by Kimmie Chameleon:
Being Human Recap: “The Graveyard Shift”
Original Air Date (BBC Three): Sunday February 19, 2012
Series 4 Episode 3
Getting To Know You
The shocking culmination and dissolution of three of the four main characters from Being Human have left us viewers in an odd predicament…do we like these new roommates, or not? The loss of Mitchell at the end of season three and the tragic deaths of Nina and George at the start of the fourth have given us no time to grieve. There is no time for this because we have a newborn baby on our hands. Eve, child to the recently departed werewolves George and Nina, is the prophesized destroyer of all vampires. Annie opened her home to a new set of roomies and just like old times, one is a werewolf, Tom…and the other a vampire, Hal.
Annie, A Rebel?
Life with a newborn is exhausting and expensive. Tom and Annie venture out with baby Eve to a local supermarket to pick up some needed items. They are flat broke and slip a few things by without paying for them. Although Annie and Tom think they are inconspicuous, they catch the eye of a fellow customer…and not just any customer…it is Regus, an elder vampire that is the official records keeper of vampires. He was the vampire responsible for helping Eve’s successful escape. He pays Annie a visit at her home and tells her that she needs to be more careful because he lied to the Old Ones and told them that he had killed Eve. He also warns her that the prophecy has foretold that something is coming after Eve. Before he can say anything else, Annie tells him to leave. He slips his address under the door hoping she will contact him.
Annie goes against very specific instructions that were told to her that Hal is to stay away from situations that involve him being around humans. He has been clean from killing humans for 55 years. He is a slave to routine because for the last 55 years, he has been able to control his murderous urges. But whenever there is a newborn in the picture, there is always a need for steady income. Annie advises that it would be prudent if Hal get a job. Although Hal initially scoffs at the idea, he reluctantly accepts this request.
Be Careful What You Wish For
Annie is a natural mother. She swaddles Eve and takes her out to the park for some fresh air. She recites her own version of ‘The Three Little Pigs’, which is now ‘The Three Little Wolves’…complete with a pig coming after the wolves. Although they are invisible to humans, she is unable to hide from otherworldly creatures. She is approached by Fergus, a vampire employed as a regular pig…I mean, cop. He frightens Annie with the threat of taking Eve to the Old Ones, but resists doing so because he might have other plans for the baby…and also simply because they are in broad daylight in a public park. Annie runs straight to Regus’s, but receives a rather cold welcome. Annie asks Regus why he is so interested in helping Eve, and he answers that he has spent 400 years cataloging information about vampire history and the prophecy HAS to be true. Annie must now pay a price for rejecting Regus’s help when he first offered it to her. He takes advantage of Annie’s desperate need for information by telling her to touch him with one of her sexual memories. He requests that she feed him with her first memory of having sex. She does so, but to both of their surprise, Regus is not experiencing sex with Annie, but rather experiencing it AS Annie. Not what he wanted at all. Regus discloses more information about the prophecy. From what he gathers, Eve’s nemesis is a man with a burnt arm.
Control
We are treated to a brief glimpse into Hal’s past. He used to be quite a vicious leader hundreds of years ago. At one point he was a Red Coat during the Revolutionary War and showed no mercy when he brutally killed defenseless women. He has since learned how to control these urges by engaging in daily rituals. One such thing he does daily is build an elaborate pattern out of dominoes and intentionally resists the urge to knock them over. For him to be thrust into the modern world and have to blend in with humans is quite the challenge. Tom somehow manages to get Hal employed with him at a café. Hal is a lazy employee at best, but Tom tries his best to push Hal along. This type of work feels demeaning to Hal. When Hal uncovers a hidden wooden stake at their workplace, Tom tries to play it off as just something he forgot to leave at home. Hal is offended that Tom does not trust him, but who can blame Tom? They are just becoming acquainted. Hal goes outside to dump some trash and gets confronted by Fergus. It seems that the two go way back, when Hal was Fergus’s leader. Fergus reminds Hal that this situation is beneath Hal because he is an Old One. He proclaims his loyalty to Hal and offers his services to him. Hal refuses and Fergus tells him that Tom has a hit out for him. Fergus will come back to snuff Tom out. Hal returns to work.
