Humans — Episode 4: 5-7-2015

5th July, 2015.

Oh, now, wait, wait, wait … SLOW DOWN … !

No, hold, on … 

Paul … ?

Start making sense to an audience, will you … ?

Sorry, Sorry, I’m … 

Well, tired: and very aware I smell.

Of a mix of fried chicken, and the soap I used to have a shower when I got home, today.

Some sort of lime scented thing.

So I’m very aware I’m … going to appeal to people with very odd tastes.

Which is possibly the cue for some very smart remarks.

At any rate … ?

At any rate, I’ve just been watching the fourth episode of the Channel 4 series, Humans.   And have to confess to finding it — in line with the previous episodes — to be a riveting piece of drama.

~≈Ù≈~

Just to briefly try and recap, shall we?

In previous episodes, we’ve been introduced to the Hawkins family.   Mother, Laura, father, Joe, and their three children: Matilda, Toby and Sophie.

Last week’s episode saw Matilda — Mattie, Lucy Carless — trying to hack into the brain of Anita — the family synth, played by Gemma Chan — and getting a very strange reaction as a result.

Her mother, Laura — Katherine Parkinson — is concerned: but also trying to follow up a strange case at her work as a solicitor.   A potential client has been turned down by the partners Laura works for.

The client wants to sue a theatre for kicking her and her synth out: and believes it to be a violation of her synth’s human rights.

In the meantime … ?

In the meantime, it’s POSSIBLY a good thing Laura was out.

She won’t — as things stand in today’s episode — know that husband, Joe … 

Has managed to activate Anita’s ‘18+’ features: and … um … worked off some frustrations … 

Yes, you can probably worked that bit out, yourself, can’t you … ?

~≈Ê≈~

In all this … ?

In all this, Mattie has managed to contact Leo — Colin Morgan — to see what she makes of him.

And managed to make a sneaky get-away, after confirming — with the help of a photo Leo shows her  — that Leo is seriously interested in Anita.

Leo, and his synth, Max … ?

Do manage to find something, though.

Some sort of executable code, buried in the code posted by Mattie.

Something they manage to ask Dr Millican about: as he’d been involved with the original Synth building project.

He thinks it’s … harmless … but want’s to see what happens when the code is loaded into Max.

Which is when an increasingly uncomfortable Leo decides to leave: informing Dr Millican that he is, intact Leo Elster: son of the synths original designer, David Elster.

Dr Millican is intensely sceptical: he knows for a fact Leo … is dead … 

In all this … ?

The fact Niska has found what Hobbs calls a Smash club — a club devoted to destroying Synths, fight club style — and has assaulted several of the audience, nearly goes by the wayside.

The fact DS Drummond has been kicked out by his wife, after his suspension and is staying at a work colleague who isn’t ALL she seems … ?

And that the Hawkins family tests of Anita show the Synth is 14 years old — rather than the two weeks they’d assumed — adds just another layer to the mix.

I don’t know about you, but I think Humans is getting good.

~≈Ê≈~

You’d disagree … ?

I don’t know if you do, or you don’t, actually: unless you leave me a comment.

Personally … ?

Personally, I’m finding Humans to be very watchable.

The characters — and the way both cast and writers present them — are engaging, realistic, examples of people: reacting to a very new and (potentially) scary technology in all-too-human ways.

Including the right-wing, ‘We Are People’ movement the episode shows us, tonight.

In both Niska and Anita … ?   We ALSO have the most sympathetic take on Frankenstein’s Monster going.

Hopefully?

I’m hoping the series goes on, beyond this first one.

On the form I feel the show has, right now?   Along with the mirror it holds up to how are interact with technology?

I think it certainly merits a long run.