BEING HUMAN UK: 1955 (S4 E2)

Being Human (UK): 1955
Season 4 Episode 2
Writer: Lisa McGee
Director: Philip John

Very spoilery, so don’t read if you don’t wanna know!

Just what the world needs, an OCD vampire.
In contrast to the last episode, this week we got a solid introduction to the latest addition to the cast, new vampire Hal (Damien Molony), plus insight into a few of his little quirks. Like the way he practices domino-stacking and other repetitive, ritualized behaviors as a way to repress those bloodthirsty killer tendencies raging just under the surface. Interesting. No wonder elderly werewolf Leo had a little list of instructions ready for Annie on how best to keep Hal “dry” once his old friend departs this mortal coil.

“Thou shalt not hide stakes in my shrubbery!”

Unfortunately, two-thirds of the quirky supernatural trio that turned up on Annie and Tom’s doorstep this week looking for the “saviour of the world” was also not long for this world.I especially enjoyed Tamla Kari’s delightful performance as the luscious Max Factor-lipsticked Pearl. Her smug bossiness towards Annie was hilarious. I would have been happy to see her stick around Honolulu Heights a little while longer if only for thorn-in-the-side value, but sadly this was not to be. As Annie remarked, when those glowing doors to the one’s afterlife materialize it’s best just to walk straight through them, for second chances might never ever come. And how sweet was it that Leo and Pearl received a set of double doors and got to walk happily-ever-after away together?

“What we need now is fists and fangs.”
Too bad we’ll never learn the results of the unique focus group of street people and druggies that Cutler (Andrew Gower) organized and Fergus’s minions had for lunch. Once again Cutler’s modern marketing schemes (I swear, this guy must have been an advertising exec before being vampirized) were squelched by rival henchman Fergus (Anthony Flanagan), who is already jockeying for position as numero uno with the Old Ones. You remember the Old Ones, don’t you? Those master vamps that everyone keeps talking about, but we have yet to ever see? The ones who are eternally “on their way” from somewhere else? For the life of me, I can’t figure out what is taking these old guys so long to arrive. Is the vamp-to-bat switch broken? You’d think what with airplanes and everything they’d have been here by now. Maybe they’re flying standby?

“Are we done flirting yet?”
To Hal’s surprise it looks like werewolf Tom can more than match wits with the upper-class vamp, and despite their initial snarky bickering you just know they will become fast friends. Sorrowful-looking Tom (Michael Socha) is turning out to be the bright spot of the new season, delivering the offhand wisecracks with the timing of an old pro. Damien Moloney as Hal gets to shine with one of the darkest monologues thus far. His emotions-bubbling-under-the-skin description of the after effects of killing someone was very affecting, actually creepy, and shows that he’s capable of a lot more than at first glance. In other words, Toby Whithouse has two very good actors here, and I hope they are given some good stuff to do this season, it would be a shame to waste them.