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.

Misfits: S04 Ep01

What happened?

A man with a stolen briefcase, possessing the power to infect anyone who touches him with a desperate need to take the case for themselves, wanders into the community centre and into the midst of existing probationers Rudy and Curtis, and the two new ones, Finn and Jess. With Seth also amongst them, the group trick and attack each other until only the man's death ends their ruthless lust.

On returning to the community centre they are greeted by their new probation worker, who sets a stern and threatening tone.

Thoughts

This new series perhaps had a harder place to start from than the previous series, which set the trend for how the show could continue after losing major characters. With this fourth series the show lost three out of the five original cast members (only Curtis remains as the veteran!) so it was up to the likes of Rudy and Seth to pick up the mantle, but they have been aided quickly by the intriguing newcomers.

However, what most helped this new series get off to a great start and wipe away the memories of the old gang was a cracking script. Having the episode start at the climactic end point isn't a particularly novel concept, but then further peeling back the layers as various characters relayed their views of what was going on to drip-feed us the truth was clever stuff without, as is Misfits way, not being conceited about it. A wry line from Rudy as he tentatively brushed against the fourth wall with his remark about being an "unreliable narrator" was where the script gave the audience a knowing wink. And at the end, as the gang stood at yet another burial site (has every first episode of Misfits featured a person being buried?) Rudy ticked off the checklist about how the episode had featured action and violence and humour. Even at the very end he cheekily said that the new probation worker was unlikely to see out the end of the week, paying respect to the longstanding joke within Misfits that probation workers arrive and die with unrealistic frequency.

The new probation worker looks like he has rather more formidable qualities about him that suggest he is going to be around for longer than other probation workers, and is going to feature as more of an antagonist. But he's for the future. This episode gave us a couple of new misfits to get to know: Jess and Finn.

Jess, by  the episode's end, had the least interest about her (though she was lovely to look at and had a nice straight to the point attitude - I enjoyed her on both levels!). She possesses the power to see through walls. Usually a person's power reflects something that already exists in their character. Like the guy with the briefcase, he was filled with greed and thus, when the storm hit, he developed the power to infect other people with his same unquenchable greed. I don't quite see (no pun intended) how Jess being able to see through walls feeds into her character, but then there's not really enough known about her full stop so I'll give that a few more episodes to percolate.

Finn was deliberately played for laughs, as a fool, and even his power was used for comedy effect. Given the build-up to suggest his telekinetic powers would be enough to send an object flying across the room, the plant pot instead shuddered and then toppled over ineffectually. I am sure it's something he may get more adept at using. But what was most interesting about him was saved to the end, where it transpired he had a girl tied up in his bedroom, clearly being kept captive. The previews for the next episode looked like it was going to tackle that plotline head on, which is fine with me.

Rudy has taken over the reins as leading man (mainly by virtue of him having the biggest mouth). Joseph Gilgun has a brilliantly improvised feel to his performance (the moment he was caught watching porn at his computer was a minor masterclass in making a scripted comedy staple look fresh and ad libbed). I particularly liked the moment where the fact that he has a twin was held back until it could be used to spring the surprise that 'Rudy' hadn't been rendered completely incapacitated after Seth knocked his counterpart out. That was just one of a number of clever touches the episode employed. As stated, its real smarts came out of its enveloping of narratives, shifting chronologies, perspectives and even false threads. 

Seth is a bit of a dull character. He was most interesting when he was a literal power broker with a murky past, and then in his romance with Kelly. As a little bit of exposition detailed here, Kelly was overseas (read: had left the show) so the only interesting counterpoint to him has been taken away. A bit like Curtis, his is a character that needs something else more purposeful otherwise he will become a tad dull. Curtis himself is now most interesting on account of being around the longest. I must confess that since he had the power to transform into a girl taken away from him I can't remember what his current power actually is. Whatever it is, he didn't use it here.

Unless, of course, he still has the power to change into a girl!

It was good to see Misfits back and, most importantly, back and strong despite the cast losses. I was actually surprised as I didn't expect to enjoy the show as much as I did. I watched it again more out of a sense of curiosity than of genuine excitement. But now it's back and in fine form I'm right back bang into the swing of it. There's nothing else like it on television and, so long as it can maintain this kind of form, anything else even trying to be would never fit the bill.

What was the best part?

I really enjoyed seeing the interplay between Finn and Jess when they were locked in the freezer. Finn's propensity to tell porky pies (hinting at the big lie revealed at the end without ever making it apparent a twist was coming - another clever riff in a tight script) reached its peak with the horrible untrue story of being repeatedly raped by his uncle. I liked that the show found time to just stay locked inside the freezer with the pair of them bickering and talking and, excellently, pissing themselves in unison. The show needed space to allow these two to breathe and, ironically, that space was afforded in the cramped confines of the freezer.

What do I think will happen next?

As the previews suggests, we're likely to see what the deal is with Finn and the girl he has tied up. I'd have to figure she's either a girlfriend who cheated on him or, perhaps, an object of his affection that he was never able to obtain until he took her prisoner. The latter one seems more likely but, to be honest, both ideas sound tired so I hope my predictions are both wrong and the truth is something more refreshing.

Meanwhile the matter of whether the new probation worker has a power is worth considering. I am going to predict that he doesn't have a power and his strict qualities are purely his natural nature. We'll see.