# Humans



## Rodders (Jun 6, 2015)

So i have been seeing the advertisement for this a lot lately and am quite looking forward to seeing what it's about. Anyone else?


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## Droflet (Jun 6, 2015)

Yeah, looks interesting. We'll have to wait and see.


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## REBerg (Jun 6, 2015)

Considering AMC's excellent track record, this 8-part series should be well worth watching, which I will definitely be doing on June 28.


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## Vaz (Jun 14, 2015)

Yeah looks very Intriguing, can't wait for this, love how some Twit users were fooled by the advert


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## Warren_Paul (Jun 15, 2015)

Watched the first episode of this today. Was pretty good. Very similar to an animated show I'm watching atm (Plastic Memories).




Spoiler



Best moments of the episode was the older man with the failing synthetic boy. So sad.


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## Lenny (Jun 16, 2015)

I got half a dozen episodes into the original Swedish series a couple of years back, but never got around to continuing - this seems like an easy way to finish it. 

Not a bad first episode - feels very much like the Swedish original, and aside from not being quite as...well, Swedish, it doesn't stray much from the original (a couple of small things added, but generally the same). Though there was a fantastic scene with the runaways that was missing - judging by the flashback, though, I guess it will come later.


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## Duncan (Jun 16, 2015)

I eagerly await this series.  I setup a calendar event to add it to my DVR as it is not yet in my EPG.


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## BAYLOR (Jun 16, 2015)

It looks very promising


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## BAYLOR (Jun 16, 2015)

REBerg said:


> Considering AMC's excellent track record, this 8-part series should be well worth watching, which I will definitely be doing on June 28.



Agreed


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## Cli-Fi (Jun 17, 2015)

Vaz said:


> Yeah looks very Intriguing, can't wait for this, love how some Twit users were fooled by the advert



What do you mean fooled? I don't have twitter...


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## Cli-Fi (Jun 17, 2015)

Rodders said:


> So i have been seeing the advertisement for this a lot lately and am quite looking forward to seeing what it's about. Anyone else?



I am going to watch this when it premiers over here in the US next weekend Jun 28. It got great ratings on Channel 4 in the UK. So that means it might do double that in the US. Though, I'm too clear on the UK TV industry. At least I know it exists unlike the Swedish one. This will be the first venture AMC does with its British partners and with its acquisition of BBC America earlier this year. Expect a lot more, especially if this succeeds.

http://deadline.com/2015/06/humans-record-ratings-drama-series-channel-4-amc-1201442829/


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## Warren_Paul (Jun 17, 2015)

AMC usually pick the winning horses, this time should be no different.


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## alchemist (Jun 19, 2015)

A very good first episode. It had a distinct feel of "oo-er, something bad's going to happen" all the way through. The background story seems pretty useful too, but it's hard to see where eight episodes are going to come from.


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## Brian G Turner (Jun 25, 2015)

Catch-up TV gives this a 16+ rating - is that due to language, or sex/violence?


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## alchemist (Jun 25, 2015)

Some language, not bad. The same for violence. Sexual themes and one brief sex scene without any nudity. The rating's probably right.


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## Susan Boulton (Jun 25, 2015)

Not for me. Gave up after the second show. Nothing vastly different in the premise.


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## Warren_Paul (Jun 27, 2015)

Continue to like this show.



Spoiler



Anita is really starting to creep me out. I never really considered her the bad guy at first, but now I'm not so sure. After mention of them doing something to her mind, I can start to see that she is acting a bit suspicious.

And that medical synth. well I think everybody can't wait for her to get what's coming for her.


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## Brian G Turner (Jun 28, 2015)

Watched the first episode tonight - enjoyed it much more than expected. Suitably creepy feeling, plenty of issues raised - and an intriguing backstory. A well worn path competently trod. Didn't realise it was an adaption from a Swedish original, otherwise would have looked out for that - especially after watching _the Bridge._


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## REBerg (Jun 29, 2015)

This seems to be a high-quality look at the singularity -- the fuzzy boundary that develops as technology merges human and machine

For a first episode, this laid down some complex story interplay – the family dynamic, Anita's backstory, the hunt for the androids who have become threateningly human. I'll be interested in seeing how the whole synths as slaves thing shakes out.



Spoiler



I don't think Anita means any harm to the little girl. She seems to be overwhelmed by maternal instincts. How human is that?


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## Duncan (Jun 30, 2015)

I was very impressed by the first episode of Humans.  There was a lot more nuance than I expected.  The characters are interesting and complex, there is a lot of backstory and depth to the version of the UK presented.  I eagerly await the second episode.


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## The Bluestocking (Jul 1, 2015)

Just finished episode 3. I must say that it's growing on me and Asimov (with his fascination for robots) would like this show


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## REBerg (Jul 1, 2015)

The Bluestocking said:


> Just finished episode 3. I must say that it's growing on me and Asimov (with his fascination for robots) would like this show


"The Asimov blocks in their programming mean that they simply aren't able to do us any harm."
– Dr. Ji Dae-Sun, defending Synths in episode 1 television interview​
I continue to be amazed at how many times I've encountered references to Asimov's Laws of Robotics, not only in other fictional works, such as _Bicentennial Man_, but in statements from bonafide roboticists working in the real world.

I've only been able to watch the first episode on AMC, but I am enthralled.


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## Idoru (Jul 2, 2015)

I'm really enjoying this. It's really well made and well acted. I was a bit worried that it might seem tired, as it's a subject that's been pretty comprehensively covered, but so far it doesn't and I think it's got potential to go in some interesting directions.


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## REBerg (Jul 6, 2015)

The Synths are just close enough to appearing human to qualify for the Uncanny Valley. They are more than a little creep-evoking.

Their eyes are unnaturally bright, almost as if they are lit from within, as one might expect from a robot. Their facial expressions are limited, something approaching post-plastic surgery Kenny Rogers. The Synths can smile, but even that’s on the creepy side.

The actors in the Synth roles, especially Gemma Chan as Anita, deserve credit as real humans portraying almost-humans designed to mimic real humans. That must be a tough concept to wrap their heads around.


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## Droflet (Jul 6, 2015)

Yes, again this is another show with intriguing possibilities and a sound conceptual base. But, oh my lord, it does tend to drag a bit. Or maybe that's just me. 
It's an interesting premise. We can't help but sympathize with the androids, poor androids, but the cop is right. If sentient machines are let loose on the world chaos would reign. Sooo, I'll keep watching, for my machine master has ordered that I do. Watch this space (human scum).


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## REBerg (Jul 12, 2015)

*1.02*
Finally got to watch this episode before just before episode three came along.



Spoiler



So much for the "Asimov Blocks" on Synth interaction with flesh-and-blood humans. These androids can kill! Niska wasn't even acting in self-defense when she killed her "customer."

Synth hunter Hobb poetically summarizes his fears of the self-aware Synths with: "He's the Mona Lisa. He's penicillin. He's the atom bomb."

I'm enjoying George's efforts to keep Odi under wraps and cope with Vera. Why doesn't he just press the "off" button under her chin while she's recharging? Couldn't be that easy.

I was surprised by the revelation that Leo is apparently a Synth. He was not so much injured in his fight with the Junkers as in need of a recharge. Yet, he appeared to have red blood, rather than the blue fluid that oozed from Niska's neck when she removed the control chip. Is Leo some sort of human-synth hybrid?



