American vs. British Being Human
Mar. 1st, 2011 11:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dbskylerI've seen several episodes of the American version of Being Human now, and it's really interesting to see what's the same as the British version and what's different. So far I like the American storylines better, but I prefer the British version of the characters over the American version of them. Also, the American version has yet to come close to the sublime "housemate" moments that the British version seems to manage so effortlessly.
[Note - While I'm caught up for the American version, I haven't seen beyond the first episode of S3 in the British version, so please don't spoil me for later episodes!]
First of all, it's clear that the American characters, while resembling their British counterparts, are indeed different characters. The first big clue, of course, is their different names: Aidan, Josh and Sally instead of Mitchell, George and Annie. Aidan is very somber, and I find myself really missing Mitchell's humor and affability. Josh is mostly uninteresting, and I don't get the sense of underlying desperation George had back in S1. Sally is a lot more unhappy than Annie -- she mostly just mopes around, which isn't nearly as entertaining to watch as Annie's inveterate tea-making. Sally is also much more of a ghost than Annie as she can't touch anything, even her housemates, although she's developing some poltergeist abilities.
In terms of the plots, watching the first season of the American version is like a giant game of, "Is this going to be the same as the British version, or not?" Some episodes have been extremely similar to British episodes, right down to the same dialogue in spots, while some have been completely different, or have started with the same set-up but then gone off in a different direction.
Things that are the same, so far:
-- Vampire society and Aidan's/Mitchell's conflict with it
-- Vampires deriding werewolves and calling them "doggie"
-- Josh/George starting up a romance with a co-worker
-- Sally/Annie finding out she was killed by her fiance
Interesting American changes:
-- Werewolves hate vampires back
-- A major storyline with Josh's family -- we've met his sister and his parents, who now know that Josh believes that he's a werewolf (and are very worried about his mental health as a result).
-- Sally has a best friend who is now dating Sally's former fiance. The fiance is obviously manipulative and the friend is obviously in danger of being physically abused, or perhaps even killed as Sally was.
The American storylines are intriguing, but I really miss Mitchell, George and Annie. There's something flat about Aidan, Josh and Sally; they don't have nearly the same amount of chemistry with each other as the British housemates do, and I also don't find myself caring about them as much.
[Note - While I'm caught up for the American version, I haven't seen beyond the first episode of S3 in the British version, so please don't spoil me for later episodes!]
First of all, it's clear that the American characters, while resembling their British counterparts, are indeed different characters. The first big clue, of course, is their different names: Aidan, Josh and Sally instead of Mitchell, George and Annie. Aidan is very somber, and I find myself really missing Mitchell's humor and affability. Josh is mostly uninteresting, and I don't get the sense of underlying desperation George had back in S1. Sally is a lot more unhappy than Annie -- she mostly just mopes around, which isn't nearly as entertaining to watch as Annie's inveterate tea-making. Sally is also much more of a ghost than Annie as she can't touch anything, even her housemates, although she's developing some poltergeist abilities.
In terms of the plots, watching the first season of the American version is like a giant game of, "Is this going to be the same as the British version, or not?" Some episodes have been extremely similar to British episodes, right down to the same dialogue in spots, while some have been completely different, or have started with the same set-up but then gone off in a different direction.
Things that are the same, so far:
-- Vampire society and Aidan's/Mitchell's conflict with it
-- Vampires deriding werewolves and calling them "doggie"
-- Josh/George starting up a romance with a co-worker
-- Sally/Annie finding out she was killed by her fiance
Interesting American changes:
-- Werewolves hate vampires back
-- A major storyline with Josh's family -- we've met his sister and his parents, who now know that Josh believes that he's a werewolf (and are very worried about his mental health as a result).
-- Sally has a best friend who is now dating Sally's former fiance. The fiance is obviously manipulative and the friend is obviously in danger of being physically abused, or perhaps even killed as Sally was.
The American storylines are intriguing, but I really miss Mitchell, George and Annie. There's something flat about Aidan, Josh and Sally; they don't have nearly the same amount of chemistry with each other as the British housemates do, and I also don't find myself caring about them as much.