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youlooklikeabeeandilikebees · 1 year

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Being Human UK Werewolf Transformation Scenes ranked (in my opinion, including the pilot and webseries)

17. George in the woods (Original Pilot)

George sitting naked on what looks like a fallen tree just seems so uncomfortable. Seems like a good way to get splinters in your ass.

The animatronic head looks really good as George’s face elongates. The actual prosthetics and makeup here look good, but the editing just doesn’t do it any favors because it’s so fast and awkward.

This is basically a less good version of the 1x01/1x02 opening transformation which is why it comes last. Not bad on its own but you can see the improvement as the show goes on.

16. George and Tully (1x02)

probably the only transformation I don’t look forward to on rewatches to because I just find it dull and the whole werewolf fight thing just doesn’t land for me. I just find it kind of… silly? Them growling at each other makes me cringe out of my skin.

Tully hanging himself always really disturbs me and while I get why George initially leaves him to die, him going back to save him definitely feels more in character

Tully very suddenly having fangs before George does bugs me a little. Especially since every other transformation scene with more than one werewolf shows the transformation in perfect sync with each other it just seems like they maybe hadn’t decided for that to be part of the lore yet.

The shot of George’s shadow is definitely the best part of this scene

15. George and Nina (2x04)

Thank God Lucy saved Nina by lowering the pressure but her (immoral) logic also makes sense because how else would they lure George there without Nina to convince him to come?

There’s a nice parallel between them both being unconscious as wolves (George taking tranquilizers and Nina falling unconscious from the pressure chamber)

George successfully getting the wolf to sleep always makes me happy for him but then of course we soon see the consequences of that later in the episode

It’s somewhat interesting finding out that werewolves still transform when unconscious but it makes sense that that would be the case since they can’t control it

This one’s lower on the list just because it’s not much of a transformation scene compared to the others

14. Bobby (5x04)

Bobby and his whole “like a clock, ready to rock” to remember how to change the barrel is very endearing. He’s really trying his best, poor guy.

We don't see much of the physical transformation but what we do see is some pretty great looking makeup. It looks super convincing. I do wish that for the show’s final werewolf transformation (and the only one in season 5) we would’ve gotten a little bit more prosthetics though.

Also Rook, I love you and you are one of my favorite characters but you are a bastard and Bobby deserved a better caretaker

13. Tom at Cutler’s club (4x07)

Poor Tom thought he was gonna be a hero by killing the Old Ones, only to nearly kill innocent people

I love the editing cutting between people dancing and Tom transforming

The practical effects look great

12. George trapped with Julia (Original Pilot)

Thank God they kept Russell Tovey on the show once it was picked up. This scene makes it pretty clear why he deserved to play George. His total freakout feels so real. Him crying out “I’m sorry. I love you” feels so desperate and genuine. He was totally prepared to die to save Julia. There is so much intensity and urgency in his performance here, it’s incredible.

The actual transformation feels a little rushed once Annie saves Julia. The editing is not nearly as good as it would be during transformation scenes in the show later on. We don’t even see the final wolf. But the buildup to it is just so fantastic.

11. George, Tom, and Leo (4x01)

Tom telling George he “ain’t nobody’s father” is such a brutal but genuine line. For Tom the sweetheart to say something like that, you know you fucked up big time.

I love the aesthetic of this scene - the lighting, the grimy location, claws scraping against the floor, dripping blood and saliva

The shot of the elongating ankle is super cool

The final wolves look great and extra realistic. I think the lighting in this scene really helps make the costumes look as good as possible.

Cutler’s plan to film them and post it online is pretty clever actually, albeit unsuccessful in the long run. I like when the wolves try to grab him through the bars as he’s filming.

Hal and Pearl consoling each other is sweet and I love the final goodbye they give to Leo, unsure if he will survive. I do wish we got to see at least one shot of wolf Leo in bed though. Since they are able to restrain the wolf in the bed it seems like Leo’s wolf form is perhaps just as weak as he is. It’s interesting considering how an older wolf might act compared to a stronger younger one.

