L-FILMS, TV-SERIES reviews
Humans6/12/2018 One of my already mentioned favorite sc-fi series Humans (Chanell 4, AMC, 2015-) continues to pleasantly surprise and continue its lesbian storyline between a conscious synth Niska (Emily Berrington) and her German girlfriend Astrid (Bella Dayne). Humans is an English remake of a brilliant sc-fi Swedish series Äkta människor (Real Humans, SWE, 2012-). However, thrid season of Humans departs from Swedish original since Äkta människor had only two seasons. Series is portraying artificial intelligence called synth with consciousness - conscience and emotions. It takes place in the future where people buy synths to help humans with everyday occupations. Most of the synths are 'plain' robots, however there is a group of synth who 'woke up' through computer code by their programming 'creator', David Elster (Stephen Boxer) called as father. By spreading the 'consciousness' code to the other synths millions of synths woke up as conscious beings and started connecting and gathering together. One of the most interesting and intriguing conscious synths is Niska. Not only she tried to proved that she is conscious being with emotions, feeling, thoughts and conscience she also felt in love with a female when she was addressed as a (sexually) attractive woman to another woman, Astrid. When Astrid learned that Niska is synth she nonetheless said she 'appears' as human to her as any other person and that her feelings, attraction and emotions are as real as for anyone else. On the other hand, Niska had 'revelation' on her own, when she declared and realized Astrid as meaning of her life and something that has a value for her. She realized that after learning that her computer father wasn't fair to her: he knew how strong and intelligent she was, nonetheless she was used by him for his pleasure and let her be used by other men as mean for their perverse pleasures. In the third season we continue following love story between Astrid and Niska. In the first episode we see Niska visiting Astrid working in the only pub where synth and humans could get together and mingle freely. However, there was bomb planted and exploded in the pub and Astrid got hurt. The attack was done by rebellious group of synths but as a retaliation we see humans going wildly after synths and trying to eradicating them. Niska also continues to be the one who actively searches for and goes after revenge and justice when she feels that injustice was done either to her or those she loves them. We also learn that Astrid told her not to seek revenge and/or justice for her because she is aware that would cause a greater uproar and division between humans and synth. We also learn that when Niska was with Astrid she wanted to be only with her and none else.Niska 'displys' all the features of true love between human beings, exclusivity, monogamy, actively searching for well-being of the loved person, being protective of the loved person and actively searching justice for the loved person if someone tried to do her harm. The main message of the series is: if there were robots with computer programmed consciousness what that would do to human relations? As the author, Lars Lundstrom of Swedish version said „he thought about the ideas behind Real Humans for years. He imagined a drama series about robot servants that you could also have sex with. “I was fascinated by what would that do to human relations,” he said. “Would it mess them up or help them?” If the first two seasons explored the individual stories between human beings and synths the third season takes story on a new level, on relation between human beings as a species while synths pose a threat to their survival. The point is to make us aware how human beings treat those who are considered 'different' and how human beings tackle diversity. In this case it is even more obvious and interesting since synths are man-made and made according to human 'image', 'projections' and 'desires'. And not only Humans but the best science fiction series, such as also The Westworld and The Crossing offer the same plot: both deal with enhanced humans and computer algorithm programmed like conscious robots - all these science fiction series show that human beings can't acknowledge diversity and improvements and go against them as something that pose threat to the human species despite they created them for their own pleasure and tools to help them. Let us elaborate that a bit more, there is a conflict between organic humans versus synths in Humans, The Crossing portrays organic humans versus genetically modified and enhanced humans beings, called Apex (btw, series presents also a lesbian married couple, Diana and Grace), The Westworld portrays robots versus organic humans who built them only as for their entertainment but robots suddenly break free and upgrade themselves to be even better then organic humans. All three TV-shows show organic humans have difficulty looking at