"Episode 3" is the third episode of the first series of ''
Humans
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
'', a show based on ''
Real Humans'' and co-produced by
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
and
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** AM ...
. It originally aired in the UK on 28 June 2015 and in the U.S. on 12 July 2015. In this episode, Anita saves Toby's life, George and Odi are involved in a car crash and Niska goes on the run after arguing with Leo and Max. The episode was watched by 5.1 million people in the UK and 1.2 million people in the U.S. It received mixed reviews.
Plot
Toby races on a bicycle to stop Laura taking Anita back. He reaches her car, and Anita, seeing that Toby is in danger of being run over, steps in front of the van herself. Back at the house, Joe checks Anita to make sure there is no external damage that her self-repair systems didn't trace. Elsewhere, George locks Vera in a room in his house, and takes Odi out in his car. The car crashes, and George orders Odi to hide in the woods. Drummond and Voss investigate the murder at the brothel, and elsewhere, Niska meets up with Leo and Max. After arguing with them, Niska goes to a bar, where she is chatted up by a man and goes to his apartment with him. Believing he is going to cheat on his wife with her, Niska hides a knife behind her back, intending to murder him; but the man mentions he was looking after his young daughter for the weekend. Niska leaves silently, leaving the man confused to see a knife on his chair. Back at the Hawkins household, Sophie says she would rather have Anita put her to bed than Laura. In her bedroom, Anita convinces Sophie to let her mum do it to make her happy. Anita finds a photo album hidden in Laura's room, and a photo of Laura as a child with a younger blonde boy, captioned "Laura and Tom". Later that night, Mattie inputs Anita's data onto her laptop, and Anita grabs her wrist and says "I'm here, help me, help me!" and displays fear, before returning to her usual blank state. Next day as she is being tested and questioned by Laura, Anita begins to ask who Tom is, much to her fury. Laura dismissively demands Anita under no circumstances to mention that name again. Anita apologetically complies. Unbeknownst to them, Joe has been eavesdropping on the entire confrontation.
Reception
Ratings
On 28 June 2015 in the UK, the episode garnered 3.634 million viewers on Channel 4 and 0.565 million viewers on Channel 4 +1. It was the highest-rated show on the channel that week. Based on 28 day data from
BARB
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* Barb (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname
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, a total of 5.083 million watched the programme on Channel 4 or Channel 4 +1. In the U.S., the episode aired on 12 July 2015 and received 1.208 million viewers, which was less than the
series premiere
A series premiere is the first aired installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. In the United States, many series premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or ...
but more than the
previous episode.
Reviews
Brandon Nowalk of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' gave the episode a C+, saying that the episode "is contrived in all the wrong places". Nowalk took issue with the Hawkins family ignoring the fact that Anita disobeyed a direct command and Niska's violent personality. Matt Fowler of
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
, who gave the episode a rating of 7.8 out of 10, enjoyed the dynamic between Anita and Laura and Niska's storyline, but felt that "higher stakes need to kick in for
eorgesoon" and said Pete Drummond "feels a bit off" and his plot was "rushed and unnatural". Ed Power of ''
The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'' gave the episode 3 stars out of 5, criticising the "whiff of cheap soap opera" felt during George's car crash. Neela Debnath of ''
Express
Express or EXPRESS may refer to:
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* '' Express: Aisle to Glory'', a 1998 comedy short film featuring Kal Penn
* '' The Express: The Ernie Davis Story'', a 2008 film starring Dennis Quaid
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* ''Express'' ...
'' said "Humans continues to draw you in each week before stabbing you with fear. It's thought-provoking while the thriller element ensures that it's not a philosophical essay on existentialism." Morgan Jeffery of
Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
said that "the separate pieces of ''Humans'' are neatly coming together to form a cohesive and engaging whole", other than "curiously removed" but "intriguing" plot involving George and Odi.
References
External links
Episode 3on AMC's official website
Episode Guide for ''Humans''on Channel 4's official website
*
{{Humans (TV series)
Humans (TV series) episodes
2015 British television episodes
Television episodes about androids