Why I'm refusing to watch Being Human.

[amanuensis1]

In a new entry of "Amy is shallow" confessions:



...I don't want to watch this show because they made her the ghost.

G'wan, tell me it's awesome and that she kicks ass all the same and I shouldn't turn my back on it for that silly reason. I'm ready.

Comments

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

You're thinking she should have been the vampire, am I right?

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

She starts off soft and passive, but this changes very quickly and thoroughly over the course of the first season. By the end of it, she is the most self-determined of the three. And they are all passive in one way or another: George the victim of the moon, Mitchell made inert by the battle between his conscience and nature. I really enjoyed it on the whole, even with a few mis-steps along the way.

[imkalena.livejournal.com]

I didn't watch it because they changed her AND the vampire, from the pilot. I liked the wan, whiny, um, bloodless vampire . . . I just could NOT see this guy *points up* as the person who can't function in undeath because he's tortured by his conscience. And they replaced the very ordinary looking and also wan ghost girl with MEGAHOTBABE. I'm not sure why that bothered me, it just did. Does even a ghost have to be a MEGAHOTBABE? I guess on tv, everybody has to be.

[elizardbits.livejournal.com]

It is a perfectly ghastly remake and I am beyond disappointed, but really I was not expecting much to begin with. SIGH.


DERP DERP ignore my mad ramblings, I thought you were talking about the terrible US remake, not the delightful original series. (which, admittedly, I have only ever seen at the gym, with the sound off. nevertheless. delightful!)

[persephone-blue.livejournal.com]

It's the same reason I'm not watching, either.

[drgaellon]

David and I turned it off 20 minutes in, because it was dreadful.

[amorettea.livejournal.com]

That picture is from the very wonderful British version. I have no idea what the U.S. version is going to be like because I loathe remakes like that. And believe me, in the British version, the ghost is, in many ways, the strongest character. It is wonderful, angst-ridden and, at times, utterly hilarious. I love it!

[pushdragon.livejournal.com]

I loved the BBC version, liked all the characters, but if you're hoping for a character who kicks arse in the Buffy/Xena kind of way, she is not it. Then again, there's not much fight action in it, even for the boys. The drama is more the conflict between their ordinary lives and their supernatural ones.

If you do give it a go, make sure to give us a review!

[cirakaite.livejournal.com]

They're all pretty passive and pathetic at first, and she actually sorts herself out much quicker than the other two. George (the werewolf) whines so much I wanted to throttle him for most of the first and second seasons. However, the people above are right - the picture you posted is the BBC Being Human, which is into the third season, and is a pretty awesome show. I have some quibbles, but sexism isn't one of them. There's another incredible awesome woman later on, who's now my favourite character.

The US version, I haven't seen but expect horrible things.

[alice_montrose]

I think you should watch anyway. And don't let her character fool you in the first episodes: she evolves in a lovely way over the span of the series.

[doctorjonesy.livejournal.com]

**Although I haven't given any of what I'd consider to be direct spoilers, some of what I've written here might make certain plot points more obvious than some people would like. I've tried not to talk too specifically about anything, though.**


I don't know about the US version, but the UK version is very good. Without going into too much detail, through the ghost character the show gets to deal with quite a few issues - one of which is violence against women. It seems (to me) like it was a conscious choice to have the ghost character be a woman. She starts off seeming weak - hardly able to have an effect on anything around her - but over time she discovers and hones her power. Her initial "weakness" is not a metaphor for womanhood, though; rather, it's a result of outside oppression.

Not only does she become "not weak", but as the story goes on it becomes obvious that she is not a regular ghost, that she has more power than a regular ghost, and that she is pretty much the complete opposite of passive. Added to that, her role never feels "tacked on". Her story and her issues are just as important as those of the other two - not just to her and to the viewers, but also to the other two main characters.

Also, there is later another excellent female character who more closely fits the traditional "dangerous" description. And by the looks of things, it seems like she is going to be a permanent member of the cast.

I can't really comment on the US version because even though it seems to be following the initial plot closely, I just can't be certain that it will have the same focus or awareness as the other one. But I definitely recommend the BBC version. A lot. Lenora Crichlow, the woman who plays the ghost, is awesome.

**Quick edit for clarity: When I say that the show deals with certain issues, I don't mean that it's an obvious moral-of-the-story type of thing. It's more that, in the course of the plot, those issues naturally arise.... If that makes any kind of sense.

[percysowner.livejournal.com]

I saw the UK version, haven't been interested in the remake. If you can Netflix or find a way to borrow the original, it is really good. As others have said, the ghost starts out less empowered but becomes very strong and proactive and has a neat wrap up to her first season storyline.

[schemingreader.livejournal.com]

In the UK version, she does kick ass. She is a dynamic character and we get to see a lot of her. She has powers and she is interesting, plus the actress has such a great face to watch.

I think you're right, that the female character should have been scarier, but the werewolf isn't exactly the toughest customer, either. It's still worth a look.

[pgmoonshine.livejournal.com]

My personal opinion is one of agreement - it was probably a knee jerk sexist decision, because I saw no particular thought delved into in the writing. She's still a pretty cool character, very charming, the actress plays her well and if they had to deny her active powers at least most people can't touch her if she doesn't allow it. Because we have a really gross, misogynistic spoiler coming up in episode two (which I'll refrain from describing without permission) which would have been 10x worse if she had been corporeal.