Being Human Season 1
1080P MPG4-AVC @ 29Mbps (AWBR, Varies, 28-31)
DTS-HD 5.1 Audio
13 Episodes
4 Discs
Release Date: 11/15/2011
Series:
Adapting a UK TV show for the US is often tried but it doesn’t always work. Sure, there are hits like “The Office”, but there are also a large number of programs that never make it out of the pilot stage or flat out fall apart because they just don’t seem to find their footing when they come to the US. Adapting Being Human to the US posed some serious issues – a lot of the happenings within that series, as well as its format draw from its setting. Could the cast and crew pull off the transition and make the show one people would want to watch?
I’ve been a mixed fan of the UK series, which I felt went “up and down” in the way of quality; some good episodes some junky ones. It really is a show that even several seasons down the road still seems to be trying to sort out where it actually wants to go. I liked the core concept: a wolf and a vampire are just average guys who were thrown into a situation they didn’t ask for and instead of being instant mortal enemies have decided to try and figure out what they do with the rest of their lives now. The fact that they move into a house with a ghost, well, that’s just the way things go around here.
I will then say this and it will catch many as heresy: the US version is better acted and I feel better developed then the UK version. In some ways, this is because it goes back to season 1, and it has the benefit of hindsight from the UK series. Scenes that went well in series 1 in the UK are done fantastically here, other scenes that meandered are trimmed to where they don’t bother me the way they did in the British version.
Aidan (Sam Witwer) and Josh (Sam Huntington) find themselves trying to make things work out for them and not always succeeding. Their backstory is pre-built: Aidan and Josh both work in the local hospital, as a nurse and orderly of sorts. They both struggle with who they are now – and who they want to become.
Some of the big arcs that get addressed in series 1 mirror the British version: Sally finding out why she’s a ghost; Aidan figuring out how to be a “sensible” vampire.. and Josh, well deciding to accept who he is. There is a far amount of “oh woe is me” dialog that occurs throughout the series that may be offputting to some, but frankly I find that it is probably more realistic to how people act or would act, though it may not always be what we want to see.
Video Quality: 4.5 / 5
Being Human is presented in MPEG4-AVC, 1080P with an AWBR of 29Mbps. Spread out over 4 Bluray discs, these 13 episodes have plenty of room to breathe, giving them a really nice picture quality. The series carries over it’s muted color pallet, which may be more suited for London but works in Boston just as well. The overcast and grey look in most scenes helps provide the feeling of a city constantly in the fog of not knowing what’s really going on. In close ups, the picture quality is very good, crisp, sharp and is obviously shot in digital. CGI effects are effective and really make the best use of Blu-Ray. Sally’s disappearing act as a ghost; whisps of ethereal smoke that seem to come from the dead, the look of a hot breath in the cold air – the series really does make good use of video and in this presentation it has room to grow.
Audio 4.5 /5
Presented in DTS-HD 5.1 Audio, there are a lot of reasons to praise the audio track. From its easy to understand dialog, effects that matter, and a soundtrack and background effects that establish the feel of Boston. But there is something else here. If you’ve read my review of Being Human: Season 4 Bluray (from the UK) you know one of my complaints was it’s stereo only presentation on a blu-ray. This title shows us exactly how important really good audio is to a series. The effects and scenes feel far more realistic and well established when the audio that goes with them is this good.
Extras: 3 / 5
The Making of Being Human – 47:57 – it’s a look behind the scenes with some footage of how the show is filmed and sets laid out. It’s a bit better than the standard Behind the Scenes package, and if you sit through it there are some good moments here.
What Would You Choose? – 1080I, 3:06 – cast members discussing why they would chose to be a vampire, a werewolf or a ghost.
Interviews with the cast – 5:53 – It’s.. well, cast interviews. Fluff.
Being Human San Diego Comic-Con Panel – 39:56, the three cast members, crew and others discuss the show.
Series Trailer
Summary:
It’s hard to really pitch a series like Being Human. If you’ve seen the British Series, you have a lot of the highlights from Season 1 of the US series. If you haven’t, the concept may seem a bit tired as we have our networks absolutely packed with shows about Vampires and Wolves. From New Line’s “Twilight” to Disney Channel’s “My Babysitters a Vampire” everyone has a ghoulie story to tell. The thing about Being Human, though is that it at least tries to do something with the story and at times really succeeds.
I find the US version has really taken the UK import and done something with it to make it more palatable to the US audience, as well as change some of the clunkiness that went along with Series 1 UK, as the writers are more assured of their best moments and more aware of what the audience didn’t like the first time around. They allude to this much in the comic con panel. Think of this as Draft 2.0 of “Being Human”. If you’ve seen the series on SyFy, and you are a fan the blu-ray set will be absolutely welcome. It faithfully produces the series and it looks better than ever. The extras are slim but passable, and the video and picture quality are quite good. Is it enough for someone new to the series to blind buy? I doubt it. But for those that were fans of the UK or US version? It should be an instant buy.
