History Series / Humans

* ColorMotif: Blue is the color of Synth blood-analog and is often associated with death or dying. [[spoiler:This can be seen most directly with damaged Synths, but it extends to fluids and in particular water. Jennie Morrow's death is associated with a particular waterfall, Hester tends to kill or leave bodies in water and Karen's brushes with death are associated with beer and the ocean respectively]]. For Synthetics this tends to make sense as [[spoiler:fluids and circuitry do not mix well, and can be dangerous]]. Blue also tends to run opposite the color of green, which represents vitality and life. A good comparison for this is the difference between Athena's office vs the Hawkin's household, Niska's choice in eye color and V's preferred display.

*** Orange - androids created after the global awakening, designed to prevent another similar event. [[spoiler: It's heavily implied, this will eventually fail.]]
*** Purple - [[spoiler: transcended androids. These can take over orange eyed androids, and appear to be connected to the global AI network, effectively making them omniscient]]
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Max. When introduced in the story, the characters treat him as ‘innocent,’ and he doesn’t seem to actively refute them. As the story progresses, it becomes really clear he’s one of the most calculating characters on the cast. He practically gives the final ‘ok’ on the global awakening, and leads an android colony. Lastly, he has a [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Crowning Moment of Badass]], where he engages in his one fight, and curb-stomps (in a way, literally), another android, with a level of competence, putting him on par with Niska and the body guard android.

* FantasticSlur: "Dollies" seems to be a negative term for androids. Later, “Green Eyes,” which human propaganda makes synonymous with violent and unpredictable behavior. Its kind of chilling, considering that the androids are no more violent than oppressed humans. Its almost as if the propaganda projects humanity’s worst fears about itself, onto the androids. (Ref: Thomas Hobbes vs John Locke)

* FromNobodyToNightmare: From the human perspective: [[spoiler: Odi]] at the start of the series, was an android at the tail-end of its service life. [[spoiler: The AI ‘V’ replaces his already self-destructed AI with its own. From the brief time we see him and his new recruit, their new powers include: remote conversion of other androids, ‘orange eyes,’ and near omniscience.]]
** Also Niska: starts out as a sex bot. Finds herself again, stuck as a sex bot. Goes on a roaring rampage of revenge, and becomes a one-woman army. By the end of season three, [[spoiler: she’s upgraded by Odi/V, acquiring the same powers mentioned above.]]

* HeWhoFightsMonsters: All the Synths except [[TheHeart Max]] show signs of this, but Hester really takes the cake: killing two people, unlike Niska showing no signs of regret, and being generally dismissive of Max and Mattie.

* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Max. Not only is he the most innocent and childlike of the conscious synths. [[spoiler: as the story progresses, in hindsight, he seems to be more of the ‘quiet, but highly philosophical monk.’]] He displays an unwavering moral compass and usually acts as Leo's MoralityChain. [[spoiler: When Hester pushes Leo to embrace his darker nature in season 2, it drives a wedge between Max and Leo and they part ways. They only reunite after Leo has a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment.]]

* JustAMachine: These exact words are thrown around constantly, most poignantly when [[spoiler: Joe insists that him sleeping with Anita doesn't count as cheating]].

* KillerRobot: After breaking free from the robot brothel, Niska has no qualms about hurting humans who hurt others. On the other hand, she was going to kill a man she picked up in a bar (to rob him) when she thought he was lying about being single (and thus cheating on his wife), but when she realizes that he ''is'' single and wasn't lying - or rather, he is divorced, and gets rotating custody of his little daughter - she has second thoughts and simply leaves.

* {{Cyborg}}: [[spoiler:Leo]], having died as a child and been resurrected by his father using robot parts.

*** Orange - androids created after the global awakening, designed to prevent another similar event. [[spoiler: it's heavily implied, this will eventually fail]]

*** Orange - androids created after the global awakening, designed to prevent another similar event. [[spoiler: its heavily implied, this will eventually fail]]

* GovernmentConspiracy: The Season 3 finale. [[spoiler: A contingency plan is launched to eliminate all the green eyed synths by shutting down the power to the synth compounds and then using power surges to destroy them when it's all turned back on. The extremist anti-synth groups are then unleashed to eliminate any survivors-the police are ordered to stand by rather than intervene. Meanwhile news media receive false reports claiming the synths are attacking many innocent humans, with violence toward them being self-defense. Luckily this is exposed by Laura with Neil's help, although she is charged with treason over it, and Mia sacrifices herself to show not all synths are bad.]]

