My fear is really that we don't get a 6th series, and that lots of plot and character arcs get left unresolved, and that is just so frustrating!
My hopes are that we get some plot and character arcs that can carry over into another series. In particular, some kind of redemption arc for Hal; there's this whole left over thing from the scroll, 'he will rise', and I'm hoping that refers to Hal, as in, he will either rise above the blood cravings and get it under control, or he will literally rise, and somehow regain his soul, and thus his humanity. Not much to hope for!
I'm hoping to get more Hal Flashbacks too - after all, we have 500 years worth - just depends on the BBC's budget, I guess :) They could always ask Mark Gattis if they can borrow the costumes from Horrid Histories
I am very sure that press ups and Hal in the chair will make a welcome return. Thanks to Twitter Damien & the BH crew do know that that fans want those back.
I don't really want a Hal Alex love affair. Too much like Mitchell & Annie, which did not do much for me.
I hope there is a series 6. That's partly down to us folks, keep watching the series and boost those viewing figures! I hope this series will be better promoted than series 4. I got the impression that with a new, young cast and the favourite regulars going, like Mitchell, the BBC were a bit reluctant to market it so much, but I think next year, it will be better.
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~Hal Yorke is in my dreams. Can't wait to go to bed!~
SteelMoth, you mean Hal literally regains his humanity and becomes human? that is an intriguing thought...and the exact mechanism of that too. I wonder if there will be more blurring of the boundaries between humanity and supernatural in general in the next series, at the end of series 4 we were introduced to that chap in the suit whose job it is to conceal the evidence of the latter from the former, there was something menacing about that character too a protector of humanity or a protector of the supernatural? Let's hope he doesn't vanish like Windham did after the end of Series 3...you could feel the weight of larger mechanisms at work ..I hope there are dark links to Hal's bigger picture and his past somehow.
@domino yes I really hope he's back next series! tbh I would much prefer him over a comeback of Mr Snow or Milo.. He's interesting because you don't really know what he's up to and what that means for our trio, and with Mr Snow we already know he wants to take over the world..
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"And Tom is feeding me lots of banana, which Damien hates and Hal also hates"
Ah yes Mr Rook, thank you Ziadada...wow that is grim..but good! I agree that the potential storylines with that newly introduced character and whole underground network that he exposed to us at the end of series 4 could go in many dark directions....
We were talking in another topic about past characters, I had always felt that Herrick was going to turn not kill Nancy at the end of series 3, she would have made an intriguing vampire with interesting potential motives, even felt that our new supernatural trilogy may have contained a female vampire rather than a male for a main character so I would love to see another female vampire character who has direct contact with Hal, the vampire majority in series 4 were male. Hmm... and Hopefully the return of Michaela?
Micheala was awesome and I hope we see her again! Along with Allison, and maybe another episode with Adam! I had completely forgotten about Mr Rook! Oooo I hope whatever they've for in store for him is good!
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It's a really nice look you've got going on there :wink:
I too think it would be good if Allison came back too much there left unfinished xD
I was actually suprised they brought Adam back, but I do wonder where him and Yvonne storyline would go
Hmm Mr. Rook I get tied up in thinking what his deal is That lingering look he gave Alex when he leaves the room when you first see him either that or he can atleast sense her there..It was so eerie
Dang I want to watch season 5 now I hate the wait ._.
-- Edited by sedatedsoul on Wednesday 27th of June 2012 11:47:51 AM
-- Edited by sedatedsoul on Wednesday 27th of June 2012 11:54:08 AM
Oh yes Sami, more of Allison please! an inspiration to geek girls everywhere! This may be just in my strange mind but when Allison was introduced to us in series 4, although it was Tom and she who had the brief 'romance' (leaving threads of some unfinished business that hopefully will be picked up in series 5), I felt that Hal really admired her investigative skills and powers of deduction..and did wonder at a vampire / werewolf relationship or at least some tension between Tom, Allison, Hal. Lol, I'm not looking for romances for Hal. I promise! it just genuinely occurred to me during that scene when Allison was explaining how she tracked down Tom from the video (the 'hairy balls LOL' scene)
I wonder if they will bring Adam back in series 5 Sedated Soul, but as much as I find him disgustingly hilarious, there will only be 6 episodes (: ) in series 5, and perhaps less justification for tangential episodes..so unless he is woven into the overall storyline of the series, I cannot see how it would work.
