Misfits: S04 Ep02

What happened?

The gang discover that Finn has been keeping his girlfriend tied up and bound because she had a power to make him into her slave. When Finn learns that Seth has the power to take other people's power he sees a way for him and his girlfriend to have a future, but Seth is not interested. However, when Finn lets his girlfriend use him as a slave again then Jess steps in and gets Seth to take the girlfriend's power once and for all.

Finn is subsequently kicked out and he joins Rudy in using the community centre as a place to call home. Seth, meanwhile, states that was the last use of his power he would do and Curtis encounters a new probation worker, called Lola, who does not seem to be quite what she says she is. . .

Thoughts

On the whole this episode wasn't quite as entertaining as the previous one, but I still liked it. I think it's biggest problem was the focus on Finn who, once it transpired he was merely keeping his girlfriend tied up because she was using him as a slave, lost a lot of his initial intrigue. I did empathise with him, to an extent, but the trouble was his girlfriend came across as nothing but a spiteful girl that really ought not to have stayed with him. It wasn't made entirely clear but I had to assume that her power to control Finn was purely for Finn alone; she couldn't make anyone else do her bidding. In that notion then she had a reason to stay with him, but otherwise there wasn't any indication that she would have stayed with him - even if he hadn't tied her up and made her shit into a bucket.

The episode worked well to indict Finn as rather weak-willed and lacking in self-esteem. His power to control objects with his mind seems to stem from the fact that in real life he is someone that suffers from a lack of power to control what happens around him, or the people he meets. His power is a manifested inversion of his personality, and that's quite cool.

The point that the girlfriend was behaving badly, and that Finn was willing to accept it, became the point where Jess decided that she needed to intervene. It didn't feel quite believable that Jess would have invited him back to stay at hers (it's curious that she seems to have stepped into the world of Rudy and Finn at the bar without there being any trace of what life and friends she had before!) but if Misfits is trying to create a new coupling out of the two newbies then, yeah, it might just work. We have still to learn what it was that Jess actually did to get herself on probation and quite what she's all about. She seemed to lose a bit of her edge this episode but, for now, I am still interested in who she is and what she's really all about.

The episode did serve the purpose of properly getting Finn into the gang, albeit hooked up with Rudy who is a one-man whirlwind of depravity. Well, actually, two men. Well, actually, as the preview for the next episode showed, three men! Really looking forward to seeing how that works out, and the next episode also had other elements seeded here that suggested there was much to look forward to. That's the other problem this episode had - it was a bit of bridging exercise between the start and where this series was going for more interesting fare. Well, hopefully.

This episode there was the brief curiosity of the new barman, Alex. When Jess blatantly flirted with him he went from friendly and laidback to uptight and wary. His change in behaviour was brushed aside by Curtis as him being gay, but I suspect that's not it at all. Quite what the truth of the matter is I don't know but it was a small nugget tucked away for a later episode I am sure.

More blatantly was the arrival of Lola, the trainee probation worker. Again, she was just seeded here so she can feature more prominent in the next episode or more. I don't for one second buy that she is who she says she is, but quite what her agenda is and what she wants from our misfits awaits to be seen. It certainly won't be anything good - it never is! We still don't know why the current probation worker is such a snarling ball of hate, either. It could be a power, it could just be the way he is. I'd rather it was a power, though - him to just be that way without motive or reason seems somewhat unjust.

Rudy was busy stealing the episode in every scene here, though. His antics with the blind girl (with a racist guide dog that could speak to her, no less!) were a scream. I actually liked the concept that she would be a racist in the first place, without apology or sob story attached. She just was one. So it wasn't quite as terrible when Rudy made a makeshift condom out of clingfilm that covered a bowl of dog food. It was truly outrageous, and exactly the kind of thing that Misfits plies its trade from. At least with a character like Rudy he can always be called on, even in a subplot, to make up for any shortfalls throughout the rest of the episode.

Ultimately a forgettable episode but it did a lot of work that will hopefully put things in motion for the rest of the series. Rudy and Finn living together, Alex the barman, Lola the probation worker. . . Yes, lots of threads to be pulled on to no doubt reveal something abhorrent and amusing in equal measure.

What was the best part?

Rudy bagged the standout scene, banging the blind girl with the clingfilm condom which was then concluded with the reveal that the blind dog had a psychic connection to the girl and was telling her what was happening. Absolutely bonkers. Whoever thought of that needs both a pat on the back for congratulations and to perhaps seriously consider what is wrong with their mind!

What do I think will happen next?

The next episode paved the way for what looked like an interesting development with the apprentice probation worker, Lola, and I know that another Rudy will be showing up - one that looks to be an evil counterpart. For Lola I can only imagine she is there to use the misifts gang for their powers in some fashion. Maybe she has somehow gotten wind of the number of bodies they have buried over the last three series (and this one!) and wants to get them on her side for nefarious purposes - or she wants revenge.

Alex the barman, as a prediction, won't be gay. But he will have something horrible about him - be it physical or otherwise - that causes him to prevent anyone from getting to know him intimately. That's my best guess. I appreciate it's not great. But whatever.