Humans: Season 2/ Episode 1 – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

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Overview

Humans returns and while time has moved forward, things largely remain the same.

Review (with Spoilers)

It has been a very long time since original and new episode of Humans has aired. So long that, honestly, if it wasn’t for me adding all the season 1 reviews, I would be so lost as to what was going on. With that said, while the show doesn’t return with a roar it does pick up where it left off and honestly while this is a season premiere, it feels like episode 9 for the first season.

Main Plot (with Commentary)

Niska

Niska, in Berlin, continues to try and discover what it means to be sentient, what it means to be alive, and as she does this she questions if she should upload the update which would give more synths this experience. Well, thanks to having a girlfriend for a few weeks, something she seems to enjoy but ultimately can’t commit to, she comes to the decision to upload the sentient program and across the world synths begin to become aware.

Leaving Niska with one last thing to do. She decides, quite strangely, that she must stand trial for what she did and asks the Hawkins family to help. For, you see, she wants the type of trial a human would get. Which, after watching a movie like 13^th seems like an odd idea. For while UK laws are different from the US, you’d think even if her wishes to be punished like a human were given, wouldn’t she likely just become a synth slave all over again?

Anita, Max, and Leo

Like before, Anita, Max, and Leo are sort of nomads. They live in what seems to be an abandoned farm and while Anita works, Max and Leo seem to do their own thing. Well, at least they did until Niska decided to activate sentient programming in synths. A program which isn’t quickly becoming widespread but does create a dangerous environment for synths. After all, whether it is newcomer 10 (Raphael Acloque) or Hester (Sonya Cassidy), imagine a synth speaking of their own wants and desires and not becoming frightened. Especially as the economy has become increasingly dependent on synth workers and there was some mumblings of malfunctions in the news.

But the big to do this episode deals with Anita disliking the isolation and Leo’s desire and need to be a savior to synths. For with some hired gun tracking them, on top of the new people in their family, it is becoming a bit much for Anita. Yet, Max and Leo continue to do what they do, not work, and put Anita in an odd position.

Dr. Athena (Carrie-Anne Moss)

Newcomer to the series Dr. Athena is a renowned doctor who resides in California and is working on sentient technology without commercial ambitions. Yet after Niska releasing her program onto the world affecting those from Bolivia to the UK and America, so comes a man named Milo Khoury (Marshall Allman) capturing one that became sentient and luring Dr. Athena to the dark side to study it. Which, due to curiosity after meeting Artie (Sam Woolf), she agrees to study this seemingly sentient being. If just to debunk it thinks for itself.

Things To Note

The Hawkins parents are still having marital issues and Joe learns he has become redundant at his job so look for more added stress. For while they have moved to a cheaper home, with part of their marital issues being his loneliness, imagine how bad it will become as Laura is the sole breadwinner.

Dr. Athena currently has 2 of the original 16 sentient beings she has thus far created. They seem locked into a server environment and the only reason she has 2 is because the other 14 found no reason to keep living.

Collected Quote(s)

It is hard enough to know what you want, to know why you want it too?

—           “Season 2/ Episode 1.” Humans

 

I want to find out who I am, not what I was made for but what I might become.

—           “Season 2/ Episode 1.” Humans

Highlights

So Begins Widespread Awakening

Through Niska and Anita, we have seen two sides of the spectrum. The synth who continues to love serving humans, though doesn’t want to be their servant, and then the synth who wants to openly rebel against its former masters. So with us seeing this season maybe international, it will be quite interesting to see how synths in different parts of the world react as they slowly awaken to the ability to control their own fates and persons. Especially as the humans they have worked with and for try to regain control.

Criticism

A Few Reminders Would Have Been Nice

This episode isn’t made for newcomers who got snagged by marketing. It very much is a continuation of things like, as said, an episode 9. So while there isn’t a major jump or surprise twist, if you are new or don’t remember what happened in the first season, it might feel like you are missing a huge chunk of the puzzle.