I just read a review that had a couple of grumbles and, whilst I’m not going to nitpick on here I can actually see where they’re coming from on some level. One of them was that, if they knew who Hetty was it’s a little bit unrealistic that they don’t know who Hal is. But Hal has been in hiding for almost 6 decades so there is that.
Another was why Hal, knowing the complexities and the harrowing nature of vampire life, did not feel it kinder to simply let Crumb die. But he was stressed out, agitated, had just had a guilt trip from Alex and most likely wasn’t in his right mind. The thought of letting someone else die alone was just too much for him so he acted on (irrational, emotionally charged) impulse. And he was willing to end it and do the ‘right thing’ when he became clearer.
The third was why Alex, a newbie certainly but not stupid, thought it wise to ‘let Crumb go’. Again, emotional response as opposed to logical one. She was cut up by this life, this job, this family she will never again have and he appealed to her weak side. She was on her own. On the spot. Of course, letting a vampire go free isn’t exactly the brainiest thing to do I can understand giving in to a plea when you’re feeling fragile.
So – indeed, whilst I might be ‘making excuses’ as a fan I can see some kind of explanation as to this reviewer’s irks. But then again I might just be making excuses. LOL.
This! this was my only real problem with the episode, but I guess Hal just did it without really thinking it through. Still a bit weird though. And I don't really like Crumb either, you can tell that the actor is a comedy actor for the most part, he performs a bit too OTT for my liking.
I love Alex now, and the part where she saw her memorial in the paper was so sad. I cried.
Loved Hettie too, although she was played by a different actress than in The War Child (or did I see that really wrong?)
I love how Damien plays all those different 'sides' to Hal. Also, I thought Hal was a bit different from last series, a bit more sassy or something. Could that still be from drinking Alex's blood?
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"And Tom is feeding me lots of banana, which Damien hates and Hal also hates"
Apparently it's buried under the floorboards in the 'sauna'! Keeping it for emergencies? Or maybe knowing it's there helps him control his own needs. It's there, just in case, so he can forget about it. He certainly didn't use it to help Ian get over his craving.
My only problem with Hal turning Ian to save him was that it repeated Mitchell 'saving' Lauren when he accidentally drained her during sex (oh, Mitchell!).
fifi, I think it's totally Hal's fault Catherine died. Or failing that, Hal probably thinks that. The rite probably called for the trinity who commit to the rite to donate their blood. Hal, canny to anything going wrong, certainly wasn't going to use his own blood, so by his own precautions, caused it to go wrong. Oh, Hal!
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"Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realise you're wrong."
Oh, and I wonder if Hal kept the flask of blood...
I wonder this too Lau....and like UJ's theory. Hal is a very contained persons when it comes to his past and inner most depths and motivations. It would make sense that he would have more 'secrets'?
The whole Catherine thing adds yet another layer to Hal - more insight into the man he can be in his bad periods - and whether he is or is not responsible it is inferred that he feels it in the wieght of his present day guilt.
On a really bad day, guests will come down to find stacks and stacks of dominoes all over reception. No will be able to check out. They'd daren't knock anything over.
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"Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realise you're wrong."
"bloody hell, the manager's gone mental." in best welsh accent, "I only rang down for my complimentary sugar sachets, yesterday he was all "demerara, white, or sweetener?" but today he practically bit my head off for ruining his concentration!"
I think Crumb played on Alex's sympathies. I got a sense of manipulation from him and she was feeling vulnerable, having just read what happened to her body and whatnot.
Hal and Crumb. Again, he was wounded by Alex's words at the hotel (and it was wounding, justified or not, especially the sign and bell comment), scared Crumb and felt sorry. He should've let Crumb die but as he explained, he didn't want to feel responsible for another death though if Crumb hadn't wheezed out "help me" while lying on the road, would Hal still have helped him? Possibly. It wasn't thought through properly.
I wonder whether the decanter will be an object of control for Hal, a test for him, to test his resolve.
It might well be a personal test – “I can carry this around with me and not touch it so why would I need to kill for blood?” Like some sort of willpower thing. It could be something like “the minute I need to dip into this is the minute I need locking away again.” I do get the impression that he would more than willing to stake himself if he felt himself falling though. I don’t know what it is. There was something about him in that last episode that told me that. He would not be averse to ridding the world of himself, if needs be.
