Humans

This show captivated me from the moment I saw clips of it on Tiktok. If you’ve ever played “Detroit: Become Human”, then imagine that, but as a TV show, and mostly taking place in the UK. This is sci-fi show for people who do not want to hear too much about the details of how the fictional technology is supposed to work. It focuses more on the “Humans” part in the title. It’s all about relationships, psychology, and how the personality and character of people develops and is shaped by their experiences. This show is a deeply emotional experience. Some other themes it explores are things like consciousness, human-robot interaction, and the laws of robotics. The cinematography is excellent. I liked the performance of every single actor, especially Ruth Bradley. The music is what you’d expect from this genre. It’s a mix of “computer sounds”, and something from a psychological thriller. It does its work and fits every moment but is not outstanding in any way. What I liked the most was really the plot. I can’t think of any serious plot holes or things that just seem off apart from the characters sometimes acting more emotional than I think real people and conscious robots would in similar situations. But that’s drama, innit? Characters ought to act irrational for the plot to move forward. The show also has a bit of a “Black Mirror” vibe sometimes, but it’s not even close to being as graphic or nihilistic. Sad to say, though the show seems to have scored pretty high with reviewers and got a lot of eyes watching it, it was ultimately cancelled. But maybe that was a good thing, because towards the very end, the plot was beginning to explore religion and even start to copy some ideas from “Terminator”, and I don’t think that’s what the show needed. I think the third season should have simply been the conclusion of how synths were eventually integrated into society and tied everything up with a neat bow. Either way, if you’re mildly into sci-fi but really like drama and very personal stories, this show is for you. If you’re into very complex sci-fi, that actually focuses on the science, this show is not for you. I see “Humans” as the gateway drug for sci-fi newbies, really. Most people who enjoy a good drama, will love this show. And from there, they might open up to watching similar ones.

It could have been a great show. But just like Westworld, they messed it up in season 3. Just for slightly different reasons. They wrote the story first and then they didn't know how to make the characters fit, so be prepared for irrational and immoral choices without reasoning. That's not how you subvert expectations, that's just how you make the audience hate your protagonists for no reason. You don't understand what a dilemma is. A dilemma means you can only choose wrong. But instead, you show the audience one more and one less moral choice, and you let the moral impersonation choose the less moral choice. That's gaslighting of the audience. It's unethical.