Thus far, I would rate this series as "excellent."


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## Warren_Paul (Jul 12, 2015)

Humans has been thoroughly entertaining. It's currently my second favourite show of the season next to Killjoys.



REBerg said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> So much for the "Asimov Blocks" on Synth interaction with flesh-and-blood humans. These androids can kill! Niska wasn't even acting in self-defense when she killed her "customer."



In regards to your comment about Niska:



Spoiler



The "Asimov Blocks" only apply to the normal Synths. Niska is a self-aware Synth and like the other self-aware Synths, she is capable of breaking the rules when she sees fit to do so. Even the reprogrammed Anita can break the rules of her programming when she deems it necessary.


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## REBerg (Jul 13, 2015)

*1.03*
The self-aware Synths seem to be getting careless about keeping their true nature under wraps.


Spoiler



Is Niska now an aspiring serial killer? Seemed like her plan was to knife the guy who picked her up in the bar until she discovered his daughter was with him for the weekend.

I'm also wondering if anyone will respond to Mattie's post of Anita's root code before Leo and Max can come to her rescue.


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## Gnrevolution (Jul 13, 2015)

1.05



Spoiler



Loved the conversation between George and Niska, at first thought this is all a bit cliche until I realised that George was testing her


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## REBerg (Jul 13, 2015)

*1.03*

I was not aware, until this week, that the UK has a 2-episode headstart on the AMC presentations of this series. Doesn't seem fair.



Spoiler



George's decision to release Odi in the woods, like an unwanted household pet, was saddening. Still, it was better than his earlier inclination, to bash Odi's head with a hammer. I would think that turning Odi in for recycling would be a better, middle-ground alternative to either option.

I expect George will return to the woods to rescue Odi, as he already is having regrets. Now, if he can only get away from Vera again. He needs some stronger doors.

Another pondering: Is converting a “normal” Synth into a self-aware version simply a matter of altering their root codes? Or did the late David Elster also make physical modifications to his special models?


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## Verse (Jul 13, 2015)

I'm up to EP04 and I've got EP05 on the PVR waiting for me. As so many have said, nothing much new in the way of narrative but it's the quality of production and the characters that are holding my interest.


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## Warren_Paul (Jul 14, 2015)

REBerg said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Is Niska now an aspiring serial killer? Seemed like her plan was to knife the guy who picked her up in the bar until she discovered his daughter was with him for the weekend.



Pretty much, but only towards those who deserve it.



Spoiler



What I got from that was Niska originally intended to kill him when she found the hair ties, as she thought they were from past women he'd brought home to sleep with, and that he was lying to her about being a "good guy." But when she realized they were his daughter's and that he really was the good guy he claimed to be, she decided not to kill him.

I'm pretty sure she would have actually killed him if he really did turn out to be a disgusting jerk like the men who raped her at the brothel.


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## REBerg (Jul 14, 2015)

Spoiler



That explains the sequence. She didn't grab the knife until after she found the hair ties.

So, she is looking for a place to hide, but she isn't willing to put up with more sexual abuse to get it. A weekend dad won't work for her, for some reason.


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## REBerg (Jul 21, 2015)

*1.04*

A better title for the series might be _Humans Behaving Badly_



Spoiler



Joe's exploitation of Anita was shameful, even if she had been nothing more than a machine. I had hoped that the technician running the diagnostic on Anita was going to say something like. "Hmm, I see this unit was in adult mode last night." Joe had good reason to be sweating during that process, although he probably would have attempted to throw Toby under the bus for that little transgression. Funny that Laura's suspicions haven't been further aroused by Joe's sudden enthusiasm for getting rid of Anita.

The rabble lining up in the "war" against the Synths to take their turn at beating them to digital death certainly did not make me proud to be human. In what universe is smashing a defenseless machine with a baseball bat an act of valor? It seems that we'll never fail to turn a bad situation into a money-making opportunity.

Who could blame Niska for her reaction? It wasn't the best choice for staying under the radar, but she is a hot-tempered android.



This series as more than a little reminiscent of _Blade Runner_. Are we hard-wired to go into destroy-or-be-destroyed mode when we perceive our own creations as being superior to us? Is peaceful coexistence never an option?


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## Cli-Fi (Jul 22, 2015)

REBerg said:


> *1.04*
> 
> A better title for the series might be _Humans Behaving Badly_
> 
> ...



I'd just take a look at illegal fight clubs, dog fighting and even cock fighting that being pretty popular in Puerto Rico


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## Cli-Fi (Jul 22, 2015)

Yeah I just saw on Wiki that UK is two episodes ahead of US. Good thing I didn't read the whole descriptions of what happens in the next two eps.

Anyway here are my thoughts on Episode 4:

Still trying to get the characters in line but...



Spoiler



Joe was really embarrassed after having sex with Anita and almost looked like he was in a fetal position in the bed!



I already see some glaring holes in this plot line. As a computer guy, even with my limited coding experience the ongoing code finding scenes make no sense whatsoever and the coding sequences are down right atrocious. Though, I never expected TV to change people's perceptions on that. It's been happening since the 90s.



Spoiler



I'm guessing they aren't going to go all technical and explain the basics of Android suppressed memories and subconsciousness. While being a shell of their former selves. Furthermore, why could those "five" Androids have subconscious and feelings but they need all five of them to run the program to make more?? That makes no sense as of this point in time.  Why did they need Dr. Millican at all? Are androids really that dumb that they cannot extract basic code from other more complex code? Since that's all that actually happened. And they call themselves hackers lol.



I still think Leo is a synth even after 



Spoiler



the scientist says that they are looking for four synths and a human. I am still not convinced Leo is human. Especially after the strange way Dr. Millican was acting around him. Dr. Millican was essentially unaware that David ever had a "son." It's unclear when David died so can we safely assume just by this fact alone, Leo is NOT a human? Why was Dr. Millican so shocked to see Leo? A normal reaction to seeing someone's son for the first time would be "I'm sorry for your loss, I worked with your father and he was a genius." Instead, he ranted on about how David was going down the wrong path in his research. This is perhaps another clue, as if blood is what makes you human. I would assume If you can recreate actual skin, making an android bleed wouldn't be too much farther down the line. Then after the "hacking" Dr. Millican tried to touch Leo's face. WTF? Then, the creepy smile from Max... I'm not even going to ask how Leo is able to connect himself to the laptop or why he is included as a part of the program's supposed power supply.


 It's all smells of suspicion.

Now the shocker was Karen 



Spoiler



What the heck is that blue stuff???


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## REBerg (Jul 24, 2015)

Cli-Fi said:


> Yeah I just saw on Wiki that UK is two episodes ahead of US. Good thing I didn't read the whole descriptions of what happens in the next two eps.
> 
> I still think Leo is a synth even after
> 
> ...





Spoiler



I'm guessing that Leo was the last model, so to speak, in the late Dr. David Elster's experimental "humanization" of Synths, which would account for the more natural looking eyes, blood and human DNA bearing Elster's markers. I'm also speculating that Max, with his bug eyes and unnatural smile, was the doctor's first experiment beyond the standard commercial Synth. Leo had noted in the first episode that Max couldn't hide his true nature.



I do wish that the series had been released simultaneously in the US and UK. Must be a part of the AMC/BBC deal.


