I often think I'm too old to be a 'Fan-girl' - but that hasn't stopped my desire to seek out anything and everything that Aidan Turner has been in! Oh yeah... I'm talking about
him again.
You know who of whom I speak (imagine you are hearing this in my best Galadriel imitation).
My first encounter with a character that was not Ross, was Mitchell on the BBC show,
Being Human. I'm not sure I can tell you how much I love this show and especially love John Mitchell, vampire extraordinaire. (This would be a good time to run to the bathroom and get your second cup of coffee. I have much to say about season 1 - 3 of this show.)
I believe it would be appropriate to shout
SPOILER ALERT right about now - if you haven't been able to watch it and don't want to know what happens- stop now!
Being Human centers around a ghost, a werewolf, and a vampire who become roommates and consequently try to live as normal humans in a world where they are decidedly not normal. This is a well written show with a masterful blend of drama, humor, pathos, and vengeance. Our main players, Annie, George, and Mitchell are well-defined with their own distinct personalities that will eventually become like personal friends to you. The more you watch, the more you want each of them to find the happiness they are so desperately searching for. A gigantic Kudos goes out to the writers, producers, directors and especially the cast of this captivating show.
Lenora Crichlow plays Annie, a young woman who was killed by her boyfriend, leaving her a ghost with unresolved issues that keeps her from crossing to the other side. Annie is a bright light, sweet, and very caring about everyone. She represents the goodness in human nature and her flatmates become
protective of her and look to her to lighten some of the darkness that
surrounds them. She and Mitchell have an epic love story that spans the first three seasons, building slowly from a glance here and there to hugs, kisses, and attempts to have sex. Annie also is very naive and though she knows of the danger of vampires and werewolves, I don't believe she ever truly understands their nature and what drives them to do what they do. She never really grasps the power of the hunger for blood or the mindless outrage of the transformed wolf. Annie died young, before she had the time to experience the kind of life lessons that widen one's perspective of what's good and what's evil; everything is black or white to her with no shades of grey. At the end of season three, she tells Mitchell that if he loves her, he will turn himself in for the boxcar 20 killings. She doesn't understand that Mitchell really wants to be punished for all the people he's killed over the years, but that exposing to the world that vampires exist could, and most likely would, bring about the genocide of all the inhumans, good or bad, (i.e. George and Nina). At one point she even tells Lia that he is not the man she fell in love with, when he actually is, she just can't see that the man and the beast are one and the same. Lenora gives the viewers a good insight into Annie with a believable and solid performance.
Russell Tovey plays George, a young man who's world is irrevocably changed when he becomes the victim of a werewolf attack. At the beginning of season one, he has only been a wolf for about 2 years and is still in denial about it. Mitchell saves George from a trio of vampires who attack him and subsequently becomes best friends with him. They work together at a local hospital and decide to rent the flat where they meet Annie. George and Mitchell's friendship is historic. The depth of their care for each other is so evident in every scene they have together. George truly understands the beast within and they bond in a way that most friends only dream of. George is the voice of reason in the group - the one who is the closest to being human. He only has to face the beast one day a month. He so desperately wants to go back to his old life, to get rid of this burden forced on him. He eventually meets and falls in love with a nurse named Nina who works where he does and to his horror, accidentally makes her a werewolf too. Nina loves George but is unwilling to accept his relationship with Mitchell. She doesn't understand that bond, perhaps because she is new to the inhuman condition. She doesn't trust Mitchell and consequently, George finds himself, on more than one occasion, having to chose between his love for her and his best friend. Some of the most delightful scenes on the show are between George and Mitchell as are some of the most heart-rending. I have no doubt that George knows from the get-go that Michell is involved in the boxcar 20 murders. He tells Mitchell
"I can’t be your confessor, Mitchell, I can’t. Not now. I need you too much." when Mitchell tries to tell him the truth. In the end, it is George who has the courage to save Mitchell from his life in hell on earth. Russell is so good in this role, words can't adequately express it.
