In a parallel present, we have highly developed “Synths” as servants. Their presence has social implications, even before we realize that some of the Synths have achieved sentience.
The first season has nearly completed its run in the UK and USA (corrected earlier error), and is at the halfway point in Canada.
Cast and Crew
Directed by Sam Donovan (first two), Daniel Nettheim (second two)
Written by Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley (first three episodes), Joe Barton (fourth)
Gemma Chan as Anita
Tom Goodman-Hill as Joe Hawkins
Katherine Parkinson as Laura Hawkins
Lucy Carless as Mattie Hawkins
William Hurt as Dr. George Millican
Colin Morgan as Leo
Jack Derges as Simon
Sope Dirisu as Fred
Pixie Davies as Sophie Hawkins
Emily Berrington as Niska
Rebecca Front as Vera
Sophie Gooding as Sally Synth
Ivanno Jeremiah as Synth Max
Danny Webb as Hobb
Neil Maskell as Detective Pete Drummond
Jill Halfpenny as Jill Drummond
Ruth Bradley as Detective Inspector Karen Voss
Theo Stevenson as Toby Hawkins
Will Tudor as Odi
Additional cast and crew information at here.
Premise
The development of artificial servants—Synths—has significant cultural and social effects. The Hawkins family finally purchases a Synth, Anita, who/that affects family dynamics. More significantly, they suspect she is more than she appears to be.
Meanwhile, several sentient Synths and an apparently human associate seek missing members of their group, as one sentient Synth turns from quiet to violent revolutionary.
Law enforcement hunts down the sentient Synths.
A scientist who helped develop the technology feels he has been imprisoned by the Synth who attends his health needs—even as he tries to preserve the defective Synth to whom/which he has become attached.
We’re in that familiar setting of media SF, the parallel present, where the world is exactly like ours, save for one major technological innovation and the culture/support systems that surround it. While these settings don’t quite make sense when examined carefully, they work dramatically, showing how the issues play out in a world to which we can easily relate, and they keep the show’s budget under control.
High Point
The show features strong performances throughout. Gemma Chan’s ability to play a nearly-human being can be genuinely unnerving. Her Anita is almost responsible for a low point, since the other Synths (I exclude the ones who can pass), though well-acted, do not measure up.
Her previous credits include an episode of Sherlock, one of Doctor Who, and two of The IT Crowd.
Low Point
The show has been well-realized, so the Low Points take the form of fairly minor nits.
As I mentioned earlier, a world with this kind of technology would diverge from ours in a number of other ways, and we have to accept the handwave to enjoy the show. Occasionally, however, the premise calls attention to things that likely should be different. Why have Synths as drivers, for example, when the technology would exist to allow cars to drive themselves? (We’re almost there already, point in fact). Why is the computer technology unaffected by the other developments?
The Scores
Originality: 1/6 Apart from being an adaptation of a Swedish series (Äkta människor aka Real Humans), the show’s basic premise and the attendant ideas have kicked around SF since its inception, and have been particularly prevalent recently. Many of the show’s concerns (for example) parallel ones explored in Battlestar Galactica and its spin-offs.
Effects: 5/6 The effects are minimal but well-executed.
Story: 6/6 The show does an excellent job of taking seemingly disparate threads, each exploring a different aspect and effect of the Synth presence, and gradually connecting them all.
I suspect many people will anticipate the reveal that concludes Episode Four.
Acting: 6/6 The show boasts a fine cast, including the likes of William Hurt, who turns in the expected strong performance. The outstanding member of an excellent lot, however, is Gemma Chan.
Emotional Response: 5/6
Production: 6/6
Overall: 6/6
In total, Humans, the first half of Season One, receives 35/42
Quick nit: the UK is currently only up to episode 6 – the finalé airs on Sunday 2nd August.
I’m quite liking the show, especially the way it brings together the existing concepts and ideas typical of AI/android plots in new ways, particularly the ones surrounding where the boundaries lie between humans, cyborgs and synths and what constitutes life and sentience. Kind of hard to discuss that without spoilers having seem a few more episodes though, especially given the bearing some major twists have on it, so I’ll save that for the reviews on the second half of the season.
Thanks. I’ve corrected the error.
Time permitting, I may post the remaining reviews with each episode.
(was going to do a write-up for my blog, so here’s a “preview”)
Ok, so we have Jen from The IT Crowd, Original Phil from Spy, Merlin from Merlin and William Hurt? Sign me up!
See, this is what good scifi looks like. This is a drama. Science Fiction is the medium used to tell the story. It’s not about Synths or Androids or whatever. It’s about how something like affordable virtually human-like androids would affect society – especially they become emotionally indistinguishable – in both directions.
Yes, that’s been explored before, so it may not be an original concept, but it’s still an original story. A very well-written and acted one, at that, which is a bit surprising considering I first saw a lot of the cast in Zany Comedies. This show is a lot of things, but a comedy is not one of them.
One thing shows like this tend to get wrong is the pace at which questions are answered. This show does very well on that. Six episodes in, we have learned the answers to a lot of important questions… but still have a lot that we really have no idea about.
So, keep watching!
HULK LIKE SHOW!!!!!! GOOD EMOTIONAL CONTENT!!!! FEMALE LEAD ATTRACTIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HULK NOT SMASH TV THIS TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the feedback! We appreciate that a celebrity superhero such as yourself would take the time to post at our site.
If it’s not too personal a question, how’s Black Widow doing?
HULK NOT KNOW!!!!!!! HULK LEAVE ON PLANE BECAUSE HULK THINK SHE COULD DO BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALSO HULK NOT READY FOR SERIOUS RELATIONSHIP AT THIS STAGE OF HULK’S LIFE AND BLACK WIDOW NOT INTO CASUAL STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think Will Tudor deserves kudos for his adorably broken, but loyal, Odi, though a low point for me is that George isn’t so far gone as to be stupid enough to let a glitching synth drive him around.
I put it down to the blindness of his emotional attachment, which can make people behave very stupidly– but fair enough, as a point.
On another note, “glitching synth” makes an awesome nerd insult.
Good point about the insult ;-)