Word of warning, what started out as one of my usual discussions of television somehow morphed into me arguing with myself for several paragraphs...
My relationship with the show has always been pretty intense. I fell hard for the series a couple of years ago and have kept up with on BBC America for the past three seasons. The show is incredibly well-crafted, well-plotted, and engaging from top to bottom (far more so than its American cousin on Syfy... more on that later). In spite of the sheer absurdity of the concept on paper (a ghost, a werewolf, and a vampire rent a flat together), the basis of the show, and its true power has also been the friendship between Annie, George, and Mitchell as they try desperately to live normal lives. Their often misguided or unsuccessful attempts at "being human" form the narrative nuts and bolts, but its the mental and emotional impact on their dynamic that forms the true impetus for the series.
It's impossible not to get wound up in these three characters and after only the pilot, I was completely invested. Now, becoming invested in the characters is an essential part of any successful viewing experience. For me at least, if I don't really care all that much about the characters, I couldn't care less what happens to them. I was going to make that statement more universal, initially assuming that that would be a requirement for all people, but then I pulled myself back and looked at how ridiculously successful crime procedurals are. The reason so many people love those shows is the reason I generally don't love those shows, it seems. I'm continually amazed at how often I come across comments about these shows like, "I hate it when they get into the personal lives of the characters. Why can't they just stick to the case?" Um, are you kidding me? The only time I do care about these kinds of shows is when there's some meaningful character development... Anyway, that's beside the point. For a serial like Being Human, the nitty gritty details of week-to-week occurrences are only important in terms of character impact and motivation. Even the little things tend to mean a lot, so when big things are going down, it means a hell of a lot (and with this show, that hell might very well be literal).
Which brings us to now now. This show always has a whole lot of crazy going on, but lately it seems like Mitchell has been bearing most of the conflict. It's getting to the point where I almost don't even want to know what hell is up next for him. Poor guy just can't seem to catch a break. After last season, watching Mitchell completely fly off the rails and start slaughtering people, I figured the show would maybe rein things back in for him a little, but man alive, things have only gotten worse. I adore Mitchell and seeing him so utterly wracked with guilt is killing us both. Aside from the emotional turmoil that's tearing him apart, the dread that the walls are about to collapse in on him is making me incredibly anxious. As if the human legal authority catching wind of his involvement in the jaw-dropping Box Tunnel 20 Massacre wasn't scary enough (yeah, thanks for that one, Nina), he also has the entire vampire contingent seeking revenge, a "wolf-shaped bullet" aimed at his head, and an interpersonal dynamic among his friends that is crumbling right before his eyes. It's incredibly riveting to watch, but I'm just not sure how much more I can take. I'm just entirely too invested in Mitchell and it's breaking my heart.
It's also raising an eyebrow or two. I'm having a hard time coming to grips with a lot of Mitchell's decision for emotional reasons, sure, but also for purely logical ones. From what I know of Mitchell, and at this point, that's quite a lot, many of his actions of late have
been completely out of character. Is this because he's been suppressing who he really is and now the real Mitchell is coming through? Is this merely a convenient narrative decision? Last season Mitchell did a lot of stupid/crazy/violent/horrific things that weren't in line with the Mitchell we knew form season 1, but it all made sense. He was spiraling and his actions reflected that fact. With season 3, however, his motivations seem so much murkier and less in line with what I think Mitchell would really do. The thing that has been bugging me is Mitchell's feverish, panicked determination to stay alive. I realize that sounds stupid (Uh, duh, of course he wants to stay alive...), but no. This is a character who has stared down certain death on numerous occasions and for far smaller reasons. Is it that he's with Annie now? Is that why he's so terrified of fate catching up with him? Was it his trip to hell that has made him so fearful? I can theorize a lot of different ways in which it would make sense for Mitchell to risk the lives of those around him to save his own skin, but for some reason, it's just not sitting right with me. For someone like Mitchell, carrying about the guilt and regret and emotional baggage that he does, it just doesn't seem to fit that he would be so terrified of death, especially when it comes to his friends' best interests. He would do anything for them, even die. Hell, he went soldiering into ghostly unknown after Annie, not afraid in the least of never coming back, but now he hides a secret that puts them all in very real danger? He bargains with Herrick for information? He contracts to have McNair taken for dog fights when deep down, he has to know that it puts George, Nina, and the boy in danger? He saves Annie only to emotionally destroy her later? It just isn't sitting well. Maybe it's simply that I hate seeing him suffer.My rationale for all of his actions is that he wants to be the hero, but he really sucks at it most of the time. I think maybe he wants to make amends and set things right (to the extent possible) and he can't do that if he's dead. He certainly has been known to go about things in the wrong way before, so maybe I'm just projecting my hopes for him as a character in such a way that won't allow for him to make these kinds of terrible decisions. There has to be a part of him that is intentionally detaching from his worldly connections because of his glimpse into his own fate. A fate which is entirely wrapped up in his interactions with werewolves. In spite of all that though, I have to believe that he would never betray George. When Mitchell told George in Sunday's episode, "I choose you," it was the first real glimmer of the Mitchell I know and love in far too long. Nina may have lost all faith, but George is still hanging on... for now.