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## Warren_Paul (Jul 24, 2015)

REBerg said:


> I do wish that the series had been released simultaneously in the US and UK. Must be a part of the AMC/BBC deal.



You and me both. I keep wanting to reply to your posts with my own comments but then have to remember that I know information from 2 episodes ahead of you and have to be very careful about spoilers. Requires me remembering what happened in what episode and what information hasn't been revealed to you both yet.


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## Brian G Turner (Jul 25, 2015)

My one big criticism of this series is that normally developing technology allows for time for people to get used to it. In this series, they have effectively suddenly jumped advanced robotics/artificial intelligence on our contemporary world - there's nothing futuristic about it, except for the synths. This means that some of the questions it raises seem somewhat facetious, because they would have been answered before the introduction of the technology.

I'm also left scratching my head at how synths - which should presumably be remarkably expensive - are left carrying out menial tasks, such as sweeping pavements.

I'm also uncomfortable with some of the sexual creepiness - there are valid questions to ask, but again, some of these are jumped on us as part of our contemporary world. And putting Niska to work in a brothel seemed gratuitous to me.

Still, it's a decent series, but now that I've watched episode 4 I want things to start to connect faster now, and more engagement between the different characters that have firmly been introduced.


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## REBerg (Jul 25, 2015)

Brian Turner said:


> My one big criticism of this series is that normally developing technology allows for time for people to get used to it. In this series, they have effectively suddenly jumped advanced robotics/artificial intelligence on our contemporary world - there's nothing futuristic about it, except for the synths. This means that some of the questions it raises seem somewhat facetious, because they would have been answered before the introduction of the technology.
> 
> I'm also left scratching my head at how synths - which should presumably be remarkably expensive - are left carrying out menial tasks, such as sweeping pavements.



Descriptions of the setting for _Humans_ that I've read put the series in an "alternate present" or an "alternate version of our existing timeline."

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/63937/20150627/everything-you-need-to-know-about-amcs-humans.htm

I had thought that it was a near-future setting in our world, which had raised the same questions you posed. That still doesn't explain the menial tasks for a machine which Joe compared to financing a car. For that kind of money, I would want my Synth programmed to be something more valuable around the house, like a doctor, an architect or a stand-up comedian.


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## TØny Hine (Jul 25, 2015)

REBerg said:


> That still doesn't explain the menial tasks for a machine which Joe compared to financing a car. For that kind of money, I would want my Synth programmed to be something more valuable around the house, like a doctor, an architect or a stand-up comedian.



Ah! but there are also the hinted at, but unmentionable fringe benefits!


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## REBerg (Jul 25, 2015)

Warren_Paul said:


> You and me both. I keep wanting to reply to your posts with my own comments but then have to remember that I know information from 2 episodes ahead of you and have to be very careful about spoilers. Requires me remembering what happened in what episode and what information hasn't been revealed to you both yet.


Yeah, knowing that others have advanced knowledge and explanations for the plot takes the fun out of speculation. Probably the best route for US viewers is to limit themselves to more generalized comments on the series rather than specific episodes.


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## Cli-Fi (Jul 26, 2015)

REBerg said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Leo had noted in the first episode that Max couldn't hide his true nature.


If you are right where does Anita fit in? She is totally different from the other two. She is basically brainwashed to think that she is a new robot when really she has lived a whole different life. A glaring hole in the series is that the Robots apparently become more human when they break. It's clear Anita broke at some point in her lifetime, and I've read some theories about when that could be in regards to David and Leo, but if Max is more advanced or newer than Anita, why does she seem to have the ability to hide her agenda? Now, it looks like she is not purposely hiding the memories or actions, but I have a feeling all that has to change. She can't be kept in the dark forever there wouldn't be much of a story for her then. I guess Laura's concerns are really rubbing off on me!


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## Cli-Fi (Jul 26, 2015)

Brian Turner said:


> My one big criticism of this series is that normally developing technology allows for time for people to get used to it. In this series, they have effectively suddenly jumped advanced robotics/artificial intelligence on our contemporary world - there's nothing futuristic about it, except for the synths. This means that some of the questions it raises seem somewhat facetious, because they would have been answered before the introduction of the technology. I'm also left scratching my head at how synths - which should presumably be remarkably expensive - are left carrying out menial tasks, such as sweeping pavements.



I don't necessarily agree with you here. While I think it is quite early in the Robotic Era (if futurists want to call it that). In the pilot they are advertised as something new, but as we get deeper into the show. We see that there are already huge industries devoted to the synths and also backdoor illegal goings-on. The re-programmers and the fights for instance. Which leads me to believe that they might be new for the everyday working class. I liked that they compared it to a car payment. People freaked out about automobiles when they were first affordable and practical. Same thing is happening with the synths.  

This means that a whole bunch of ethical questions and indeed laws have already happened in this world about robots and how they should be viewed. Yet on the same page, as more and more people get them. They are and will continue to be treated as equal. Humans is advertising that a war is coming and that simple concept will be at the very center of it. 

The series shows throughout that they are already used for different and government sanctioned purposes. Most seem to be used for medical purposes and I actually don't think the sex brothel went far enough!!!! It was literally too small and still seen as shady to the police. With these things the sex industry would explode and become normalized. In fact, in real life, I have a funny feeling that the sex industry will introduce sexbots to the public first.



Brian Turner said:


> Still, it's a decent series, but now that I've watched episode 4 I want things to start to connect faster now, and more engagement between the different characters that have firmly been introduced.



Episode 4 seems to be the best episode and it got the most ratings since the premier.


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## REBerg (Jul 26, 2015)

Cli-Fi said:


> If you are right where does Anita fit in? She is totally different from the other two. She is basically brainwashed to think that she is a new robot when really she has lived a whole different life ... if Max is more advanced or newer than Anita, why does she seem to have the ability to hide her agenda?


I see Max as more like the first prototype, the least advanced of Elster's "humanized" Synths. I would put Mia/Anita as the model created just before Leo. Nyska and Fred would fall somewhere between Max and Mia.

I don't think Mia was even slightly "brainwashed" when reprogrammed by the junkers and resold to the Synth dealership. Her self-aware programming remained intact. Her Anita persona is just her cover.


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## REBerg (Jul 26, 2015)

*1.04*


Cli-Fi said:


> Now the shocker was Karen
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Spoiler



Is Karen another conscious Synth? If so, is she another of Elster's experiments? Human or Synth, no one can deny she is one detective who can really hold her liquor.


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## Cli-Fi (Jul 26, 2015)

REBerg said:


> *1.04*
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Lol at that! These revelations makes you wonder who else is a synth doesn't it?

Now an interesting thing here is that the show is called humans rather than synths. Though I can't see it going down the Lost route and the synths are actually humans and vice versa! Though that theory could explain why the robots essentially become more human when they break. In an alternate world. Anything is possible.


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## REBerg (Jul 28, 2015)

*1.05*



Spoiler



No more doubt about Karen being a Synth. Still not sure about Leo's status.

I noticed that when Leo told Niska about the consciousness code, he said they could make more of "you"-- not "us." A few seconds later, he was back to using "us."
I'm now guessing that Leo is not a Synth. He started as a full, flesh-and-blood human but has acquired some artificial Steve Austin (not the pro wrestler) replacement parts along the way. I'm waiting for that six-million dollar bionic sound effect when he does something unusual, like bench-press a Ford F-150.

