The third season of Humans is the last season of the hit British sci-fi. This season saw a big surge change to the world of the series.
Season Three takes place a year after the events of Season Two. Synths the world over have gained consciousness causing chaos around the world. Thousands died due to the awakening, and within Britain Synths live in under-resourced camps. Because of this, tensions between humans and Synths rise, leading to a clash of ideas within the Synth community.
There are also changes for the Hawkins family. Laura (Katherine Parkinson) has become a Synths Rights activist and gets harassed constantly because of it. Joe (Tom Goodman-Hill) has separated from his wife and moved to a Synth-free town. While Mattie (Lucy Carless) feels responsible and guilty for all the Synth-related deaths because she released to computer code that awoke the Synths.
Humans was a show that had a sociological edge to it. It looked at how society would have been impacted if humanity had robots helpers. The first season showed Synths being used as healthcare assistants and an underground culture of Synth brothels and smash cultures. The second season had some humans choosing to act like Synths. All three seasons had a villain who wanted to get revenge against humanity.
The third season had the biggest change because of Synths gaining self-awareness and how it affects the world. It goes through the philosophical issues that would arise if robots were sentient. Like what rights would they have, what is their place in society, and having their own existential crises because they only have a limited lifespan and have no way to reproduce.
The third season turns into X-Men because the Synth’s ideological split. Since I like X-Men , this was a big bonus for me. In the Synth camp, Max (Ivanno Jeremiah) calls for peace, understanding, and integration, while the new character, Agnes (Holly Earl), believes that a conflict between humans and Synths is inevitable. They are basically Xavier and Magneto. Within the camp, there’s a power struggle due to Max’s decisions that alienate the Synths in his camp. Agnes’ reasoning was understandable when the series revealed her backstory, and Earl was a terrific actress to play the role.
Mia’s (Gemma Chan) storyline involved her becoming a symbol for the Synth Rights movement. She challenges the status quo by well, acting human, and demanding rights. She lives within the human community but suffers abuse because her actions make her a lightning rod for anti-Synth extremists. Yet, Mia believed in passive resistance, so she could not rise to the bait.
Laura acts as the human eyes to the new situation. She gets invited to be a part of a government commission to come up with a policy to deal with the Synths. Sadly for Laura, her role was a token advocate for the Synths. She still gets to plead her case and argues the ethics about Synths. Her work at the commissions allows the audience to find out what’s happening beyond the UK. The Russian government had clamped down on Synths, while Scandinavian nations have adopted a more liberal policy.
The weakest storyline involved Niska (Emily Berrington). Niska’s story started with promise because she ends up in a relationship with a human woman (Bella Dayne), and they end up getting caught up in a terrorist attack, leading to Niska to go on the hunt. This storyline goes off the rails because Niska’s journey turns into a search for the legendary Synth that Sleeps. She suffers from visions that take Niska into the unknown. By the final episode, the series takes a huge turn left turn when the series reveals who The Synth that Sleeps was and what they offer Niska. It was like the writers were pulling things out of their ass, especially the final scene where a character becomes a psychic. It was out of place for a series that aimed to be realistic.
Toby (Theo Stevenson) and Sophie (Pixie Davies) were given short strife. They both had major arcs in the previous season – Toby got a girlfriend who was ‘Transynch,’ and Sophie started to act like a Synth. They didn’t have much to do in this season. Toby has to protect Sophie, so they end up on the sidelines.
The third season of Humans worked best as a sociological piece and was an incredibly strong final season until the last five minutes, where it falters.
