humans-2-1Niska releases the code that provides consciousness in synthetics, but the results aren’t quite as she expects…

Humans returns firing on all cylinders – the show demonstrated last year that it’s possible to juggle multiple A plotlines simultaneously without any of them feeling secondary, and it continues that in this opener. Niska has fled to Berlin and finds a lover; she releases the code but the effects aren’t instantaneous (a really well acted and directed sequence in former East Berlin demonstrates her emotions without the need for any histrionics). Joe and Laura are trying to rebuild their marriage, but the presence of synthetics in their lives, both at work and at home causes problems. Leo is still helping the conscious synthetics, and he’s now having to provide aid for those on whom the code does work. He’s still being pursued – possibly by people connected to a synthetics company in California who have discovered the conscious synthetics, and need help from Carrie-Ann Moss’s maverick scientist…

Yes, there’s lots going on, but at no time does it feel overwhelming: the “previously on” montage hits all the key points to remind you where we were a year ago so that there’s not too much need for “as you know” dialogue within the main body of the episode. We find some of the synths in positions we don’t necessarily expect – Anita is hiding in plain sight, for example – and their impingement on all areas of everyday life is reinforced both with background players in many scenes, and in the main plotlines. There are plenty of new characters with Moss’s Athena Morrow and Sonya Cassidy’s Hester making the most immediate impact, and a wider canvas – from Brazil to Berlin to London and San Francisco.

Verdict: A very strong opener. 9/10

Paul Simpson