Misfits (2009)

misfits: episode three

It was another really enjoyable episode which started a little slowly but when it got going was very, very good.

Episode One of Misfits saw our quintet of young offenders engulfed by a bizarre electrical storm that left them with superhero powers. Rather than joining forces to fight crime the Marvel Comic way, they killed their probation worker and buried him in a shallow grave. Although, in fairness, he had been transformed into a psychopathic zombie, intent on their murder.

Episode Two was no less eventful, with the Misfits obliged to do voluntary work amongst the elderly. Gobby Nathan - still to discover his superpower, unless it is to really annoy people - enjoyed a very passionate affair with the young and beautiful Ruth, only to have her revert back to her octogenarian self mid-coitus. That pesky electrical storm playing its tricks again.

Age-wise I am probably just outside Misfits' target audience, by 30 years or so, but I am already hooked. Funny, irreverent, subversive, clever and scary, Misfits contrives to be obnoxious and irresistible at the same time, and succeeds totally. Great scripts, great cast, great series.

Misfits: episode two

The second episode of E4's delinquents-with-superpowers show Misfits has shown that the high quality of the first episode was no fluke. It was very funny, has some touching moments, and a great twist which gives an idea of the potential of this series.

I missed Misfits last week, and not entirely by accident. The premise - a group of teens gets struck by lightning in a freak storm, only to develop sudden superpowers - sounded decidedly dubious, as did the cast of characters. There's every cliché in the teen-drama book: Nathan, the cheeky Irish one; Simon, the quiet, weird one; Curtis, the good boy; Alisha the party girl; and Kelly, the Vicky Pollardesque chav.

One week in, though, I decided to give it a go. And what do you know? It wasn't that bad. Good, even. Smart, and funny, and odd. The acting's a little hammy in places and the script retains an element of adults-writing-for-teens naffness, but on the whole... not bad. This week's episode was all about Nathan, who discovered that his step-dad was affected in the storm, too. Instead of developing superpowers, though, he had developed werewolf tendencies. Oh well. Nathan's mum didn't seem to care, much to Nathan's annoyance. He has been kicked out of his home for lying, while his step-dad runs around London alone, naked, doing God knows what to God knows whom. A second discovery came in the form of Ruth, a volunteer at the old people's home where the teens are doing their community service. Or at least that's what Nathan thought until after they had slept together, when he realised that she's actually one of the home's residents, he just happened to have seen her as she used to appear (blame the storm). Oh, and someone kept leaving creepy "I know what you did" messages in their lockers. Because they killed their probation officer. But that was last week. So, yes: action-packed.

Misfits 1.2 Review

It's a good sign that Misfits' second episode chose to focus on impertinent Nathan (Robert Sheehan), the only member of the fivesome without any actual super-powers (well, that he's aware of), as it proves the show doesn't need to rely on its superhero credentials to entertain us.

Taking a leaf out of Skins' character-per-week structure, the second episode of the series hones in on cheeky chap Nathan. He's ended up with the double blow of being kicked out of home and not appearing to have a superpower, though given Alisha's "abilities", he might be better off without one. While dealing with the aftermath of killing their support worker - and discovering that somebody else knows about it - the gang help out at an OAP tea dance, which brings a little light to Nathan's situation. Not safe for work, but very funny.

Misfits: season one, episode two

The lightning five are trying to come to grips with their powers. Except Nathan, of course ...

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Misfits: Series one, episode one

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