"Humanity - it's not a state - it's a... it's a quality."

In episode seven, we learn that David Elster built Karen to replace his dead wife, Beatrice. In a flashback of Karen’s,  Leo and the other conscious synths could not accept her, and she was cast out. David then tells them that he killed her, kills himself, and tells them to go. Back to the present, Leo and Fred find Max's body with Fred’s calculations. Pete learns that Karen is using a human’s stolen identity to fit in as a conscious synth. At George's, Karen asks Niska to kill her. When Niska refuses, Karen brings out her gun and threatens to shoot Niska. Karen shoots Vera, who advises her that the police have been called, and George was shot trying to save Niska. Niska leaves to avoid capture by the police. 

Odi comes downstairs and finds George lying on the floor. Odi begins recalling old memories of George’s wife, telling him his wife is waiting in the next room. As Odi finishes the particular memory Odi says, “You have died, George.” This moment was one of the most tear-jerking of the whole season. George was a heartfelt person. He cared very much for Odi, and if he had a problem with you, he would express his feelings. Odi, while not an identified conscious synth, had a feeling of compassion. He recalled memories of George’s wife with a sense of empathy. 

We see Leo, Fred, Niska, and Mia meet together to repair Max at the Hawkins home. Sophie, being the young, compassionate per she is,  tries to bond with Niska. Niska is not receptive, but she continues by following her around and trying to get Niska to play with her. They eventually start to bond when Sophie continues to show her compassion not as a synth but as an equal. Max was powered down too long and did not wake from his powered-down state. A policewoman comes to the house to follow up on a call made by Joe the night before. Joe apologizes to the synths, but they are not convinced they are safe there and decide to leave as soon as Max can power up. The TV news shows the footage of Niska on her rampage at the smash club. Laura insists the synths go. They want to stay at least until Leo can fix max, but Laura is against this. Mia, understand that Laura is just looking out for her family, says that they will leave at Laura's request. Leo goes to the next room to get his bag when  Karen arrives with Hobb, and armed police arrest everyone.  

In episode eight, Hobb tries to link Fred, Leo, Max, Mia, and Niska back at the labs to find the program placed in their codes by Elster made to give synths consciousness. The extraction does not work because Karen’s section of the code is missing. Hobb has modified Fred so that he becomes his primary user. Fred still has consciousness and his personal feelings but is unable to act on his own free will. We witness the extent of this when he tries to strangle Hobb but is unable to put his hands on him.  Fred is given the command of keeping this secret and since Hobb is now Fred’s primary user, he must obey this command. Hobb plans to destroy the others as he no longer has a use for them, but needs to keep Fred so he can create controllable but conscious synths.

The Hawkins phones and electronics are by the police, but they immediately start to devise a plan to get Mattie's laptop back containing copies of some of Leo's memories. Detective Drummond arrives and, having seen Karen and beginning to understand the conscious synths, helps Mattie get her laptop back. Mattie, Toby, and Pete go to a cafe and send Laura a copy of some of the memories. Laura threatens to send the videos to the press if Hobb does not release the synths. Hobb lets the synths go knowing that Fred is able to be tracked following his alterations.

The Hawkins family meet with the synths and after the police arrive, they flee to an abandoned church. Toby realizes that Fred is acting strange and they can be tracked through him. Leo calls Karen and tells her where they are hiding. Karen leaves the lab and Hobb and goes to the church. Karen and the others all connect and Karen tries to mess up the code. Mia intervenes and it seems that Karen has a change of heart. Meanwhile, Laura and Joe have a heartfelt talk and she tells him the truth about Tom. The group debates what to do with the program, and finally Niska stores a copy of it on a hard drive and gives it to Laura for safekeeping. Niska decides to go off on her own and the synths leave without her and without Fred. The Hawkins return home. After Karen leaves, she is met by Pete and they reluctantly go off together. The final scene shows Niska on a train, with a copy of the program.

There is an underlying theme about how most humans instinctively reject human replicant robots due to their incredible likeness. This rejection is often seen by dehumanizing them to justify atrocities committed against them with the explanation that "they're just machines." In Humans, they attack this theme, modify it to the unique angle of conscious synthetic machines, and carry it out with precision. You can tell the difference between Anita and Mia, even for just a few seconds. When any of the conscious synths try to pretend they are ordinary synths, the actors can show they are just to one side of the conscious vs. typical synth. 

The Humans story, throughout the first season, shows society's rejection of synths. There are protests, evident outrage, and prevalent fear. The synths in this universe were made almost more human than human. While this could be an advantage in many aspects of life for living humans, this is more likely why humans hated them. Mattie explained it well when she questioned why would I work so hard to accomplish things when a machine can replace me at any moment. This view has most likely changed since she spoke it, as she has spent a significant amount of time with the conscious synths, but it’s the view held by many unaware citizens. The synths are so human-like, but they have infinite knowledge. Synths with consciousness make mistakes, feel hurt, longing, regret, even moral dilemmas. It would be a horrible existence to have all the world’s knowledge while also facing the feelings of human consciousness.  Humans creates a complex universe that is written well and makes us feel like this is our reality just around the corner. 