The vampires’ disappointment of Eve just being human is hilarious

10. George forces himself to transform (4x01)

I went back and forth on whether I should include this one since it isn’t a normal full moon transformation but it felt too weird leaving it out and it is a fantastic scene

I love how George’s idea is conveyed visually (through him seeing the poster with the full moon). It would’ve been clunky and awkward for him to say something out loud to just himself. It’s immediately clear what he's trying to do just by showing him look at that poster.

I love how George begins his transformation by screaming, which is inarguably the most signature and iconic part of his transformations. And then as we hear his signature screams in the background it becomes unclear if he’s still just trying to get in that mindset or if he’s reacting to the change starting.

That part when he rips the guy’s head off and they all slowly turn in horror to look at him is perfection. So tense, so unsettling, so badass. I have rewatched that part way too many times. It’s nice to revel in his success before it kills him :(. I also love Annie's immediate reaction of oh God what have you done because she knows he's fucked himself up and she's worried.

Cutler just noping out of there immediately is so funny

The way Russell moves his body and kind of hunches over in an animalistic way is great

This is also the first time we see a vampire (Griffin) die from toxic werewolf blood and I still hate that random bit of lore Lord Toby decided to just throw in there seemingly just to make killing vampires easier. I really wish we got to see George straight up rip Griffin’s throat out a bit first and then finish him off with his blood or a stake.

9. George, Nina, McNair, and Tom at the dog fight (3x04)

I love all the dogfight scenes and the iconic set piece of the cage

Tom being willing to die to save Nina and the baby was so sweet

The way they feel pain in sync with each other is an interesting creative choice which I’ve always liked. It’s cool to see how interconnected the werewolf curse is.

McNair killing Richard is really satisfying. The way Richard is like “good doggy” as if that will save him is so funny and pathetic. And having McNair, who we of course later learn was infected from a dogfight run by Herrick, be the one to kill Richard, who is now running dogfights, is extra satisfying. It’s like a little bit of revenge before McNair faces Herrick in 3x07.

It’s interesting the way that McNair seems to be able to maintain a bit more control than the others while transforming, which makes sense given that he is the most experienced werewolf of the four of them. He’s definitely acting wolfy but still seems aware enough to not attack Mitchell and to target Richard instead.

I love the look shared between George and Annie when Annie and Mitchell are in the cage. It’s so sweet.

The bird’s eye shot of Mitchell and Annie in the cage surrounded by the wolves is great.

8. McNair and Herrick

I weirdly feel bad for Herrick since he genuinely has no idea what’s going on or what he did wrong and he’s so scared. Uncle Billy you were creepy but kind of sweet.

It’s very satisfying for McNair to face Herrick, even if he knows he’s not gonna make it out alive. I always wonder if McNair genuinely knew he was going to die or if he wrote the note to Tom with the intention of destroying it if he did in fact survive.

I love how McNair repeats Herrick’s quote “You walked away unharmed from a plane crash. Only now I don’t know what to do with you” showing how much it stuck with him all these years later. That also reminds me of George’s iconic repeating of Herrick’s “It got my attention” in 1x06.

McNair seems to enjoy the transformation in a way we’ve never really seen before on the show. He literally grins with malicious glee at Herrick.

I love how Herrick’s cowering while holding out the knife in defense mirrors the same method McNair most likely used when he survived the dogfight as a human.

7. George and Nina (2x01)

This is Nina’s first transformation and I love how Annie helps and supports her

George’s strange excitement walking to the woods is quite interesting. We see a big change compared to season 1 and it’s a good contrast to Nina’s anxiety. He's quite literally blissfully unaware of what he's done to her and has a weird newfound pleasure in the transformation, perhaps as a result of killing Herrick and recognizing how powerful he can be.

I wish Nina could've had a little more of a slow realization that she was indeed about to transform and it could’ve used more of a buildup of anxiety while waiting in the room. I would’ve liked a bit more pacing around, trying to figure out if what she was feeling was just anxiety about what might happen or if changes were actually starting. But that’s just my opinion. I do think the contrast between George and Nina screaming with Mr. Galvin's initial lack of transformation is very clever. And I love the dramatic camera zoom on Nina when she says it’s coming.

