Syfy’s Being Human Season 1 Episode 11–“Going Dutch”

Our Mighty Warrior
Photo courtesy NBCUniversal

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Y E S !!!  YES YES YES!  GET HIM, SALLY!!!  There was a lot of this going on in my house during my first AND second viewing of this episode!  FINALLY she has once again taken matters into her own hands – or more specifically, into the body of someone else, but STILL!  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love Sally when they allow her to be powerful.  When she is not, she is a whiner and is much more… let’s call it “more challenging to love.”   And speaking of love, I LOVE what the US production is doing with the bones of the UK series!   As I did last week, if you don’t want to be spoiled about anything past or present in the UK version, skip over the portions in italics, like now: In this episode alone we had giant plot points from UK season one (the death of Rebecca/Lauren), season two (the attempted exorcism of Sally/Annie), and even the currently-new-on-BBCAmerica season three (Nora’s/Nina’s pregnancy).  Of those three major plot twists, only the first is nearly identical in each version; reckless newbie vamp asked our favorite vamp to kill her with a stake, and he does so.

But even with that, the circumstances leading up to it are totally different.  The Dutch!  What a great storyline!  Sure, Aidan was in trouble with the Dutch because of his heretical ways, but Bishop was in even bigger trouble because his future plans were completely contrary to Council laws.  There’s a Council!  We had heard a tiny bit about it before this episode, but now, with Heggeman’s “prepare for what is coming” extremely creepy and ominous warning ringing in Aidan’s ear, what is he going to do?  Who will be stronger, Bishop or Heggeman and presumably the Council?  Bishop has recruited far more “children” than their law allows, for the very reason that the law exists; it will make him and his city stronger than the other vamp families.  It’s a great Godfather-like turn of events, and a terrific setup for some potentially terrific machinations.  Bishop’s planned extermination of the Dutch took me totally by surprise.  Juniper, who knew?  To make the beheading easier.  Wow.  Of course now with Iago Marcus gone, the show is down one schemer, but that was likely for the best from Bishop’s viewpoint, and Aidan’s as well.  Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place: Aidan doesn’t want to live the vamp life in the first place, and now he will be smack in the middle of a war between traditional vamps lead by the Council – and we know how Heggeman feels about heretics – and the New Vamps lead by Aidan’s former mentor Bishop, whom Aidan has just knocked out and from whom Aidan has just saved Heggeman.  Yes, quite the intrigue in store.  Who needs the Borgias?

The exorcism.  I’ll say it again, how awesome was that turn of events?!  Poor Annie got dragged down into – what was that? a way-station? – and had to be saved by Mitchell.  But not our Sally!  She fought back!  Sally and Annie obviously have a lot in common but there are some definite differences.  Don’t get me wrong, I love them both.  But Annie has always seemed somewhat vulnerable and naïve, so that when she is put-upon or more directly hurt, you want to rescue her.  She’s not really great at being strong, and when she’s silly she’s just a bit irritating.  Sally, on the other hand, is somewhat irritating when things go badly for her; she seems a bit whiny.  She can be powerful, though, and when she is, look out.  I love Sally when she’s strong.

And WOW was Sally strong in this episode.  She had to be pushed to her greatest rage – “YOU DON’T GET TO MOURN ME!” - before she was strong enough to be able to inhabit the “exterminator,” but how cool was that?!  I wrote “ATTA SALLY” in big letters in my notes.  Loved it.  I wonder what will happen next with her.  Back when LOST was new I had friends who refused to watch the “next time on” previews at the end of the show because they didn’t want to be spoiled.  Being Human is running a risk showing as much as they do in their previews, and this week was no exception.  I will not extend the damage by talking about what they showed, other than to say, “Sally! O_O” 

Speaking of spoilers: “I’m pregnant.”  WHAT?!  Well it was slightly less of a shocker since they included it in the previews and mentioned it in every promo I saw from Syfy, both written and on tv.  So I was pleased that the revelation came so early in the episode.  This will be interesting.

Very interesting.  With George and Nina the werewolf reveal was separated from the pregnancy by two seasons, making them two separate issues.  By combining them, the drama meter clicks way over to the right.  Nora was already planning on never having children because of her family’s history of addiction, mental illness, and aggression.  I’m thinking that, unless they bring in some dramatic reason for keeping it, the werewolf factor will send them to a clinic pronto.  If they have Josh wait to tell Nora about his “deep genetic problem” until he’s sure she’s decided to keep it and therefore MUST reveal it… I can see that being irritating.  Please don’t do that.  Please either have them decide together that, for reasons of unspecified genetic disposition towards problems, they will not keep it, or have Josh tell her right away.  Please don’t have him wuss out and not tell her, or wait for more than a very short amount of time.  Josh is borderline wussy anyway, and that would push him into the Irritating column, which Sally has just vacated.

Definitely one of my favorite episodes of the inaugural season of the series.  I am so very happy that it has been renewed for a second season!  Two more episodes to go for season one, and now more than ever, I  CAN’T  WAIT!