After the bombshell ending of last week’s ‘Being Human’, this week’s installment, “Mama Said There’d Be Decades Like This,” had a tough act to follow. And while it didn’t reach the pinnacle of surprise of last week’s “Addicted to Love”, what it did was offer an extremely profound expository continuation and what Aidan, Josh, and Sally would do for love.
As Aidan searches for Henry, trolling through an orphan blood house, Josh is trying to reach Nora who has yet to answer his calls. He checks in on a patient, stunned when he realizes the dying woman is Sally’s mom. He brings Sally to the hospital where she can only watch as her father sits by her mother’s side. When Josh leaves, Sally ‘comforts’ her dad with a memory of a family camping excursion. “You made her happy,” she encourages and it’s almost as if he can hear her. Unfortunately it’s not enough and, not too long after, Sally’s mom dies. She runs into Sally moments later, surprised and a bit enthused at her new ghostly status. Though she’s ready to explore, Sally has to remind her they need to check on the dad, which the distracted mom agrees to.
Things are a bit more hectic on Josh’s front. When he leaves Sally to her family, he’s approached by two detectives. They question Josh on his whereabouts during the full moon, the same night Nora’s ex was torn to shreds. While he deflects his own alibi, he can’t help but confess when asked that he has no idea where Nora has gone.
Who’s to say Aidan’s a stick in the mud? Apparently not now as, sans Suren, he embellishes on blood, drinking until he has visions of Bishop, his dead maker. Even through the blood drunk haze, Aidan is terrified, trying to run from the vision. Bishop halts Aidan’s advance, reminding his childe of their trek in Antidem where Aidan had visions of his wife. It’s enough to stop the reeling vampire and as they talk, it becomes clear that Bishop is both conscience and a darker side of Aidan, telling him what he may know but doesn’t want to do; this is especially true in regards to Henry. Aidan wants to find his wayward son but Bishop explains that with the way things are with the orphans, with Suren, how things ended between Aidan and Henry, Aidan must kill Henry. In a flashback from the war, we see Bishop’s first introduction to the newly turned Henry. Much more introspective at the time, he recognizes the rebelliousness in Henry, remarking to Aidan how we often pick those who seem to have the characteristics we envision within ourselves. He makes his way to a former feeding haunt of theirs, wondering if Henry will show. While Bishop continues to point out the reasons Henry needs to die, the topic of conversation watches as Aidan stalks the alley.
The visit from the cops has shaken Josh and he goes to see Brynn and Connor. He asks them about the kill and they proudly admit to it; the pack was threatened, Connor says, things were handled. Josh is still bitter at the twins’ easy lifestyle and their apparent influence over Nora. It burns Josh that she would go to them, two werewolves who love what they are, instead of going to him and commiserating in their unfortunate condition. Connor tells Josh they took care of her in a way Josh couldn’t, while harsh, it’s a truth Josh wants no part of. He leaves them, no closer to tracking down his girlfriend but determined to protect her.
Standing by her dad at her mother’s funeral, Sally hears laughter at the cemetery and is shocked and disgusted by her mom getting “ghostly groiny” with Jerry, a former neighbor that died more than ten years ago. Their closeness is more than two ghosts experimenting; they’d had an affair prior to his death, a revelation that hammers away at Sally’s prior beliefs of her family’s happiness. She lays into her mom, so hurt that her mom is more interested in hanging with an old flame than her daughter. Sensing Sally’s distress, her mother agrees to hang out on the couch in a mother-daughter bonding session.
A tripped out Aidan and Josh talk at the house. Aidan’s a bit defensive on his whereabouts the previous night and Josh’s needling is met with some hilarious passive-aggressive comments from Bishop. When Josh asks for Aidan’s help clearing Nora from the police radar for her part in Will’s death a bemused Aidan provides his own scathing opinion of Josh’s plea. Though there’s truth to some of Aidan’s comments, his tirade is proof that’s he’ not all there right now. He sobers up a bit when Josh tells him that Heggeman’s rifle is under his bed. Bishop maintains a running commentary throughout the conversation, finally remarking to Aidan “You really need to kill this guy.”
Not finding help from his best friend, Josh approaches Cecilia on his own. He offers her delivery of the twins, two purebreds who would be a boon to her case. Cecilia tells Josh she had no idea of what was going on but thanks him for letting her in on things. By the look on his face Josh knows he may have screwed up big time.
The three roomies are at home with Sally’s mom and Jerry visiting. Sally’s quite upset about Jerry being there and the five supernatural beings have quite the awkward dinner. After a spaztastic Josh has visions of cops barging in on him, Sally lays her heart out to her mom, unable to know how she could cheat on her father. It’s uncomfortable for everyone and when Aidan answers the door to Henry wanting to talk, Josh leaves to clean up any incriminating evidence at the storage room. He’s caught off guard when the two detectives show up asking questions. They continue to grill him but Cecilia comes to his aid, compelling the two to leave him alone. She agrees to his previous deal and tells him to bring her the purebreds. Josh doesn’t want to get his hands dirty but knows he has no choice.
Henry fills Aidan in on the past eighty years. He’d heard about Aidan killing Bishop and returned to support Aidan’s running of Boston. The maturity Henry shows from his previous time is clear and he wants to return to the fold. Aidan’s not quite sure about Henry’s former fiery disposition. “With any God given grace, time heals,” he tells his maker, “time matures.” It’s a lesson Aidan taught him. A conflicted Aidan tells him it’s too late. Henry asks about the rumors he’s been hearing about Aidan and Suren. He asks Aidan if he’s in love and the elder vampire cannot answer cleanly. All the while Bishop continues to be the devil in Aidan’s ear and though Aidan doesn’t know if he should try to kill Henry, the childe takes Aidan’s hesitation for just that. They have a bloody fight with Bishop cheering on Aidan in the background. When he finally has the stake to Henry’s chest, he drops it, admitting how much he missed Henry and swearing to help his childe. When he walks out Bishop confesses that he knew Aidan wouldn’t be able to do it. “Of course you couldn’t,” Bishop says. “The father can never kill the son.” Not killing Henry is the proudest moment of Aidan’s life but Bishop relates (from experience) how it will haunt him for the rest of his days.
After having a heart to heart with her mother, Sally and Josh sit on the steps and talk about love and sacrifice. Just what would you do for those you love? It’s a question Josh answers when he gives Cecilia the address to the twins as well as the rifle and silver bullets. For those we love enough, can any act be deemed too much? While it was in his best interest (and in the vampire code) to kill Henry, Aidan can do it no more than Bishop could to Aidan. During the post-fight conversation, Bishop’s thought is why kill something you helped create? It’s how Josh looks at Nora; he was the impetus behind her lycanthropy and his obligation is to do everything in his power to get her through it. And where Sally seems to have come to an uneasy peace with her mother’s new ‘life’, Josh and Aidan have to deal with the ramifications their decisions will have for themselves and those they love. For those decisions will ultimately come back to bite them. Very hard and quite literally.
If you missed the previous episode be sure to read our ‘Being Human: Addicted To Love ‘ recap.
