Episode 8 (Humans series 1)

Last updated

"Episode 8"
Humans episode
Episode no.Series 1
Episode 8
Directed byChina Moo-Young
Written by
  • Sam Vincent
  • Jonathan Brackley
Original air date2 August 2015 (2015-08-02)
Running time46 minutes
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Episode 7"
Next 
"Series 2, Episode 1"

"Episode 8" is the eighth and final episode of the first series of Humans , a show based on Real Humans and co-produced by Channel 4 and AMC. It originally aired in the UK on 2 August 2015 to an audience of 3.997 million viewers; it aired in the U.S. on 16 August 2015. In this episode, the synths finally manage to execute the code left by David Elster with the help of the Hawkins family. The finale received positive reviews in the UK and mixed reviews in the U.S.

Contents

Plot

Hobb tries to link Fred, Leo, Max, Mia and Niska to extract the programme David Elster made to give synths consciousness; however, this does not work as Karen's part of the code is missing. Hobb alters Fred so that he essentially becomes the primary user; Fred is still capable of hatred towards Hobb but unable to harm him. Hobb plans to destroy the others as he no longer has a use for them, but needs to keep Fred so he can create obedient but conscious synths.

The Hawkins' electronic items are confiscated by the police, but they quickly plot to retrieve Mattie's laptop, which contains a cached copy of some of Leo's memories. Pete Drummond arrives and helps them to steal it back; Mattie, Toby and Pete go to a cafe and send Laura a copy of some of the memories. Laura threatens to send the videos to the press if Hobb does not release the synths, which would release the secret that there are conscious synths to the public. Hobb lets the synths go, although code within Fred allows him to track them.

The Hawkins reunite with the synths and after the police arrive, they flee to an abandoned church. They realise that they can be tracked through Fred and Leo is unable to remove the intrusive code. Leo rings Karen and reveals where they are hiding; Karen chooses to leave Hobb and go to the church to execute the programme in their minds. Karen tries to infect the code, but fails after Mia intervenes. Meanwhile, Laura pulls Joe aside and tells him about the secret about Tom. After the group debate what to do with the programme, Niska stores a copy of it on the hard drive and gives it to Laura. Niska decides to go off on her own and the synths leave without her and without Fred. Mia gives an emotional goodbye to the Hawkins as her former owners return home. After Karen leaves, she is met by Pete and they reluctantly go off together. The final scene shows Niska on a train, with a copy of the programme.

Reception

Ratings

On 2 August 2015, "Episode 8" aired on Channel 4 in the UK to a viewership of 3.997 million. A further 491,000 households watched the episode on Channel 4 +1. On both channels, Humans was the highest rated show that week. [1]

Reviews

UK reviews were positive. Michael Hogan of The Telegraph gave the episode 5 out of 5 stars, praising both the "uniformly excellent" cast and the script which was "studded with thoughtful lines"; Hogan said the episode reached a "bittersweet climax" and "neatly teed up the second series". [2] Neela Debnath of Express described Episode 8 as "a heart-pounding finale that remains unpredictable till the end" which "managed to balance the action-thriller elements with the emotional stuff", although "the Hawkins family's return to domesticity seemed somewhat implausible". [3] Morgan Jeffery of Digital Spy called the episode "mighty impressive" but "not perfect", critiquing the way "DS Pete Drummond continues to drift about, not achieving much." [4] Hannah Verdier said in The Guardian that the finale contains "more questions than answers", and "it would be an understatement to say that Humans doesn’t end neatly." [5]

The episode received a mixed reception in the U.S. Brandon Nowalk of The A.V. Club gave the finale a C rating, describing it as "lazy drama", criticising "how many characters are just standing around inactive" and saying that "the final scenes that rely more on long-term relationships than plot are the ones that sing". [6] Matt Fowler of IGN described "Episode 8" as "solid, if not somewhat easy" and "not a very exciting episode", rating it 7.5 out of 10. Fowler highlighted Laura explaining who Tom was to Joe, Karen trying to destroy the synths' programme and Pete searching for Karen as some of the positive scenes in the positive, but disliked the fact that the "We Are People" march "never truly paid off". [7] Angelica Jade Bastién of Vulture gave the episode 3 out of 5 stars, saying that it had "bright spots" but "it falters because the characters make dramatic, unexplained shifts". [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Adler</span> Fictional character from Will & Grace played by Debra Messing

Grace Elizabeth Adler is a fictional character and one of the two titular protagonists in the American sitcom Will & Grace, portrayed by Debra Messing. She is a Jewish interior designer living in New York City, who lives with her gay best friend, Will Truman, for a majority of the series. She is also the employer of Karen Walker and a friend and neighbor of Jack McFarland.

