TV Review: Almost Human Season One Episode Two "Skin"

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Episode Two titled "Skin" has arrived.

This episode finds John and Dorian investigating the murder of Sebastian Jones, a high end sex bot maker at the hands of two thugs and a beautiful woman who seduces him.

Dorian quickly proves his usefulness when he identifies that the murderers used a DNA bomb to eliminate all trace evidence from the room.

He also reviews security camera footage and determines that the beautiful woman was an android herself, and that the men used flash masks to conceal their identities.

Back at the station, Dorian finds in his research that Sebastian had all his assets seized from not paying his bills. As John and Dorian investigate the storage facility they're kept in, Dorian finds a court summons indicating Sebastian was being sued by a former partner for intellectual property theft. More clues and wrinkles are introduced as the team notices the red head sex bot from earlier touched the side of the elevator her and the two thugs were in. After scanning it, the DNA of another woman comes back who has been missing. Right after this, we're introduced to a young mother and her son.

As the mother steps out of her car, she's immediately abducted. After using a giraffe that comes to life to win over the kid, John learns the car used to abduct his mother was silver.

Immediately afterwards, John and Dorian go and investigate the business partner's new sex bot shop.

After denying knowing the red head sex bot or the two abducted women reported, John and Dorian discover that an Albanian group was the biggest buyer for the shop.

Once the business partner refuses to say anything else, John has Dorian hack into his files without a warrant.

At the Albanian place, they test all the sex bots for human DNA. They all come back clean. The two thugs who murdered Sebastian confront John and Dorian. When John inquires about the red head, Dorian notices the man has an elevated heart rate during his denial of knowing her - as well as the fact that he's an android himself.

During the drive back, Valerie at the station tracks the stolen silver car - a sedan - to an industrial facility. John and Dorian find the red head there, except her body is missing all of her skin.

Back with Rudy, he determines that the bot has had her memories destroyed so no one could access them and see who murdered Sebastian.

One thing is for certain: real women are being abducted and killed for their skin to be used on sex bots. As Rudy explains, there's nothing like the real thing.

The group makes some ground when they track down the silver sedan, capture the thugs and save a sex bot with human skin that is alive.

There's a nice moment where Dorian, the android with actual emotions, teaches the bot that she misses the red head Charlene from earlier because she formed a bond with her. More importantly, she gives up Yuri the Albanian.

After raiding the Albanian place, John and Dorian come up empty. That is until Dorian and Rudy come up with an idea to use early GPS tracking software in the bots to pinpoint the rescued bot's first update - aka her birthplace. With this information John, Dorian, and the rest of the police force storm the location and save the remaining human girls who are still alive - including the woman abducted earlier.

Later on in the station, Dorian accompanies the sex bot they saved as she is destroyed due to her having human skin.

It was a sweet moment watching Dorian apply some skills learned from John by telling the bot that "she's going to a better place" to comfort her, and then telling her that he would remember her - to comfort himself.

Just like last week, it all comes down to the relationship between John and Dorian. This episode felt like they've been on the job for a few weeks - in a good way. There was a groove, and fun ribbing between the two of them.

Between John thinking it would be funny to stab himself in his fake leg in front of kids, to Dorian creating an online dating profile for John because a bio scan told him John's testicles were at full capacity, this was a very funny episode. I especially enjoyed John calling Dorian "Benedict Android" probably a bit too much.

It also seems to be a recurring theme that each episode John helps Dorian with something, and Dorian helps John with something else.

This week, it was John reassuring Dorian that he will be remembered by all the people he helps as a cop, and Dorian helping John to realize he needs to visit the family of his former partner who died.

What does slightly concern me is the pairing that seems to be in the works between Karl Urban's character John and Minka Kelly's character Valerie. I had concerns ever since Valerie gave John a longing look after seeing him back in the station for the first time - but I didn't want to comment on it yet. However in this episode we had Dorian tell John (after John was done describing his ideal woman) "you know you just described Detective Stahl right?" We also had the funny running gag of John's dating profile end in Dorian telling Valerie that John can't go celebrate because of a date he has from it. Now, it's still very early. I'm not even mad at these scenes - they flowed naturally and the performances were well done.

I'm just wary because of how many times shows have tried this and failed horribly. If it doesn't work, it's obvious. To quote one of my favorite episodes of House, pushing two characters together on a show can be an "IV drip of poison" that will slowly kill the show if it doesn't get removed.

Is that potentially a ridiculous thing to say given there has only been two episodes? Maybe.

I'm just thinking like a writer here. I'll give Almost Human the benefit of the doubt that they know Minka Kelly and Karl Urban's chemistry together is strong enough to venture into these waters.

All in all, a very enjoyable episode. John and Dorian's differences provide for some humorous situations.

However, what I enjoy the most is watching them teach each other what it means to be human.

John helping the Almost Human (haha, I did it again!) android Dorian relate and understand humans, and Dorian teaching John are equally compelling.

I did find it weird that with all this "ideal woman" talk and online dating profiles, John's ex-girlfriend never came up. Must be a sore subject.

Photo Credit: http://almosthumansite.com/