Something Rotten in the State of Being Human

 
Episode 310: “For Those About to Rot”

[Photos: Phillipe Bosse/Syfy]

Josh opens the episode for us this week on Being Human, wandering au naturel about the forest again. He encounters his lupine counterpart, an amazingly beautiful animal. Josh wants to bond, but the skittish animal darts off. Josh jerks back to reality outside Pete’s camper. The ensuing banter between self-actualized Pete and crabby Josh is great; Josh snaps retorts right and left. Pete rationally points out that Josh has been fighting his wolf for five years, and meditating for 2 days. Josh agrees to come back later that night for more practice.

Aidan awakens from a dream/memory of the birth of his stillborn baby, a source of great emotional pain for both Suzanna and him. Interestingly, Aidan wakes up in an alley in a pile of garbage, no shoes. Aidan stumbles back home, only to be grilled by Sally. I gotta get me some of whatever Sally drinks in the mornings to pep up. The girl engages in a hilarious game of verbal volleyball with the bewildered Aidan; she proposes that his night-time fugue resulted because he’s “backed up”, and that his subconscious is sending him out into the world looking for some ass (her words). Aidan’s observation that Sally was less weird as a ghost than as a person is funny, but also highlights how Sally’s character has developed over the last season.  The fact that Sally’s lines were largely ad libbed adds to the fun (see the interview that explains).

When Zoe calls for help with Nick, Sally becomes deadly serious. Nick’s ghost appears, assuring Zoe that it’s okay that she killed him in self-defense. His hunger was out of control and he would have hurt her. He warns her that Sally will hurt her, too, and she needs to stay away from her out of self-preservation. A door with a golden seashell appears for Nick, and he enters. Zoe heeds Nick’s advice and tells Sally to stay away; contritely, Sally offers to dispose of Nick’s body.

Josh helps Sally out with the disposal, which is actually quite nice in that these two characters get a little one-on-one time. Sally brings Josh up to speed on the cravings-for-human-flesh issue. Sally realizes that Stevie doesn’t know what she and Nick had figured out, so she and Josh head to Stevie’s parents’ house without much of a plan for what to do when they get there.

Stevie, however, is home alone. He provides a story about how he ended up there. Josh goes hunting for some hand soap after a visit to the little boys’ room, and discovers a disembodied arm in a cupboard in the kitchen. Stevie confesses that he came home to his parents after he ran out of money traveling, and after they dropped dead from the curse, he gave into the hunger and ate them. Reverse Titus Adronicus? The arm, however, belongs to the mailman, so this is no longer an issue of Stevie feeding opportunistically; he’s killed to eat. The poor kid has been contemplating hanging himself (again) out of guilt and relentless hunger.

Josh steps in. He’s come to realize that success in the supernatural world requires the ability to make impossible decisions, so he dispatches of Stevie without fanfare. Sally feels wounded, and asks accusingly if it’s her turn. Josh pulls her to him and hugs her tightly, promising they’re going to save her.

I loved this exchange, particularly as a telling contrast to the scene she’d had with Aidan earlier in the show. In this world, Sally is allowed to be her quirky self. When harshed on like one of the guys, she can hold her own; she is a woman who is comfortable with her own sexuality, but she’s not viewed as an object by her male roommates; they look out for her welfare, occasionally act too brotherly and interfering, but back off when she tells them to; when she’s vulnerable, Josh and Aidan step up and can be vulnerable with her. In other words, besides the fact that they’re both killers, they’re perfect men.

Like Nick before him, Stevie’s ghost appears and grants absolution. His door appears, and he enters. Just before he disappears, Sally tries to call him back, but it’s too late. Stevie’s door is the exact same as Nick’s door, and this doesn’t jive with what Sally knows about doors. I haven’t checked yet, but what do you all want to bet it’s the exact same as Trent’s door was? Considering that Sally’s soul eternally belongs to Donna upon her demise, this has to get sorted out pronto.

While Sally and Josh have been handling un-pleasantries, Aidan has had an unusual date with Kat at the rare book archive. Kat’s jerk ex-professor/boyfriend Jeff shows up, and Kat and Aidan escape after a few minutes of awkward conversation. Back at Kat’s place, she explains that she thought she was getting the whole fairy tale with her ex: house, kids, etc., but Jeff reneged. Moved by her honesty, Aidan confesses that he cannot father children, though he doesn’t mention why. At the end of their date, Kat reveals she’d like to continue to see Aidan (who wouldn’t?). Passionate kissing leads to fangs, so Aidan leaves. Ever the Boy Scout, Aidan downs a blood bag outside, and reappears back at Kat’s where the two then move the relationship forward with gusto.

At the end of the episode, two significant events happen. 1) Three vampires attack Pete in his camper for his immunizing blood; Josh intercedes but is knocked out. 2) Aidan again dreams about Suzanna, this time about the delivery of their son Isaac and the promise that Aidan had made to God that he’d be a good man even if he lived to be a hundred years. Explains a lot about Aidan’s general motivation. The dream sequence was beautifully acted by Mr. Witwer; the relief he experienced that his wife and baby boy were both healthy was credible and moving. Also of importance, Aidan wakes up after that dream in an alley again, and this time, Kat’s ex-douchebag is dead around the corner, puncture marks on his neck.

Questions for the week: Max, Max, wherefore art thou? How long before Sally is unable to control herself? Is Aidan turning into a fiend at night because of the werewolf blood in his system, or what? Where did his shoes go? What ultimately happened to Suzanna and Isaac? Is Pete still alive? What will Kat do if she finds out about Jeff? Now that Aidan’s made nice with Blake, will she and her cronies help him out when the showdown with Liam and/or Donna takes place? Aack, are there really only three episodes left in the season?

Stay tuned, guys, it’s only going to get crazier! See you next week.

>>>>

[Official Show Site on Syfy]  [Previous Recap: “Of Mice and Wolfmen”]