The best moment of this episode: George convincing Vera that Nyska is not a Synth by using Vera's own robotic logic against her. Vera's sensors said Synth! Synths cannot lie, therefore, if Nyska tells Vera that she is not a Synth, she cannot be a Synth. How very Kirklike.


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## Verse (Jul 28, 2015)

REBerg said:


> *1.05*
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...



Let's hope the cognitive dissonance doesn't backfire like it did with HAL-9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey.



Spoiler



I've seen 1.06 - it doesn't - poor Vera!


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## REBerg (Jul 28, 2015)

Cli-Fi said:


> where does Anita fit in? She is totally different from the other two. She is basically brainwashed to think that she is a new robot when really she has lived a whole different life.


*1.05*



Spoiler



You were right about Anita being "brainwashed." Looks like those junkers were more talented reprogrammers than I thought.

Leo couldn't connect with Mia, even though Anita had no reason to continue the act under the circumstances. Yet, it must have been Mia who cried "help me" when Mattie was probing her code. She's still in there.


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## Cli-Fi (Jul 29, 2015)

REBerg said:


> *1.05*
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yup and the piss-poor hacker robot team can't find her? It reminds me of people who hate smartphones. Their belief, the makers of smartphones put so much stuff in the phones that the actual phone part is being lost.

It looks like this is Dr. Millican's chief concern with David's research and supposed advances. Dr. Millican's seems to believe that the robots should be nothing but tools to help humans but seems to realize their potential and is utterly shocked, amazed and disappointed when he comes into contact with a "conscious" synth. I think he feels that David has essentially put so much human stuff in the robots that they are essentially human-less. Not quite human, but not advanced in anything really but taking orders from their primary users. Dr. Millican probably feels like I do, I mean why make such remedial models? They can be so much more. Partially why Dr. Millican's outburst when he complains 



Spoiler



Compiling the human mind into a few lines of code...



Even though, the supposedly conscious ones make even worse humans than the non-conscious ones and are beginning to become very one dimensional characters. Whoever plays Odi has shown more acting ability than the other synths combined. Though, I do like Max's creepiness. Did the writers of Pixar's Inside-Out get to read these scripts??  I mean the similarities between those two plots are pretty striking sans robots.



Spoiler



Especially considering that each Robot appears to "be" one emotional type needed to complete the power source for the program.



Computers these days, with all those apps are already a bit smarter than those synths. Though, they can't do things by themselves it's getting pretty close to that point. Now if you want to talk algorithms well...They blow the synths away. Even Cortana and Siri seem a bit smarter. The synths are too dumb in my opinion.


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## Warren_Paul (Jul 29, 2015)

Cli-Fi said:


> Even though, the supposedly conscious ones make even worse humans than the non-conscious ones and are beginning to become very one dimensional characters. Whoever plays Odi has shown more acting ability than the other synths combined.
> 
> [...]
> 
> Computers these days, with all those apps are already a bit smarter than those synths. Though, they can't do things by themselves it's getting pretty close to that point. Now if you want to talk algorithms well...They blow the synths away. Even Cortana and Siri seem a bit smarter. The synths are too dumb in my opinion.



Based on my experience doing computer programming as a hobby, I can't agree with your comparison to computers of today. The apps themselves aren't smart, they don't think, have no intelligence; you give it a command and it processes that command based on previous programming written by a human being -- it can only do tasks that the programmer has written instructions on how to perform. Present day computers can only be as "intelligent" -- for lack of a better word -- as the people who program them. Currently, and possibly for all eternity, it's impossible to surpass human intelligence because that's not how programming as we know it works.

The way I see it, the synths are exactly the same. They can only be as intelligent as the people who created them. Of course the people who created them are more intelligent than the average person, which gives us the impression that synths are smarter than humans, but really, they aren't...

Now I don't disagree that Odi might be a great actor and deserves some kind of award. But... I'm not sure what you think a human synth should be acting like, as I don't see any of the "normal" synths, including Odi, acting anything close to humanlike -- they do exactly what they are programmed to do without questioning it. That's not human.

In regards to the conscious synths, if their creator was flawed, especially in regards to personality, then it is reasonably fair to imagine that the conscious synths would be flawed as well, because those flaws would influence the programming of their ethical and psychological processes; they would take on personality traits of their creator and those flaws would affect how they respond to problems.

Humans are flawed, nobody is perfect, and everyday life is full of people questioning what others have told them to do. The fact that the conscious synths are demonstrating those flaws quite clearly with the emotional archtypes you've noticed is very humanlike and something the normal synths aren't capable to reproducing, even Odi. You don't see the normal synths in the brothel getting upset and murdering people when they are with a client -- they are just following their programming; it's what they are designed to do. Niska wasn't designed to be that way, she never wanted to be a prostitute, hated that they forced her to be; she was taken against her will and raped. The fact that she can be "taken against her will" makes her more human than any normal synth.

I suppose in the end, any perceived one-dimensional characters or "stupidity" are purely the fault of the writers and actors not being up to the task of fulfilling their roles.

Wow... I'm writing a novel here. Sorry for that...



REBerg said:


> *1.05*
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Cli-Fi said:


> Yup and the piss-poor hacker robot team can't find her?



That they don't know how to fix her is nothing bad about the show; I wouldn't know how to fix her either. It's no surprise that they have encountered something they don't know the solution to yet. They might be the best programmer in existence and even then still come across problems they don't know the solution to. Programming is a never ending education process; programmers are students for life.

Anyway, it's not really brainwashing at all, and more like a split personality, but my explanation is hard to give without possibly spoiling future episodes. Click the spoiler if you want to know.



Spoiler



There are two completely separate people inside of her body. But because they don't understand this, they can't fix her. They are looking at the main person in control and wondering why that person isn't Mia.

In computing terms, what the junkers tried to do was format her hard drive and reinstall a new operating system onto her. The new system is Anita. But they made a mistake, they missed the backup of Mia hidden away inside of her. So now there are two operating systems inside of her, Anita and Mia, and that backup operating system is conflicting with Anita and fighting for control of the body.

Unless they know that backup exists, they'll never be able to solve the problem.


----------



## Cli-Fi (Jul 31, 2015)

Warren_Paul said:


> Based on my experience doing computer programming as a hobby.
> The way I see it, the synths are exactly the same. They can only be as intelligent as the people who created them. Of course the people who created them are more intelligent than the average person, which gives us the impression that synths are smarter than humans, but really, they aren't...



So basically your whole premise now makes no sense and it's full of contradictions. It is possible that there are different versions of synths out there and that they at different levels of intelligence, but 



Spoiler



Niska told Dr. Millican that her experiences have shaped her and made her the way she is.


 How could they not? Clearly her programmer wasn't a prostitute in a brothel. But if she was true AI she wouldn't have allowed herself to be placed there. So she had to break in order to become human. But why break then? Why not the first time she had sex and then after the day she spent hours doing so? Was she programmed to say enough is enough and go crazy? Or is what she said true? Maybe she is just a master program like those people who think we are living in such a world programmed by Gods....