Hmm..yes...Mr Rook...what and who ar you? and what is your game?!
I have done a bit of a summary of the hopes and fears for Hal in series 5 from the comments here!
General Hal Hopes for Series 5
-> More back story / flashbacks and past glimpses of Lord Hal including but not limited to:
*Flashbacks to Catherine and Eleanor possibly including passionate Hal
*Strictly Hal Dancing – personally, I am hoping for some Lord Hal in 1900s Argentina on the cusp of a good to bad turn dancing the argentine tango
*More Leo and Pearl and his ‘good’ cycles
-> The Origins of ‘Lord Hal’, how he was recruited, how he became a Lord and an Old one
-> More of Hal tied to the chair.
-> More Hal Pressups->> Find out what happens to Hal when he drinks Kia Ora
-> Some romantic / sexual tension but NOT a romance between Hal and Alex or Hal and someone else
-> More of the multidimensional Hal – bad Hal/conflicted Hal/ big heart Hero Hal…
-> Hal exposed to situations that challenge him including passionate ones
-> Both forget and remember the Being Human past – move on from our losses, but Legends also deserve to be remembered, interreferential BH is important and exciting
-> No sidetracking into tangential stories as only 6 episodes and want to focus on the main character arcs
Good or Bad Hal in Series 5? (differing opinion on this one):
-> Hal having a redemption arc, possibly regaining his humanity,
-> Hal to stay good in present day and only flashbacks to evil Hal,
-> More edgy darker Hal
-> Hal going bad in present day
Random – Bizarre hopes for series 5 (we need more for this list!)
-> A holiday or change of location?
-> Damien in a tutu (dancing)
-> Work out contests with Hal and Tom (vampire / werewolf Olympics!)
General BH hopes
(some of these come from our icebreaker questionniare)
>> More Mr Rook
>> Return of Allison, too much unfinished business
>> More Adam
>> Another major female vampire character
>> Introduction of supernatural characters but ony if it fits in with the story - wraith, changeling, or witch
yeah..this point seems to be the one with the most varied opinion..whether Hal succeeds in breaking the bloodlust ..and remaining 'clean', or whether he succumbs to his dark side. For me I think it has to be both...lots of edgy struggle, with all his aspects coming to the fore...including those very dark corners. But...if he were to completely go over to his vampire side i would be afraid that we would lose him... so ....
It would be interesting to see his human life just prior to his turning- wondering which of the prostitutes was his mother and as sad as it sounds, how life treated him to make him agree to become a vampire.
I had not looked at it like that Kelly, more that the bloodlust had always been harder to control around women, interesting thought! Though in general we did learn quite a bit about Hal's attitude towards women and 'courtship' in series 4, it seems to range from the classical courtship rituals, the dowry system, romantic poetry...all the way to seducing thousands of women () and leaping not babbling!
It would be interesting to see his human life just prior to his turning- wondering which of the prostitutes was his mother and as sad as it sounds, how life treated him to make him agree to become a vampire.
Why indeed. Mitchell turned because it was offered as a way to save his men. If I recall correctly, from the Hal trailer thingy on the DVD, Hal was dying when a vampire surgeon offered him a cure for death. There's nothing like imminent death to make a person grasp for life. Was it a decision made in desperation before he could consider the consequences? Was he noticed before, hand picked for recruitment and perhaps his wound was more than a little arranged? If he was recruited on purpose, what was he up to to draw attention to himself?
Then there's the whole 'how much is Hal, how much is vampire' issue. Was he a poor little orphan boy, just trying to get by in the world, or was he an opportunist rent boy turned mercenary, having a ball who, when offered immortality at the top of the food chain, jumped at the chance. Maybe he became more human during his dry spells (caused by the boredom of immortality? Or he simply matured?!) and is atoning for more than what he did just as a vampire. Hal said it gets worse every time he falls off the wagon. Is it because of his human nature winning through? Of course, it could just be Being Vampire.
And/or, left as a human, in the 1500s, he'd have had a short life and wouldn't have had time to atone. Facing death, he'd have known he was going straight to hell. So, he picks the vampire lifestyle so he can avoid hell and immortality would give him a chance to atone. Hey, he's dying, he's delerious and 'chooses' to ignore that whole evil aspect of Being Vampire. So he's ended up putting himself on a never ending road of redemption. He did tell Mr Snow he wants/needs to prove he can do it, rather than just have the afternoon off.
