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30 Jan 2012
0 CommentsBeing Human, Season One
Being Human is a supernatural television drama. It is an adaptation of the British show of the same name.
Being Human, Season One – Drama…of The Supernatural Variety
So, a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost walk into a Boston bar…nope, not a joke. Welcome to Being Human, a remake of the BBC’s supernatural drama of the same name. I never watched the British version of this show, nor was the US version on my radar. I just came across it while the Syfy channel was airing every episode of the first season back to back.
The Basic Premise of Being Human
Now, I will admit that when I started watching the very first episode, I did a little inner groan. Yet another supernatural drama. But I admit, I quickly got into it. The show wastes no time. The basic premise sets up fairly quickly. Aidan, a vampire, and Josh, a werewolf, are two friends trying to live as normal a life as they can. They both work at the local hospital and hit upon a plan that involves moving in together and living as normal human beings. Of course, the fact that they are supernatural creatures keeps them on the fringes of society. Aidan has to battle his blood lust while the dopey, doe-eyed Josh has to battle his inner wolf.
These outside influences create and drive the drama. Otherwise, the show would be something of a British “flatshare comedy.” To put this in perspective, Aidan, the vampire was once not so nice. The other vampires that he did his dirt with are still in town doing their own things, and he comes into conflict with them often. In addition, Aidan is friends with a werewolf, which is a no-no among the vampires. To them, werewolves are no more than animals like dogs. Josh on the other hand is a werewolf. His once a month change accompanied by the potential violence he can commit contrasts harshly with his very sweet nature. He has abandoned his former life including family, friends and fiancé to protect them from himself.
The chatty Sally however is a ghost stuck on this plane of existence as she tries to figure out why she is dead and what she needs to do to move on. When the stories of all three of these characters cross and interact, we get some very interesting television.
Being Human Works Surprisingly Well
Surprisingly, to me, I liked the show. There was enough going on in it to keep me watching from the first episode to the last. I grew invested in the characters as more revelations and insights became more apparent. Now, I don’t think the show was the greatest thing ever, but I did find it entertaining. I doubt it will win any awards or even grow a really large viewership. However, I do think it gives us just enough to keep us interested and will be around long enough to give us a few seasons.
Since I never watched the British original, I can’t really speak authoritatively on the differences. From what I read, the North American version follows the first season of the British show’s plot lines closely. However, the American writers are doing things slightly different, and after the first season, they plan to take the show in an altogether different direction than the original.
With that being said, it seems the British version is hugely popular (hence the American adaptation) and has been around since 2008. Some people prefer that version and its cast to the American version. And no, I have no intentions of watching the British version.
Should You Watch Being Human?
Final word, it is worth a watch. If you are a fan of supernatural dramas like True Blood or Vampire Diaries or any others, you may also like this show. If you are not a fan of supernatural shows, you can still tune in for the personal and relationship drama and be entertained. Is this show a must-watch? No. But if you have the time, you should check it out. It’s great for a casual viewing or two in-between your more regular programming choices.
Additional Links for Being Human:
Being Human, Season One on Amazon: http://amzn.to/BeingHumanSeason1
Being Human, BBC Original Season One on Amazon: http://amzn.to/BeingHumanBBCS1
Wikipedia:
Being Human (North American TV series)
Being Human on IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1595680/
The Syfy Channel’s Being Human page has additional info, episodes, behind the scenes stuff, and a lot more: http://www.syfy.com/beinghuman
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26 Mar 2012
0 CommentsBirds of Prey, the Television Series
Birds of Prey is short lived television series based on the DC Comics publication of the same name.
Birds of Prey The Television Series
I had no idea that Birds of Prey even existed. I came across it during a wiki walk while looking for something unrelated regarding the Batman mythos. After a little research, I found many people agreed it was an okay show with a little room for growth. Unfortunately, since it never got past the first season, it was never allowed that potential growth.
What is Birds of Prey?
Birds of Prey is an action television series based off DC Comic’s comic book series of the same name. The show only ran for one season between 2002 and 2003. It features three women fighting crime. That’s pretty much it.
Helena Kyle aka Huntress is the brawn and main character. Barbara Gordon aka Oracle is the brains, and Dinah Redmond is the newest and youngest member. They beat-up the bad guys and take down nefarious plots in New Gotham. Yes, there are other characters and even a main villain, but we will keep it to the basics.
Where Birds of Prey Failed
They could have just as easily left out the whole Batman connection they invented and still would have had the same story, since he doesn’t actually have anything to do with the story. But like I said, they could have removed every DC reference and it would have been a tighter show for it.
As an example, Helena Kyle is the daughter of Batman and Catwoman. This could have been left out. Many characters from the comic series make either a brief appearance or no appearance in the show at all, even some of the more regular ones. There is a lot more to this but I don’t want to get too much into the details of it. It’s understandable that they took liberties with the source material but they took the wrong liberties.
Another reason that they should have left the DC elements out is their use of the whole “metahuman” concept. Admittedly, metahumans do exist in the DC Universe but they may have gone a little too far with it in this show. Everybody with any sort of ability is a metahuman. A metahuman is a person with some genetic trait that gives them some kind of ability (think Marvel mutants like the X-Men).
They overuse the phrase as well as the trope.
Birds of Prey Still Offers Plenty of Action
As this is mainly an action show, there is plenty of action. But in a post-Matrix world, it has become more and more difficult to impress with the type used in Birds of Prey. This is especially rough with the main character Huntress, whose use of over-the-top acrobatics during many of her fight scenes seem a little out of place much of the time.
I understand that you can only expect so much stylized choreography with a television show budget, but I swear they sometimes used the same exact shot of Huntress doing the same exact acrobatic fighting move during the same fight!
I know it sounds like I am beating this show down, but that is not the case. It is adequate for some lazy watching. It is full of action and even if the special effects aren’t the best, they are passable. The show could have been much, much better and I think if it had been renewed for another season or two, it would have grown into something truly good.
The full series can be found for cheap on Amazon: http://amzn.to/BirdsOfPreyTV
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