What does it mean to be Human? This question’s answer is one even I, after almost forty-four years of life, could not begin to answer.  Yet, I can offer speculation about what it means to be Human in Season One of the joint venture AMC and Channel 4 series.

Joining Clarence Brown and Lee Shackleford in producing episodes of Discussing Who altered the way I watch television. Gone are the days of watching for simply watching. Now, rather than taking the show as ingested content, I find myself asking questions like:

• Is this something that would be of interest to others?
• Is this something that would sustain an episode?
• How much did I enjoy watching and would I watch again?

I never want produce an unauthentic episode.  Never be fake or something published  for the sole purpose of getting an episode on the air. In review of several series with watch attempts, there have been a few that didn’t make the grade.

Humans, Season One

So, how does this relate to Humans?

I didn’t expect to enjoy Humans as much as I did. My opinion upon seeing the “Suggestion for You” advert on Amazon Video didn’t immediately catch my attention. But, last weekend, a random search caused me to give it a try. Seven days later…all episodes of the first season have been watched.

Going forward in this article, I will attempt to provide information about the series without revealing any spoilers.

The Story

Episode One sets the stage of what appears to be a standard Human Vs. Robot story.  A family – husband, wife, and three kids – find themselves caught up in life.  Simple…ordinary…life.

The husband seems, based upon what we see, neglected by Laura, his wife. I did not like the Laura’s cold, distant demeanor. The kids felt generic. Simple…ordinary….life.

Oh, the beauty of the writing and acting! Let us go on.

We meet Anita – a synthetic bought by Joe, the husband, to help take care of the kids and be a maid, for all intents and purpose.

It is Anita, in her generic-monotone voice, emotionless movements, and almost soulless smile, who begins to break away the simple and ordinary with nothing more than her presence.

Transformation

The family transforms across the eight Season One episodes, highlighting the brilliance of the story. My assumptions in Episode 1 fall away and and reveal themselves to be wrong as Episode 4 and 5 reveal so much detail. (I want to tell you, but would rather you go watch!)

Series One of Humans reminds us that humanity can be found in the small interactions we have with one another – remembering a name or a time gone by. It could be a simple act of kindness or it might be sacrificing your own well being for the benefit of another. It might define family as more than the traditional while embracing the traditional all the same.

I will definitely watch Season Two and I have a feeling we’ll be reviewing both in upcoming episodes.

It could be a reminder that your first impression of someone might not be the truth, and that finding out the truth is worth the wait and sacrifice. Maybe, the morale of this article serves to tell us not to immediately disregard something – to give it a chance and see if we like. But, hey, who knows…..we are only HUMAN.