If a Synth can connect directly into the internet and a human mind thus far cannot. The synth will therefore be smarter than the human. Algorithms written today are smarter than the hedge fund managers who use them. It's likely most of them don't know the programming behind them. Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft Et All, are all smarter networks collectively than their human counterparts, but yes, they still need humans to operate them...for now.

Facebook and Twitter can read the human collective mind pretty well. That does not mean, they can necessarily act human. This falls back to Star Trek and Data, he spent nearly ten whole years trying to become human throughout the series and movies. He got pretty damn close, but he was not human!



Warren_Paul said:


> Now I don't disagree that Odi might be a great actor and deserves some kind of award. But... I'm not sure what you think a human synth should be acting like, as I don't see any of the "normal" synths, including Odi, acting anything close to humanlike -- they do exactly what they are programmed to do without questioning it. That's not human.
> 
> In regards to the conscious synths, if their creator was flawed, especially in regards to personality, then it is reasonably fair to imagine that the conscious synths would be flawed as well, because those flaws would influence the programming of their ethical and psychological processes; they would take on personality traits of their creator and those flaws would affect how they respond to problems.



I don't think synths should be acting exactly like humans and I think Dr. Millican would share this concern with me. I think they should be more like tools. It looks like the more advanced limited edition synths were designed to be more human and less tool. Yet the synths can and should be much more. This is under much debate from robotics and futurists wondering why a synth-type robot isn't already on the market. It comes down to one-part fear and one-part the flaws in the human body itself. I'm not one to play god (only in writing) but some in robotics believe that the human shape would make a bad robot and that there are clear benefits to using different robot forms to do many different tasks instead of just a familiar face on a pole.



Warren_Paul said:


> Niska wasn't designed to be that way, she never wanted to be a prostitute, hated that they forced her to be; she was taken against her will and raped. The fact that she can be "taken against her will" makes her more human than any normal synth.



That's a problem with the notion of AI. If synths cannot be anything more than what they are programmed to be, it is unclear how long Niska was in the brothel and even why she suddenly had an outburst/start killing random people that have nothing to do with the brothel. It's not very logical nor acting like a computer would. One single AI could do much more damage with all their knowledge that they could consume within seconds. Basically she could be a Terminator on steroids but isn't.



Warren_Paul said:


> I suppose in the end, any perceived one-dimensional characters or "stupidity" are purely the fault of the writers and actors not being up to the task of fulfilling their roles.



I would agree with you one that, if that is the one fault I can find with the show it is that.


----------



## Warren_Paul (Aug 1, 2015)

I think you misunderstood me, perhaps I didn't explain myself well enough, but it doesn't matter because I think I also misinterpreted what you were saying in the original post, which now makes that argument completely pointless and off-topic. Joys of the internet. I won't derail the thread any further.

I think we are approaching the show from completely different perspectives of what we expected from it. It isn't the advanced robotics show with badass synths acting all logical and cool that you seem to want. You're saying that you don't think the conscious synths should be acting like humans, but the very purpose of their creation was to act like humans. That's the point of the show. Hence why it is called "Humans."

If you wanted a show that demonstrated the advanced nature of synthetics and how they could surpass mankind, them I'm afraid this isn't the show for you.


----------



## Cli-Fi (Aug 1, 2015)

Warren_Paul said:


> Exactly. That's the point, it's not acting like a computer, she isn't supposed to act like a computer.




That may be the point of the show, but it isn't and shouldn't be the end game for artificial intelligence or computer personal assistants.


----------



## REBerg (Aug 1, 2015)

If sentient androids are truly coming, and even top minds like Stephen Hawking's believes they are, then we would be wise not to piss them off. Going to war against them is a guaranteed path to extinction.

We initially could make ourselves useful by performing those menial tasks assigned to the "normal" Synths in _Humans_. When all of those were automated, perhaps we could attain the status of beloved household pets -- kept around for companionship or amusement, possibly taught a few new tricks.

I would prefer a future in which humans and machines merge, by transferring human consciousness to new android bodies, incorporating maintenance nanites into our cellular structures or some combination of both. If we are fully integrated as the machines advance, we all go along for the ride.

The question then becomes, how much of our humanity are we willing to sacrifice to survive?


----------



## Cli-Fi (Aug 1, 2015)

Not surprising but still welcoming news. We got season 2: AMC has still got it post-Breaking Bad and Mad Men.

http://deadline.com/2015/07/humans-renewed-season-2-amc-channel-4-1201488376/


----------



## Ursa major (Aug 1, 2015)

Yes, I've just seen that being reported on the Grauniad site: Channel 4 renews Humans for second series ahead of season finale.


> The next instalment the writers said will “take the world forward a little bit and explore the next phase of the technology”.


----------



## Cli-Fi (Aug 1, 2015)

Ursa major said:


> Yes, I've just seen that being reported on the Grauniad site: Channel 4 renews Humans for second series ahead of season finale.



Wow I guess maybe I was wrong about their potential to write about the complex issues relating to the types of AI that they have created here. Maybe they will address my concerns in season 2. One can hope!


----------



## Warren_Paul (Aug 1, 2015)

I think more likely the article is just playing it up for the hype meter but will see


----------



## REBerg (Aug 3, 2015)

*1.06*
Well, that filled in a lot of the blanks.


Spoiler



I still don't know where Karen fits into the special Synth family. If she was created by Elster, why don't the others know that they have another “sister”? She certainly freaked the hell out of her partner when she pulled her charger and plugged in.

I hope Max survives his swim. He seems to be the most human of the bunch. I loved his parting line.

“If I die, it means I've lived.”

The guy really knows how make an exit.


----------



## Jesse412 (Aug 3, 2015)

This show has been excellent and the casting is quite good.


----------



## Brian G Turner (Aug 3, 2015)

Just watched episode 6. Things coming a lot more to a head. Enjoying it more.


----------



## Cli-Fi (Aug 6, 2015)

REBerg said:


> *1.06*
> Well, that filled in a lot of the blanks.
> 
> 
> ...



Yeah I liked Max from the beginning. Something tells me he will be back after 



Spoiler



some religious cult finds him...


 Based on your question, I think we will begin to see a lot more synths and I think they are already hinting at who the next one might be... 

Based on the questions that have already been answered up until this point. I am quite taken away by how fast they have answered them. It could have definitely turned out like Lost where we never know some of these answers, or like the style of other AMC shows that can drag a mysterious storyline out for a season or more. It's clear that the creators know their end game and are not dilly dallying around to see what fits and what doesn't. I know they have plans for many more seasons and really any show about the developments about robots shouldn't take a lot of time to explain inner workings because so many transformations are going on in this society.


----------



## Idoru (Aug 7, 2015)

Cli-Fi said:


> Based on the questions that have already been answered up until this point. I am quite taken away by how fast they have answered them.


This is one of the things I really like about the show. They're not dragging out the unanswered questions the way so many series do. It's really quite quickfire in a way. They tease you with a question, answer it and then immediately knock you sideways with another mystery.


----------



## REBerg (Aug 12, 2015)

*1.07*
Great cliffhanger ending for the penultimate episode (in the US, anyway) of the season. I'm happy to finally know how all of characters are interrelated and eager to see what's coming in the finale.

Is a second season now a certainty? If so, my bigger question is, will AMC and BBC presentations be synced?


----------



## Gnrevolution (Aug 12, 2015)

REBerg said:


> *1.07*
> 
> Is a second season now a certainty? If so, my bigger question is, will AMC and BBC presentations be synced?