Whatever my hang-ups may be, it's generally a sign of awesomeness to come that I have a hard time getting through certain episodes of a show. In season's past, things were at least as dire, although it seemed that the heartache was a bit more evenly distributed. Maybe that was the difference. Sure George and Nina have their worries about the baby (speaking of storylines that I'm having a hard time with, although for entirely different reasons), and Annie doesn't know how to be with Mitchell, but compared to the shit storm raining down on our resident vampire, that's seems like child's play. After 2 1/2 seasons though, I can see where for the writers, that might just be how it has to be. George and Annie are the heart and soul of the show, but Mitchell is the conflict, the passion, the drive, and the drama. Without him, where would they be? While bad things generally tend to just kind of happen to George and Annie, Mitchell is almost always the instrument of his own destruction. (And the destruction of everyone else, for that matter...) His mistakes are so much grander and reach so much further than anyone else's. I guess that's what truly makes it so hard to watch him fail. As if he weren't hard enough on himself, he's got everyone collapsing around him. Geez, it's truly amazing that this show retains as much humor as it does. In spite of all the dark, it's still funny as hell.
So where does the show go from here, I ask myself? I can see where, in spite of my own difficulties in accepting Mitchell's decisions, this season might be the story of his journey back from the brink. While on the one hand, that sounds like marvelous television that I can't wait to see, on the other, much heavier hand, I have a sickening feeling that things won't end well for Mitchell, even if they do. I have heard rumor that Aidan Turner (the dashing fellow who plays Mitchell) won't be back for season 4. This means that the remainder of the current season could go in just about any direction, but all of them ending with heartbreak. As I see it, the rest of this season can go in one of two ways for Mitchell: 1) He'll finally reject his notions of "being human," accept himself for the monster he is, and leave the company of his friends (whether alive or not), or, much more likely, 2) Mitchell will push his friends to the limit with his selfish actions, but as the ticking clock counts down to zero, he'll make the ultimate sacrifice to save his friends and prove his humanity after all. I have a feeling we're headed down path number 2, but that basically means things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better, and even when they do, it'll still end with Mitchell's death. I'm just not sure I can handle that right now. This show is brilliantly written and I trust in the writers' instincts most of the time, but even if it were the greatest hours of television ever, it's still going to be devastating. My ultimate prediction? Things will come to a head in such a way that the only means of saving their world is for Mitchell to die, at the hands of his best friend. While it was unduly awesome to see Mitchell call
out Nina ("I should have known it would be you."), I think for maximum emotional destruction, it's going to be George who kills him. This season has been setting it up for the most impact. We've already seen George at near devastation levels at the mere thought of Mitchell not returning from limbo, and we've seen him reject violence toward others numerous times (but now to the extent that he protects Herrick of all people), so to see George kill his own best friend? Man alive, I really don't know if I can handle that. If I could be sure that Mitchell were coming back next season, I wouldn't be so apprehensive, but hearing that he might not? That's a fate worse than cancellation.I guess what it really boils down to is that I wish I had someone in my life who watched this show as well. I've been tempted to email Matt Roush with my misgivings, but as is clearly evident, I can't even sort my thoughts out enough to make an intelligible email. My new goal is to get someone in my office watching the show, but by the time they caught up, I fear the end would have already come for my dear Mitchell. Sigh... I honestly don't know how the show will survive without him. He's the core of the show for me in so many ways... Double sigh...
Point of reference, I do not have such conflicted, lengthy conversations with myself about Syfy's stab at Being Human. I enjoy the show well enough, but now that the original is back, I find myself caring less and less. The US adaptation has been far too vested in the storylines of its predecessor and I find myself getting a bit weary. I had heard that they would be veering decisively off the British path by about episode 6, but that still hasn't happened. Little changes here and there, but I certainly knew that little boy was going to find the vampire porn, get hit by a car, and then turned into a vampire. Aidan killing the boy was a nice twist, but I need a lot more variation than that. The US edition can't establish itself as its own entity quickly enough. Quite frankly, it differed more from the UK version in its first episode than it has ever since. I'm still hopeful it can find its own path, but I really thought they would have done that by now...
Alas, it's an embarrassment of riches. The British version has so much going for it that I can't really fault the Syfy version for towing the line. Maybe someday I'll be having deep discussions with myself about the merits of Aidan's, Josh's, and Sally's actions on the US version, but I think we're a lot way off. It's been interesting to see how they've handled the same storylines if for no other reason than to see how ill-equipped the American version is to grapple with the kind of depth offered by its cousin across the pond. Perhaps it's just be that the constraints of American basic cable simply not allow for the complexity and conflict associated with this kind of show. We'll see.
Until then, I'm going to keep biting my nails, furrowing my brow, and watching certain scenes through the lacunae between fingers. It's going to be rough, peeps, and I'm slightly terrified. Maybe that's why people love the cardboard characters on their crime procedurals... If there's nothing to invest in, there's nothing to lose (which I accidentally typed, "If there's nothing to invest in, there's nothing to love." That kind of says what I wanted to say better than I actually said it. Ain't always the way.)
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