Going into this screening, I was nervous. I stay away from the supernatural fad as much as possible. I never read the Twilight books and only saw the movie that was required for my Basics class. I don’t watch Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf, or any of the similar shows. Just the words ‘vampire’ or ‘werewolf’ in reference to a television show makes me chuckle. So when Being Human was described to me, I couldn’t help but make a snap judgment of what it was going to be like. My mind went straight to forbidden love triangles and sparkling characters running through mystical fields of flowers. And as much as I wanted to not like Being Human on principle, I found myself actually entertained, and a little touched.
The characters in Being Human made my experience with this show drastically different than with any other I have seen or heard about. Their relationships seemed real and not centered around overly dramatic circumstances. No, their situations are not close to normal, but the show does a great job of toning down the fact that they are ‘monsters.’ Even George’s transformation in the house, which I was sure I would be rolling my eyes at, was not overdone. Although it obviously cannot happen in real life, I was not annoyed that it was part of the show (unlike when Edward Cullen began to sparkle). And with Annie, her pain was real and I felt so bad for her. When her fiance couldn’t see her (but still seemed to sense her presence), my heart actually hurt. Her character had been set up in such a believable way that the fact that she is a ghost completely did not affect my viewing experience or my connection to her story. Overall, the drama was not overdone. The characters and relationships felt authentic. I wanted to root for them to be successful and happy because they were relatable – even in their monstrous state.
I think the part that set this show apart from its American counterparts is that I didn’t feel like the fact that they were a group consisting of a vampire, werewolf, and ghost was shoved in my face. The audience was reminded when it was appropriate, but their second-by-second being did not revolve around their supernatural states. The premise centered around them trying to be normal people. I think the main problem I have with the US supernatural culture is that the characters and stories do not have that same “human” quality.
I am by no means a converted supernatural fan, BUT I will say that Being Human pleasantly surprised me. As sure as I was that I would not enjoy it, I found myself caring about the characters and their relationships and wondering where their stories were going to go. And as much as it pains me, I think I may have to add this one to the Netflix queue. Hopefully you all can keep a secret…
First off, I’m not keeping a secret, it’s going straight to Facebook and Twitter.
Secondly, I’m with you in that I’ve never really gotten into the supernatural fad that has swept America for whatever reason. Unfortunately I never got into this show and would rate it 3rd that we watched on Monday…of course out of three.
To address a point that you made that I thought was really important and–to me–the one redeeming quality of this show is the character of Annie. I aligned myself with her more than George or Mitchell, which obviously as a man I found very odd. But the raw emotion and pain that she went through with her fiance not seeing her and then her fiance being with the one girl she didn’t want is something everybody can relate to, regardless of his/her relationship status.
Overall though, I just can never get into the plot of shows like this. I will sit in front of the television and literally rot my brain in front of shows like Community (R.I.P.) and Blue Mountain State. The vampire stuff is just not for me–much to the disappointment of my girlfriend…
One thing this post got me thinking about is the idea of “turning” to embrace the “supernatural fad.” It seems that is what we are essentially doing in choosing to enjoy a show like Being Human. However, this is where Being Human succeeds, in that I think it is a supernatural show that is actually down to earth and relatable. A viewer doesn’t necessarily have to become vampire-obsessed to enjoy it. The relationships and deeper message take precedence over some of the supernatural aspects of Being Human, in my opinion.
As soon as I heard “vampires and werewolves” I had to use every ounce of my self control to not run screaming from the room. I came into watching Being Human expecting Twilight and what I got was a show that I could easily find myself hooked on (and actually want to get hooked on). What struck me about Being Human was that in my opinion it did not really fall under a “public service” that the BBC normally preaches as its motto. We touched on this a little in class but I just thought I would offer my 2 cents.
It kind of struck me that BBC was selling itself out by having Being Human. Even though it was on BBC3, Being Human was a show that I would have expected to be on another network which did not preach the importance of education. Sherlock and Dr. Who were both very entertaining but they also had elements of education included in their shows. I can’t see there being much in the realm of education following the lives of a werewolf, vampire, and ghost.
Maybe it is just a case where they want to bring in viewers with entertainment and expect them to stay for the education, but that hardly seems the point. I can see why many Brits are complaining about how the BBC is dealing with balancing their educational message and having entertaining shows. Being Human seems more of a public interest shows that is cashing in on the popularity of the vampires and werewolves fad going on all around the world (cue screaming fan girls).