During the month, Syfy averaged 1.16 million total viewers, 485,000 Adults 18-49 and 180,000 Adults 18-34.

Online, Syfy.com jumped 24 percent in page views, 22 percent in unique users and 12 percent in visits, also versus February 2010.  Boosted by the launch of Battlestar Galactica Online, Syfy Games delivered its best month ever in uniques (177K).

Syfy.com is one of the leading imagination-based websites, averaging nearly 3.5 million unique visitors per month. Syfy.com includes the lifestyle blogs Blastr and DVICE; Syfy Games featuring popular games such as the MMOG Battlestar Galactica Online; major show sites for the channel’s scripted and unscripted programming, from Warehouse 13 and Ghost Hunters to Eureka and Destination Truth, video hubs showcasing original short form content such as Riese: Kingdom Falling and the upcoming The Mercury Men, and video blogs along with Syfy Rewind, which presents full episodes of Syfy’s critically acclaimed programming.

Watch the first episode below.

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Being Human – Premieres Monday, January 17, at 9PM (ET/PT) – In Syfy’s new original series Being Human, leading normal lives is a lot harder than it looks for three paranormal roommates – vampire Aidan (Sam Witwer who played Dracula in Greg Nicotero’s short The United Monster Talent Agency), ghost Sally (Meaghan Rath) and werewolf Josh (Sam Huntington from Fanboys) – who share their secrets and a Boston brownstone. Together they try their best to be human while navigating the complexities of living double lives. Mark Pellegrino (Lost) co-stars as Bishop, Aidan’s charismatic but menacing vampire mentor.

Executive Producers are Michael Prupas (The Kennedys, Pillars of the Earth), Jeremy Carver (Supernatural) and Anna Fricke (Men in Trees, Everwood), with creators of the original series, Rob Pursey and Toby Whithouse taking up some of the writing duties. Irene Litinsky is series Producer and Adam Kane (The Mentalist, Heroes) is Co-Executive Producer. Muse Entertainment is producing the show’s 13 one-hour episodes, which is based on the acclaimed UK series created by Toby Whithouse.

The original BBC series is pretty awesome and should be returning for it’s 3rd season in 2011, which will be set in Cardiff. Being Human has one of the creepiest mythologies concerning what happens after death. This will not likely be a straight story conversion since the first American season will be twice as many episodes as the British version.

Face Off – Premieres Wednesday, January 26, at 10PM (ET/PT– Face Off is a competition/elimination series exploring the world of special-effects make-up artists and the unlimited imagination that allows them to create amazing works of living art. The contestants are tasked with elaborate feature challenges including executing full body paint make up on models and creating their own horror villain.  Not only will the show incorporate effects make-up, it will include a wide range of skill sets including prosthetics, 3-D design, sculpting, eye enhancers, casting and molding. Each episode involves incredible reveals of the competitors’ finished work, and the drama of one contestant being sent home by the panel of expert and celebrity judges. It all culminates in one winner and one grand prize that will launch a career.

Face Off is a production of Mission Control Media with Michael Agbabian and Dwight Smith serving as executive producers.

Premiering in the 1st quarter will be the first two of eight After Dark Originals created specifically for SyFy Channel.

Scream of the Banshee – Premieres 1Q – Starring Lauren Holly (NCIS) and Lance Henriksen (Aliens), Scream of the Banshee is directed by Steven C. Miller (Automaton Transfusion). Holly plays an archeology professor who unearths a dangerous artifact, unwittingly releasing a creature that is able to kill with the power of its bone-splitting scream.  The movie is a production of After Dark Films.

51 – Premieres 1Q – Starring Jason London (Monsterwolf), Bruce Boxleitner (Heroes) and Rachel Miner (No Ordinary Family), and directed by Jason Connery (The Devil’s Tomb), 51 chronicles what happens after political pressure from the American public forces the Air Force to provide a few well-known reporters with limited access to the most secretive base on the planet: Area 51.  When one of the base’s hidden “long term visitors” exploits this unprecedented visit as a chance to liberate himself and his fellow alien captives, Area 51 turns from a secure government base to a horrifying destination of terror. The movie is a production of After Dark Films.