It’s the penultimate episode of Series 3 (so soon?!) and all the pieces are moving into place for an explosive finale.
This week’s opening flashback shows McNair (Robson Green) being forced to partake in his first dogfight – only this time he isn’t the dog! Having been forced into the cage as a man, by none-other than William Herrick (Jason Watkins), McNair proves to be a steely enough man to survive against the wolf, but not without suffering a cursed scratch of his own…
Back at Honolulu Heights, Annie has become ever-more fixated on helping Nancy solve the Box Tunnel Massacre case and is deaf to Mitchell’s protestations that a vampire being arrested would turn the entire world on its head, let alone what he knows it would do to their relationship if she uncovered the truth.
As such, when Nancy sees through the holes in Mitchell’s Daisy deflections, he panics and threatens to lapse back into the man who committed the Box Tunnel Massacre in the first place. Talking poison in the ear of an increasingly feral Herrick, he manipulates him into sating his blood-lust on the determined young detective. Erin Richards’ Nancy is a likeable, but tragic character, caught up in a complicated world that she doesn’t even know exists. Mitchell pulls himself back at the last minute, but how long can Nancy keep pressing him before he snaps?
Meanwhile, the relationship between Nina and “Uncle Billy” is fascinating as they continue to bond. As the most recent to be converted into this world of monsters, Nina still remembers the shock and confusion of Billy’s predicament. While Annie, George and Mitchell may have become blasé about things, Nina still remembers that their lives are not normal. When she urges Billy to resist the blood-lust and hang onto his humanity, you suspect she’s also reassuring herself.
Elsewhere, as McNair (Robson Green) and Tom (Michael Socha) return to the hotel, looking for a patch-job on the former’s wounded leg, there are some great scenes between George and the naive, childlike Tom.
Series 3 has been a great run for Being Human and one of the many highlights has been the impeccable musical choices, something that is once again in effect here as a brooding version of traditional folk song ‘God’s Gonna Cut You Down’ proves to be a perfect accompaniment (both musically and lyrically) to the episode’s themes, playing as our characters are all moved into place for the explosive final moments. Less successful are some of the werewolf effects, which always look great during the transformations, but can remain pretty jarring when glimpsed in full form.
There are plenty of great performances in this episode, but Watkins is again the highlight, proving once more just how effective he is at playing this vulnerable, terrified shadow of Herrick. As the episode progresses, truths begin to out, and as night falls, and the full moon rises, the calm breaks before all hell is unleashed.
“Let justice be done, though the heavens fall”, Herrick recites to Nina earlier in the episode. With all the dreadful truths coming to the surface, and one truly shocking, where-the-hell-did-that-come-from moment, it might not just be the heavens that fall – it may well be the entire Being Human world.
Airs at 9pm on Sunday 6th March 2011 on BBC Three and BBC HD.