True Buds - Being Human "There Goes The Neighborhood Pt. 1" Review

As soon as this series was even announced, you couldn't mention it without a resounding chorus of "The British version is better!" Some even call it the "actual" Being Human.  I have never seen one episode of the original, and I am going to keep it that way. Not because I want a clean slate when approaching this show, but because I am not a fan of British television. I just don't have the patience for long, slow, expository television. I also need to lead with this so you understand why I wouldn't comment on where things would be headed in the British version. If the producers are approaching this correctly, like the producers of The Office did, they are using the original series as a launching point, and not a guidebook. It helps, of course, that I'm so far enjoying where this show is headed.

I'm finding most of the mythology in this series intriguing so far.  The vampire side is nothing new so far, but that doesn't mean Sam Witwer and Mark Pellegrino aren't selling it.  They do seem to function rather tribe-like, or even corporation-like, which is something I haven't seen before, but I'm still feeling a little bored by it.  I get the whole blood-is-a-drug aspect, and Bishop's group does function like a gang, or a mob family, which are, again, tribe-like, with a plant in the cops and what-not.  I guess the producers were anticipating the most backlash against the vampire character, with The Vampire Diaries and True Blood getting high rankings, so I understand their thought-process on fleshing out the vampire society so thoroughly, but I guess I have just lost my interest in vampires after so long. I want Aidan to deal with other issues as a vampire, not just vampire issues.

Then there's Josh the werewolf. The easiest comparison for his werewolf would be Oz in Buffy, only much more emotive and neurotic.  I don't like how much he whines, though. It can get to be a bit much. I don't know how I feel about his sister showing up in the pilot.  It adds to the drama, that's for sure, and they do mention that its been two years since he disappeared, so he should have it together enough to handle running into his past, but he is clearly incapable of handling spilled milk, much less a nosy sister. It is cute, and maybe even a shout out to Buffy, that the little sister is a lesbian, though we don't learn exactly how they ended up at that particular hospital. I guess Josh wasn't smart enough to run far away and not just to the nearest big city. It was smart, though, for Aidan to find him a safe place to turn.

This leads me to the opening scenes, of Josh's first transformation and of Aidan's date with Rebecca. We see them both contemplating the results of their actions: Aidan feels vile and wicked for killing Rebecca, albeit accidentally, and Josh is just terrified that he killed something.  I think it explains perfectly how these two live each of their days: Aidan in moral despair, and Josh in blind terror. They can help each other cope, but are lost when on their own.

Where this show takes the biggest step away from the "Vampire Craze" is the inclusion of the ghost, Sally.  I am simultaneously excited and worried about where they are taking Sally.  She is just an image and noise most of the time, but when she got angry, she knocked over a chair.  She also can't leave the house. I was very intrigued to learn that it's not that she can't leave, but she can't convince herself to leave. There haven't been many ghosts with such deep psychological issues since The Sixth Sense, and I'm loving it.  What I'm worried about is whether or not she will spend all of her time complaining. I guess we'll just have to see.

Sally did bring the funny, though, between quoting Bon Jovi and berating Josh for masturbating to Nova, which is the saddest thing I've heard.  I can see where these characters need to go, and I just hope the show takes the right way to get there.

Grade: B
The premise works for me, and I hope they can fix their few flaws, like the overemphasis on vampires, and Josh's whining, but I'll keep watching anyway.

MVP: Sam Witwer. The emphasis was more on establishing the story rather than character work, but as the most recognizable of the main cast, he had the bigger job of drawing people, and I think he did it well.
Runner Up: Sam Huntington. Whiny and neurotic though Josh may be, he does convey the confusion and angst of a young Jewish man who has this curse suddenly thrust upon him.