Why care so much for something that cannot care for you?

In episode 6, we join Fred as He wakes up dressed and in a mysterious house that he quickly finds out is Hobb’s. Hobb wants Fred’s help continuing Dr. Elster’s work. He believes the lines between man and machine are blurring. Fred tells Hobb a story about Elster testing him by giving him an injured fox. Fred was able to mend the fox’s wounds and free it, but Elster didn’t believe him. Fred said, “Human minds can’t comprehend that their creation could surpass them. That’s how I know you’re underestimating me too because you can’t do anything else,” Then, while keeping eye contact with Hobb, Fred punches through a door and strangles the guard that had been guarding him. Fred does not kill Hobb but does shoot him with what appears to be a stunning gun used against synths. Fred is an interesting example of self-aware synths. Fred seems to hold some of the violent tendencies we have seen in Niska, but he is much more  He shares Niska’s propensity for violence, but he seems to be more deliberate and calculated.

Niska shows huge growth in this episode. Dr. Millican is able to show her that not all humans are evil. When Odi shows up at Dr. Millican’s door, she sees how much Dr. Millican cares for Odi. Dr. Millican expresses that Odi holds the memories of his wife that he cannot remember after his stroke. Niska repairs Odi when Dr. Millican is unable to due to his shaking hands. I think that Dr. Millican is teaching Niska what it means to be human. Niska and Dr. Millican talked about life, love, and humanity. Niska tells Dr. Millican that Dr. Elster had been raping her when she was younger, and she’s continued to keep the truth from her siblings. Dr. Millican promises he will do everything he can to help her.

Having pressure put on her by Mattie, Laura reveals the truth about Tom to Mattie. Laura tells Mattie that Tom was her younger brother who died when she was 11 years old and she was supposed to be watching him. Being truthful allows Laura a tearful reconnection with Mattie, proving she was never losing her daughter’s love in the first place. During the scene, Anita stands just to the side of the bench they are sitting on but her face changes just slightly with a show of sadness. This was an incredibly emotional moment and I think that this was showing Mia, pushing through to the surface with feelings of shared emotion.

Laura and Mattie continue their conversation on the car ride home when suddenly Anita gasps from the backseat causing Larua to swerve, pull over, and she and Mattie quickly exit the car. Mia introduces herself quickly and tells them “Anita” sees her presence as rogue code and is trying to destroy her. Mia proves her intentions by describing that she too has lost a brother, then correcting to son. This eases Laura just before Anita is able to take over Mia again. Mattie now has confirmation that Mia is in fact in Anita somewhere and she knows she must tell Leo.

Mattie gets Max’s help to find Leo, who is unconscious in the park. Mattie is horrified to see Max start to hook up electronics into a wound in Leo’s side. She demands answers, and Leo gives them to her by showing her his digital memories on a television. We confirm that he is the biological son of David Elster. Dr. Elster, unable to be the parent Leo would need, created his first self-aware synth to become Leo’s mother: Mia. He then created Fred, Niska, and lastly, Max. Leo died by drowning at age 13 and was turned into a human-synth hybrid by his father. We then see in Leo’s digital memories he creates an even bigger bond with his synth family. Lastly, we see that Dr. Elster destroys his lab and kills himself, telling Leo to take care of everyone.

Mattie brings Leo to her house to try to uncover Mia. Mattie suggests a method of finding Mia which was successful in Mia coming to the surface for good. The happy times don’t last long as Fred is able to contact Leo and tells him he has found his way to the city. Max and Leo head to the city to find Fred but Max. Joe, in yet another shady selfish move, calls the police on Leo and Max, alerting Hobb to their whereabouts. Max realizing his power will runout putting Leo in danger of being caught, sacrifices himself by standing on the railing of a bridge and, with a smile, tells Leo to find Fred and the others and be a family. Fred tells Leo, “If I die, it means I’ve lived” before falling back into the water below, making the ultimate sacrifice for his family.

Max is such a unique and interesting character throughout the show. Watching his smile as he floats deeper into the water gives a strong image of his feelings on the importance of his family. He is shown joking with Mattie and talking about what it is like “being” a synth. This existential conversation was one of the most humanizing moments. It felt very familiar while some of the other conversations heard with other synths still had a heavier undertone of unnatural existence.  There is a scene of him praying to God in hopes of his family being okay. He is speaking to the hypothetical creator of human beings as he has seen in the culture around him. This scene creates an even deeper contrast between him and his synth siblings. The humanization of Max creates an even bigger blow when we watch him die for his family. 

Karen makes a move on Drummon at her apartment and eventually has sex with him. After, feeling closer to him than ever, she shows him her charging port and plugs herself into the wall. She was hoping for acceptance but Drummond shows absolute horror and runs out the door. This comes as no surprise as he has not been silent about his feelings about synths. I have to wonder if she thought that this would change her mind or if this was a synth misunderstanding of a relationship that has become intimate. Did she have an understanding that the sexual nature of their relationship would somehow change his views? This is something that I will pay close attention to in the final episodes.