Hope they will sync it, hate when this happens in either direction (am in UK so can't talk as last episode aired over a week ago!). Channel 4 though not bbc...


----------



## Warren_Paul (Aug 12, 2015)

REBerg said:


> Is a second season now a certainty? If so, my bigger question is, will AMC and BBC presentations be synced?



Yes the second season is officially confirmed for 2016, but no idea if they will be synced -- was not mentioned. Will be annoying if they aren't. But one point to consider is that AMC wasn't the original network intended to screen Humans in the US. They were a second choice when the original one closed up shop. So perhaps that's what caused it to be late? Probably not, but never know...


----------



## REBerg (Aug 13, 2015)

Gnrevolution said:


> Channel 4 though not bbc...


Sorry about that. My knowledge of UK television offerings is badly outdated.


----------



## REBerg (Aug 13, 2015)

Warren_Paul said:


> Yes the second season is officially confirmed for 2016, but no idea if they will be synced -- was not mentioned. Will be annoying if they aren't. But one point to consider is that AMC wasn't the original network intended to screen Humans in the US. They were a second choice when the original one closed up shop. So perhaps that's what caused it to be late? Probably not, but never know...


I see the series didn't start until this month in Australia. Have these people not heard of this thing called the internet and the global community of television program fans?

Found this backgrounder on the series. Includes some interesting stuff, like sending the actors to "Synth School"  to prepare for their roles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humans_(TV_series)


----------



## Warren_Paul (Aug 17, 2015)

REBerg said:


> I see the series didn't start until this month in Australia. Have these people not heard of this thing called the internet and the global community of television program fans?



Yeah, that's why I never bother with local networks over here, they are so far behind on many shows it's ridiculous. There are some great shows from over a year ago, or longer even, that I've seen which are yet to screen on NZ networks -- I'm pretty sure they may never be released here.

It's going to be the death of the local TV networks. Smart TVs hooked into Netflix are taking over -- Netflix had a booming official launch in NZ this past couple months. ISPs struggled to handle the excessive load caused by its launch and things still aren't back to the way they were beforehand.


----------



## REBerg (Aug 17, 2015)

*1.08 S1 Finale*
What a great episode to end the first season.



Spoiler



I liked the "tree of life" symbolism as the group joined to complete the consciousness coding. Finally winning Karen/Beatrice to their cause after it looked like she planned to extinguish all of their lights brought some suspense to the surreal scene.

In a world which sees mass marches protesting machine-level Synths filling menial roles, the conscious Synths showed remarkable foresight and restraint by not immediately releasing the completed upgrade to the world and letting the war begin. I'm not sure Nyska will show the same prudence.

I'm assuming Nyska copied the upgrade to the drive. If that happened on-camera, I missed it. Mattie must be unaware of the drive's contents, or her reaction to finding it missing would have been more pronounced.

Laura needs to take her custody of the hard drive harboring such a world-changing file a little more seriously. A safe deposit box would be more in line with her responsibility than hiding the drive under a stack of towels in the linen closet.

I'm uncomfortable with having the unpredictable Joe in the same household as the drive, although he didn't discover the secret photo album Laura kept in the same "secure" location for years. Not the brightest character in the series, that Joe.

I was disappointed in Hobb's motivation. I had thought his actions reflected a scientific curiosity and a relatively benign attitude toward the conscious Synths. I was shocked when he revealed that enslaving the Synths was his plan and ordered their destruction. I wondered why he would do that, when he could simply reprogram the others as he had Fred.

Speaking of Fred, leaving that storyline dangling, as well as that of the rebellious Nyska, reinforced AMC/Channel 4 plans to give us at least one more season of this superlative series.



I'm already getting impatient for it to return.


----------



## Idoru (Aug 22, 2015)

I pretty much agree with everything in the spoiler tag above. 

I think this was an excellent series that really shows the quality of programmes C4 is producing. I particularly thought the acting was superfluous. Gemma Chan's switching between Mia and Anita was spot on, and I always thought Colin Morgan was exceptionally watchable in Merlin, but in this he proved he really can act. 

I'm so looking forward to the second series of this.


----------



## galanx (Jan 21, 2016)

We got it a few months ago here in Taiwan- fall/2015. 
Got a bit too action/adventure for me at the end- I enjoyed the human/Human interaction more, but then i'm a fan of slooow build-up


----------



## REBerg (Nov 7, 2016)

I saw an ad for season 2 coming in February to AMC  the US. Apparently the new season began Oct. 30 on Channel 4, so I guess the whole thing will be over in the UK before it begins in the US. 

Humans season 2: Everything you need to know (spoiler alert -- especially for anyone who has not watched the first season)


----------



## Idoru (Nov 7, 2016)

The first two episodes of season 2 were excellent. I love this show. Channel 4 at it's very best.


----------



## Nate Hoffelder (Nov 7, 2016)

It is good, yes. And it is getting better.


----------



## Gnrevolution (Nov 7, 2016)

Ah, its good to be watching some intelligent down to earth stuff rather than crazy zombie and dragon filled stuff! Really hating the tech 'entrepeneur' already, so smarmy  get the feeling he's up to no good.


----------



## psychotick (Nov 7, 2016)

Hi,

Yeah, epp two of season two just aired here last night - and it's really good. Was surprised to see the detective with Karen after his absolute loathing of synths in the first season - but maybe the sex is overwhelming?!

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## Gnrevolution (Dec 19, 2016)

So just finished the last episode of Season 2, lots of questions remained unanswered, and I'm not sure why.  Questions I had are below:



Spoiler



*Good Points*

At least they have finally released the code, but I never quite understood why the first batch didn't work?  Feels a little like we've trodden on water for the entire season as a result
Loved the attempts to determine in Niska is conscious, really well done, even if her escape looked a bit, well, wooden
Having a rogue AI out in the wild now is going to be very interesting, it was a nice parallel to the synths, how will it respond to the upgrade?
Was very touched by the loss of 'V'(?) to Athena, that was a brutal last few words from V, where does she go from here?
Max is awesome.  That is all.
*Bad Points*

Was disappointed they didn't do as much with Milo, although I'm guessing we haven't seen the last of him.  Where does he go from here?  I'm guessing he can rebuild, but with all synths conscious now, has he been beaten?
Felt the whole scale of the show was missing some serious budget, I can understand that this is out of the show producer's control and maybe I'm just used to big budget US shows, but this felt very cheap.  Just a few more people at Quallia in the last episode during the breakout would've been something!
As mentioned above, the series felt like it trod water a lot, yes it got to explore some of the scenarios (synths committing suicide / murder, what it is to be conscious / sentient, synth syndrome (or whatever they called it) etc.) but I get the feeling they realised they left too big a cliff hanger in the first season and needed to reel it back in.
The resurrection of Mia / Hester seemed a little weak, but was nice to see Niska flex her authority over Hester 




Overall thought it was good, but could certainly do with a bit more urgency in the next season (assuming there is one).  Any thoughts?


----------



## Nate Hoffelder (Dec 19, 2016)

That was the end of S2?

Damn.

I'm dying to find out what happens next.


----------



## Brian G Turner (Dec 19, 2016)

Still plodding through this. It's a little frustrating how slow it is - there are a lot of characters who aren't doing much.