<i>Doctor Who</i> series 6 2011 series of Doctor Who

The sixth series of British science fiction television programme Doctor Who was shown in two parts. The first seven episodes were broadcast from April to June 2011, beginning with "The Impossible Astronaut" and ending with mid-series finale "A Good Man Goes to War". The final six episodes aired from August to October, beginning with "Let's Kill Hitler" and ending with "The Wedding of River Song". The main series was preceded by "A Christmas Carol", the 2010 Christmas special. The series was led by head writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, alongside executive producers Beth Willis and Piers Wenger. Sanne Wohlenberg, Marcus Wilson, and Denise Paul served as producers. The series was the sixth to air following the programme's revival in 2005 after the classic era aired between 1963 and 1989, and is the thirty-second season overall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Bailey (Misfits)</span> Fictional character

Kelly Bailey is a fictional character in the British Channel 4 science fiction comedy-drama Misfits, portrayed by Lauren Socha. Kelly appeared from episode 1 of series 1 to episode 8 of series 3. For her portrayal, Socha won a BAFTA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oswald Danes</span> Fictional character in Torchwood

Oswald Danes is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who and is portrayed by American actor Bill Pullman. The character was promoted as one of five new main characters to join Torchwood in its fourth series, Torchwood: Miracle Day (2011), as part of a new co-production between Torchwood's British network, BBC One, and its American financiers on US premium television network Starz. Pullman appears in eight of the ten episodes, and is credited as a series regular. Whilst reaction to the serial and Pullman's character was mixed, Pullman's portrayal was praised by critics and in 2012 he received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor on Television.

"The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. First broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2011, it is the seventh Doctor Who Christmas special since the show's revival in 2005. It was written by Steven Moffat and directed by Farren Blackburn. Internationally, the special was shown on BBC America in the United States and on Space in Canada the same day as the British broadcast, with ABC1 in Australia showing it one day later.

Real Humans is a 2012 Swedish science fiction/drama series set in an alternative near-future version of Sweden where consumer-level humanoid robot workers and servants are widespread. The series follows the resulting emotional effects on two families as well as the trials of a group of robots who have attained free will and want their freedom from human ownership.

"Say Hello to My Little Friend" is the eleventh episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake, which originally aired on NBC on May 10, 2012. Written by Leonard Chang and series creator Kyle Killen, "Say Hello to My Little Friend" earned a Nielsen rating of 0.9, being watched by 2.51 million viewers upon its initial broadcast in the United States. Directed by recurring guest actress Laura Innes, the episode generally received positive reviews, with many critics claiming that it was the best episode of the series since "Pilot" and that Jason Isaacs' performance deserved an Emmy Award.

Kate Bracken is a Scottish actress. Bracken is best known for her role as Alex Millar in Being Human.

Dark Water (<i>Doctor Who</i>) 2014 Doctor Who episode

"Dark Water" is the eleventh episode of the eighth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 1 November 2014. The episode was written by showrunner and head writer Steven Moffat and was directed by Rachel Talalay. It is the first of a two-part story; the concluding episode "Death in Heaven", the finale of the eighth series, aired on 8 November.

<i>Humans</i> (TV series) 2015 science fiction TV series

Humans is a science fiction television series that debuted on Channel 4. Written by Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent, based on the Swedish science fiction drama Real Humans, the series explores the themes of artificial intelligence and robotics, focusing on the social, cultural, and psychological impact of the invention of anthropomorphic robots called "synths". The series is produced jointly by Channel 4 and Kudos in the United Kingdom, and AMC in the United States.

"Episode 2" is the second episode of the first series of Humans, a show based on Real Humans and co-produced by Channel 4 and AMC. It originally aired in the UK on 21 June 2015 and in the U.S. on 5 July 2015. In this episode, Leo is injured while trying to track down Anita, George Millican is forced to have a new synth to take care of him and Laura returns Anita after discussion with Mattie. The episode was watched by 4.5 million people in the UK and 1 million people in the U.S. It received fairly positive reviews.

