‘Humans 2.0’ Review – More Human than Human

While I’ve known of Humans and how well the show was received, to my shame I never really watched it. When I got the chance to watch Humans 2.0 though, I decided to dive in and take it from the starting point of the second series.

Humans 2.0

Through the catch-up at the start of Humans 2.0 I was able to pick-up on the importance of characters like Mia (Gemma Chan) and Leo (Colin Morgan) and the situation they were in now. With the initial focus on Niska (Emily Berrington) though at the start of the season, she soon became my favourite Synth.

If you’ve seen any British television or movies in the past few years, you’ll know why Humans 2.0 stands out. With the likes of Ruth Bardley, Neil Maskell, and Katherine Parkinson in the cast this is impressive, then add Carrie-Anne Moss and this takes the cast to an even higher level.

Carrie-Anne Moss and her character Dr. Athena Morrow is interesting as she is a doctor working in the very subject that is becoming so important, the area of making the synthetic achieve consciousness. Her own personal goals though are selfish, and tease what is to come in Humans 2.0 and what makes the corporate side of the story all the more insidious. Even if she believes she is doing good, and dealing with her own personal tragedy, her own moral outrage of where her work could lead is hypocritical.

Where Humans 2.0 really wins though in its smart writing and the intelligent use of a subject that could be all too real in the future. When an A.I achieves consciousness when does it become a form of life? In Humans, we see the synths become slaves because they are only machines. When they achieve consciousness though they realise how they are being mistreated and this affects the way they view life. What right do humans have in treating an intelligent being in such way?

There is of course the other side to the problem of the synthetic humans in Human 2.0, and this is presented in the form of Hester (Sonya Cassidy). There is a certain naïve believe that when a synthetic can think for itself it will be good, but just as humans don’t always turn out good, why should the synths?

Another interesting aspect is how the synth workers have affected humans. We see people who pretend to be synths, and they are using it as a psychological block to the real world. This of course is easily believable, as we see people take on different characters all the time to escape from reality. Adding this to a show like Humans 2.0 though is a nice touch, amplifying the thought-provoking nature of the story being told.

Even though I’ve still not seen the first series of Humans, Humans 2.0 has made me a fan of the show, and I look forward to seeing where the series will go. There is a huge change introduced into the world in the final episode, and there will be a lot of changes. Well thought out and thought-provoking, Humans 2.0 is a perfect example of just how good British TV can be.

Humans 2.0 is available on DVD in the UK now.

Be sure to like Pissed Off Geek on Facebook and follow them on Twitter to keep up to date with all the news and reviews.

Leave a Reply