Almost Human: "Perception" Review

      Almost Human just keeps getting better with each episode. In "Perception" we learned a little more about Detective Valerie Stahl and we see that the desire for revenge is taking its toll on John causing Dorian some concern. We learn about genetically enhanced children called Chromes and we learn that John is still being monitored by InSyndicate. 

This Chrome broke the mold

       We didn't know much about the soft spoken, empathetic yet capable Valerie Stahl before but so far we've learned that she may seem feminine and sweet but she is a guy's girl who likes to keep up with her favorite sports team and keeps a bottle of bourbon in her desk drawer. We also learned that her father ran into trouble for embezzlement, which may explain a little as to why Stahl is a cop instead of like those other rich Chrome kids. Even though the focus remained on John and Dorian, we see that Valerie is uncomfortable with those of the world she used to be a part of but turned her back on. I hope we learn more about her because Valerie is an interesting character and I think there's more to her than meets the eye. We also learned a little more about John's father. It seems that Kennex Sr. had some similar trouble with Internal Affairs. When the IA guy talked smack about John's dad, I thought John would punch him in the face, but I think that would have made matters worse.

A new designer drug for designer teens

       Genetically enhanced kids of the elite? Sounds familiar but take away the genetical enhancements and you have trust fund kids of our own time. These elite kids are called Chromes because their genetics were developed from the time they were in the womb. They are more intelligent and also seem physically perfect, but they come off as weird and tend to stick to other Chromes. I know I wasn't the only one who thought this Marshall kid was an ass and hoped that he was the one behind the murders. I wanted to knock him down a peg or two. All day John and Dorian were hearing "You wouldn't understand" from this class of the elite. That's not unlike out own society where perfection is held to be more preferable. That annoyed me, but when Julian said, "When you're surrounded by perfect things, you learn to appreciate the beauty in flaws." Lila, a naturally born gifted girl drowned herself because she thought she couldn't keep up with the Chromes. I loved how the show allowed us to see Lila's entire suicide video, all the way to the point when we saw her head disappear beneath the water. Then silence... It really made a strong impact on me. My heart really broke for that girl. 

Remember, Dorian: "Hugs not Drugs"

     The metaphors really tickled my fancy. I liked how the drug resembled a pearl, which is a symbol for perfection but pearls are also fragile; the slightest change in temperature or any other factor could cause the pearl to crack. That last thing could describe Lila's feelings at the end. The perfect pearl is elusive; a perfect metaphor for this episode. Then there was the Russian spy doll that was a gift from Anna. A Russian Doll is a puzzle that contains layers beneath it. You open one doll and you find just another but smaller one. John discovers one answer but that only leads to another question and so on. I also like that it was a Russian doll. It reminds me of Russian Sleeper Spies; it is known in history as well as in film that Russian Female Spies are known to pull a "swallow" (a term for a spy, usually female, who uses sex as a way to gain information) on their marks. I guess that's my love of spies.

Her brains & his brawn make 1 hell of a team

Get more olive oil and bourbon...

        For a while we didn't talk about John's addiction to trying to remember things from the ambush and Anna, but this episode John was in real danger of losing himself entirely. John's obsession with regaining his memories and revenge proved not only self-destructive but Dorian was almost destroyed. Sure he only lost a part of his right ear, but Dorian's damage could have been much worse. You would think a smart detective like John would see almost blacking out while driving as a sign to quit his habit but he's also an addict. We've heard the excuses: "I don't have a problem", "I need this", and my favorite "I have it under control". 

Only the good die young...

Let your hair down, Chief, you're off duty

    John dismissed his tremors, his black outs, and only focused on the flashes. I understand of course; John is a loyal friend despite his crusty attitude and he feels responsible for the lives lost in the ambush. However, I also saw that John's desire to find out the truth had a few pinches of revenge for the girl he thought loved him. What Anna did would wreck any guy. But if Dorian's concerns fell on John's deaf ears, Maldonado made sure hers would be heard. What I think pushed John towards accepting he had a problem was seeing Lila's mother's own wall of obsession. Her words described John's feelings perfectly and once John saw how Lila's mother was driven mad by her rage, he decided it was time to take a break from the crazy wall of Anna & InSyndicate. 

They're so cute together!

       As far as humor went, despite it being a heavy drama episode, Dorian managed to fly a few zingers at John with "a cop and a questionable hair cut" and when they showed up at Julian's door. "It doesn't look that bad," John said with some apology but Dorian responds in a loud voice, "I'm sorry speak up!" I also couldn't help but notice that John let Dorian drive for once, but only when John feels like he may black out again. Dorian will take that as a win anyway. One of my favorite nicknames John likes to call Dorian is "Benedict Android." That could be a thing I think.

"I kinda rub them the wrong way"

     "Perception" revealed a lot of things even if they seemed small. We now have a better idea about Stahl and we pull another thread from the InSyndicate and Anna tapestry, unraveling the mystery a little more. I hope we get this show a second season. It's way too good of a provocative sci-fi mystery thriller to just end with one season. If you want the show to succeed then please Tweet #renewalmosthuman and tag @FOXTV and @AlmostHumanFOX in those tweets so they can track it. Also like the show's Facebook page and tweet every episode that airs. I know with the passion of fans this show can go far. 

"I got it under control..."