They are back! The show that gripped the world, Humans, returned to the UK screens debuting its first episode from series two.
The Channel 4 award-winning TV series, which also won a BAFTA, is a science-fiction television series based on the Swedish TV series titled “Real Humans”.
Back for its second series, the world is watching in. With a total of eight episodes, will it manage to live up to the amazingness of the previous series? Surely it’s perfect as a one-off. Luckily for us, the entire production team proves us wrong, and series two is just as engaging.
Watch the trailer for Humans series two here:
We start off six months after the end of series one. Niska, played by Emily Berrington, is in Berlin. She’s considering whether to give synths the ability to have feelings. Not the easiest decision to make, especially since she knows exactly how it feels to feel. After a bit of deliberation, she sends out the code anyway; along comes disappointment when it doesn’t work instantly.
This new code finds its way into various synths across the world; undoubtedly allowing new characters to come into the story line. In episode one, we watch the manual-laboured Synths of Ten and Hester, played by Raphael Acloque and Sonya Cassidy respectively, come out of their shells, prepared to understand what they are feeling. Raphael Acloque’s character is later killed off, but not before he gives us some great lines through his larger-than-life personality. “I’m also oddly attracted to the word ‘radiator’!” which he said when talking to Hester about names.
We also flew across the Atlantic Ocean to San Fransisco where we see Carrie-Anne Moss play Dr Athena Morrow, a scientist who is prepared to give life to artificial intelligence. She’s hired by Milo Khoury, played by Marshall Allman, who has an AI with the new code inside of him. She plans to take them apart to find out how to make more.
There’s a lot going on in this episode, but they still reference back to the first series, continuing the storyline of the Hawkins family. Joe and Laura, played by Tom Goodman-Hill and Katherine Parkinson respectively, are attending couple counselling. Although it doesn’t quite go as planned, especially when they end up seeing an artificial intelligence, who actually manages to make them laugh and open themselves up to each other.
Back with Niska, we’ve learnt that she’s found love in Berlin, with an airy girl named Astrid, played by Bella Dayne. Not only is Humans prepared to play around with the Synth’s ability to love; but they make a massive impact with it being a Synth / human relationship as well as them both being female. Total kudos for making it natural; furthermore, creating the sense of lost when Niska leaves.
We also find out what Mia has been up to. The favourite character, played by Gemma Chan, is currently a waitress at a struggling café, owned by Ed who is played by Sam Palladio. Earning money so her, Leo and Max can live and not have to steal. Leo Elser and Max, played by Colin Morgan and Ivanno Jeremiah respectively, are living in an out-of-the-way building with Mia. However, with people after them and the Synths they find, who are gaining the ability to feel; could their safe-house be put in jeopardy?
Inspirational words, Anita. #Humans pic.twitter.com/xqo819SFEo
— Channel 4 (@Channel4) October 30, 2016
What’s more is that Niska seeks out the Hawkins family and asks for their help. She believes Laura was right, that she should face up to what she had done. She wants to be tried in court but as a human being. In the previous series, she killed someone who paid to have sex with her; for those of you who don’t know, she worked in a brothel. As you can imagine, it was no life for a Synth with feelings. She has asked for Laura’s help to face up to what she has done.
If anything, series two is jam-packed with fresh faces, old favourites and a new raging storyline that has got us on the very edge of our seats. We can hardly wait for episode two.
What are your thoughts on the first episode of Humans series two? Tell us all on Twitter @CelebMix.