Friday 17 December 2010

Misfits: Episode Six

Simon: 'When do I turn into this superhero?'

I love it when a seemingly innocuous episode suddenly goes bosoms up. We were treated to all manner of drama tonight, although it was obvious how it would all end. Curtis' lactose intolerance, coupled with his ability to turn back time, was always going to be key, but there were some intriguing twists along the way, some fascinating reveals, and some genuinely moving character pieces. Plus, virtually everyone ended up either dead or incapacitated. Which is exactly what you want from a penultimate episode—particularly if you're a masochist.

Finally, Simon knows about Superhoodie. All it took was one overheard comment (while invisible in Nathan's room), and the cat was, if not fully out the bag, then certainly one paw out, scratching wildly. Once Simon had followed Alisha back to the base, there wasn't much she could do: she had to tell him. In hindsight, I think he took it rather well. Now he knows they're together in the future, it seems a foregone conclusion that they'll fall in love in the present—in fact, the process already seems to have begun. Simon looked genuinely distraught by Alisha's death. Him looking into the camera and pulling up his hood sent shivers down my spine. Is that all it takes? One big event to change him from shy, awkward Simon into his masked alter ego?

I always assumed the transformation would take years, yet Simon suddenly looked like a different person. He looked more focused, more in control. Maybe purpose and the right motivation were all that was required. He knew exactly what needed to be done and did it without question—even at the cost of his own life. Not only will Simon one day become a real hero, he's one already, and both Curtis and Alisha know it. That's why Alisha loves him.

Simon's death gave Curtis the emotional investment necessary to invoke a rewind. It was sad seeing everyone dead. Seeing Nathan reduced to a vegetative state was probably poetic justice. I don't think we've ever seen him speechless. Can mozzarella wrapped around your central cortex actually do that? (Like this is real). Having Kelly's ghost turn up was also a major shock. Howard Overman just doesn't miss a trick. I'd forgotten that Nathan could talk to the dead, and Kelly looked so alive. Until that shot of her body. That was a dead giveaway (pun not really intended, but I'll take it).

Nathan blowing his own head off on 'Whoops, There Goes My Brains,' was laugh out loud hilarious (not to mention stomach churningly gruesome). Is there anything that man won't do for sex? His new found celebrity status certainly attracted the ladies—admittedly, ladies with sexually transmitted diseases—but seeing Nathan in the spotlight was like seeing him in his natural environment. He's a natural performer who thrives on attention.

I felt sorry for Daisy. She was so innocent. Watching Nathan trying to coax her healing hands down the front of his underpants was just wrong. Daisy had the power to heal mankind. Trust Nathan to kill her (albeit accidentally). There goes our hope, then. All because he couldn't be bothered to go to the Doctor's for some antibiotics. Still, at least he apologised, so that's all right.

Did they kill Brian (Milk Guy) at the end, or just warn him not to go public with his powers? (By punching him in the face.) I'm guessing the latter. I hope so, anyway. I'd quite like to see Brian again. Great performance from Jordan Metcalfe: he made Milk Guy seem so sweet, yet so dangerous. (Kind of like milk, if you're lactose intolerant.) Coming out of the proverbial closet gave him the attention he so desperately craved, even if his superpower was terrible. His ability to manipulate milk (lactokinesis) was real bottom of the heap stuff, but at least it provided us with an unlikely, yet effective villain. (Not to mention some top notch chortles.)

The Christmas episode is on Sunday, 19th December and they're going to kill Jesus. If that doesn't put you in the festive mood, I don't know what will.

Other Thoughts:

—Now that their community service is over I wonder what's going to happen next season?

—'It's like in Terminator, when John Connor sends Kyle Reece back in time so that he can be his father.' Great Terminator reference!

—I loved the irony of Daisy getting skewered on her Mother Teresa award. Kudos to Nathan for trying to help, for once.

—I found Simon kissing Alisha on the forehead quite touching. Seeing Alisha dead seemed to change something inside him.

—Nathan is seriously useless. He could have killed someone in that television studio. To be fair, who would leave a loaded gun lying around unsupervised?

—How ludicrous, watching Laura choke to death with Lakmé's “Flower Duet” playing in the background. I think I've said it before, but this show uses music so effectively.

Quotes:

Nathan: 'I tripled myself.'

Kelly: 'I shagged a monkey.'
Nathan: 'Technically, it was a gorilla.'

Brian's girlfriend: 'There's a guy downstairs that can rewind time. You can do stuff with milk.'

Nikki: 'Is it true you shit yourself when you die?'
Nathan: 'That only happened once. And I've got a bucket standing by, just in case.'

Kelly: 'Have I got time to go to the toilet before you shoot yourself?'
Nathan: 'A piss, yes. A shit, probably not.'

Nathan: 'And now, for your viewing pleasure, I will blow out my brains on national telly. Enjoy!'

Alisha: 'You think you're surprised? Imagine being me.'

Simon: 'I just want you to know, being here with all of you, has been the best time of my life.'

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