Having said that, if we learned anything from Mitchell and Lauren it simply doesn’t work. Non-fresh blood does not work, lacks life, would be the equivalent of smoking one of those plastic cigarettes when you’re really just craving nicotine. Still, as a symbolic gesture it’s quite effective.
I did like Crumb’s logic, though, that Hal turned Crumb so that he would be the monster. He would be the Thing of Evil so that Hal himself didn’t have to be. On some level that works as a thought. The school outcast analogy worked quite well, I think, and it’s an interesting thought. I’m not sure that’s how Hal saw it but it’s another way of looking at it. I just think he was fragile at that moment. Those words were playing on his mind. Alex’s words. And Crumb, begging for help. Reaching out to him. In a sense, it reminded me of Mitchell and Bernie. No, it wasn’t the right thing to do. Mitchell knew it. Hal knew it too. But in that moment they both had someone’s life or death in their hands. Mitchell had a grieving, desperate mother reaching out to him (though, in fairness, he offered it – out of some sense of guilt, I don’t know, but he offered it) and Hal had a bleeding, wounded man. They were BOTH in emotional states at that point.
I do wonder, had Alex not said those words and had Crumb not reached out for him, would he have just walked away? “I made you a vampire and I am so, so sorry.” It’s like doing something stupid when you’re not in a clear mind and then feeling so awful about it when the mist passes by. Clarity is a wonderful thing. So is hindsight. I do wonder what Hal was planning to do with Crumb though. Was he going to look after him? Teach him? Mentor him?
Did anyone else notice the single tear again? When he was knocked out and tied to that chair again, when Tom was expressing this rage and hatred and disgust towards him, when he was talking of Eve – there it was again. That little tear falling down his cheek. Kind of moving, actually. I felt so bad for him that he wasn’t trusted, but then I look at it from their point of view and think “Is it any wonder?” But, again, like with Alex, he did not kill Crumb. But he couldn’t let him die either. It’s not something condemnable. There’s a lot of ‘I’m disappointed in Hal’ on the internet but was there ever any evidence he drank from him? He put his fingers to his lips…but then he pulled them away.
When the 'rota' scene starts the camera pans back and around the room. The musical ident which plays over this, is the 'domestic' one that has always been used since being human started. Although the camera focuses on the air fresheners it is still strongly reminiscent of mitchell, george and annie, and it's almost a shock to see tom and alex sitting there. That little phrase has a really melancholic air to it and i start to suffer from nostalgia; and then hal walks in and sighs 'ahhh...smell that alpine freshness'.....and i still laugh out loud every time! It's a wonderful piece of emotional manipulation.
Just needed to share that.....!
Thoughts on hal? Still haven't got passed....oh hal!
beautiful fifi, beautiful. You have put into words something that i didn't think could be. Yes!
wonderful in depth stuff going on here ! Sorry if I am not directly responding to everyones' comments, hopefully I will have time to read through them all soon!
The single tear scene in series 4 was one of my favourites RougeSang, call me perverse but when Hal is so deeply pained by his own remorse I am at my most heartbroken for him. My heart actually hurts. I the scene in series 5 episode 1 is kind of an echo of that in that Hal is being presented with his darkest nature. but also there is an extra sense of pain that he cannot help his nature and this instance maybe he did think he was doing the right thing (was he?) (and does anyone else kind of wish we had scene the turning?). I love how we were plunged right in to all those aspects of Hal and his reactions towards his actions and the effect he has on others. Damien brings a very special energy to that, that enables us to empathise more that condemn (me atleast) which is a quality not just from the dialogue and writing, but that quintessential flavour he brings to Hal.
Today I am filled with the scene where we learn about vampire lore from Hal, (in the Being Human universe) (oh Hal...that scene!) what did everyone think and feel at that point?
When the 'rota' scene starts the camera pans back and around the room. The musical ident which plays over this, is the 'domestic' one that has always been used since being human started. Although the camera focuses on the air fresheners it is still strongly reminiscent of mitchell, george and annie, and it's almost a shock to see tom and alex sitting there. That little phrase has a really melancholic air to it and i start to suffer from nostalgia; and then hal walks in and sighs 'ahhh...smell that alpine freshness'.....and i still laugh out loud every time! It's a wonderful piece of emotional manipulation.
