Being Human 3.6: Sold My Soul to the Soup Kitchen
Posted By Deborah J. Brannon on February 22, 2013
This week’s Being Human revealed that Aidan’s Turning story is just not as cool as Eric Northman’s (True Blood, represent), that Sally is a high maintenance girlfriend, and that Liam’s Papa Werewolf Bag of Vengeance includes infiltration and poisoning tactics. The episode’s title, as lyrically clever as always, asks us “What’s Blood Got to Do With It”? Well. Quite a bit, really.
The episode fades in on Sally having a foodgasm, which is radically more intimate than I ever actually wanted her and Max to get on screen. Seriously, guys – other people have to eat in that room. They shouldn’t have to contort themselves around you rubbing up against your French toast lover just to get their morning coffee. Josh’s simple request that you not burn the house down is just indicative of his death grip on courtesy, and more than you deserve. The rest of the scene unfolds in frivolous normality, complete with the vampire complaining about the werewolf monopolizing the bathroom, the ex-werewolf ironically declaring the ex-ghost gets her cuteness from black magic, and the teen werewolf claiming that she did not, in fact, clog the drain in the shower. (Okay. Certain values of normal, anyway.)
This fragile normality proves to be short-lived after Sally almost answers the door for her prodigal brother, nearly condemning him to death and an afterlife as witch food. Meaghan Rath does a brilliant job of selling Sally’s devastation, and the Monster House’s carefully-maintained morning crumbles about their ears. You see, not only is Robbie Malik supposedly their new landlord (who wants to be paid in cash…) but he’s also an ex-wannabe drug dealer with a criminal record who should not be permitted around tenants’ unsecured valuables. This means that he’s certain to be around, and Sally cannot handle that. Josh, the man with a plan, offers to fix the place up so Robbie has no reason to landlord about the place. Aidan and Sally just as quickly excuse themselves from helping and exit, stage right, with a ski mask. (The ski mask is for Sally, because no one looks at a woman in a ski mask on sunny Boston streets. Totally invisible.)
Aidan would rather face the Bubble Boy who knows he’s a vampire than help Josh snake the shower drain, and that’s what he dedicates the rest of the episode to doing. Kenny insists on asking tons of personal and insulting questions, ranging from Aidan’s age to whether he sparkles like the vampires from Twilight. (At least that was a joke; don’t irk the guy with fangs, Kenny.) Aidan tries to play it cool, but finds himself unprepared when Kenny offers to feed him. Seriously, the vampire’s facial expression telegraphed nothing but “Blood? MY SECRET WEAKNESS.” at that point.
Kenny’s enthusiasm for Aidan’s true nature throws him into flashbacks, which is a real treat for the viewership since it comes with dubious accents, bad wigs, and Mark Pellegrino. Aidan’s older than America, everyone, and we watch Bishop torment and Turn him during the Revolutionary War. It’s good to see that human Aidan had as much gumption as the man we know now, even if chasing an undead creature through the woods without backup isn’t the smartest move. No one’s ever accused Aidan of being the sharpest stake in the box, though, and he proves it then when he insists on going back to his fellow soldiers as a new vampire. Is anyone surprised he ended up eating “Your Wound Smells Better than Your Wife’s Meat Pies” Benjamin?
Sally, meanwhile, also spent the episode with her past threatening to screw up her present. Her blissful and calorically-charged morning with Mortician Max soured after her brother’s near-death experience, and Max spent a while bellyaching at her because she won’t let him in. After all, selfish complaint-filled monologues are obviously the best way to deal with emotionally distant people. Ain’t nobody got time for that, but Sally took time anyway and was as generous toward Max as only a person hiding all the fundamental details of their life from a lover could possibly be. It’s too bad that cosseting Max didn’t preclude a 2AM wardrobe change and stumbling into her sketchy brother on the sidewalk.
Panicked that her brother is facing certain death, Sally’s 2AM clothing run turns into a 2AM grab Josh and confront a Soup Kitchen witch run. It’s too bad that deals with witches are as unbreakable as deals with the Devil — and as full of damning fine print. (Also, pro-tip: witches in the Being Human-verse are ridiculously scary. Don’t cross them.) Donna makes Sally a hard sell of her soul for her brother’s life, with the opportunity for Sally to live normally as well. Despite Josh’s attempts to inject some rationality into the situation, Sally sells her soul without hesitation. Punk move, Malik. For all you know, the witch is planning on press-ganging your soul into demonically unsavory acts; perhaps little lost Robbie’s life was an acceptable price to prevent future abomination.
Josh was mainly the witness and the assist in this episode, filling in the cracks in the action. Nora was completely absent– there was so much emotion in this episode that they had to sideline her to fit it all in. (Josh and Nora take up a lot of space, yo.) Liam seemed back to skulking around, until Erin unmasked herself as a would-be assassin in the final moments of the episode. She poisoned Aidan’s blood supply, waited until he was incapacitated, loomed over him with a stake… oh, hey, tune in next week!
Next up: Sally’s hair is coming out, and it’s not female baldness! Nora’s back to yelling at [redacted, because there should be some suspense, Syfy]! Random possessions that are random!
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