As an 80’s kid, Almost Human scratched an itch I didn’t know I had. I loved every minute of it, and didn’t feel the need to be snarky about any of the derivativeness or predictability of the show at all. Honestly, I haven’t liked a pilot so much in years. This is what I hoped Marvel: Agents of Shield would be, something that sucked me in right away. I’m assuming that you have all watched it too, right?
Sure, It’s got Blade Runner in its DNA. The noodle shop scene pretty much screamed as much. It’s arguably a more direct riff on Isaac Asimov’s Robots series, and Elijah Baley was similarly vocal in his dislike of his new partner. Or maybe, it’s more of an Alien Nation slash Robocop slash Minority Report formula. Now that I’m thinking about it, it’s much more Demolition Man with a touch of Logan’s Run. Dystopian is not the future Wyman and J.J. have imagined here. There is a mystery surrounding the Total Recall aspects of Kennex memory being the key to a multi-year unsolved cold case. And the Android breaks with Asimovs tradition as an Inferior model to human beings…but his programming is more Algebra to the MX models Geometry. The Android “gets” that nothing is perfect and struggle is part of the equation. Where the newer models ascribe to “there is a perfect way, and a wrong way” to do anything, which is philosophically flawed, even human beings have that strife. They fight different internal battles but the Android is clearly in the lead here. A very interesting take on the ‘Buddy Cop’ idea. its subversive and not actually a buddy cop show at all.
There is no doubt that this show is derivative of the android films that came before it, but I don’t think that’s an indicator of viewer enjoyment. Mass audiences cheered the hyperviolent robots of past eighties sci-fi pastiche versus what’s valuable in this particular show, which is an examination of human nature and what causes us to marginalize others.
In the second part of the series opener the Sexbot trope, on the surface, is cheap and kind of disappointing. But I’ll give it a pass because the idea of people stealing folks skin to put a covering on said Sexbots is pretty gloriously creepy. They are not just saying “Look, we’ll be effing machines someday”. They are going past that and seeing what sort of crimes will arise from that eventuality. That is pretty damn creepy. Especially if they’re using people’s skin (DNA, fingerprints, etc) to impersonate them, commit crimes, and steal things. Not to mention, the interrogation with Dorian having to explain to John how the Sexbot was programmed so that she could not understand the reality of her own servitude was shockingly well done and demonstrates how good this show might well be. The possible future technologies are introduced at a rapid pace. Wireless hacking, nanotechnology, random drones, Human DNA grown into real skin, virtual retinal displays. Also, The special effects were a lot better than I thought they would be.
Still, I’m hoping this show diverges from the police procedural formula soon and moves into world building. The “Wall” that was mentioned early in the episode (but not mentioned again) got me interested, and I hope an entire season doesn’t go by before it’s actually explained. Michael Ealy is easily the best part of this show already. He’s funny and desperate to be accepted, and he’s the only one of his kind still in commission. There are a lot of ways to expand there, as long as they don’t get too expository. My theory is DRN was once a human, but he died and came back to life as droid. Yeah, yeah…Robocop. I know , I know.
The show won’t have to rely on just Michael Ealy’s charms alone, there’s also Karl Urban’s. The premise is good enough, and from what I’ve seen, these two can carry it the rest of the way. Or at least until they have to move it to the FOX Friday death slot first. I’m looking forward to the ride.
-Dagobot
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