** [[spoiler: Mia again. This time, all the characters agree she's not coming back.]] ...martyrs herself for the sake of a possible peaceful future.

** Odi walks into a church to get some advice on his existential crisis, which he does, but doesn't seem to grasp the concept of religion. [[spoiler: he becomes a cyber prophet, leading humans and androids to the next stage of human revolution.]]
** Anatole, Max's confidante at The Railyard is revealed to have built a shrine to David Elster, considering him The Creator of sorts.

* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: [[spoiler: Odi. Unable to find a purpose for himself after attaining consciousness and missing his dead loved ones, he formats himself and erases his own mind. His body is later taken over by tge AI V.]]

* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: [[spoiler: Odi. Unable to find a purpose for himself after attaining consciousness and missing his dead loved ones, he formats himself and erases his own mind. ...he gets better though. A LOT better.]]

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Max. When introduced in the story, the characters treat him as ‘innocent,’ and he doesn’t seem to actively refute them. As the story progresses, it becomes really clear he’s one of the most calculating characters on the cast. He practically gives the final ‘ok’ on the global awakening, and leads an android colony. Lastly, he has a CrowningMomentOfBadass, where he engages in his one fight, and curb-stomps (in a way, literally), another android, with a level of competence, putting him on par with Niska and the body guard android.

** Inverted later on: Mia becomes the public face of the peaceful equal rights movement. Later, during a major raid a news crew broadcasts [[spoiler: Mia]] being beaten to death by humans, after extending a helping hand to a human on the ground. This is lampshaded in-universe, by a politician uttering “Oh @#%$.” in a HoistByHisOwnPetard moment. In the epilogue of the episode, its heavily implied [[spoiler: this shifted public opinion against violence towards androids.]]

** [[spoiler: Mia again. This time, all the characters agree shes not coming back.]] ...martyrs herself for the sake of a possible peaceful future.

** Odi walks into a church to get some advice on his existential crisis, which he does, but doesn't seem to grasp the concept of religion.

** These scruples continue to mount, eventually [[spoiler: Leading her to a higher purpose.]]

* TheLoad: Max refers to himself as one on Leo, since he cannot survive on his own. However, Max saves Leo from himself on the regular.

* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: [[spoiler: Odi. Unable to find a purpose for himself after attaining consciousness and missing his dead loved ones, he formats himself and erases his own mind.]]

** [[spoiler: Mia again. This time, all the charactera agree shes not coming back.]] ...martyrs herself for the sake of a possible peaceful future.

** Inverted later on: Mia becomes the public face of the peaceful equal rights movement. Later, during a major raid [[spoilers: a news crew broadcasts Mia being beaten to death by humans, after she extended a helping hand to a human on the ground]]. This is lampshaded in-universe, by a politician uttering “Oh ***!” in a HoistByHisOwnPetard moment. In the epilogue of the episode, its heavily implied [[spoiler: this shifted public opinion against violence towards androids.]]

* FantasticSlur: "Dollies" seems to be a negative term for androids.

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Max. When introduced in the story, the characters treat him as ‘innocent,’ and he doesn’t seem to actively refute them. As the story progresses, it becomes really clear he’s one of the most calculating characters on the cast. He practically gives the final ‘ok’ on the global awakening, and leads an android colony. Lastly, he has a CrowningMomentOfBadass, where he engages in his one fight, where he curbstomps (in a way, literally), another android, with a level of competence, putting him on par with Niska and the body guard android.

* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Max. Not only is he the most innocent and childlike of the conscious synths, he displays an unwavering moral compass and usually acts as Leo's MoralityChain. [[spoiler: When Hester pushes Leo to embrace his darker nature in season 2, it drives a wedge between Max and Leo and they part ways. They only reunite after Leo has a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment.]]