Also, regarding Trinity from the Matrix scientist character - I don't understand why she needs a sentient synth to transfer her AI into a synth? Why not, um, simply transfer her AI into an ordinary synth? If she's dependent on coding within a sentient synth, then why not study and use that code, instead of simply over-writing it with her own AI program??

Anyway, will hopefully finish this while it's still on catch-up TV.


----------



## Gnrevolution (Dec 19, 2016)

Brian G Turner said:


> Still plodding through this. It's a little frustrating how slow it is - there are a lot of characters who aren't doing much.
> 
> Also, regarding Trinity from the Matrix scientist character - I don't understand why she needs a sentient synth to transfer her AI into a synth? Why not, um, simply transfer her AI into an ordinary synth? If she's dependent on coding within a sentient synth, then why not study and use that code, instead of simply over-writing it with her own AI program??
> 
> Anyway, will hopefully finish this while it's still on catch-up TV.



yeah the second season does feel very slow to me.

My take on the need for a conscious synth is that Athena (Trinity) has already tried transferring to a regular synth, with bad results.  She believes that there is a specific hardware / firmware requirement to make the synths conscious, not just any old synth will do.  Saying that, it is repeatedly stated in the show that it is code that is making the synth's conscious, nothing to do with hardware but simply a software upgrade.  So Athena also wants to get at the synth code to understand how it works, and use this to help that transfer.

Well, that's my understanding of it anyway, could be completely wrong


----------



## psychotick (Dec 19, 2016)

Hi,

Just saw the final epp of Season 2 lat night myself - and wow! Loved this show. They really are going out of their way to show that synths experience all the same range of emotions as us - positive and negative. And yeah GNR, it is all done by code.

Couple of things keep niggling at me. First, why when they first wake up do they keep gasping? Synths don't breath so why would they gasp?

The whole motivation of Milo in creating synth children doesn't make sense to me. Yeah there may be some money in it, childless couples and all that, but I couldn't really see it as being a whole new microsoft windows etc. It didn't seem like something a billionaire would be sinking huge amounts of wealth into, unless there's more to it than that. Also his argument with Athena at the end about theft is plain wrong. He may own the servers, but he doesn't own her private work product, and he should know that and so know enough not to threaten her with it.

There were areas not followed up - the husbands being fired by synths for a start. It looked like it was some sort of synth, back room uprising etc. But it just got forgotten. A plot line left incomplete.

But great show. Hope there's a season three.

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## Gnrevolution (Dec 20, 2016)

psychotick said:


> Hi,
> 
> Just saw the final epp of Season 2 lat night myself - and wow! Loved this show. They really are going out of their way to show that synths experience all the same range of emotions as us - positive and negative. And yeah GNR, it is all done by code.
> 
> ...



Thanks Greg, yeah I understood that it was code that enabled snyth consciousness, what I was trying to get at was that I don't think Athena knew that (certainly at the beginning) and thought there was something fundamentally different about the originals - I still think there might be.

Regarding Milo, I don't think we got to see all of his plan, I think there was more to it.  He kept saying that his idea was pure, but never elaborated.  I assumed he wanted to create conscious child synths, and then replace the body in line with the growth of the child, maybe with the child synths (cherabaum?) models he had actually found a way to simulate growth without having to replace the bodies?  Or maybe he wanted to piggyback Athena's work and allow parents whose children had died to be able to upload their consciousness into a child synth (maybe tailor the child synth to look like their own child?).

Regarding the argument with Athena at the end, my take on it was that she had signed a contract with Milo, and he was trying to use this to take the IP for V away from her.  Related to that (and your last point) I did wonder if non-corporeal AI were going to get involved in this in Series 3, particularly being the protagonists behind the husbands firing..?  

There's many ways this show could now go, just hope the viewer ratings were not so bad as to can the show (like they did with Utopia)...


----------



## REBerg (Feb 10, 2017)

Season 2 premiere will finally arrive Monday, Feb. 13,  in the US on AMC.


----------



## Nate Hoffelder (Feb 10, 2017)

REBerg said:


> Season 2 premiere will finally arrive Monday, Feb. 13,  in the US on AMC.


You're in for a treat!


----------



## REBerg (Feb 15, 2017)

Watched the second season premiere. Excellent!
It almost looks as if this round could stand alone for anyone who missed the first season. But that would bypass all the fun in trying to figure out what was happening as the series got rolling.


----------



## Jeffbert (Feb 28, 2017)

Cli-Fi said:


> Yeah I just saw on Wiki that UK is two episodes ahead of US. Good thing I didn't read the whole descriptions of what happens in the next two eps.
> 
> Anyway here are my thoughts on Episode 4:
> 
> ...


HUM*∀*NS. Hmm. I should make my response also a


Spoiler



I recall reading one of Frederick Brown's short stories, do not recall which one, but it was about a 5 sexed alien species [there must be a word for it]. all 5 sexes had to get it on to make offspring. 



I have only watched the 1st, & part of the 2nd episodes, & really dislike the depictions of the deal between those who have helper synths, and those who provided them. Reminds me of something I saw over a decade ago. 


Spoiler



but anyway, so the guy who designed them is old, & needs a live-in nurse. so, it seems he had chosen one that may even have been modeled on his son, given that he was attempting to force his synth to 'remember' an event in a photograph. The synth reported a failure to internalize the 'memory' then began to goof-up while they were out shopping. As the company had already insisted on forcing a newer model on the man, even though he had become fond of the one he already had, it then went ahead and replaced the obsolete unit with a newer, less agreeable one. Ie., Nurse Ratchet.


----------



## Jeffbert (Feb 28, 2017)

1.03 Up and at 'em, 



Spoiler



Adam Link!  When the woman was taking the syth to return 'her' it, her son found out just in time to nearly be crushed by a truck illegally passing mom's car. synth in the backseat, though slated for destruction, saw in side view mirror approaching truck & dumb kid on bike coming laterally. Jumps out to stop truck. *I, Robot*! We now return control of your TV to you, until next week's OUTER LIMITS


----------



## REBerg (Mar 26, 2017)

I just finished watching the finale of the second season, and I am totally awestruck by this series.
My overall impression is the unavoidable conflict generated by an obsession to create successors to Humanity and the fear that these creations will take our place before the time has come. I see the same message in HBO's _Westworld_.
Our frail human bodies are ill-equipped to survive our failing planet, much less escape to the stars. What better purpose could our efforts serve than to create more robust beings incorporating all of our triumphs and failures, needing only energy to exist eternally, and send them out as our representatives to the Universe?
That being said, I have found _Humans_ to be highly entertaining and fully capable of keeping me from dozing during even the slowest of plot development scenes -- as long as I have Cheetos and beer. I hope the series has legs.


----------



## Droflet (Mar 26, 2017)

Agreed. I too have finish season two and will happily line up for season four. Great show. I agree also, must have beer. Snacks optional.


----------



## Jeffbert (Mar 27, 2017)

I just finished s1, & bought s2 on Prime. Now that I own it, no hurry to watch.


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## Gnrevolution (Mar 28, 2017)

Renewed for Season 3

Humans renewed for series 3


----------



## REBerg (Mar 28, 2017)

Gnrevolution said:


> Renewed for Season 3
> 
> Humans renewed for series 3






 ​Now, if only they would run it simultaneously on Channel 4 and AMC, so it could be properly discussed on Chrons.


