Genre: Horror | Drama | Comedy

Air Date/Time: March 10 at 9/8c

Network: BBC America

Created by: Toby Whithouse

Director: Philip John

Writer: Jamie Mathieson

Summary:

In an old B&B in a sleepy seaside town, we join Annie (Lenora Crichlow), her housemate George (Russell Tovey) and their new friend Tom (Michael Socha). With a newborn baby to look after, it’s never been more difficult to live life under-the-radar as a ghost and two werewolves. There are also vampires to deal with: lurking in every corner of society, waiting for the Old Ones, powerful older vampires, to arrive and take over the world with brutal force. Worse yet, there’s a malevolent ghost on the loose and someone’s seeking to expose the existence of werewolves – not to mention all the diapers that need changing.

This week the show nearly settles into its usual pattern, a mix of dark scary monsters and lighter funnier moments, with a tiny wee bit of coziness dropped in. The first two episodes were big and needed to be; this one is smaller, quieter, and a bit more reminiscent of the feel of the first two first two seasons, with just slightly less edge.

There are, of course, still some setup issues to be dealt with. One thing’s for sure, Hal is no Mitchell, and Tom is no George, and that’s a good thing. Mitchell and George were beloved, so trying to replace them with anything close would have been a mistake. Toby Whithouse is a much better showrunner than that. Even the issues of the larger vampire group, while similar, are clearly differentiated, for reasons you will see in this episode and which will surely be a theme for this season.

Damien Molony as Hal is never wooden unless it’s called for, when he’s hanging on by a thread. Otherwise he plays the span between intensity, edginess, and confident strength, all the way to nervousness and insecurity, clearly and masterfully. Michael Socha is similarly gifted at portraying Tom as dimensional, and the transitions between aspects for both Hal and Tom nicely suit the characters. The two play off against each other very well, as their relationship continues to develop and we learn more about each of them as individuals.

Annie is the glue in more ways than one, giving continuity to the series, but happily she is also given the opportunity to develop as a character thanks to her three new roommates, and… something else that’s new. You’ll see, if you watch carefully. Overall, however, Annie’s role in this group is quite different than it was with Mitchell and George. Annie refers to Tom and Hal as “my two boys”; she’s really becoming the mum, and not just because of Eve. It’s a good role for her, it suits, and makes perfect sense given her history and her recent losses. Well played as always, Lenora Crichlow.

Also noteworthy this week are Mark Williams (the Harry Potter movies) as Regus and Laura Patch as Michaela; both characters and performances are a treat.

Direction, editing, and lighting are all understated and therefore well done. There is one technical note with this episode, however, that may have been only on my screener, but if not I feel duty-bound to warn about: the music, when it’s playful or there is action, is REALLY LOUD. As a fair amount of the dialogue is quiet, you may, as I did, turn up your volume so as to not miss anything. This is your public service announcement; keep that volume control by your side. It only happens a few times but trust me, if the broadcast version is the same as my screener, you’ll want to be prepared.

This episode is definitely lighter than the previous two, but the threatened and actual danger keep it from being too fluffy. There is more humor – including a nice reference to another fictional vampire – but it doesn’t overwhelm. It’s a nice, solid new episode of a promising season of a lovely supernatural show.

I give Being Human: Season 4, Episode 3 “The Graveyard Shift” Four Out of Five Stars.