# New series on AMC - Humans **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 29, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784 "2015-06-29T15:19:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/61 "2015-07-07T18:06:49Z")
Surely the NHS nurse is about 40 - played by Rebecca Front from _In the Thick of It_ and various other comedies and dramas. I guess that’s the point,older synth’s suggest experience: > **[Rebecca Front](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Front)** > > Rebecca Louise Front (born 16 May 1964) is an English actress, writer and comedian. She won the 2010 BAFTA TV Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for The Thick of It (2009–2012). She is also known for her work in numerous other British comedies, including the radio show On The Hour (1992), The Day Today (1994), Knowing Me, Knowing You… with Alan Partridge (1994), Time Gentlemen Please (2000–2002), sketch show Big Train (2002), and Nighty Night (2004–2005). > Front has also been seen in a n... She’s 51, but the makeup takes away some of the aging. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/62 "2015-07-07T18:48:25Z")
She looks a lot older than 40 on the show, at least to me. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/63 "2015-07-07T18:53:06Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Isn’t the black guy synth who is on the run a lot taller? What are you, racist? 😃 And Hurt’s boy, who appears to be about 14. I would suggest that young-adult is considered the optimal age of appearance and expected social interaction. Besides which, no one is going to tune in to see Ms. Ratched’s responses to the 18+ adult options. Y’know. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/64 "2015-07-07T19:08:28Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > And Hurt’s boy, who appears to be about 14. He looks like he’s in his twenties. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/65 "2015-07-07T19:13:26Z")
How much more effort would be required to make robots that appear that human (down to skin, hair, eyes and sex organs), rather than ones that are approximately humanoid? (As someone pointed out upthread, this is obviously because it’s easier to cast the show this way, but still.) If the robots were just humanoids, the escapees would stick out like sore thumbs, and there would probably be less emotional attachment, as we’re seeing with William Hurt’s character and the little girl Sophie. And the show has mentioned that the robots are putting people out of work, but what are all of those people doing instead? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/66 "2015-07-07T19:18:51Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > He looks like he’s in his twenties. Think so? I’d say under 18. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > How much more effort would be required to make robots that appear that human (down to skin, hair, eyes and sex organs), rather than ones that are approximately humanoid? Possibly more than the effort is worth, since there doesn’t appear to be any drive to make synths actually pass as human, just be “good enough” in that respect. (Plot-driven more than sensibility-driven, but there you have it.) > [@](#): > > And the show has mentioned that the robots are putting people out of work, but what are all of those people doing instead? Listening to the Rush Limbaugh show. It’s a trope that goes back to Capek, if not Shelley. Of course robots are going to “put people out of work”… get the hammers and pitchforks! Let’s see if they ever try to get to a more sophisticated interpretation, probably from some geeky econ-symp type who gets killed in the next scene. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/67 "2015-07-07T19:25:34Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > And the show has mentioned that the robots are putting people out of work, but what are all of those people doing instead? Writing poetry, I guess. /sullen teenage girl ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/68 "2015-07-07T22:30:17Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > How much more effort would be required to make robots that appear that human (down to skin, hair, eyes and sex organs), rather than ones that are approximately humanoid? (As someone pointed out upthread, this is obviously because it’s easier to cast the show this way, but still.) If the robots were just humanoids, the escapees would stick out like sore thumbs, and there would probably be less emotional attachment, as we’re seeing with William Hurt’s character and the little girl Sophie. > > And the show has mentioned that the robots are putting people out of work, but what are all of those people doing instead? If they looked a bit human, but not as much as now, they’d have the uncanny valley effect and be so creepy that sales would be much lower. Having them look more like c3p0 or something would be better, if they existed in the real world as opposed to the show, that is, but then I guess they wouldn’t be as multi purpose. Most of the synths do look about twenty five, but Odie is about twenty and there was a school caretaker who was about forty so the “care” worker is not the only exception. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/69 "2015-07-07T22:44:06Z")
Hurt’s guy looks like early 20s to me, too. Definitely not a teenager. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/70 "2015-07-07T23:09:36Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Hurt’s guy looks like early 20s to me, too. Definitely not a teenager. Okay. Maybe I wasn’t paying close enough attention. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/71 "2015-07-07T23:10:51Z")
Note that the actor playing, Odi, William Hurt’s robot, is 28 years old. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/72 "2015-07-07T23:25:50Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > …Most of the synths do look about twenty five, but Odie is about twenty and there was a school caretaker who was about forty so the “care” worker is not the only exception. I’m going to assume there’s actually a law against producing synths that look like children. At least I hope there is. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/73 "2015-07-08T02:23:54Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > I’m going to assume there’s actually a law against producing synths that look like children. At least I hope there is. :eek: Well, hmmm. I suppose I would prefer that pedophiles get a synth than molest a human child. Which reminds me, I don’t think I’d like the hooker synths _at all_. They don’t have body heat?! Can’t say that I’m into necrophilia. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/74 "2015-07-08T08:07:41Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > I’m going to assume there’s actually a law against producing synths that look like children. At least I hope there is. :eek: That’s why the scene before the ending of AI, with the rows of Davids and Sarahs, gave me the creeps. Well, one of the reasons. (AI ended with David under the water, obviously). ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/75 "2015-07-08T15:48:38Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Which reminds me, I don’t think I’d like the hooker synths _at all_. They don’t have body heat?! Can’t say that I’m into necrophilia. Sexbots are the second thing that occur to every writer, futurist, etc. who thinks for five minutes about “almost human androids.” And then they wonder why they were even thinking about “household servant” first. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/76 "2015-07-08T16:16:36Z")
They’ve managed to make the robots look almost human in every other aspect, some of them quite difficult technically. Surely it would be fairly simple to add some mild heating elements to make the body temperature match a human. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/77 "2015-07-08T19:12:05Z")
Regarding the end of the fourth episode I like that the actress playing the secretary at the cops office had the same vaguely stiff mannerisms of the synths. It was just the right amount of subtle that I wasn’t sure if it was on purpose until the reveal ---
**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/78 "2015-07-13T13:38:30Z")
Caught EP3 last night - I’m officially hooked. I’m really enjoying the story line and William Hurt’s performance has been quite good. Can’t wait to find out what Odi knows… ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/79 "2015-07-20T02:47:23Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Regarding the end of the fourth episode > > I like that the actress playing the secretary at the cops office had the same vaguely stiff mannerisms of the synths. It was just the right amount of subtle that I wasn’t sure if it was on purpose until the reveal I didn’t see that coming, nor … …Leo being a synth as well :eek:. And Anita in adult mode was just creepy; was it just me to did her personality & expressions not change at all? ---
**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784/80 "2015-07-20T14:09:56Z")
I wonder how male synths act when their “adult mode” is activated? Loved the twist at the end of last nights episode. Good show so far - really enjoying it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-series-on-amc-humans/723784.md?page=5)