HUMANS 2.0

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Humans 2.0' on Blogcritics.

The American-British, AMC-Channel 4 co-production, Humans, based on the award-winning Swedish series, is back for a second season. The show takes place in a world where ‘synths,’ essentially advanced androids, are prevalent and used for a variety of business and household needs. In season one, the Hawkins family, an average, middle-class clan in England, stumbles into a quartet of more developed synths. These synths have their own consciousness. In season two, more synths begin ‘waking up,’ and the only thing that’s certain is that the effects will be far-reaching.

Catching Up With the Characters

The Hawkins family has relocated as Humans 2.0 begins, starting over in a new city. Father Joe (Tom Goodman-Hill) is soon made redundant at work by an artificial life form. Son Toby (Theo Stevenson) is interested in a girl (Letitia Wright, Black Panther) who is pretending to be a synth. Toby’s younger sister, Sophie (Pixie Davies), seeks to emulate this newcomer. Other sister Mattie (Lucy Carless) begins working on a code that will give all synths consciousness, using the discarded Odi (Will Tudor) to test it on. Mom Laura Hawkins (Katherine Parkinson) is approached by synth murderess Niska (Emily Berrington). Niska wants to turn herself in, but only if she will be tried as a human.

Our lead synths are also facing complications. Mia (Gemma Chan) has gone back to living as her non-conscious alter-ego, Anita, and falls in love with a human (Sam Palladio). Karen (Ruth Bradley) continues her relationship with the accepting Pete (Neil Maskell), though worries her secret will come out to others. Max (Ivanno Jeremiah) and Leo (Colin Morgan) concern themselves with finding ‘awake’ synths and saving them. Milo Khoury (Marshall Allman, True Blood) and his evil corporation is their competition, trying to snatch up the woken synths.

The Issues

The issues with what defines sentience and how mankind will deal with artificial intelligence of their own creation are explored in these eight episodes, as indicated in outlining the activities of our leads above. Humans is beloved for its complex take on such matters, and 2.0 continues that trend. Whether Niska has rights in the judicial system is at the forefront early on. Her case will set a precedent for other synths, one the humans are reluctant to allow. But it’s not like the genie can be put back in the bottle; Mattie isn’t the only one trying to let it out. So while people may want to put off changing the way they think about androids, they don’t really have much choice in the timeline.

A good chunk of Humans 2.0 takes place within Milo’s company. Specifically, the focus is on Dr. Athena Morrow (Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Jones, The Matrix), who lost her daughter and seeks to create an A.I. version of her. Can the human soul be transferred to a machine, as Athena and other characters might like to have happen? Or, as Karen would like, can a machine’s mind be put into a human? Both are on the table in this series as possibilities, and it certainly makes one think. Especially when children, who are not currently allowed to be built as synths in this world, enter into the mix.

Primarily, it’s these plots, these notions that are raised but not necessarily answered, that are the reason to watch Humans 2.0. This is solid sci-fi, well-produced and well-acted, that explores both technology and the human condition. Whether you’re a fan of the genre or not, this series will give you something to think about.

Extras

Humans 2.0 is not strong on bonus features. There are six short featurettes, all on the second disc, most, five minutes or fewer. A couple of these are promotional, and would be more valuable to watch before viewing episodes, slightly awkward since the material is placed on the second disc and not at the start of the first. There’s a worthwhile 10-minute feature that gets into some of the meat of the season and 30 minutes of B-roll, behind the scenes footage, played without commentary. Something only fans and film nerds might appreciate.

Conclusion

Even without a lot of extras, I highly recommend Humans 2.0 because of the content, characters, and quality of the production. It is enjoyable and a fascinating, relevant series.
Humans 2.0 is available now from Acorn.

FILTHY SEXY TEEN$ Newest Spinoff

Article first published as FILTHY SEXY TEEN$ Newest Spinoff on TheTVKing.

First there was Childerns Hospital, which spun off NTSF:SD:SUV and Newsreaders. Now, by some of the same people, parodying in a similar manner, comes Filthy Sexy Teen$, the "Pilot" of which aired on Adult Swim this week.

Filthy Sexy Teen$ does for rich kid teen dramas what those others shows did for medical dramas, law enforcement dramas, and news magazines, respectively. The live-action series is set at a high school, makes use of familiar elements from Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and the film Cruel Intentions, among other sources, and sports actors much older than the parts they play. In short, it's great lampooning done in a style that has already proven successful for other genres.

I think Filthy Sexy Teen$ has the potential to be even more popular than those other three shows. The reason for this theory is because Adult Swim's target audience is young people, and this caters more to the types of shows those people watch. Toss in some vampires, werewolves, witches, zombies, and the like, which the "Pilot" does in a small way, and it has the ingredients for a popular program. Although it doesn't appear any other episodes are yet scheduled to air.

In the "Pilot," Tom (Sam Trammell, True Blood) and Meg (Casey Wilson, Happy Endings) take in poor kid Nick (Marshall Allman, Prison Break). This is great news to Meg and Tom's daughter, Reagan (Hannah Kasulka, What to Expect When You're Expecting), because poor kids are hot, and not being biologically related, she has a leg up on her competition for Nick's affection.

Regan and Nick attend a preppy private school, where it's cool to pretend you're gay, as Ricky (Steven Yeun, The Walking Dead) does. Everyone has a dark secret; Jamie's (Chelsea Harris, Time for Passion) is that she's a zombie. Some teachers, like Mr. Benton (Johnny Pemberton, Family Tools), are impossibly young and just want to be friends with their students. And the principal, Mr. Hastings (Chris Parnell, 30 Rock), is sort of trying to keep it together, at least a little, when he's not busy with his own projects.

Filthy Sexy Teen$ is funny. Tropes are trotted out and beaten to death. Concepts are hammered in repeatedly. The characters play their parts with sincerity, even when you know such earnestness must be faked, considering how ridiculous the levels are.

By using mostly experienced performers, Filthy Sexy Teen$ gives some of the most gifted comedic actors room to play. A short, fifteen-minutes per episode series like this will surely allow time for the cast to pursue other projects, as those involved in the other series by this production team do. But it will also give them a space to do some of their craziest work, earning them new fans and followings.

I don't know when Cartoon Network may air more of this show, but I definitely look forward to future installments of Filthy Sexy Teen$.