Genre: Sci-Fi | Horror | Drama
Air Date/Time: January 14 at 9/8c
Network: Syfy
Creators: Toby Whithouse (format created by), Jeremy Carver (developer), Anna Fricke (developer)
Director: Stefan Pleszczynski
Writers: Jeremy Carver and Anna Fricke
Summary:
Being human — nobody ever said it was easy. For vampire Aidan, ghost Sally and werewolf Josh, it might just be impossible.
Syfy’s hit drama starring Sam Witwer as Aidan, Meaghan Rath as Sally and Sam Huntington as Josh, returns for its long-awaited third season on January 14 (9-10 p.m. ET). Kristen Hager – now a series regular — also stars as Nora, Josh’s werewolf girlfriend.
The new season of Being Human picks up 15 months after the events of last season’s riveting finale which ended with Aidan being buried alive as punishment from vampire leader Mother, Sally, lost in a state of limbo, and Josh’s plot to kill Ray, his werewolf “maker” — which instead endangered Nora.
The third season features a stellar lineup of new and returning guest stars, including: Mark Pellegrino (Lost, NBC’s Revolution) as Aidan’s vampire mentor Bishop; Amy Aquino (Harry’s Law, ER) as Donna, a witch whose supernatural spells are sought out to help find Sally; Xander Berkeley (Nikita, 24) as Liam, father of purebred werewolf twins who is intent on locating his missing children, Bobby Campo (Final Destination) as Max, a young mortician who develops a connection with Sally; and Kyle Schmid (Copper, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) returning as Aidan’s vampire protégé and ”son,” Henry.
If you are one of the poor deprived souls who hasn’t seen Being Human yet, GET ON BOARD RIGHT NOW. This is the start of the third season, so here’s all you need to know about where we are the end of Season 2: the dark haired guy, Aidan, is a vampire, and usually looks better than he does in the picture above. The lighter-haired guy, Josh, is a werewolf. The dark haired woman, Sally, is a ghost. Aidan, Josh, and Sally are roommates. Josh and Sally are fairly new to their circumstances. You’ll also be seeing a blonde woman, Josh’s girlfriend Nora, who is also werewolf; Josh turned her into one by accident. Most people in the world have no idea that any such creatures exist. Okay, you’re ready!
If you’d like a little bit more, or if you’re a Being Human veteran who’d like a refresher, here’s a little bit more info about the cliffhangers at the end of Season 2 beyond what’s listed in the “Summary” section above: Aidan’s punishment of being buried alive generally is meant to drive a vampire mad over time. The man who turned Josh into a werewolf, Ray, was in a fight with Josh and Nora, and a shot went off. We’re all hoping Ray gets killed by Josh because we’ve heard that if you kill your werewolf maker, everyone your maker “turned” would be free of the werewolf curse. And Sally has put herself into limbo because she put some of her ghost friends there when she was kinda crazy, and she wants to save them, but now we’re afraid she can’t get out.
Having this season begin 15 months after the cliffhanger endings of Season 2 is a brilliant move by the writers. It allows developments to have occurred in the interim that can be referenced in dialogue or shown in flashbacks while continuing to move the stories that much further forward, and add in new ones seamlessly.
Now you are totally ready, and please, do yourself a favor and, as I told you to do at the beginning of last season, jump right in. But no kidding, do it now. Because this season of Being Human is by far the best ever, and is now solidly on my “A” list.
Being Human is a beautiful balance of relationships between smart, charming, funny people, and the supernatural. These are the cool fun engaging friends you want to have, and be. They understand the absurdity of the supernatural aspects of their lives, and they help each other adapt and cope as best they can. Their mutual support, and the humor that laces their interactions, are the strength of this series. The Season 3 premiere, especially for veteran fans, is the perfect embodiment of those strengths.
As for the technical side, I’ve always loved the set design and lighting of this show, as it is subtly impeccable. It makes me want to move to – I was going to say Boston, where the show is set, but it is in fact shot in Montreal, so I guess that’s where I want to go. But of course only in the beautiful weather that’s always depicted. I would also like to live in the apartment where they all live. Comfortable, not overdone, the whole thing looks like a Pottery Barn ad, in the best possible way. But in this season premiere, it all comes together even better, in every venue. Likewise the sound is great, and even the one somewhat whiny song they snuck in wasn’t entirely offputting for me.
Top notch performances from all the cast this week. It was a great move to make Kristen Hager (Nora) a regular castmember, as she fits in so naturally. It’s clear that the writers know how to write for these characters and these actors and have stepped it up a notch, and the actors have embraced that and taken it further. They in fact knock it out of the park. We see a few more familiar faces, and show newcomer Amy Aquino is pitch perfect in her role; I can’t wait to see where it goes.
I have only two small issues with the writing in this episode. One, I was not the only person to mistakenly think that there is a big cliffhanger near the end of the episode. This was cleared up in a recent Q&A session with showrunner Anna Fricke, and cleared up further by me in a rewatch. To spare you this issue, just make sure that you listen carefully to Nora’s last line. Saying any more would be spoilery, but it’s important for your enjoyment of the next episode to not be accidentally misled.
My second small issue with the writing, and really with the entire production, is that the episode is over far too quickly. It is so good. You’ll probably be howling at the TV when you see the credits, just like I was.
Veteran Being Human fans, rejoice that our beloved show is back and better than ever. Being Human newbies, no kidding. Get on board, and do it now.
I give Being Human, Season 3 Episode 1 “It’s a Shame About Ray” Five Out of Five Stars.
