Being Human: No Care, All Responsibility

These days, it's perhaps valid to wonder whether the art of television promotion has been its own worst enemy in terms of the realm of spoilers. Indeed, when it comes to an episode such as No Care, All Responsibility, it's difficult for those fans such as this reviewer who've kept a watch on the BBC's official synopses for each episode not to enter their viewing of it with a degree of confidence because of the premise of this final season of Being Human's finale already having been released online. Nevertheless, No Care practically thrives on both this foreknowledge and indeed the naivety of viewers who don't keep up with the BBC's press releases, providing us with possibly the single most captivating adventure since the show began.

So what core element of this week's instalment ensures it's such a bona fide supernatural hit? Once again, the glory falls down to the superb guest cast- just as Colin Hoult's Crumb became an extremely empathetic anti-hero in The Greater Good, so too does Steven Robertson's Mr Rook verge into a more realistic strain of portrayal this time around. Rook's struggle to fight for that same much-vaunted "greater good" as the world comes to chaos is masterfully handled, especially when the strain of this inner conflict is exemplified by the introduction of Natasha into the mix. If those fans who loved the chemistry between Rook and his young apprentice want to see a resolution to their relationship beyond the grave, then there's a fantastic official exclusive scene on the Being Human blog that does just that. This, in tandem with his portrayal in the episode, provides further proof that British stars such as Robertson will be in sore need of rediscovery once the series has reached its ultimate climax this coming Sunday.

As per usual, Phil Davis lends a layered portrayal to his Captain Hatch here, with his character clearly building the powers he needs to step back into the human world and take control. Tweeters nationwide seemed to jump and cry out in unison as Hatch launched at Alex and sent her below the Earth to join her corpse, testament to both the fear factor Davis can enable and indeed to the mastery which the production team can now command in their horror generic allusions. All that I will say on the matter of Davis's Satan-incarnate is that what with The Last Broadcast set to mark his final appearance, it would be great to see this actor allowed to stretch his talents into a battle beyond the competition to wear the best bowler hat at the funeral teased in the "Next Time" trailer for the conclusion.

It would be impossible to move any further, though, without praising Michael Socha as one of the defining highlights of this penultimate adventure. Whereas Damien Moloney and Kate Bracken were to some extent left to "tread old ground" that their predecessors' characters Mitchell and Annie covered in Series Three, Socha was truly given his moment in the spotlight in his interaction with Kathryn Prescott's Natasha. The development of this contained character arc was beautifully handled; making Tom's transformation back into the vampire-killer that his father bred was a completely believable situation. The odds that Tom and Hal will remain mutual adversaries beyond the halfway point of the finale seem rather unlikely, yet the initial vampire-werewolf conflict that will no doubt brew between them in the early stages of the impending climax will be compelling to watch.

Generally, this would be the part of the review where I'd lament one or two shortcomings that held the episode back from greatness. As difficult as it is to believe, though, this reviewer is struggling to come up with much in the way of negative content to discuss here. Pretty much every performance from both regular and guest cast members is top-notch stuff, the direction and visual effects are spectacular, and the narrative does a fantastic job of playing on expectations in its build towards the end. It turns out that in the case of No Care, All Responsibility, it's not just "He" (Hatch) who will rise, but Being Human too, rising into the lofty ranks of the best episodes that this supernatural drama has provided us with yet. Here's hoping that The Last Broadcast keeps up this sterling quality level, because if so, the series will go out on a true high.