It was obvious there was more to Nadine's story than her being a nun. You don't throw tomato soup on a cream floor unless it's serious, and it doesn't get much grimmer than almost bringing about the apocalypse. Yes, the four horsemen were on BMXs rather than horses and, yes they had swords instead of scales, bows and scythes -- but they did at least attempt to bring about war, death and conquest. I'm not sure what happened to famine -- did Rudy and Nadine get to eat that ham and pineapple pizza or not?
This was an excellent closing episode for Rudy. Despite loving his crassness, I've enjoyed watching him fall in love. Being respectful of people's faiths, praying, and sensible social interaction isn't usually something we get from him. And Nadine must have really cared for him. How else do you explain her quickness to forgive his 'what's black and white and smells musty' joke? Unfortunately, Nadine's big secret almost led to their deaths -- every time she saw cruelty and suffering it triggered the arrival of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. In the end, it took an act of group solidarity to destroy them. Despite being total strangers at the beginning of the season, the misfits finally pulled together and won. Apart from Rudy. He lost Nadine.
Hopefully the gang's last minute decision to face death rather than sacrifice Nadine was enough to restore her faith in God and humanity. Good people do exist. (I use the term 'good' loosely because, you know... Rudy.) The nuns evidently had Nadine's best interests at heart: they were only trying to keep her alive and prevent the end of the world. And despite behaving like an utter prick all episode, even Alex managed to muster up a single act of heroism to save Jess. What are the chances of Alex's lung transplant being the start of a whole new chapter of superpowered shenanigans? Pretty high I'd imagine – especially now the show's been renewed for a fifth season.
And no dead probation workers this year? That's a rarity. We were also given a tantalising hint at what's making Greg so bitter: something about love lost, being naked, broken glass, and crawling around in dog shit. Okay, so maybe we're none the wiser. Suffice to say, Greg once loved somebody, it didn't turn out well, and now he's an angry karaoke virtuoso. Pushing your bitterness inward obviously doesn't work. (Or does, depending upon your view of Karaoke.) I'm still not entirely sure Greg's working as a character -- whether that's because he's poorly written, or whether Shaun Dooley just isn't connecting with me personally, I'm not sure. The two halves of his character just don't seem to fit together. Maybe he'll grow on me next season. Or be killed in the first episode.
Shagging someone just to feel some sort of emotion is obviously an ineffective way of dealing with inner conflict, but at least Abby's unenthusiastic sexual congress with Finn revealed that Jess still has feelings for him. I have no idea why. He's hardly been the shining knight of late. Blown by his step-mum in episode three, he then went on to knob some random blonde in episode six, and now he's foraging around in Abby's undercrackers. What on earth does Jess see in him? You have to feel for her: a cheating knob-head for a boyfriend, and her second choice dripping juice all over the Community Centre floor. In retrospect, losing Curtis mid-season has left a gaping hole in terms of viable male love interests. No wonder Jess looks fed up all the time.
Abby finally seems to be remembering something of her past. Not much, admittedly. Wanting a BMX isn't much to go on, but it's an encouraging first step. Almost dying did seem to stimulate her emotionally. I envisage her being some kind of adrenaline junkie next season. Which will make for a nice change of pace -- currently, she's so laid back she's almost horizontal. Her face when Finn was groping her tit was verging on the comatose. Not that it deterred Finn. He's obviously not overly fussed whether his sexual partners are interested, awake or even alive. The same probably goes for Rudy and Alex, although Rudy does seem to have turned over a new leaf of late.
In fact, the strength of the back half of this season has been watching Rudy evolve. As with Nathan before him, despite Rudy's seeming inability to ever say the right thing, you just can't help rooting for him. Admittedly, his evolution is more semi-punctuated equilibrium than it is phyletic gradualist, but I hope that the writers carry at least some of that growth into season five. Changing someone's personality purely for the sake of a one-off story is poor form. Glee does it to terrible effect. Misfits (thankfully) is no Glee, so it would be nice to think that Nadine's influence had some lasting effect on Rudy. I'm not expecting miracles. Perhaps a few less jokes about nun's genitals, and maybe a little less talk about his 'enormous fucking shits'. That would be a start.
