It's a little discouraging that Being Human is already starting to repeat itself, given that this is only the fourth episode, but certain elements of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice (If We Were Human)” seem very familiar, even for those of us who haven’t already seen the British series. Just last week, Sally met a fellow ghost who showed her how to maximize her ectoplasmic skills, despite the fact that they didn’t exactly hit it off. This week, it’s Josh who learns a few new tricks of the trade after reluctantly befriending the only other werewolf he’s met.
That werewolf is Ray, a drifter who has apparently been stalking Josh for a while. After convincing Josh that he does, in fact, turn furry by the light of the full moon, Ray offers a few tips in werewolf preparedness, such as strategically deploying rump roast in the forest to keep your inner beast from feasting on the living. Ray also tries to instruct Josh in the art of wolfman seduction, with mildly amusing results, and attempts to indoctrinate our dopey, doe-eyed pal into his vampire vendetta (which appears out of nowhere mid-episode). It looks like Ray will be sticking around at least one more week, which is kind of a shame, since he’s a character I simply could not connect with on any level. I don’t think the blame falls entirely on the actor who played him (whoever he is—the episode’s credits and IMDb are both unhelpful on this matter), but he didn’t help matters; honestly, I couldn’t even tell if his accent was supposed to be Southern or New England or something else entirely. In any case, Ray is a distinctly overbearing and unlikeable presence, and I’m not really looking forward to spending much more time with him.
As for Josh’s housemates, they’re both finding their supernatural baggage getting in the way of their romantic connections. For Sally, the situation is pretty much hopeless, at least as long as she’s still dead and Danny is still alive. Although she at first does her best to bust up Danny’s budding rebound with her best friend Bridget, she eventually comes around to giving the new couple her blessing, which is the sort of mature, healthy decision that proves even death should never get in the way of personal growth.
But there’s nothing healthy about Aidan’s blossoming romance with Rebecca, who has gotten over the initial thrill of vampirism—turns out all that gleeful throat-ripping was just a phase—and wants her own crash course in being a better bloodsucker. Sadly, bags of plasma from the hospital just don’t do it for her, and before long, she and Aidan are naked and covered in blood on the bathroom floor after a night of gorging on each other. This does not look like the basis for a relationship based on mutual respect, but hey, I don’t want to judge.
Ultimately, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” left me with that not-so-fresh feeling; despite a few good lines here and there, it was all a little stale and rote. And not to put too fine a point on it, but Ray really knocked the whole episode out of balance for me. I just found him too obnoxious to bear, and the sooner he’s out of the picture, the better.
Stray observations:
- Something that’s been bugging me that I couldn’t put my finger on until tonight: The show is set in Boston, but not in any meaningful way. It’s as if it has to be set somewhere, and Boston is as good a place as any, but there’s absolutely zero attempt to make you believe it—not even the occasional shot of the Prudential building or Fenway Park. (I think tonight was the first time the Red Sox were even mentioned.) And where are these woods Josh runs to at night? On the Boston Common? Seriously, why not just say it takes place in “Central City” and leave it at that?
- “Why are you dressed like a douche?” Funny once. Twice, not so much.
- OK, I’ve bitched enough, so I won’t even mention the horrid Goth cover of “Tainted Love.”