Misfits - Episode One

Kelly: 'Ah, you fucker!'

Tasteful dialogue with which to start a season, eh? This episode pretty much followed on from the season one finale: with Kelly mourning Nathan's death, Nathan indulging in a spot of onanism (whilst lying in his own shit), and Simon with a dead probation worker in the deep freeze. Only, now there's a new hero in town, and he seems to know all about the misfits. Who is Superhoodie? Does he have superpowers? Questions they'll hopefully address as the season progresses.

I was watching an interview with Robert Sheehan last week and he revealed that, before this episode even aired, fans of the show were guessing correctly how Nathan would escape his interment. Personally, I had no clue. I half suspected the iPod Kelly buried with him would turn out to be an iPhone, and he'd rally the troops and have them come dig him out. In the end, it was our mysterious masked avenger, Superhoodie, who sent messages out to our favourite degenerates, instructing them to meet at his grave.

Superhoodie, unlike the misfits, is a proper superhero—or at least appears to be. He has a costume of sorts, hides his face behind a mask, has gadgets, is an adept practitioner of free running, and can actually be arsed to save people. Last season he saved Nathan from the Virtue Virgins, and tonight, after stabbing Kelly in the eye with a superbly directed paper plane, he returned—decked out in body armour and night-vision goggles—to save Curtis from certain asphyxiation. He must also know about Kelly's telepathy, otherwise why send them to the cemetery?

Nathan's resurrection was in predictably bad taste. After scaring Kelly half to death by screaming in her face, it was business as usual, with the sexual innuendo, the shit talk, and the endless digs at Simon. (Although Tutti Frutti gum is pretty rank.) Not exactly the reunion we were expecting, but as usual, Nathan got all the best lines, which Sheehan delivered with enthusiastic aplomb. No wonder Nathan never pulls—he's a complete sociopath. I can't bring myself to quote some of the stuff he says.

We were also given a pretty disturbing glimpse into Simon's past and how a failed arson attempt landed him in a mental institution with the ever so slightly unhinged Lucy. Looks can be deceiving—just not in Lucy's case. She looked strange from the off. Her face said it all, as did her obsession with Simon and her immediate jealousy of his new friends. Scratching out the eyes of paintings whilst silently sobbing is another tell-tale sign that things aren't going particularly well upstairs.

And thus began the shape-shifting madness. I honestly thought Kelly had offed another probation worker. Let's face it, it's not outside the realm of possibility—they've already got one mouldering in the chest freezer. Thankfully, Curtis' ability to turn back time saved them again. Not that it helped Nathan, who ended up impaled on a pipe. Ouch! And, if it hadn't been for Superhoodie, Curtis would have likewise been toast. How is it that Superhoodie knew exactly where they were and what to do, and more to the point, how did he know they were in danger in the first place? Precognition?

I liked that Kelly waited for Nathan to come back to life. It wasn't quite the evening they had planned, but it was sweet in its own way. It was nice too that, despite Nathan promising to change (like he ever could), Kelly didn't ask him to. Kelly, of all people, knows that the person you are on the outside isn't necessarily the person you are within. Despite Kelly's brash exterior and uncompromising talk, it's obvious that deep down she cares for Nathan. She stuck up for Simon, too, when Curtis was about to take him to the cleaners for hurting Alisha. The writers are fleshing out Kelly's character nicely.

But what does it mean now that Superhoodie knows that the misfits killed Sally? Will he use this information to his advantage? Despite him saving Nathan and Curtis, is he really on their side or is he just using them?

Other Thoughts:

—I like the new probation worker's attitude. He seems as uninterested in the misfits as they are in him.

—Being immortal suits Nathan's personality perfectly. Not being able to die is going to push his self-confidence through the roof (assuming it's not there already).

—For a TV show with a small budget the visual effects were pretty awesome this week. Lucy's shape-shifting looked genuinely creepy.

—I'm not sure I'd have eaten a Cornetto. Ick!

Quotes:

Nathan: 'Can we please stop killing our probation workers?'

Curtis: 'He's dead.'
Kelly: 'I heard him. I think he was knocking one out.'
Simon: 'That does sound like him.'

Nathan: 'Oh, hey man! Cornettos!'

Kelly: 'So if you're not dead, how comes you smell so bad?'
Nathan: 'I appear to have shat myself.'

Nathan: 'You want to see the merchandise? Try before you buy.'