Being Human: A study in casting the right people

Dear Reader,

Last year I was hooked on the SyFy show, Being Human. The first season intrigued me. The stories of a vampire, werewolf and ghost co-habitating and struggling against their natures to be normal was a fascinating concept. I found out fairly early on the show I was watching had its origins in a BBC show of the same name and it seemed as if the fab base was split into loving one and hating the other. But what did I care? I was in love with my new show!

And then it waned. There’s a lot of reasons why I fell out of love with the US version of Being Human. The cast was attractive. There was great story structure. The plot arcs had it all, hook, line and sinker. But… I couldn’t get over the characters.

Josh, the werewolf, is perhaps the one character from the US show I’d like to keep following, but since he’s a packaged deal, we had to break up. That said, I still enjoyed what he was on the show. He was a compelling character, and I really stayed on for him.

Aidan was the eye candy I just wanted to gag. Let’s be honest, he has the poor, poor me, depressed vampire act down pat. Ultimately, his pretty face and nice abs just couldn’t keep me interested in his woe-is-me act. Yes, there was some really interesting history we got to see through his eyes and the development of this repentant vampire was neat but… I just couldn’t care about him anymore.

My biggest stumbling block was Sally. It’s nothing against the actress, but between the way her story arc was written and the actor’s interpretation, I couldn’t take another moment of the whine. Even if Josh and Aidan were everything good in a series, Sally drove me away.

This last month I jumped into Being Human, the UK version. There’s a lot of differences, and I can see where the US version took its story from. I’m pretty sure the six episode season was just regurgitated for the US version, with a few, small changes. At this point I’m through season two and starting season three.

George is the Josh of the UK cast, and he’s still my favorite. There’s something about this geeky werewolf that I love. Both characters really pull at my heartstrings. You do get to see a lot more of George’s back-side than from Josh, so there is that. The character arcs are similar, but I really enjoy the UK George. Sure, he’s got the same OCD ticks as Josh, and they both fall in love the same way, but Josh doesn’t have George’s accent. Come on, you know you’re all a sucker for that face and that accent!!

Mitchell is the token vampire, and while I still think he’s got some primadonna issues, I like him better than Aidan. There’s something about his get-it-done mentality that appeals to me a lot more, though there was a wrench in there in the last episode I watched that leaves me with an odd feeling in the pit of my stomach. I think it’s where the story is headed. I also think I get more from his origin story than Aiden. I understand him better, and the flashes of his past lives and people he’s met really help me get both him and the whole being human act he instigates with this group.

Annie. Oh man, as much as I disliked Sally, I like Annie. Their initial stories are similar, and Annie struggles with stuff, but man, I like her so much better!!

Sally sat in the house and whined.

Annie goes out, gets a job and comes close to having a full-on relationship–despite being a ghost.

The differences could not be more pronounced! And I love it. I might not stay on the love train, but for now I’m totally into buckling in for this ride.

More popcorn, please!