Unlike many of its genre brethren (or drama in general) ‘Being Human’, always paints a clear message with a character voice-over to start the episode. While some may see this as heavy-handed, it is a very useful tool to get the viewer focused on the characters and what they will be going through for the next hour. It can also be used as a reminder that, while Aidan, Josh, and Sally may be fictional, we can all relate to their inner struggles.

In this week’s “Dream Reaper”, our three roommates have their inner strength severely tested and while they all don’t pass with flying colors, we continue to build the foundation towards everything coming to a head.

Sally bonding with 'Scott', her other half

After going Jack Torrance on the boys last week, Sally remains in her salt prison. Aidan and Josh try to reach her but she’s in her own head, living a dream life with ‘Scott’, her reaper half as her fiancée. Running parallel to the on-screen action, Sally’s voiceover hints at the solution to her condition. “You can’t save yourself if you don’t know the danger you’re in.” And as the hour goes on, we see just how prophetic this line is in relation to her and, more importantly, her friends.

As they try to find a way to reach Sally, Aidan and Josh, both stressed from their friend’s condition as well as their own lives, start bickering about the choices each has made over the past few days. A few well timed barbs have them close to duking it out but cooler heads prevail and they recognize they need help. Who better to help a comatose ghost than someone who talks to them on a regular basis? While Josh stays with Sally, Aidan goes searching for Zoe at the hospital. Being without blood for 24 hours, the temptation of the hospital nearly topples his control but Zoe’s appearance refocuses him. He takes her back to the house where Josh is trying to reach Sally—and for a brief second she catches a glimpse of him through the microwave in her fantasy land.

Despite her anger at Sally for shredding her ghostly friends, Zoe encourages them to continue talking to her and Aidan does; his voice comes across through Sally instant messenger and though a part of her may recognize who’s talking to her, it freaks her enough that she tells ‘Scott’. After telling her not to worry about it, ‘Scott’ ends up exerting his power in the real world, locking Aidan, Josh, and Zoe in the house with no means of escape. That would be well and good except that the full moon will be up in four hours and with no way of escape, Zoe will be wolf bait for a hungry werewolf. The two friends blast each other again with Josh’s self-righteousness playing up once again. Zoe comes in and they stop arguing when she tells them there may be a solution to reaching Sally. She intends to try a mind meld with the comatose spirit in hopes of convincing Sally to come back to them.

Back in Sally’s world, she hears someone calling her name and starts to freak out. She and ‘Scott’ are laying in bed when he tells her a story about his childhood and the fears she’s feeling about starting over. His point is that “no one can trick you better than you”. It’s strangely ironic for the part of Sally that doesn’t want her to go back to say something along these lines as it’s Sally’s own fears about what she’s become that’s preventing her from returning to the real world.

Now that he knows what to look for ‘Scott’ hears Zoe’s plan and takes over Sally. He rips into everyone in the room, attacking their weaknesses and doubts. Though Zoe tries to push forward, she is the last victim and ‘Scott’ gloats on how Sally shredded Nick.

Zoe enters Sally's mind to reach the comatose spirit

As she gets ready for her and ‘Scott’s’ engagement party, Sally adorns the sweater she died in; the smell and feel of it triggers flashes of memories of her ghostly life and though she tries to dismiss it, the flashes have triggered some form of doubt.

Back at the house, Zoe is justifiably upset about Nick’s fate and, at first refuses to do anything more to help Sally until the boys stress with her the urgency in her situation—namely that in an hour Josh will be a crazed werewolf and Aidan’s starving for blood. With the impetus of her predicament laid before her, Zoe does the meld and ends up as a guest at the engagement party. She confronts Sally with the truth though the ghost has a difficult time fully accepting the truth. During their talk, Zoe winces when twin bite marks show up on her wrist. Back in the real world Aidan, unable to control himself, takes a bite out of the unconscious Zoe. Josh sees this and pulls him off.

Aidan’s bloodlust nearly gets the better of him and he almost rips Josh apart until his best friend’s words penetrate his blood fueled rage. Though I appreciate Aidan’s condition, his bleeding heart (pun intended) reaction seems a bit over the top. His reaction emphasizes Sally’s earlier commentary that “we all like to think that we are strong, that we can handle our own problems…” The blowup between Aidan and Josh are strong admissions that neither of them can handle the craziness alone, they need each other. Josh makes the first sacrifice, offering his blood to the starved Aidan who, after a funny exchange, takes it. After a few drags, he’s hopped up as if the werewolf blood was a can of Red Bull. The energy he feels is overwhelming until it truly hits him, causing the vampire to throw up blood and bleed from all orifices while, on the other side of things, his screams break up the party until only Zoe, ‘Scott’ and Sally remain in the latter’s dream world.

Zoe is there, still trying to convince Sally to come back. Sally looks down the steps where her, Zoe, and ‘Scott’ stand and sees her body along with the others from the real world. ‘Scott’ tries to tell her he’s only there to look out for her, to protect her, but she realizes now where she belongs and jumps down the steps back into her original form. Once she accepts all parts of her, she’s back in control. The barrier to the house opens up and Sally is back to herself. Josh frees her from the salt bonds and after checking on her, runs out the door before the change can take place. A thrashed Aidan (just what happened with the werewolf blood?) takes his leave and Sally is left with Zoe. She thanks the ghost whisperer who refuses to ever forgive Sally for killing Nick. Sally is left alone to think on the memories of her fantasized world but ‘Scott’ remains. She wants him to leave but he explains that he’s a part of her and will always be there, waiting until she slips. And when she falls, he will be the one to catch her.

Though Sally comes back to herself at the end, the darkness within her remains a threat. Like Aidan’s own bouts of weakness, her admission to herself of it being there is a big step in conquering it. ‘Dream Reaper’ addresses the issue of honesty with one’s self. Despite the lies we tell others, none are as great (or potentially as damaging) as the ones we tell ourselves because if we are unable to see our true condition, there’s no way we will be able to overcome our faults…at least not until it’s too late. It will be quite an interesting ride over the remainder of the season to observe the fallout from three friends laying the truth bare for each other to see but is it enough for them to right one another on the road to recovery and redemption? We will have to wait and see…

If you missed the previous episode be sure to read our ‘Being Human: When I Think Of You I Shred Myself’ recap to catch up.