What started as a passing fancy has turned into a mini essay. Sorry!
-- Edited by UJ on Friday 27th of July 2012 10:02:26 AM
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"Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realise you're wrong."
It would be interesting to see his human life just prior to his turning- wondering which of the prostitutes was his mother and as sad as it sounds, how life treated him to make him agree to become a vampire.
Why indeed. Mitchell turned because it was offered as a way to save his men. If I recall correctly, from the Hal trailer thingy on the DVD, Hal was dying when a vampire surgeon offered him a cure for death. There's nothing like imminent death to make a person grasp for life. Was it a decision made in desperation before he could consider the consequences? Was he noticed before, hand picked for recruitment and perhaps his wound was more than a little arranged? If he was recruited on purpose, what was he up to to draw attention to himself?
Then there's the whole 'how much is Hal, how much is vampire' issue. Was he a poor little orphan boy, just trying to get by in the world, or was he an opportunist rent boy turned mercenary, having a ball who, when offered immortality at the top of the food chain, jumped at the chance. Maybe he became more human during his dry spells (caused by the boredom of immortality? Or he simply matured?!) and is atoning for more than what he did just as a vampire. Hal said it gets worse every time he falls off the wagon. Is it because of his human nature winning through? Of course, it could just be Being Vampire.
And/or, left as a human, in the 1500s, he'd have had a short life and wouldn't have had time to atone. Facing death, he'd have known he was going straight to hell. So, he picks the vampire lifestyle so he can avoid hell and immortality would give him a chance to atone. Hey, he's dying, he's delerious and 'chooses' to ignore that whole evil aspect of Being Vampire. So he's ended up putting himself on a never ending road of redemption. He did tell Mr Snow he wants/needs to prove he can do it, rather than just have the afternoon off.
What started as a passing fancy has turned into a mini essay. Sorry!
-- Edited by UJ on Friday 27th of July 2012 10:02:26 AM
I for one really enjoyed your mini essy though UJ, and no need to ever apologise this is a discussion forum and you just lit a million touchpapers in my head by sharing your thoughts!
A very compelling notion that Hal chose vampirism as a way of delaying hell and a chance to atone, challenging himself to consciously overcome his 'condition'.
It was Hal's Prequel where he told Leo about his choice to be turned:
"by the time I was a young man I'd seen every dark corner of the human heart, so when the army surgeon offered me eternal life in return for what little god had left me of my soul, I accepted, not because I feared death, but because I could think of nothing that deserved my loyalty any more."
which certainly fits with your suggestion! "what little god had left me of my soul" could be taken in 2 ways though, that he himself had fallen so far into depravity either through circumstance or choice. Either way, he seemed to have been a victim of his environment as a child? but he was turned as an adult, so what happened in those intervening years is very open to interpretation!
Thanks for the trailer quote, domino. That must have sunk into my subconscious.
So Hal accepts vampirism for his own sake. It's his turn now after a life already full of horror, and maybe he's looking for revenge on those who no longer deserve his loyalty ... So they deserved it once, or he believed they did and gave it to them. Human Hal did have noble instincts. His mothers the whores may well have taught him good, how things were meant to be, or what they dreamed they would be, but Hal's own eyes rarely or never witnessed this moral good or happiness. It was just a theory. The whores may have done their best by him but their own deaths to violence and disease was hardly going to convince Hal that they were right. So eventually he follows/gives in to his worst instincts, just like everybody else.
But every once in a while an epiphany hits. Hal does know better and he wants/needs to reclaim the good he was taught and once was and strived to be.
As far as choice goes, the theory that's made most sense to me is that I am ruled by habits, good and bad, that have developed from birth, due to the usual suspects, environment, people and genes all playing their part. Breaking those habits and forming new ones isn't impossible but it does take an almighty Herculean effort to change that programming. It requires constant vigilance, otherwise I do slide. Making that effort, and keeping it up, is something I've got to do otherwise things stay the same and what's the point of that? It's being human, innit.
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"Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realise you're wrong."
Very cool back story ideas UJ, do you write fan fic? I would love to see it elaborated
How very true about the habitual behaviour, for Hal, the herculean programming is something running in his veins, in his very cells, his DNA, his makeup as a vampire, not just a default setting through habit - so in a sense breaking it is harder than addiction for Hal, every moment an incredible tension of extremes!