It's not often that we get such a strong story-driven episode. As well as the Rudy-centric stuff, they also managed to develop Abby and Greg's stories—if you can count Abby spending half the episode sniffing a strangers' scarf, and Greg watching Finn take a shower, as character development. I can, therefore I am.
Theories abounded across the weekend over the identity of the curly haired individual in last week's teaser. Would Nathan be making a surprise return? Well, no. E4 would never bring back such a high profile character without teasing the crap out of us first. Instead, we were introduced to Sam, the flying guy from Rudy's prophetic jumper. Is it possible that none of our misfits are woven into the pattern? Why did the old lady give the jumper specifically to Rudy then? Is the image the full story or just part of the picture?
Rudy's dad having the exact same identity splitting ability as Rudy was an terrific twist which I guessed just seconds before the reveal. I enjoyed seeing Rudy and Jess work as a team. Not only was it fertile soil for some hilarious physical comedy and side-splitting dialogue, it also showed a comparatively caring side to Rudy's personality. Will Jess and Rudy end up together? Normally, the prospect of such a development would send me screaming from the room, but Rudy was actually quite sweet tonight. And I loved that Rudy came clean about his relationship with Jess. Where the hell is all this honesty coming from? It's freaking me out.
By comparison, Rudy's past is a mire of foetid whoppers. I couldn't quite work out how much of his past was fake and how much was real. The part about him being at University studying for a Master's Degree in computer science was obviously false—he's doing community service in Wertham—but his face seemed to light up when he mentioned being president of the student union, captain of the rowing team, and almost qualifying for the Olympics. Was he simply impressed by his own ability to lie, or was there an element of truth in there somewhere? You have to hand it to Rudy, when he concocts an untruth, he really goes for it.
It was also nice to see Rudy admit that, despite his lush pubic bush, he's still pretty immature. Not that this is much of a revelation to us, but it was interesting to see Rudy acknowledge it. He doesn't always mean to offend people, it just seems to come out that way. It's a defence mechanism. I loved seeing an emotionally battered Rudy. I also loved seeing the way Jess turned him around. She encourage the hero within, which eventually culminated in him saving his parents' marriage. Obviously, Jess did all the mental lifting, but it was Rudy who made her plans succeed.
This was such a funny episode. I swear, I watched Rudy kicking the front off Jess' CD player about a dozen times and it got progressively funnier. Usually, picking out my favourite quotes is something of a chore. Sometimes you can't hear what the characters are saying, frequently the subtitles are wrong, and there are often no online resources from which to copy/paste quotes. This week, however, Howard Overman stuffed Rudy and Jess' exchanges with so many funnies, that I was spoiled for choice. I couldn't wait to re-watch this episode.
Wouldn't it be an amusing twist if Greg weren't gay at all? They're obviously setting up the idea, what with (a) Greg calling Curtis an attractive young man, (b) his occasional sensitivity (when he's not being an utter arse), (c) his love of singing 'The Power of Love' at (do your job, spell checker) Karaoke (nailed it!) bars, and (d) his empathy on catching Alex 'up' Finn last week. But none of these things are proof of anything. (Although the Jennifer Rush thing is obviously suspect). Stereotypes do not a gay man make. I doubt they're going to surprise us, but I hope they do.
And while we're on the subject of sexuality, were Abby's scarf sniffing antics perhaps a pointer to her own sexual orientation? She appears to have scored herself a night out with Laura—which may explain why having sex with Finn last season felt so wrong. Of course, it could simply be that poor Finn's just dreadful in the sack. At first I thought finding the owner of the scarf would uncover some hidden secret from Abby's past, but Laura didn't seem to recognise her at all. The plot thickens.
Other Thoughts:
—Both Jess and Rudy 2 pulled Rudy 1 up on his insults tonight and both times he backed down. He even almost agreed to let Rudy 2 see his mother. Is the lad going soft or something?
—Two episodes—two Cornetto references. Coincidence? I think not. This means something this does.
—Rudy 2's speech about not being ashamed of who they are and not having to hide away felt very much like a wake up call to kids with powers everywhere. Is there going to be a global uncloseting?
—Awww... Rudy bought Jess a packet of crisps.
—I suppose it's only natural that a superhero show on a low budget is going to concentrate more on the fallout of having powers, than the powers themselves, but it was good to see both Jess and Finn flex their magical muscles tonight. I'd say Finn's need more toning.
Quotes:
Rudy: “I suppose you only have sex with people you find physically attractive?”
Jess: “It's a weird rule that I have.”
Rudy: “Well, that's just shallow, isn't it.”
Rudy 1: “I will not come from a broken home. I won't be one of them kids who's still pissing himself in his early to mid teens.”
Rudy 2: “You were one of them kids.”
Rudy 1: “I had a bladder infection.”
Rudy: “I can't do this. I can't do it on me own. I'm not mature enough. You know what: I might have a lush pubic bush, but that does not maketh me a man. I'm a child. I'm masquerading in a man's body back here.”
Jess: “All right. Just stop talking about your lush public bush.”
Rudy: “I use volumising conditioner, in case you were wondering.”
Rudy: “I'm not gay, so...”
Maggie: “Well, there was all that trouble with the boy scouts.”
Rudy: “Fucking Hell! That was an experimental stage, wan't it? No one judged Isaac Newton when he was friggin' wanking on apples, did he?”
Maggie: ““Yeah, well apples aren't the same as twelve year old boys.”
Rudy: “Yeah, well maybe not to you mum, and that's maybe why you never discovered the fucking laws of gravity.”
Jess: “You've broken my CD player!”
Rudy: “Well who the friggin' hell plays CDs any more? It's ridiculous!”
Jess: “Call your dad and ask him if he wants to meet you for a beer.”
Rudy: “What do you mean... my dad's murdered his girlfriend and you want me to take him for a beer? Why don't I just throw in some ten pin bowling and a fucking foot massage!”
Rudy: “Get out now, dickhead!”
Geoff: “I'm not going anywhere.”
Rudy: “Fuck!”
Geoff: “I'm very comfortable in the bosom of my family.”
Rudy: “It isn't your family! Get the fuck out of my bosom, dickhead.”
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