Spoiler alert: this blog covers details of the fourth episode of Humans showing on Channel 4.
Humans is a suburban sci-fi tale with a dark underbelly, set in a future where people can buy synths: lifelike artificial beings that help around the house. Because this vision of the future doesn’t feel as if it is a million miles away from today, it’s strangely believable.
The programme is an adaptation of Swedish TV series Real Humans, and the opening episode pulled in four million viewers, making it Channel 4’s biggest drama for 20 years. On first look, it seems that the “dollies” are just that – synthetic creations who are built to do the jobs humans can’t be bothered to – but each episode unwraps another layer of intrigue.
Owning a synth seems like a good idea: they put the bins out, look after the kids and never seem to stop cleaning. It’s heavily hinted from the start that they can also offer more adult benefits and the relationship between Simon the rented synth and Jill (Jill Halfpenny, whose character’s pain is etched on her face) is a flirty one.
As Humans has unfolded, the complex consequences of a world powered by synths have proved chilling for both them and their living, breathing owners. The threat of recycling was hanging over lovable Odi (Will Tudor), so Dr Millican (William Hurt) liberated him in the woods. His replacement, Vera (Rebecca Front) – who has an eye for health and safety – is a jobsworth. Elswehere, there’s a band of synths with human consciousness, led by Leo (Colin Morgan), who it emerges is the resurrected son of their creator David Elster.
And then there’s the real star of the show: Anita, who dad-of-three Joe (Tom Goodman-Hill) bought when his wife Laura (Katherine Parkinson) was away on a business trip and he got a bit fed up of doing his own vacuuming. Anita is creepy and beautiful in equal measure, pushing Laura’s middle-class mum-guilt buttons with every load of washing she puts on.
Every time she rolls out her catchphrase: “I’m sorry, Laura, I don’t understand the question,” it becomes funnier and more frustrating for her owner. Gemma Chan is the perfect android, moving like she’s on a conveyor belt and staring for a split second too long.
But it’s when a glimpse of “Mia” – the half-human trapped inside Anita’s shell – comes out that she becomes truly terrifying as a woman stuck in someone else’s existence and screaming for help.
The lines between synth and human aren’t always clear: Leo and his “family” have consciousness – they feel fear, sadness and, particularly in Niska’s case a sense of injustice. You can’t help feeling for Niska (Emily Berrington), who broke free from her role as a dead-eyed synth sex worker after killing a client, especially now she’s out for vengeance against her human oppressors.
Robot sex is covered not just by the brothel scenes. When Joe makes use of Anita’s “adult mode”, there’s an air of regret and the feeling that the idea of having sex with these perfect creations is better than the reality.
What really disturbs your Sunday night’s sleep is the questions raised along the way. Is using a female synth for sex any different to using a prostitute? Why bother doing anything for yourself if you can get one of these creations on the job? If synths can be given consciousness when they’re brain-dead, is that the way to live forever?
As the series edges towards its final episodes, there’s a sense of foreboding. The synths are ready for a revolution, or will they go for all-out war? It’s going to be intriguing and darkly terrifying to watch. Sleep well, humans.
