So this is the way Being Human ends. Five years of a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost trying to make a houseshare work under very trying conditions. Toby Whithouse’ supernatural drama has had to overcome several obstacles in its time, from cast changes to convinicing people that you didn’t have to be a terrible comedy or clip show to be on BBC3. But come to an end it has, and we can all be pleased that Hal, Tom and Alex went out on a high note.
The series finale saw Hatch finally up and about and executing his masterplan to whisper to the whole nation via the telly. Tom and evil Hal have an impressive scrap before Alex shows up and convinces them that they all need to work together if they’re going to stop the devil, but it’s not going to be that easy. Old Scratch isn’t going to go down without a fight, and shows each of our heroes what their lives could be like if only they would work with him.
The episode got off to a cracking start. Everyone loves a macabre song and dance number, and Hal’s ‘Puttin’ On A Ritz’ was a corker. Michael Socha got to show off his action chops vy taking on the pub full of Hal’s minions, and the ensuing fight between the two of them was satisfyingly bone-crunching. It feels like we’ve been waiting for the two to have a proper brawl for ages, and this did not disappoint.
Satan’s masterplan may have been a little predictable and a slightly disappointing masterstroke given that he’s Satan, but taking over the television station gave Phil Davis the chance to sink his teeth into a meaty monologue. The real drama came from the test he put Alex, Tom and Hal through, trying to find their dearest wishes. So Alex is transported back to the afternoon before she was murdered, Hal finds himself dying on the battlefield before a surgeon turned him into a vampire, and Tom is living in the same house but with Allison with-two-l’s and a baby on the way, and no wolf inside him.
Being Human often threatens to tip into maudlin territory, but this plucking at the heartstrings was well-earned. Alex’s time with her dad was another beautifully-played scene by Kate Bracken, and Hal’s reunion with his late werewolf pal Leo (a returning Louis Mahoney) was a touching reminder of what he had to overcome to find his few decades of goodness. Finally, Tom’s dream life with Allison (Ellie Kendrick) was all the more moving because it never really feels like Tom’s going to go for it. It’s the life he’s always wanted, but he’d never want a happiness that was remotely dishonest or incomplete. On top of which, Michael Socha proved long ago that he was the one to give the Being Human one-liners to, and this scene made sure he got the two best lines of the episode. (“You’lll have to excuse me, Allison, I’m having a Quality Street moment,” and “Seen it on Eggheads,” of course)
And if the final twist confrontation with the possessed Rook was a bit of a let-down (swirly fog isn’t really that threatening and why can’t it just leave the house?) it set up a closing point that was inevitable but no less effective for it. While Being Human has never shied away from killing off its characters, it was only right that Hal, Tom and Alex be given a happy ending. Not just from a dramatic standpoint, but also from the perspective of the viewer. It never felt like we had enough time with these characters just being themselves, at peace. The ending of ‘The Last Broadcast’ allows them to move ahead with their lives without necessarily having to worry about a red-eyed menace or a werewolf baby. While the later series of Being Human haven’t been faultless, it created a hugely likeable leading trio.
We’re sorry to see Being Human go but this was a fitting farewell. Just as it was always a pleasure to see George, Mitchell and Annie having a cup of tea in front of The Real Hustle, it’s absolutely perfect that the series ended with Hal, Tom and Alex parked on the sofa watching Antiques Roadshow.