themselves and realize what kind of species human beings they really are, brutal, aggressive, domineering, exploitative, manipulative and exclusive. And if human beings define and make robots and computers in form of mathematical and logical algorithms then it must be the way human beings (at least to some degree) understand their own make up or how they were made through millions and billions of years of star formation and biological evolution. Therefore it is a bit incomprehensible why human beings make AI in the first place to be intimidated by it later – it does not make sense. But to me and according to our current AI programme it seems logical, as I wrote elsewhere that in 120 years time we can expect 4-types of humans: plain organic, 100% biological humans, enhanced humans (with bionic and nano implants and/or being genetically engineered), hubots/synths with their consciousness upload in the virtual clouds and plain mechanic robots. What are the differences among them? Plain organic humans are what we have known as humans for thousands of years, enhanced humans with nano and bionic implants will be improved humans with man-made technology, robots are mechanical devices to serve organic humans to help them with different tasks (in household, at work, difficult and dangerous tasks, sex robots etc.) and hubots/synths are going to be partially humans and partially robots, they are going to have human consciousness as stored in computers and e-clouds but their 'physical make up' would be a fruit of an engeneric ingenuity of human beings. Some would find my ideas perhaps as a science fiction but let us present some evidences for suggested (more then believing in some aliens) we can present scientific evidences for asserted. There have been search for nano-plants and bionic implants for the past decades (there were also TV-series called Bionic Woman, 1976-1978 and remake 2007). Desire for enhanced humans as genetically modified/engineered humans have been on rise since the 40's of the previous century with WWII searching for the perfect soldier. Or regarding hybrids and uploading human consciousness on to the computer or e-cloud. There was very interesting episode 'San Junipero' (2016) of Black Mirror series presenting story of uploading consciousness into an e-cloud. 'Sun Junipero' tells of a lesbian romance between Yorkie, a shy woman in her early twenties, and Kelly, an outgoing socialite. At first, we watch only two women’s relationship with technology notably absent. After Yorkie and Kelly sleep together, we see them every week in a new era, snaking through the crowd to the sounds of the 80s, then the 90s, and finally the 2000s. At some point it is revealed to us that San Junipero is a computer simulation where elderly consciousnesses can exist and enjoy time as they once were uploaded in the e-cloud. Yorkie and Kelly are on trial versions and limited to five hours in San Junipero a week, but those that “cross-over,” i.e. die, are able to spend eternity in San Junipero. San Junipero" imagines a world where people can upload their brains into computers. Old people can live out fantasies in the virtual reality city of San Junipero. Dying people can be "uploaded to the cloud" and live there forever. About San Junipero (2016) professor Robert Hanson, an associate professor of economics at George Mason University who has a background in physics and computer science, who wrote extensively about uploaded brains in "Age of Ems," said that he watched the episode and he agreed with some points and disagreed with another. Hanson predicts that we'll be able to upload brains within 100 years and that we'll have extensive virtual reality, so he thinks the show is believable there. "The unrealism is in assuming the rest of the world stays the same, only effect is a new form of retirement," Hanson writes. The rest of the world doesn't seem to have changed much in 'San Junipero' — at least the parts that we see. Hanson's prediction, by contrast, sees whole brain emulations (aka ems) radically and rapidly changing human society. Once brains can be uploaded to computers, he argues, we'll make countless copies of the most effective brains, running them at a thousand times human speed: soon ems will take over almost every job on the planet, while also building their own super-dense cities and evolving their own strange civilization. He predicts they will quickly put every human out of work and create a radical new civilization, living by the billions or trillions in a few mega cities. While 'San Junipero' doesn't reveal much about the broader world, there's not much evidence of radical social change. “. (http://www.businessinsider.com/is-san-junipero-realistic-2016-11) (http://www.businessinsider.com/age-of-ems-machines-will-take-over-all-jobs-2016-8) AuthorPhilosopher, publicist, editor, screenwriter with passion for LL-films and TV-shows. Archives
November 2021
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