----------



## Mister_Oy (Mar 28, 2017)

Wahooooo!


----------



## Cli-Fi (Mar 28, 2017)

REBerg said:


> View attachment 35616​Now, if only they would run it simultaneously on Channel 4 and AMC, so it could be properly discussed on Chrons.



If anything BBC, should run it at the same time as AMC, because AMC owns BBC America. I'm not sure how much of that includes the rest of BBC, but those channels do tend to play nicely with each other.

That being said, I am very happy that Humans gets a season 3. You can't be like, OK Synths have woken up. Then end. The last five minutes of season 2 was probably the best most rewarding season finale ever! I'm ready to see Hester and V team up to lead a robot army.


----------



## Jeffbert (Mar 29, 2017)

Anyone care to compare HUMAN with ALMOST HUMAN?  iT MIGHT BE AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION. AS I recall, ALMOST HUMAN also had an element of fear of androids becoming too much like humans.

For that Matter, RUR had the scientist creator of the Robots thinking that if they became more like we are, they might understand us. Bad idea! 

I guess this ought to be a new topic.


----------



## Jeffbert (Mar 29, 2017)

SORRY FOR the double-post, but I just noticed s2 on PRIME is the UK version, which runs just about 46:30 per episode. Checked s1 e1 & 2, they are US versions, and run about 44 minutes. Even that time, is longer than most US TV shows in 1 hour time slots. Usually just over 41 minutes.


----------



## Gnrevolution (Mar 29, 2017)

Cli-Fi said:


> If anything BBC, should run it at the same time as AMC, because AMC owns BBC America. I'm not sure how much of that includes the rest of BBC, but those channels do tend to play nicely with each other.
> 
> That being said, I am very happy that Humans gets a season 3. You can't be like, OK Synths have woken up. Then end. The last five minutes of season 2 was probably the best most rewarding season finale ever! I'm ready to see Hester and V team up to lead a robot army.



Unfortunately Channel 4 own the rights in the UK not the BBC, probably the reason for the delay.  I can always recommend you find a UK proxy and then watch from channel4.com after it airs.  We have the same problem here in the UK more often than the US I'm afraid, particularly with The Expanse which still hasn't aired on any TV channel


----------



## Cli-Fi (Mar 29, 2017)

Gnrevolution said:


> Unfortunately Channel 4 own the rights in the UK not the BBC, probably the reason for the delay.  I can always recommend you find a UK proxy and then watch from channel4.com after it airs.  We have the same problem here in the UK more often than the US I'm afraid, particularly with The Expanse which still hasn't aired on any TV channel



I have AMC and the second highest cable package available from Verizon FIOS. I considered cutting the cord years ago, but to a TV/News Junkie like me it just wasn't worth it. So I'm set, but I thought Sky at least carried The Expanse? Oh Well, you'll get it when it comes to Netflix since Netflix owns the rights.


----------



## Gnrevolution (Mar 29, 2017)

Cli-Fi said:


> I have AMC and the second highest cable package available from Verizon FIOS. I considered cutting the cord years ago, but to a TV/News Junkie like me it just wasn't worth it. So I'm set, but I thought Sky at least carried The Expanse? Oh Well, you'll get it when it comes to Netflix since Netflix owns the rights.



Nah, international rights to The Expanse are owned now by Netflix, so you can get Season 1 now, but no specific date for Season 2


----------



## Cli-Fi (Mar 29, 2017)

Gnrevolution said:


> Nah, international rights to The Expanse are owned now by Netflix, so you can get Season 1 now, but no specific date for Season 2



Yeah, I don't quite understand the British TV channels or industry, or how it all works over there


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## Cli-Fi (Mar 26, 2018)

Season 3:
May Channel 4
June 5th AMC
Per Facebook.

Odd that channel 4 doesn't have exact start date???


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## Ursa major (Mar 27, 2018)

Channel Four and it's daughter channels (such as E4) like dangling their new series/season in front of their audiences with the caption, "Coming Soon". Presumably they think this builds anticipation... and it would if they didn't keep doing this until just before the shows are broadcast. Instead, it's just irritating.

I've just seen the dates for the new seasons, on E4, of _Timeless_ and _Gotham_. I only saw the dates because I happened to find a link to a list of new shows on the _TV Wise website_, not because I saw them on E4.


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## Cli-Fi (Mar 28, 2018)

Ursa major said:


> Channel Four and it's daughter channels (such as E4) like dangling their new series/season in front of their audiences with the caption, "Coming Soon". Presumably they think this builds anticipation... and it would if they didn't keep doing this until just before the shows are broadcast. Instead, it's just irritating.
> 
> I've just seen the dates for the new seasons, on E4, of _Timeless_ and _Gotham_. I only saw the dates because I happened to find a link to a list of new shows on the _TV Wise website_, not because I saw them on E4.



TV in America may be hard to follow due to all the choices, but at least the scheduling is clear-cut and not a tease.


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## Mouse (Mar 28, 2018)

Ursa major said:


> Channel Four and it's daughter channels (such as E4) like dangling their new series/season in front of their audiences with the caption, "Coming Soon". Presumably they think this builds anticipation... and it would if they didn't keep doing this until just before the shows are broadcast. Instead, it's just irritating.
> 
> I've just seen the dates for the new seasons, on E4, of _Timeless_ and _Gotham_. I only saw the dates because I happened to find a link to a list of new shows on the _TV Wise website_, not because I saw them on E4.



Ooh, and looks like Legion is soon too.


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## Jeffbert (Jun 7, 2018)

Just watched s3, e1. Things are happening.


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## Anthoney (Jul 6, 2018)

I just finished S3 E8 the season finally.  It made me cry like a baby.


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## Mouse (Jul 6, 2018)

It _almost_ got me but not quite. I do love Niska. 



Spoiler



Good to see Odi, even if it wasn't really him. And poor Mia.


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## REBerg (Jul 12, 2018)

I've been avoiding this thread due to the programming gap between the U.K. and the U.S.
I just watched the third season penultimate episode on AMC, and I am eagerly anticipating the finale. This series continues to enthrall me and challenge my thoughts what it means to be human.
The synths have the capacity to existentially surpass their human counterparts, yet they are forced to sink to the human level to survive. In that sense, it is depressingly realistic.


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## REBerg (Jul 23, 2018)

Powerful season finale.
This is a truly excellent series. It's a pity that it is generating so little commentary.


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## Jeffbert (Aug 11, 2018)

I hate to critique the final episode of s3, because other than this one little thing, I think the season was very well done. 

As a former electronic technician, & one who is fairly well- informed about tech, I must utter two words:


Spoiler



*Surge suppressor!*
The government's 2nd phase of the attack on the synths relied upon a lack of surge suppressors on the recharging equipment or between them and the AC wall outlets. Most people I know, use power strips with surge suppressors on them, for their PCs, and even TVs. I would assume that there might be such things in use on a futuristic program, such as this.  But even without them, the chargers themselves very likely had voltage regulators in them. If these were overloaded, they should become open circuits instead of shorted.  Rectifiers that are used to convert AC to DC might also burn-up. The synths themselves, being very high-tech & expensive, should have their own protection from over-voltage on their recharging connectors.


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