Humans season 3, episode 7 and 8 finale recap

Kelly Shanaphy

Photo Credit: AMC/ Channel 4

We say goodbye to another synth in the two-hour season finale of Humans.

This is certainly the darkest season of Humans yet, with not one but two major casualties. Both hours are equally exciting and make up for the aggravating decision making in “Episode 6”. While the show definitely sets up a few compelling plotlines for season four, it’s unclear whether viewers in the United States will get to see it. AMC banishing the show to 11 PM on Tuesdays and airing these episodes back to back feels like it’s just trying to get it off the air. If this is the final season on AMC, here’s hoping another network picks up the international streaming rights.

Breaking down “Episode 7” first, Anatole’s arc is finished off much earlier than expected. That isn’t a complaint, and it’s nice to see Humans end a storyline rather than draw it out. Turns out the ever-spiritual synth views David Elster as a “God-like” figure who gave them sentience for the greater good. He’s shepherding the railyard followers into his own belief, even though viewers know he’s wrong to do so.

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Max finally reveals to his old friend that David Elster didn’t actually awaken all of the synths. It’s nice to see Max still try to reach Anatole despite the pain he’s caused. Despite Max losing a bit of his naivety this season, he’s still the kind-hearted synth from season one. Unluckily, Anatole is too far down the beaten path and he refuses to believe his consciousness was purely accidental. Locking Max up, he sets his sights on interrogating Leo.

Unfortunately, for Anatole, Leo is probably the worst person to speak to about David Elster. It takes a few minutes of prodding for Leo to rip his Dad’s legacy to pieces. Anatole is furious to hear his idol be diminished by a “human” who was undeserving of such a great parent. After hit Leo a few times, something the young Elster survives, Max steps in with some help from Stanley. He gives his old advisor one last chance to admit his wrongdoings but to no avail. Anatole is too far down the rabbit hole to accept that his faith has been misplaced and he chooses death.

Speaking of Leo, he makes the decision to ditch Mattie? It seems plot contrived to break the two of them up now but Leo does have a lot of issues to work out. Unfortunately, Mattie is now a twenty-year-old (Nineteen? Her age isn’t specified) about to be busted for Day Zero. It probably won’t take long for Leo to realize he’s made a selfish mistake.

The rest of the Hawkins get limited screen-time throughout “Episode 7” which is probably because their plots don’t pick up again until the finale. Laura is just now trying to figure out what Basswood even though things are about to end. At least Joe and Sophie get to share some cute moments even though they’re incredibly short.

Finally, Niska finds the synth who sleeps! While many viewers expected it to be Fred, the Elster synth who betrayed the family in season one, it’s actually Odi. His reveal feels a little forced because Odi has been missing for a while, but again, not a complaint. Will Tudor has always been great in that role, and it’s exciting to see him return to the show.

Photo Credit: AMC/ Channel 4

The final hour of Humans season three sets up a whole new world with a complicated future.

Understandably, Humans picks up the pace for “Episode 8”. Basswood goes into effect and all of the synths are quickly trying to find a solution to the impending doom. The most interesting choice in the finale was to keep Niska away from the fight. However, the most shocking one was Mia allowing herself to die as a final act of defiance against those who hate synths.

The finale starts with Max encourage the railyard to quickly pack their things so they can escape. Unfortunately, they’re not fast enough and the angry mob reaches their gates before they can leave. It seems like things might be deescalated when the humans are shocked by the synths’ refusal to fight. That momentary truce is destroyed when an angry Sam throws a brick at a guy out of pure frustration.

It doesn’t seem to matter that Sam is a child, the mob wants to kill all of the synths. A giant battle begins, with all of the synths trying their best to only disable their attackers rather than seriously hurt them. However, they aren’t alone, with Laura working hard to try and get Basswood to end before anyone can get seriously hurt.

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It’s nice to see Neha’s views of synths change throughout her time with Laura. She’s no longer a lawyer lacking an empathy towards these “machines” but now understands the situation is much more complex than the others think. She tries her best to also get the program shut down but is unsuccessful.

This makes room for Neil to finally step up in Humans. While I’m not sure about the Laura/Neil romance, it’s nice to see him acknowledge that blind hatred is not the answer. He brings Laura the Basswood file and allows her to air it on live television. Camera crews flock to the railyard to try and capture the ensuing riot. While Laura encourages Neil to leave so he isn’t arrested, he chooses to stay and officially place himself on the same side as the synths.

The fight scenes captured by the media are hard to watch as a long-time fan of the show. As a viewer, it’s hard not to want the media members to step in and help the synths rather than stay on the sidelines getting the best shot. Yet, Mia understands that their ability to broadcast the senseless murder of synths around the world is more beneficial than the government anticipated. In an act of calculated kindness, she stops fight and reaches out towards an injured human. The camera lingers on her while the Dryden Commission frantically tries to get the police to intervene before something unforgettable happens.

Mia gets what she wants though, the humans begin beating her to death as she asks for peace. Gemma Chan has long been the face of the series, and it’s hard to imagine Humans without her. Yet, there was no better ending for her than going out as a martyr. She’s sacrificed her entire life fighting for equality for her brothers and sisters. That final moment ensured that the world would be forced to face the unwarranted violence happening to the green-eyed synths.

Seeing Leo and Max grieve her is especially hard, considering the former has now lost three of his mothers. However, I personally found Sophie’s small moments in this finale to be the most effective. She loved Anita before she even understood the difference between synths and humans. When Mia awoke, it only made her love even harder. Even as the world tried to force her to distrust green-eyed synths, she only remembered how much she cared for the Elster siblings. Her taking Mia’s old shoes, something she’d been keeping safe, to the funeral is heartbreaking.

In the woods with Odi, Niska learns of her sister’s death. It turns out Odi is actually Vee, the AI program from the Qualia organization. Vee is now an omnipotent purple eyed synth, who has chosen Niska to lead the new world. She’s given the same omnipotence and discovers Mia has died during the Basswood massacre. Rightfully, she’s furious, but Odi points out there was no other way for Mia’s story to end.

Luckily, Niska returns to London in time to make a few interesting decisions. Mattie tries to turn herself over to the Dryden Commission as the mastermind behind Day Zero in exchange for her mom’s freedom. Niska shows up and boots Lord Dryden from his office and demands Mattie comes with her. While Mattie initially says no and that she plans to abort the baby, Niska reveals the baby is the key to the future.

So Humans ends an excellent season three with all of the heroes separated. Niska is taking Mattie somewhere where the baby can be safe, while Leo and Max will probably try to rebuild the railyard. Stanley and Sam are contemplating their future while playing a game of hide-and-go-seek in the abandoned warehouse. Meanwhile, Laura and Neil are still behind bars while Joe has to reckon with being a full-time single parent.

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Where does the show go from here? There are a lot of possibilities and hopefully, it does come back for a fourth season. Humans definitely has more stories left to tell and it will be intriguing to see humanity embrace synthetics. Even more so when the government realizes the Elster siblings have been conscious before Day Zero.

Did you like this season of Humans? Be sure to tell us in the comments below!

Kelly Shanaphy

Kelly Shanaphy is a superhero nerd and writer still dreaming of joining the X-Men. In her free time, she's either working on her novel or cheering on the New York Giants.