Tuesday 30 October 2012

Misfits Returns!

So - here they are, listed in order: my Top 10 'Misfits' episodes so far! What are your thoughts? How many of these do you agree with? Share your thoughts below! 

10. Series 4 Episode 1 

Because... They say that change can be a good thing, and judging by the enormous changes that have taken place between Misfits years three and four, there's an awful lot more good left to come.

Most series, having changed more than half its cast, would have settled for a fairly static episode to introduce new characters. 

Not Misfits. We're thrust into a foul-mouthed whodunit that serves us genital mutilation, incontinence and the first probation worker who seems like he should really be the one doing the community service! 

9. Series 1 Episode 2 

Because... Anyone that thought that Misfits would step it down a gear after such a bold, brilliant first episode was proved very, very wrong here. 

I think it might have been when Nathan slept with an old woman. 

But this was also the episode where it became clear that the show had real heart to it - Nathan's reaction to the discovery that the old woman had passed away was genuinely touching.

8. Series 3 Episode 3 

Because... this was Misfits tackling a comic book power and totally making it work. Peter is a great character with a great power, and this episode really allows us to see the extent of Simon's character growth (he's almost unrecognisable from the character we were introduced to in the first episode). 

Kelly and Seth's romance is baking nicely, and it has a great resolution where we learn that Peter knew his fate all along. 

Altogether, a great hour of TV.

7. Series 1 Episode 1 

Because... Surely this doesn't need any explanation?
Because it introduces us to five superpowered teens? Because it started off my orange jumpsuit fetish? Because it was the most perverse, brilliant thing on TV? 



6. Series 3 Episode 8 

Because... it was a gut-wrenching finale. As suspected, we were moving towards Alisha's inevitable death all the time, but who would have imagined it would have occurred the way it did?

Rachel's decision to attack Alisha makes perfect sense considering what she has gone through, but it doesn't make it seem any lesson painful to watch. 

The series 2 finale had been wetting myself - this episode had me weeping throughout my Christmas break. 

5. Series 2 Episode 1 

Because... it's a great season opener! Frozen probation worker, Nathan taking a crap aaaaaand that Cornetto gag. And that's not to say anything of how Nathan spent his time in the grave (Ryan Reynolds' Buried would be a very different film if he'd entertained himself the way Nathan did!). 

It's also the point where we begin to see the changes in the characters. By this point the cast gel together so well that the scenes flow beautifully - a  joy to watch from start to finish. 

4. Series 2 Episode 6 

Because... it introduced lactokinesis and tripling into the world. 

This was a gem of an episode with a great villain - it started off appearing to be purely for comedic purposes, and quickly spiraled into something far more dark and disturbing. 

It's also one of the last times we see Nathan managing to make everything ten times worse - which, to be fair, is practically his second superpower in its own right. 

3. Series 3 Episode 4 

Because... it's the perfect example of why the show is one of the most varied and unpredictable on TV. This is one of those episodes I watch over and over again - it's the perfect collision between high concept fantasy and grim future dystopia. 

It also allows several of the characters to play against type - Simon's position as an officer seems to reflect darker aspects of his character that were hinted at back in series 1. 

But for me this is probably my favourite Kelly episode, so fantastic is Lauren Socha from start to finish. 

2. Series 2 Episode 7

Because... Christmas episodes of TV drama series are often built around a shared sense of community, and an event that brings characters together and teaches them something new and profound. 

In Misfits, us viewers were given a crash course in the miracle of birth. I don't think any of us will ever forget what afterbirth really is. 

Come to think of it, it's also the closest we've gotten so far to a Misfits alien invasion.  

1. Series 2 Episode 4

Because... It combines all the things that make Misfits great: it's funny, surprising, horrifying and hugely satisfying.
It's also the episode where Simon and Alisha's relationship is at its most bittersweet... The events of this episode reverberate throughout the next season and a half. 

Altogether, a really impressive episode to show to anyone you're trying to convert to the show.
 

2 comments:

  1. Nice list. Can't wait to see what the rest of series 4 looks like. But then again, it goes by so fast.

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    1. It does go fast - 8 episodes of ASBO superhero fun isn't nearly enough. Still I heard there's plenty of goodness coming up this season, including the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Misfits-style (they're on BMX bikes, I heard).

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