"Episode 1" is the first episode of the first series of Humans, a show based on Real Humans and co-produced by Channel 4 and AMC. It originally aired in the UK on 14 June 2015 and in the U.S. on 28 June 2015. In this episode, Joe buys a "synth" for his family, to his wife's horror. Meanwhile, George cannot bear to abandon his outdated synth Odi. The episode was watched live by 5.47 million people in the UK and 1.73 million people in the U.S. It received mostly positive reviews.

"Episode 3" is the third episode of the first series of Humans, a show based on Real Humans and co-produced by Channel 4 and AMC. It originally aired in the UK on 28 June 2015 and in the U.S. on 12 July 2015. In this episode, Anita saves Toby's life, George and Odi are involved in a car crash and Niska goes on the run after arguing with Leo and Max. The episode was watched by 5.1 million people in the UK and 1.2 million people in the U.S. It received mixed reviews.

"Episode 5" is the fifth episode of the first series of Humans, a show based on Real Humans and co-produced by Channel 4 and AMC. In this episode, Niska discusses technology and consciousness with Doctor Millican, Leo fails to extract code from Anita and Mattie discovers someone has had sex with Anita. It originally aired in the UK on 12 July 2015, where it was watched live by 3.847 million households. In the United States, the episode aired on 26 July 2015 to a viewership of 1.15 million. The episode received positive reviews.

"Episode 4" is the fourth episode of the first series of Humans, a show based on Real Humans and co-produced by Channel 4 and AMC. It originally aired in the UK on 5 July 2015. During this episode, Joe has sex with Anita, Mattie meets Leo and Niska narrowly avoids being captured. The episode received positive reviews, garnering 3.95 million UK viewers and 1.05 million U.S. viewers.

"Episode 6" is the sixth episode of the first series of Humans, a show based on Real Humans and co-produced by Channel 4 and AMC. It aired in the UK on 19 July 2015, and was watched by 3.926 million viewers; it aired on 2 August 2015 in the U.S. to 1.03 million households. The episode received positive reviews.

"Episode 7" is the seventh episode of the first series of Humans, a show based on Real Humans and co-produced by Channel 4 and AMC. In the penultimate episode of the first series, a secret about Karen is revealed, attempts are made to repair Max and police arrest every synth in the Hawkins' house.

"The Final Problem" is the third episode of the fourth series, and the series finale, of the British television series Sherlock, and the thirteenth episode overall. The episode first aired on BBC One, PBS, Channel One and 1+1 on 15 January 2017.

Lego Masters is a British reality show in which teams compete to build the best Lego project. During its original run, it was hosted by Melvin Odoom and judged by Lego designer Matthew Ashton and structural engineer Roma Agrawal and Fran Scott. Lego Masters premiered on Channel 4 on 24 August 2017. After a hiatus of four years, the show came back for a Christmas special on 24 December 2022 hosted by Nish Kumar and judged by Ashton and Amy Corbett from the US version of Lego Masters. The programme is produced by Tuesday's Child. The 2022 Christmas special was filmed in Warsaw, on the set of Poland's Lego Masters, and co-produced by Endemol Shine Polska.

References

  1. "Weekly Top 10s". BARB. Archived from the original on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  2. Hogan, Michael (2 August 2015). "Humans, series one, episode eight, review: 'satisfying'". The Telegraph . Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  3. Debnath, Neela (2 August 2015). "Humans episode 8 review: A heart-pounding finale that remains unpredictable till the end". Express . Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  4. Jeffery, Morgan (2 August 2015). "Humans finale: Does Channel 4's winning sci-fi series deliver?". Digital Spy . Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  5. Verdier, Hannah (2 August 2015). "Humans recap: season one, episode eight – the big finale". The Guardian . Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  6. Nowalk, Brandon (16 August 2015). "Humans: "Episode 8"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  7. Fowler, Matt (16 August 2015). "Humans: "Episode 8" Review". IGN . Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  8. Bastién, Angelica Jade (16 August 2015). "Humans Finale Recap: Trapped Minds, Open Hearts". Vulture . New York . Retrieved 17 August 2015.