Being Human

A vampire, a werewolf and a ghost share an apartment. The question is, who tells the story better? The Brits or the Yanks?

I'm going to run with the Yanks (shock, horror). While Being Human US is set in Boston and screens on America's Syfy channel, pedantic fans will tell you the show is actually produced by a Montreal company. This doesn't surprise me; I generally like shows that have a touch of the Canadian aesthetic to them.

(*Note: I'm only comparing the first seasons, because the US version is still fresh blood... excuse the pun!).

The English version of Being Human is definitely enjoyable, don't get me wrong, but I agree with a random comment I read somewhere on the web, pointing out the British industry's tendency toward 'gritty' television could be viewed as code for 'poor production values'.

I also found the British version of Being Human a touch Torchwood in tone; ie too dramatic slash over-emotional. I lean more toward a hint of subtlety when showcasing tortured characters. If you love the BBC version, props to you. Personally, when it comes to this tale, I favour the storytelling across the water.

Word on the web says the series began as an odd housemates concept, following the adventures of a sex addict, an agoraphobe and a guy with violent tendencies. The creator chose to throw in a dash of supernatural flair later on, dipping into the current zeitgeist. Personally, I prefer the supe take myself (no surprise there).

In terms of casting, I love the vampire/werewolf combo in the US version. Sam Witwer is great as the tortured vamp. I liked Witwer in Smallville, and apparently he also had recurring roles in Dexter and Battlestar Galactica. Those with good eyes and a memory for bit-part appearances may also recall Witwer from one-off ep appearances in Angel and Dark Angel, but that's almost a decade ago now.

Sam Huntington is quite an inspired choice for the werewolf role. He plays the woosy, socially inept character as such an unlikely violent type, his performance makes for riveting viewing. Huntington's face is familiar from Veronica Mars, but he's been around for years, popping up in generally b-grade movies (Fanboys isn't b-grade though, just to clarify). He's also done the pre-requisite procedural tours, ie NCIS and Law & Order.

Weirdly, I thought it was the actress who made me dislike the female ghost character in the British series, but I don't like the ghost in the American series either. This made me realise it's not the actresses, so much as the way the character is written.

What is it with the need to make women so lame onscreen? The girly ghost is kind of simple; moping around, missing her fiance. I think she's meant to be 'sweet', but sweet comes off as a bit dense and two-dimensional here. I wish they'd overhauled her character and added a bit more edge this time around.

The worst casting in the US version, to me, is the inclusion of actor Mark Pellegrino. I thought he was terrible in Supernatural last season, and I don't like him here as the prerequisite baddie. Maybe he rocked the small screen in Dexter and Lost, but I'm not familiar with either show. He's one of those actors you're always being told is talented, yet as a viewer, I'm never particularly moved by his performance?

I'm glad they kept the hospital backstory in the US series. I really like the banality of the vamp and werewolf's day jobs as orderlies. The mundanity of the setting really grounds them in normality; the complete contrast to their tortured supernatural lives outside of work makes their internal struggles even more poignant and jarring.

The visual aesthetic is lovely. Sure, occasionally quite dank settings, but I like the lighting and angles in both series. Not as moody as Supernatural or The Vampire Diaries (ie not many true blacks), there is, however, still a kind of pall cast over each shot. Every day, regardless of how much the sun shines, comes across a touch grey onscreen. A fair reflection of the state of mind shared by our suffering protagonists, I guess.

Hopefully the US narrative will diverge from its British counterpart more and more as the series unfolds. Personally, I found the Herrick storyline a bit tacky/tiresome, and wouldn't want to sit through that 'evil world domination' thing again...

But it does seem likely the two shows' season arcs will part company before long. The latest ep of the US effort included (what appeared to be) a True Blood-inspired, slightly gory sex scene that I don't recall from the first season of the British series!

I Know That Face

Do you ever feel like your brain is full of bit-part actors?

My mind just needs a few seconds of visuals to kickstart streaming feed, like an organic version of the Internet Movie Data Base. For some unknown reason, the cells upstairs are programmed to instantly recall an actor's entire television history in the blink of an eye.

I'm a walking information booth that charges a handful of popcorn, and maybe some icecream. All a friend has to whisper is, "Why does the main character's younger brother look vaguely familiar? What's he from?" and I'll come back with, "He was a dead man haunting his brother in a third season of Ghost Whisperer, a recently returned Vietnam Vet in a flashback scene from Cold Case and, I'm pretty sure, a recurring character in a teen show on the Disney channel in the late eighties."

Unless Hollywood decides to summer in Perth rather than the Hamptons, this isn't a marketable skill. Sure, it impresses film and television fans, but in general, as my family constantly tell me when I try to point out that the actress on screen played a classmate of Sabrina the Teenage Witch eight years ago, "Shut up already. Noone CARES."

Let's make this clear. I'm not talking one or two roles here. My mind recalls actors from their first big break. Yes, that walk-on non-speaking part in an indie film seventeen years prior, followed by the rest of their screen time up to the present day. The kind of visual recognition that would take up a wall of hard drives. Whole lotta RAM.

To my brain, film and television is one long complex puzzle, somewhere between a crossword and Soduku. The name of the game would be something like Place-A-Face... with the occasional information overload.

Take the actor who plays Detective Ryan in Castle. He's a Small Screen Regular, aka a facial recognition imprint that can send my mind into overdrive. "Mechanic-in-one-episode-of-Charmed" jumps out first, but numerous one episode appearances flood through after that. He did single eps of Crossing Jordan and Jag way back in the day, Ghost Whisperer and NCIS: Miami more recently.

Basically, the sight of his face short-circuits the tv memory portion of my brain. TMI.

The big question is, how much thinking room is all this actor recognition taking up? I mean, could I have picked up another language, or a second degree, with the brain space that's been allocated to recording the faces of bit part actors in every television scene I've ever watched?

Looking on the bright side (I always like the bright side), it makes the television industry as a whole seem more intertwined, and kind of familial. For example, I like noting how often actors swing guest roles for follow thespians they've worked with in the past. It adds a homey touch to the viewing experience.

One program that consistently strives to cast quality talent is Smallville, aka The Adventures of Young Superman. Because of its comic book origins, Smallville's scripting style has often allowed actors to really run the gamut of emotions.

Smallville alumni you might recognise? Laura Vandervoort (Lisa in the new V), Sam Witwer (Being Human US version), Jesse Metcalfe (Desperate Housewives), Kristin Kreuk (Chuck), Jensen Ackles (Supernatural), Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries); just the tip of the iceberg.

And let's not forget, Smallville always welcomed the beloved like James Marsters from Buffy and Michael Shanks from Stargate. They even collected classic faves with open arms (here's lookin' at you, Jane Seymour and Terence Stamp!).

In case you're wondering, Smallville rated a wind-up mention in this blog because the cult show is closing up shop. Having logged up an epic decade on the small screen, its departure marks the end of a (viewing) era for fans. Although never an avid watcher, I will definitely miss the show's heroic presence (get it?). It's been a long run for Clark Kent... Bon voyage Superman x