In its second week, Humans expands on the themes of its premiere; what it means to be human, and 'us' - humans - being outclassed by 'them' - the Synths.
But episode two also throws up a number of new and intriguing notions for us to chew over - anyone who'd dismissed the show as Asimov's reheated leftovers would do well to give it another shot.
Laura Hawkins (Katherine Parkinson) remains deeply suspicious of her Synth servant Anita (Gemma Chan) - and perhaps with good reason. Though Anita's excursion with Sophie (Pixie Davies) seems to have resolved itself without ill consequence, the motivation behind their nightime walkabout remains unclear.
Anita insists she didn't take the Hawkins' youngest child outside - but is she being willfully deceitful, or is she unaware she's lying? Whatever the truth, the superb Chan remains a sweet yet unsettling screen presence.
The seemingly perfect Synth continues to stir up resentment in the all-too-human Laura, while good-natured husband Joe (Tom Goodman-Hill) is still attempting to paper over the cracks with bad jokes and an empty smile.
Laura's not the only character being made to feel second-rate either - Special Technologies Task Force officer Pete Drummond (Neil Maskell) may have a neat-sounding job, but feels incapable of providing his disabled wife (Jill Halfpenny) with the care she needs.
Pete's undermined by the other 'man' about the house - Simon, another Synth, who like Anita is not just relentlessly efficient but an impressive physical specimen, further amplifying Pete's feelings of inadequacy.
In both the Hawkins' and Drummonds' households, Humans expertly splits our sympathies. You empathise with Pete as his feelings of frustration begin to bleed into his job, yet you also feel for Simon as he stands in the road, forlorn, with those sandwiches - and indeed for Anita, every time she's snubbed or abused.
Robots or not, both these scenarios feel strangely relatable - less so the scenes with Colin Morgan's Leo, whose investigation into the Synth underground is further removed from our own dull, suburban lives.
Perhaps the disconnect with Leo is intentional, since his very nature is ambiguous - prick him and he bleeds (red too, not blue) yet it's entirely possible he's not your garden-variety human being.
With Leo still such an enigma, ironically it's his android allies who provide some of the episode's more affecting beats - it's tough to watch Emily Berrington's Niska being routinely prostituted and 'disinfected', so her refusal to submit to a punter's unpleasant proclivities and subsequent escape comes as this episode's most exhilarating moment.
George Millican's plight this week also helps to counter all the darkness and paranoia - after the crushing tragedy of William Hurt's scenes last week, here Humans changes gears as the ageing inventor is assigned a new Synth.
Hurt plays along gamely as George and not only struggles to contend with Rebecca Front's Vera - shades of a robotic Nurse Ratched - but works hard to keep a concealed Odi (Will Tudor) safe and sound.
Surprisingly, this transition from sorrow to near-slapstick mostly works: only the moment in which George plays on his widower status - coming so soon after the pain of the previous episode - rings false.
The episode's final and most obscure plot strand is perhaps its most intriguing, as Danny Webb's grizzled Hobb works towards his aim of... well, it's not entirely clear. He could be the Synths' reckoning, or humanity's saviour - or both.
Two episodes down and Humans - much like its Synths - is starting to display one or two faults. That said, it remains for the most part original, engaging and agreeably unpredictable.
But episode two also throws up a number of new and intriguing notions for us to chew over - anyone who'd dismissed the show as Asimov's reheated leftovers would do well to give it another shot.
© Channel 4
Laura Hawkins (Katherine Parkinson) remains deeply suspicious of her Synth servant Anita (Gemma Chan) - and perhaps with good reason. Though Anita's excursion with Sophie (Pixie Davies) seems to have resolved itself without ill consequence, the motivation behind their nightime walkabout remains unclear.
Anita insists she didn't take the Hawkins' youngest child outside - but is she being willfully deceitful, or is she unaware she's lying? Whatever the truth, the superb Chan remains a sweet yet unsettling screen presence.
The seemingly perfect Synth continues to stir up resentment in the all-too-human Laura, while good-natured husband Joe (Tom Goodman-Hill) is still attempting to paper over the cracks with bad jokes and an empty smile.
Laura's not the only character being made to feel second-rate either - Special Technologies Task Force officer Pete Drummond (Neil Maskell) may have a neat-sounding job, but feels incapable of providing his disabled wife (Jill Halfpenny) with the care she needs.
© Channel 4
Pete's undermined by the other 'man' about the house - Simon, another Synth, who like Anita is not just relentlessly efficient but an impressive physical specimen, further amplifying Pete's feelings of inadequacy.
In both the Hawkins' and Drummonds' households, Humans expertly splits our sympathies. You empathise with Pete as his feelings of frustration begin to bleed into his job, yet you also feel for Simon as he stands in the road, forlorn, with those sandwiches - and indeed for Anita, every time she's snubbed or abused.
Robots or not, both these scenarios feel strangely relatable - less so the scenes with Colin Morgan's Leo, whose investigation into the Synth underground is further removed from our own dull, suburban lives.
© Des Willie/Kudos
Perhaps the disconnect with Leo is intentional, since his very nature is ambiguous - prick him and he bleeds (red too, not blue) yet it's entirely possible he's not your garden-variety human being.
With Leo still such an enigma, ironically it's his android allies who provide some of the episode's more affecting beats - it's tough to watch Emily Berrington's Niska being routinely prostituted and 'disinfected', so her refusal to submit to a punter's unpleasant proclivities and subsequent escape comes as this episode's most exhilarating moment.
George Millican's plight this week also helps to counter all the darkness and paranoia - after the crushing tragedy of William Hurt's scenes last week, here Humans changes gears as the ageing inventor is assigned a new Synth.
Hurt plays along gamely as George and not only struggles to contend with Rebecca Front's Vera - shades of a robotic Nurse Ratched - but works hard to keep a concealed Odi (Will Tudor) safe and sound.
© Des Willie/Kudos
Surprisingly, this transition from sorrow to near-slapstick mostly works: only the moment in which George plays on his widower status - coming so soon after the pain of the previous episode - rings false.
The episode's final and most obscure plot strand is perhaps its most intriguing, as Danny Webb's grizzled Hobb works towards his aim of... well, it's not entirely clear. He could be the Synths' reckoning, or humanity's saviour - or both.
Two episodes down and Humans - much like its Synths - is starting to display one or two faults. That said, it remains for the most part original, engaging and agreeably unpredictable.
Read more: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/recaps/a654102/humans-the-world-expands-in-episode-2-of-engaging-sci-fi-series.html#ixzz3dp9EFEhD
Follow us: @digitalspy on Twitter | digitalspyuk on Facebook
