1.02 – Strange Bedfellows – Posthuman Review

Posted by Samuel Walters

“Strange Bedfellows,” the second episode of Posthuman is something like a revelation compared to its predecessor. It’s a superbly produced and crafted installment, featuring fantastic cinematography and a compelling conversation which reveals new layers of story and character. It is, perhaps, not a perfect offering, but there’s very little to criticize.

The entire episode centers around a conversation between Porter and a former acquaintance — a man named Gibson. The two characters share a rather fractious history, but Porter has returned to Gibson’s home for some help in the case. Their rather tense reunion provides the opportunity to delve a bit into Porter’s past, as well as into the particulars of the world these characters inhabit.

In this episode:

Porter arrives at Gibson’s home
Hears the voice “She’s not in there.”
Hears a singing voice.
Gibson had told Porter never to come out there.
Porter asks for a gun and a pass to The Ghetto.
Porter sucker-punches Gibson.
Gibson relays that people think Porter has gone crazy.
Gibson says “The Memes don’t want to be found.”
Gibson says, “I don’t think you should go back there. You couldn’t handle it last time.”
Using landline phones is important.
Porter tells Gibson that his client “knows things about us.”
The symbol on the cigarette case is also in Capital City.
Gibson says, “Gina’s been asking about you.”
Porter responds, “She’s in your bed now, Gib.”

Beyond the excellent visuals, the strength of the “Strange Bedfellows” is its dialogue and performances. The technical issues that proved so distracting in the previous episode are gone, allowing the characters’ words and expressions to take center stage. The results are very rewarding. Of course, much of how this world operates is still a mystery, but the episode successfully plays off of that mystery. The few hints and references are tantalizing — and very naturally divulged. Nothing here feels like exposition. But we get a bit of the background anyway. This approach is important. Keeping audiences engaged while providing much needed exposition is a critical task and “Strange Bedfellows” does a solid job of accomplishing its mission.

Given the improvements on the technical side, and given the already established strengths of cinematography and character, there’s plenty of potential for Posthuman as an entertaining and meaningful story. The series is off to a fantastic start.