Just needed to share that.....!
Thoughts on hal? Still haven't got passed....oh hal!
It might well be a personal test – “I can carry this around with me and not touch it so why would I need to kill for blood?” Like some sort of willpower thing. It could be something like “the minute I need to dip into this is the minute I need locking away again.” I do get the impression that he would more than willing to stake himself if he felt himself falling though. I don’t know what it is. There was something about him in that last episode that told me that. He would not be averse to ridding the world of himself, if needs be.
Having said that, if we learned anything from Mitchell and Lauren it simply doesn’t work. Non-fresh blood does not work, lacks life, would be the equivalent of smoking one of those plastic cigarettes when you’re really just craving nicotine. Still, as a symbolic gesture it’s quite effective.
I did like Crumb’s logic, though, that Hal turned Crumb so that he would be the monster. He would be the Thing of Evil so that Hal himself didn’t have to be. On some level that works as a thought. The school outcast analogy worked quite well, I think, and it’s an interesting thought. I’m not sure that’s how Hal saw it but it’s another way of looking at it. I just think he was fragile at that moment. Those words were playing on his mind. Alex’s words. And Crumb, begging for help. Reaching out to him. In a sense, it reminded me of Mitchell and Bernie. No, it wasn’t the right thing to do. Mitchell knew it. Hal knew it too. But in that moment they both had someone’s life or death in their hands. Mitchell had a grieving, desperate mother reaching out to him (though, in fairness, he offered it – out of some sense of guilt, I don’t know, but he offered it) and Hal had a bleeding, wounded man. They were BOTH in emotional states at that point.
I do wonder, had Alex not said those words and had Crumb not reached out for him, would he have just walked away? “I made you a vampire and I am so, so sorry.” It’s like doing something stupid when you’re not in a clear mind and then feeling so awful about it when the mist passes by. Clarity is a wonderful thing. So is hindsight. I do wonder what Hal was planning to do with Crumb though. Was he going to look after him? Teach him? Mentor him?
Did anyone else notice the single tear again? When he was knocked out and tied to that chair again, when Tom was expressing this rage and hatred and disgust towards him, when he was talking of Eve – there it was again. That little tear falling down his cheek. Kind of moving, actually. I felt so bad for him that he wasn’t trusted, but then I look at it from their point of view and think “Is it any wonder?” But, again, like with Alex, he did not kill Crumb. But he couldn’t let him die either. It’s not something condemnable. There’s a lot of ‘I’m disappointed in Hal’ on the internet but was there ever any evidence he drank from him? He put his fingers to his lips…but then he pulled them away.
Yes i did notice. Actually there were tear tracks down both cheeks. What i also noticed was that when he first came to, there was nothing there, no tears, no tear filled eyes, the tears only become noticeable when Tom goes at him and snarls at him not to say Eve's name. When Hal asks him if he looks like he's been feeding, it's then the tear tracks are noticed so i wonder whether it's from a previous take because one minute they're not there and literally the next they are. Either way, it was a very powerful scene, especially when Hal says that later on they can do what they want with him (to paraphrase) and the following scene is Hal and Crumb in the office and the dual almost suicide.
I was just talking about Crumb's recruitment on the Blog. I don't think an exchange of blood took place, i think Hal got Crumb to feed from him but he didn't feed from Crumb. Crumb was bleeding and close to death, perhaps the exchange of blood takes place if the potential recruit isn't close to death to begin with? I don't think Mitchell and Bernie had a blood exchange but it's been such a long time since i watched that episode that i'm not entirely sure. If you remember, when Tom knocks Hal out, we're under the impression it's just with one punch. Would he have achieved that if Hal had ingested blood? I don't think so. Hal was also pale, sweaty as well as scared in that chair. If he'd fed he wouldn't have been (at least he wouldn't have been scared, a blooded Hal is an arrogant Hal methinks). He was possibly weakened by recruiting Crumb, he didn't look well.