Bromance
As if this day isn’t awkward enough for Tom and Hal, an annoyingly over-dramatic, self-proclaimed ‘dark’ goth chic named Michaela imposes her ‘poetry’ on Hal. She eventually leaves, but the residue of her obnoxious behavior disturbs the two guys. As the workday moves by, the two are starting to get along swimmingly well. Tom challenges Hal to the age old bro game, ‘Who Can Chat Up A Chick Better?’ Hal seems to be softening up and plays along. They decide that the next woman that walks through the café door will be their target of affection. First guy to score her number wins. The guys anxiously wait, and who walks in? It is none other than the obnoxious Michaela. Hal manages to stomach an ill attempt to flirt with Michaela, but fails in his delivery. Tom does no better. Michaela explains that she only dates blokes that are dark and edgy. The guys can’t control their laughter because she has no idea just how dark and dangerous they really are. She leaves and the two chums share a good chuckle.
When Tom and Hal return home from work that evening, Annie suggests that the three of them and Eve, leave to go and live in a tent to disappear off of the radar of the Old Ones. Annie tells them that she was confronted by a vampire in the park and that she consulted with Regus. Hal refuses to live in such uncomfortable conditions, and Tom reminds her that they can’t hide no matter where they go.
Oh My Goth!
Hal and Tom start a new day at work in the café and Michaela orders a cheeseburger, but tries to pay for it with another lame poem. Michaela rudely throws pocket change at them and Hal fights every urge to rip her throat out. Tom takes Hal to the backroom and tells him that he is impressed with Hal’s ability not to kill Michaela. Hal shares with Tom that he used to have so much clout and power, and would have never tolerated this type of behavior from anyone in the past. Tom proves his trust with Hal by tossing out the wooden stake. Hal and Tom have reached a pivotal point in their relationship…they are now friends. Hal suggests to Tom that they close the café early and go have a pint together. Just as they lock the café doors, a group of vampires with Fergus arrive and intend to kill Tom. Tom believes that they are after him due to his recent violent acts against him, but Hal admits that he inadvertently set him up. Hal tells Tom that he has since changed his opinion about Tom and now wants to help him escape. Just then, Michaela shows up and Tom and Hal have no choice but to drag her along with them to protect her from being killed. They run straight home and find Annie packing Eve’s things with Regus there. Annie tells them that she has decided to leave with Regus to hide away with Eve. Before any of them have a chance to really think, the group of vampires and Fergus arrive and attack them all. Fergus slits Michaela’s throat, but is then defeated by Hal and his friends. Regus changes Michaela into a vampire before she dies and the two instantly hit it off.
Feels Like Home
Peace has been somewhat restored in the house and Annie has decided to stay. There is a new normal emerging and the three roommates settle down for a viewing of Antiques Roadshow. All seems to be fine and dandy, but we don’t know for how long. At the tail end of the episode we see a leisure-suit clad man exiting a spirit door. Is he friendly, or sinister? Stay tuned….
Quotable Quotes:
Annie to Regus : “What happened to your face?”
Regus to Annie: “My lunch fought back. I’d rather not talk about it, but who takes a crowbar with them when they walk a dog? I mean, who does?! That’s just weird.”
Regus to Annie: “The nearest translation of this Rune is ‘nemesis’, ‘archenemy’…like Lex Luthor to Superman or Green Goblin to Spider-Man.”
Tom to Michaela: “I like your tights. You look like a bee and I like bees.”
Hal to Tom: “God, look at me, hiding from a little girl in a burger bar.”
Tom to Hal: “You’re not hiding, you’re keeping her alive.”
Tom to Hal: “I’ve got your back, mate.”
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