“Episode #3.8” is episode eight of season three of Humans and the season finale.
In the previous episode, “#3.7”, Max recovered leadership of the Synths, partly thanks to Stanley, who had started to question what Anatole was doing. Anatole had not appreciated Leo’s description of what a useless failure his father – David Elster, Anatole’s god – was as a person, and attacked him. So Stanley reactivated Max, and Max and Anatole fought. This resulted in Anatole’s death – he told Max that if Max had told the truth about Max’s origin that this would not have happened, just prior to this.
Niska’s dangerous quest to find the Synth who sleeps ended in a surprisingly familiar face – Odi. Odi was a Synth belonging to Dr. George Millican, who worked with Elster, who Mattie had used the self-aware code on. Odi had also, essentially, killed himself in “#2.7”. This new Odi says he’s not exactly Odi.
The reporter investigating Day Zero, Audrey, has worked out who Leo is, and that Mattie released the code. This is probably going to have a backlash. Neha has got Mia released from custody, somehow. And Neil has revealed what Basewood is to Laura, and that it’s already underway. Basewood is a plan to destroy all the Synths, first wiping out most of them with a power surge when they are charging, then getting the pro-human groups to finish the rest of. Plausible deniability all round. Neil thinks that Basewood can’t be stopped.
The episode opens with a recharged Niska waking up in the cabin, sitting in front of a television. The Synth who looks like Odi – but who has blue eyes for one thing – tells Niska that her journey is over. She asks if Odi is the Synth who sleeps. He says that he is – but that he isn’t Odi. He is V. That could be seen coming.
V admits that he was the one who sent the visions to Niska, and that they were cryptic, because she wasn’t ready yet. V explains that he felt the pain of the Synths as they awoke on Day Zero. In particular, he felt Odi’s pain – even though Odi was awakened before then. V offered to end Odi’s pain; in exchange, Odi offered V his body as a vessel. Niska feels that there is no peach in death.
Neha is meeting with Laura and Mia. Laura tells Mia that she needs to get to the Railyard, and explains Basewood. In order to bring Basewood into the public eye, they need evidence. When Neha arrives at the place where Basewood is being run from, she sets her phone to record. Phase 1 of Basewood is complete; Phase 2 is to turn the power back on and send power surges, which are estimated to kill 60-70& of the Synths. Phase 3 is to send in the bigots. The person running Basewood, in response to one of Neha’s comments – she is asking quite a few leading questions to make it clear what is happening – says that all Humane Regulations are being followed. Which Neha points out are for cattle. Neil seems to be increasingly disturbed with the plan he helped design. Of course, it’s not going to be as easy as simply making a recording of what is happening.
Max and Leo are at the Railyard as the Synths are plugging back in. Mia arrives in time to stop most of the Synths at that location from being killed by the power surges. The other locations have not been so lucky. There are still the people coming in to mop up the rest. Max and Mia want passive resistance, defending themselves, no more. This is a risky and dangerous plan. Laura, with Neil’s help, attempt to bring Basewood into the public eye, which will have consequences for her. V seems to have some sort of plan for the Synths, or perhaps expectation for their future, rather different from what might be expected, and Niska is key to this.
Truths are coming out and, whilst not a truly cliff-hanger ending to the season, there are whole new elements opening up. Unfortunately, the series was cancelled, leaving these elements open.