And, finally, an acknowledgement that their powers have been criminally underused this season. Hopefully they'll remedy this next year. Not that their abilities were enormously useful tonight: Finn's telekinesis did manage to unlock the door (and cause an ear bleed), but Jess' ability to see through solid objects didn't save that nun from getting a Glasgow kiss from Rudy, or prevent Abby from sticking the boot in. It's just a shame the four horsemen of the apocalypse got so little screen time. They probably deserved more than fifteen minutes. And why do they always have to kill off the good characters? Retaining Nadine would have been cool -- instead we get to keep Alex? Where's the justice in that?
Thus endeth the fourth season. It's been a rough ride, but after a patchy start, I think the show found its feet again. It's maybe not the same show it was three years ago, but it's still worth watching. Most of this season's problems have stemmed from its depleted cast. You don't lose core personnel without consequences. But if they can build upon what they've achieved this season, introduce some sort of story arc, and possibly shoot Finn in the face, then maybe they can reach the creative heights of season three again. I just hope they have the current line-up signed up for at least another season. I don't think I could bear another eight episodes of introductions. Remember Heroes season two? No, me neither.
Tits and Faeces:
-- For someone untouched by the storm, Alex is bizarrely self obsessed.
-- The quotes sections below is going to be filthy this week. It's inevitable given the dialogue I have to choose from. I even considered changing the name of 'Bits and Pieces' to 'Tits and Faeces'. It seemed appropriate somehow. Fuck it -- I'm going to do it.
-- Rudy's actually quite insecure when he's nervous, yet relaxed he comes across as utterly endearing.
-- If the four horsemen of the apocalypse come every time Nadine sees something cruel and violent, then how has she defeated them before? Presumably it wasn't by killing herself.
-- Despite cycles travelling at least twice the speed of running humans they still managed to outpace the horsemen (who just so happened to be on bikes).
Quotes:
Rudy: “Nadine! I'm coming for you.”
Rudy: "You don't understand, I've done terrible, horrible, vile things. I have had sexual relations with women up the... what do you nuns call the arse? The a... up the anus!"
Nadine: "Rudy!"
Rudy: "I have had a diet of crisps and sugary snacks --"
Nadine: "I think you can get a pass for the crisps."
Rudy: "You don't understand... I have inserted sugary snacks into women --"
Nadine: "Don't..."
Rudy: "I have misused confectionery in the most vile and vulgar manner. I have violated myself with a fucking king sized --"
*Nadine kisses him*
Rudy: "-- Mars Bar."
Rudy: "Forgive me, I'm going to have to nip to... what do nuns called the toilet?"
Nadine: "They call it the toilet."
Rudy: "Brilliant!"
Nadine: "You can talk how you normally talk."
Rudy: "Oh, in that case I'm going to go for an enormous fucking shit."
Nadine: "Let's stick to toilet."
Rudy: "All right, fair enough."
Rudy: "There are shitters, and there are people that get shat on. I am a shitter, and I've been shat on from a bloody great height, and it's killing me. You know, my heart's in little pieces all over the floor here --"
Finn: "Yeah, along with my flat-screen TV."
Abby: "For a little guy, you've got weirdly weighty balls."
Rudy: "You have to fight for the nun you love, that's what's happenin'."
Rudy: "The number of times I've helped you two out... and you, man! What about the time when you were so damn pissed you shat in your own bed, and who offered to swap with you? Me!"
Finn: "That was you! You shat in your own bed and offered to swap with me."
Rudy: "Did I?"
Finn: "Yeah."
Rudy: "Yeah, and why did I do that?"
Finn: "Because you didn't want to sleep in your own shit."
Rudy: "It's all for one, one for all -- and a nun."
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