Annie saying there was a werewolf called Nina on Buffy always bugs me a little cause it was actually Angel not Buffy which had that character but that’s like the tiniest nitpick ever

Poor Mr. Galvin. He has his short moment of excitement thinking the chamber might actually work and then… probably the grossest scene in the entire show unfolds. I also love the assistant guy slipping up by saying “that happens” when Galvin says he feels sick and then he realizes they lied about never having done this before.

I love the shot of wolf Nina, with her claws scraping against the floor and the close ups of her face and teeth look amazing. That shot of her shadow as she howls is a great parallel to the similar shadow shot of George in 1x02.

6. Christa in the gym (Becoming Human Episode 7)

Imagining Adam calling George explaining his situation and asking for advice is absolutely hilarious. And the fact that he doesn’t realize he needs to drag the chicken circling a mile radius and instead just drags it in a tiny circle makes me laugh every time.

Christa spends the previous 6 webisodes always denying that she’s a werewolf. If we thought George had a rough time accepting himself in season 1, Christa takes it to a new level. Her first worry when they realize they’re stuck in the gym is “No you can’t see me change.” Unlike George, she’s not immediately worried about potentially killing Adam but instead worried about no longer being able to deny what she is. She’s so deeply ashamed, she can’t stand the idea of someone seeing her biggest secret, even if they already know about it and still accept her But then it doesn’t take long before she reverts to shouting “I’m gonna rip your head off,” finally realizing that killing her friend is a greater threat right now than them seeing her transform. There’s a great sense of urgency in the scene. And while in the moment it seems weird that the gym door would be locked on both sides, we learn in the final episode that there’s a reason for that.

The bone cracking sounds are so grotesque and really sell the transformation even when there aren’t many prosthetics

I love the way Christa’s mind changes to more wolf-like before her whole body does as Adam leads her to the broom cupboard and she snarls and tries swiping at him

The fucking basketball, as if that’s gonna help keep a werewolf from getting out lol

I love Christa so much and I wish we could’ve gotten a more full-length series out of this.

5. George in the woods (1x02)

I love Mitchell's narration explaining what’s actually going on inside George’s body (major organ failure, heart attack). It really helps us as viewers understand what happens during the transformation, which I think is important for us to understand this early on in the series.

Of course Russell Tovey is amazing in this scene, as always

Mitchell’s glee about how “remarkable” the transformation is for dragging George through it and keeping him aware the whole time is very interesting. He’s just straight up impressed that this curse is capable of being so horrific. “It’s so cruel it’s perfect.” Mitchell’s kinda fucked up for thinking that but I think I get what he means. It really is amazing that the curse is able to do such severe damage while keeping the sufferer alive and then repairing it the next morning.

Since this is the same scene from the intro to 1x01, I think we can perhaps assume that it’s George’s first ever transformation. I always wondered how he knew he should go to the woods. Like did he just sort of instinctively feel it was coming and know what to do?

4. George and Nina after George gets arrested and McNair at the dogfight (3x01)

Hilarious scene of Nina at the front desk thinking fast by using her nurse badge to make up a story about George being a patient. I can pretty much quote this scene word for word at this point. My favorite part is probably when she goes “it’s contagious” and punctuates it by tapping her finger on the desk. It also shows how much better Nina is at pretending to not be in pain (as anyone who gets period cramps can relate to) and I like how she’s just like “I’m really annoyed” and the officers are like ok we should just do what this lady wants.

George and Nina have a very sweet moment telling each other I love you, fearing that they may kill each other (and then of course to learn in the morning that their wolves get along a little too well lol)

The line about how they could’ve redecorated the house after all is really funny and I love how the only reason the house still looks that ugly for the rest of the series is because they wanted Nina to use the basement to transform and then she didn’t even use it.

At the dogfight, I love how much is conveyed just from the fearful reactions of the poor human victim and the excited vampires. Vincent is so entertaining as an MC, I wish we got to see more of him in the show. His introductions to McNair and the human victim are so over dramatic.

3. George at the house (1x01)

After the hilarious scene of George running through the woods, we get the first full transformation scene in the show

The living room setting obviously brings to mind the iconic An American Werewolf in London transformation

I love how they just put on some music (The Prodigy!) and assume people will think it’s just a party despite the obvious wolf noises.

The part where the table that George puts on top of the chair falls and he jumps a little bit in reaction to it is such a great little detail that adds to the chaos of the scene when they’re trying to clear the room out.

