Tom and Alex are both making new friends that aren’t all they seem, as Being Human reaches the half way point in the fifth and final series.

Larry Chrysler is an former TV weather man. He’s also a werewolf and a fraud. When Larry comes to the Barry Grand to give a cheesy speech, Tom is instantly drawn to him. The problem is, Larry’s own life has fallen to shambles since he was turned into a werewolf. Now he’s merely keeping up appearances and everyone except Tom can see through his act. Larry takes advantage of Tom’s naive nature and ends up staying in Honolulu Heights promising to teach Tom how to lead a successful life.

Meanwhile Hal’s keeping up an old tradition meeting with the prim and proper ghost Lady Mary. Like Larry though, Mary’s also living a lie (although living is probably the wrong word given she’s a ghost!) Secretly she’s going off to clubs, indulging in some questionable activities and generally on a destructive path. Alex learns her secret when she tags along with her, but Hal is kept in the dark. Equally Mary is unaware that Hal hasn’t been honest with her, which leads to a confrontation later on.

Episode 3 is far lighter than the first two and very much a character piece. As such it drops the story arc plot almost entirely. There’s no Crumb or evil doing from the wonderfully creepy Captain Hatch. The only character connected to the current arc is Rook, who features in a few scant but compelling scenes.

The two main guest stars Amanda Hale (Mary) and Julian Barratt (Larry) do a decent job. They’re both interesting enough characters, though both explore well-trodden ground. They’re really facsimiles of characters from past series.

Tom hasn’t been given a great deal of material in Series 5 so far, other than acting as a puppy dog foil for Hal. Michael Socha is given a bit more of a meaty role here though as he struggles to find his place in the world. Damien Molony is a great as Hal as usual, though you have to wait a while for his best scene when he squares up against Larry.

The final confrontation with Mary is a pretty silly, perhaps unintentionally so. It’s hard to tell with this show sometimes when the tone jumps so frequently. The later twist with Hal makes up for it though.

Overall it’s an average episode, lifted by a few nice character moments. It’s just disappointing that at the halfway point of the final series, the show is taking a detour like this; it feels like filler at times.

6/10