Being Human: There Goes the Neighborhood (Part 1)

"We're all hiding something, aren't we? From the moment we wake, look in that mirror, all we do is spin our little lies. Suck in that gut, colour that hair, twist off that wedding ring. Any why not? What's the penalty? What are the consequences, really? "I'm only human," you say, and all is forgiven. But what if some cruel twist of fate makes you something else, something other? Who forgives you then?"

- Aiden

"There Goes the Neighborhood (Part 1)" is the first chapter of the two-part pilot episode of the North American horror-themed television series Being Human. The show is based on a UK series, also entitled Being Human, which began airing on BBC3 in 2008. This episode was directed by executive producer Adam Kane and written by series developers Jeremy Carver and Anna Fricke. It first aired on Monday, January 17th, 2011 on Syfy in the United States and on Space in Canada. The premise of the show centers on a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost who are roomates together in a Boston townhouse. The show stars Sam Witwer as the vampire, Meghan Rath as the ghost and Sam Huntington as the werewolf. Recurring cast members include Gianpaolo Venuta, Sarah Allen, Mark Pellegrino and Vincent Leclerc. The vampire, Aidan McCollin, is a male nurse working at a nearby hospital who satisfies his craving for blood by stealing bags of plasma from the storage rooms. His best friend and co-worker is a neurotic young man named Josh Radcliff who, once a month, suffers the traumatic indignity of transforming into a werewolf whenever the moon is full. Aware of each other's supernatural origins, the friends decide to buy a place together where they can be themselves. They come to discover however that their new home is haunted by the ghost of a young woman named Sally Malik - the house's original occupant whose life ended in a tragic accident. Together, the three friends try to eke out a life for themselves, struggling against their monstrous heritage in their ongoing efforts to "be human".

Notes & Trivia

 * Opening narration: Aidan McCollin


 * First appearance of all characters.


 * Emily Radcliff is also the name of a minor recurring character from the short-lived ABC television series The Gates. Whereas this version of the character is the lesbian sibling of a werewolf, the Emily Radcliff from The Gates is the adoptive daughter of two vampires.

Quotes

 * Josh: I used to think this curse was what happened to me once a month. And I realize this - this - this is the curse: every day sitting on a bench watching people walk by, eating sandwiches, making plans, being what I used to be.


 * Josh: You went searching for drug change in the wrong couch cushions lady, I'm calling the cops.


 * Sally: So how can you see me, anyway?
 * Aidan: Well, think of us as sort of different countries on the same continent.
 * Josh: Oh, my god. That's beautiful, really. We're Africa.


 * Aidan: People die.
 * Josh: Yeah. In old age homes, in car accidents. Not with their heads lodged in my future oven.


 * Marcus: Are you back in? Because I don't mind cleaning up your occasional mess. That's what we do. We're family. But if you are back, you and I are gonna have to set a few ground rules. There's an order now. There's Bishop, and then there's me. You will respect that.
 * Aidan: Don't worry. I know how many years it took you to get your nose firmly inserted up Bishop's ass.

What else have they done?

 * Sam Witwer: Sam Witwer is no stranger to this type of character. In 2008, he played a character named Davis Bloome in season 8 of the CW Network television series Smallville. Witwer's character was an EMT serial killer that transformed into a savage monster known as Doomsday. Witwer also played a character named John Stoler on the "Shiny Happy People" episode of Angel and played Private Jessup on in the 2007 film The Mist.


 * Meaghan Rath: This is Meaghan's first work in the horror genre. Previously, she played Adena Stiles on the TV series 15/Love. She also played Rigby Hastings on thirteen episodes of The Assistants and has also appeared on episodes of Aaron Stone and 18 to Life.


 * Sam Huntington: Like Sam Witwer, Sam Huntington is also an alumni from the Superman franchise. He played eager cub reporter Jimmy Olsen in the 2006 film Superman Returns. Sam's other films credits include Jungle 2 Jungle, Detroit Rock City, and Not Another Teen Movie. His television credits include episodes of CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, Veronica Mars and Cavemen.


 * Mark Pellegrino: Mark Pellegrino, who plays the vampire Bishop, also played the biggest bad guy of all, Lucifer, in five episodes of season five of the CW Network television series Supernatural. In addition, he has also appeared in episodes of Tales from the Crypt, The X-Files, and Ghost Whisperer.


 * Gianpaolo Venuta: Gianpaolo Venuta has some minimal exposure to the genre and to playing against vampires. In 2001, he played a character named Damon Grismer in the "Rats" episode of Vampire High. He was also a recurring character on the comedy series Naked Josh, though he has not yet had the privilege of seeing Being Human 's Josh naked quite yet.


 * Sarah Allen: Sarah Allen has skirted the cusp of the horror genre a few times, but did not fully become a part of the theme until taking on the character of Rebecca Flynt with this episode. Sarah appeared in the 2004 mystery/thriller Secret Window starring Johnny Depp as the Sheriff's niece. She also played a character named Maggie Hollister in the "Switch" episode of Stephen King's Dead Zone.