Mitchell immediately protecting the tv is just iconic and Annie just awkwardly holding a pitcher is perfect

I love how unprepared Annie is. She wants to watch to see what happens but she obviously has no idea what she’s in for. The way she just plops down on the couch before he finally agrees to it is so funny. She keeps a pretty cheery tone until George starts screaming and then we see the horror on her face. I think her seeing him transform was really important to her fully understanding him.

The mixture of George’s screams and the disgusting bone cracking sounds is so disturbing I love it

The head animatronics in this scene look amazing! I love the appearance of the first one we see, how it’s still mostly human but with fangs and then it starts stretching. The effect of his snout protruding out is really effective and the added sound effects do a great job at maintaining the illusion that his face actually is changing.

The transition from George’s human screams to wolf howls is always so disturbing in the best way

The final wolf looks a lot different than usual. I definitely prefer the later design.

2. George at the parent teacher conference (2x07)

I love the slow realization of horror as Sam tells George that she put the clocks back. Never before has daylight savings been used as such a horrifying plot twist. Also I literally cannot NOT think of this scene whenever it’s daylight savings time.

When George first falls to the floor there’s a girl off to the side who smiles at someone offscreen and it always seemed like an unscripted moment to me but I’m not sure. I can’t help but always notice it now.

The cinematography as George runs through the street is really clever and unique for a show which normally doesn’t apply such drastic changes in filming techniques. The camera in his face emphasizes George’s stress and fear as he rushes home while transforming in public. And while we do see other people’s brief reactions, this technique allows us to see through George’s eyes while also keeping the focus on his own reactions. There's such stress and intensity in this whole sequence because George isn’t just trying to find a spot in the woods with very little time left (like in 1x01). Instead, he’s in the middle of the city, surrounded by crowds of people, and already physically transforming. Yikes.

I love seeing Annie help him once he gets in the house and the way she berates him the next morning is great.

I’m obsessed with the comic relief edit of Hennessey asking Kemp if they brought a door and then a quick cut to George running in the street

That moment when Annie gets him upstairs and he cries out after his vertebrae protrude is genuinely the most disturbed I’ve felt by any transformation scene. I think that’s because it sounds more like he’s crying, which shows his utter pain and suffering in a slightly more subdued way than when he’s fully screaming. Chills every time.

My absolute only complaint is that once Annie gets George in the cage, he’s suddenly fully transformed. We know, as has been shown multiple times before, that the transformation doesn’t happen that quickly. But I understand the choice to do that because it really shows how close George was cutting it.

1. George killing Herrick (1x06)

I mean could it really be any other scene at number 1? This is the climax of the whole season with the trio united against Herrick, eventually giving in to using George as their “weapon.” It is iconic, climactic, epic, full of memorable lines and Herrick’s monologues.

“It got my attention,” yes go George!

Russell Tovey’s screams are always so good and so convincing. It feels like he’s holding nothing back in this scene.

Herrick saying “the fat lady ain’t singing yet” followed by George’s well-timed scream

“Looks like your little suicide bomber’s about to go off”

Herrick singing Bad Moon Rising

George keeping his necklace on when we know he usually gives it to Mitchell to keep safe when he transforms seems important. Not sure what to make of it but it allows him another way to harm Herrick before finally killing him.

We get to see all the details of the transformation and it looks amazing. His shoulders protruding out is a detail I don’t think we see in any other transformation.

I noticed that when his snout protrudes they used the same exact scream from the 1x01 transformation at the house. I guess that’s the stuff you notice when you’ve watched this show so many times lol

I love the way you can tell George’s mind has gone a little wolfy too at times and you can see him trying to fight it

There are so many great and varied reactions: Nina’s confusion and horror, Mitchell and Annie’s pity, Herrick’s fearful excitement like he’s almost impressed that he’s found someone who can actually kill him and yells for him to do it.

George’s line about how humanity is about love and sacrifice therefore “this doesn’t rob me of my humanity, it proves it” is one of the best quotes from the whole show

#being human #being human uk #being human bbc #george sands #nina pickering #russell tovey #sinead keenan #tom mcnair #anthony mcnair #michael socha #robson green

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