Last but not even close to least - Aidan Turner is our tortured yet vulnerable vampire, haunted by his dark past and struggling to stop his lust for blood. Mitchell, turned during the first world war, is around 100 years old. He wants so badly to stop the killing however, the need for feed is a powerful influence over him - indeed it is the blood that keeps his kind alive, so trying to stop is nearly impossible. He keeps trying anyway. Mitchell doesn't always give enough thought to what he is about to do, quite likely due to his inherent knowledge of the power deep within him that can, and sometimes does, keep himself out of harm's way. His makes rash decisions and then rushes to try and fix things. He is constantly at war with himself, fighting the desire for blood and the love of killing to get it - yes he loves it and at the same time, hates himself for loving it. Poor Mitchell!! He is so tired of the struggle. His relationship with George and Annie help him to stay the course, however, even they can't stop the blood rage he feels when a doctor named Lucy betrays his blossoming love for her, resulting in the loss of Annie to the other side. The scenes of him with Kemp at the end of season two where he has a total melt down after losing Annie is something to behold. George gets him through it.
One of my favorite episodes in season one is a brilliant story line where he meets his great love from 40 years ago, Josie. Those scenes where he finds her in the hospital lunch room are so fabulous and her sacrifice for him is so sad, but beautiful. (We learn more about her in flashbacks in season two - It's the one time you will see Aidan with bad hair - lol)
In season two, he meets Lucy and feels very attracted to her, they make love, he tells her he is a vampire - he pours his heart out to her telling her he needs
" Someone to help me! Someone to change my life for. That’s what I’ve been missing all this time, is just someone to— someone like you. I can do this. One more chance is all I need. I want this so much but I can’t do it alone. Please. Please, I’m begging you. Save me." Instead, she blows up the funeral parlor where he and his fellow vamps hang out.
He has really strong feelings for Lucy and when she betrays him, he goes
on a killing spree of biblical proportions.
When Annie is forced over to the other side, it becomes apparent he has strong feelings for her too. He goes to other side to rescue her from purgatory! He doesn't admit his feelings for awhile but he can't hold out forever. There are several cute scenes with Mitchell and Annie. One of my favorites
is when she talks dirty to him and the look on his face when he says
'sweet Jesus'. And then there are those passionate scenes, with ardent visual and verbal affirmations about he feels about her. (Speaking for myself, I just want to reach into the screen and hold him
and assure him everything will be alright, as if Annie's not doing a
good enough job doing that. LOL) At one point, he tells Annie "For nearly a hundred years I’ve been a slave to hunger. But with you, you give me a reason to take control back over my life. You give me a reason to start again." It's a lovely, poignant scene with the two of them sitting on the stairs. He is terrified of her finding out the truth about the
boxcar 20 murders, and yet at the same time he wants to tell her. In
one episode he tries but she won't let him, thinking he's referring to
the past. I think Mitchell is afraid to tell Annie the truth because he knows she has an innocence about her love, that it is not
strong enough to hear the truth and in the end, his instinct is right.
The end of season three is heart-breaking but I felt inevitable. Aidan was leaving the show and anyone with an ounce of brains would know they could never re-cast. When the truth comes out and the proverbial sh*t hits the fan, Mitchell loses everything that is important to him. He knows in his silent heart that true death is the only thing that will stop him from killing again, so he goes to George for his help one last time. George needs some convincing and it comes in the form of a new Vampire leader who tells Mitchell he's gonna make him his bitch (well not exactly in those words, but you get my drift). George then does the unthinkable and kills Mitchell knowing in doing so, he was actually saving him.
The show ran for five seasons and was a huge hit in the UK. I have watched one episode from season four and think I might watch the rest, but maybe not. As is often done, a version of the show was produced here in the states. I have watched one episode of that too. It's quite different, yet eerily the same in some ways. lol I don't care for the casting of Mitchell and Annie all that much so I don't know if I will watch more.
Judas! I thought the Poldark post was long! I might be to old to be a 'Fan-girl', but I think I can get away with "Fan-Gran"
p.s. There are dozens of YouTube videos about Being Human - here is one of my favorites:
As usual, your thoughts are welcome. Enter them below.
