TV Eye: Real and unreal gangs

<i>Sons of Anarchy</i> stars Charlie Hunnam and Katey Sagal. Photo / Supplied

Flatmates can be a pain but none more so than the trio occupying a grotty Bristol house in Prime's new series Being Human.

How these three got together in the first place wasn't explained in last night's episode but it's not a match made in heaven: nerdy George is a werewolf, smoothie Mitchell is a vampire trying to go cold turkey after he killed his most recent date, and Annie is a ghost, haunting the house where she died after an accident. Or was it?

Mitchell and George work as hospital porters, handy for George's transition into wolfdom during the full moon because he can lock himself in the isolation ward.

That arrangement ended due to renovations and he fled into the woods for sanctuary, only to discover they were crowded with potential victims. Mitchell took him back to the flat so he could "wolf" in his own home, which he wrecked. Enter the landlord: Annie's beloved ex, but now attached to a new "orange" girl - she works in a tanning salon.

The most interesting character emerged in the form of Lauren, Mitchell's deceased date, now a vengeful vampire who wants to kill, loves to kill.

She murdered Mitchell's workmate/pub date, hoping he would bite her to save her, thereby re-entering the vampire chain. He resisted, saving her soul and perhaps his own as well. Because he's trying to be human.

It's a bit dodgy, Being Human. The storyline is ludicrous, which is fine, but the dialogue is very patchy, as is the acting.

The most disturbing thing, so far, was that the creepy cop/vampire who has warned Mitchell of an impending cataclysm for the human race was named Herrick.

Sons of Anarchy, which started on TV3 last night, is much more grownup. It centres around a ruggedly handsome young man called Jax Teller (British actor Charlie Hunnam) born and bred into a Californian gang called the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original Chapter which was led by his dad - until he was killed in a road accident.

Jax's mum Gemma (Katey Sagal), who has married SOA leader Clay (the compelling Ron Perlman), is disturbed by Jax's desire to follow in his father's footsteps, seeking a purer moral vision for the gang instead of its increasingly lawless path of running guns and stamping out (and on) its rivals, chiefly the fearsome Mexican cabal, the Mayans.

Jax has a major problem in the form of his crack addict wife Wendy (Drea de Matteo), who gave birth prematurely to their son, who has life-threatening heart and stomach defects.

There are complications also in the form of Dr Tara Knowles, a former gang lady who gave up the "life".

Last night's episode ended after Jax reluctantly went on a tit-for-tat mission to recover stolen guns from the Mayans, which ended in a bloodbath. He visited his son for the first time, post-operation, and broke down in tears. Gemma, meanwhile, had dealt to his wife, who ODd in hospital, thanks to a little "gift" delivered in a Bible.

SOA, said to be based on Hamlet, certainly has interesting stepfather-stepson, mother-son and gang vs gang (ie, "family") conflicts looming.

Bike gangs are a significant presence in the American underworld, and creator Kurt Sutter has endowed the storylines and characters with authentic grit. It's a bold, interesting show which has just had the go-ahead for a fourth season in the States. And I just love the SOA treasurer, a short, portly gang veteran who has a double life doing club performances as an Elvis impersonator. That's a nice touch.

Read Deborah Hill Cone's view of Sons Of Anarchy here.

-TimeOut