Another transitional moment I loved was when Hal spoke of living on and on whilst 'heroes died around him' - and the scene cut back to Catherine dying in his arms. He considered her a hero (or heroine). He considers Tom 'one of the most remarkable people he's ever met'. Even Lord Hal caught in the midst of a not-so-good phase felt respect, perhaps love for his sworn enemy. I like that. I really like that. But this, too, ties into his loneliness. People die all around him, people he loves, people he cares about, but he lives on. He suffers. And it all just goes round and round in his head. I wondered at that point how many people he has loved, how many people he has lost.
Hello all!!!! Hope everyone has been well, I finally found a working link so I could watch the first episode of the new series here in the states, and I must say... It was MAGNIFICENT!!!! I screamed at my computer a couple times as well as laughed so hard my brother was thinking I was having a fit!!! I cannot wait for the next episode. As for new characters, I'm not really sure as of yet... Though there's a soft spot in my heart for "Crumb"... :) I hope everyone enjoyed and even though I have to wait a few days for the link to be up, I will try to keep up with everything...
I agree that Hal didn't drink from Ian. When he said 'Do I look like I've fed?' it made me realise Ian drinking from Hal was what was important here - so if Hal looked poorly, it's because he's been fed from, and had to get a baby vamp home by himself without so much as a high protein snack. And Tom believed him.
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"Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realise you're wrong."
He looked unwell for most of the episode but more so after the Ian incident. I too think it was significant. He was weak from blood loss. He looked excessively pale. His eyes looked darkened around the edges. When he was waiting outside the door blathering on about a sauna he looked as white as a ghost. He got no joy out of turning Ian. He didn’t even get a good meal out of it. He did it because he simply could not bear to let him die. There seems to be a lot of confusion about that because I’ve seen so many comments about it and they’re all assuming that he did drink from him. He quite clearly didn’t.
That second time he was strapped to that chair, he looked so young. So boyish. His hair looked different. His eyes looked different. He looked innocent. Like a sick boy rather than a fallen addict. I felt so bad for him.
He looked unwell for most of the episode but more so after the Ian incident. I too think it was significant. He was weak from blood loss. He looked excessively pale. His eyes looked darkened around the edges. When he was waiting outside the door blathering on about a sauna he looked as white as a ghost. He got no joy out of turning Ian. He didn’t even get a good meal out of it. He did it because he simply could not bear to let him die. There seems to be a lot of confusion about that because I’ve seen so many comments about it and they’re all assuming that he did drink from him. He quite clearly didn’t.
That second time he was strapped to that chair, he looked so young. So boyish. His hair looked different. His eyes looked different. He looked innocent. Like a sick boy rather than a fallen addict. I felt so bad for him.
Are there really people who think that? It just doesn't make sense at all. Ian was near death so all he needed was vampire blood, and Hal really wouldn't drink from someone for no real reason while he's spent all that time in the chair. And yeah, he really did look bad, especially his eyes...
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"And Tom is feeding me lots of banana, which Damien hates and Hal also hates"
Yes, I’ve read a fair few comments from people who are ‘disappointed in Hal’ and a fair few others who saw it as a moment of weakness on his part. Emotional weakness, maybe, but certainly not weakness in relation to his ‘addiction’. Yes, he put his fingers to his lips. Yes, he was tempted. But he pulled away. It wasn’t the cleverest thing to do, recruiting Ian like that, but again it’s reminiscent of Mitchell recruiting Bernie. There was a good intention in it, even if the thinking and reasoning wasn’t particularly clear. He wasn’t meaning harm by doing it. He was trying to be kind. Ian was begging for his help. Sometimes, the need to help is greater than the thought of the quality of life a person might have should they be saved. It’s a very human response
Hi all !!! Oh my god it was amazing !!! I was to excited to take it all in 1st watch, I was practically hyper ventilating!!! I thought it was really funny Hal and tom both had such funny lines, cram or crumb was hilarious, I AM Patsy!!! I laughed so much in this episode we found out what the hip flask was for I was glad we didn't see Hal go straight back on the blood and I edon't think he drank from Crumb either, he sawthe blood and there was that moment where he was tested and he brought his fingers almost to his mouth but resisted. It took me 2 views to realise hedidn't do his vampire face to crumb on purpose because he was angry, he did not have control when he saw the blood. Can't wait to see next episode !!!
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My name is Ciara and I've been on the Kia-Ora!!!! :D
