Misfits: Episode Eight

Rudy: 'They chose the wrong day to do that, Finlay, because I'm feeling very hormonal.'

A solid series finale, although probably not as good as I was hoping. The show's produced some cracking stories in the past: from Curtis' zombie noir, to Simon and Alisha's eternal love cycle, to Kelly head-butting Hitler. Tonight's episode wasn't quite as epic, although Alex stealing Sam's power mid-air will take some beating in terms of iconic show moments. And at least the misfits finally became heroes. What a pity we'll never see them in action.

Misfits: Episode Seven

Rudy 2: 'We're going to be unstoppable.'

Tonight was party time at Wertham Community Centre, and what a disaster it turned out to be. It was always going to be a risky proposition, packing the place full of strangers with superpowers, but it was Rudy introducing the power-reversing ecstasy which really tipped it into the chaotic. Tim got iced, Finn now knows about Jess and Rudy, Stuart and Greg danced up a storm, Jess is (or soon will be) pregnant, and Mark the tortoise became a real boy—right before being turned inside out. Colonel Saunders would've been proud.

Misfits: Episode Six

Jess: 'Er, no. Don't look at me like that, because you're in love with a turtle, so...'

The superhero jumper posse are together at last. I didn't think Rudy 2 wouldn't find Karen until next week, but now he has, what now? Is the building on the jumper a significant edifice in the story, or simply an incidental backdrop? What are the R-Men supposed to do? More importantly, will Rudy 2 be able to convince them to do it?

Misfits: Episode Five

Rudy: "Refuted! I refute you, Sir!"

After a slight dip in chuckles last week, tonight's episode was jam packed full of quotables. Welcome back, Howard Overman! Rudy and Jess' relationship is blossoming, Finn's found himself a new girlfriend, and Helen is about to become part of Rudy 2's R-Men. (Like the X-Men, but R-ier.) They also gave us the final piece of Greg's story: a reveal brimming with pathos, poetry, unrequited love, and extreme physical violence. Doesn't it warm your heart?

Misfits: Episode Four

Abbey: "Use your power, Alex. Help people. Be a superhero."

A Jon Brown penned episode this week. His stuff isn't quite as quotable as Howard Overman's, but after two seasons of active duty, Brown knows these characters inside out, and he certainly didn't disappoint. I cringed and laughed as much at tonight's episode as any other. He also managed to make Rudy look vaguely human—which is no mean feat.

Misfits: Episode Three

Laura: "I'm really glad I made you."
Abby: “Me too.”

Absolutely superb! Everything about this episode flowed seamlessly. Several of the long running storylines came to a head, the main arc objective is now clear, and for the first time since season three, the show feels whole again. Which makes it all the more galling that we only have five episodes left.

Misfits: Episode Two

Rudy: “I think I'm going to cry.”

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.

Misfits: Episode One

Rudy: “Women are very much like tractors.”

Misfits is back for its fifth and final season, and after just one episode, I already feel dirty, confused, and slightly ashamed. So mission accomplished, Howard Overman.

Being Human: The Last Broadcast

Alex: 'Shit's getting real out there.'

As far as finales go, that was incredible. Just when we thought we were about to get our happy ending, they pulled the rug out from under our feet and sent us sprawling. For fifteen minutes I felt excitement, which turned to weeping, then disappointment, then happiness, then confusion. I think I'm still stuck at confusion. Was this a fitting end to five years of blood, death and long brooding stares? You know, love it or hate it, I think it probably was.

Being Human: No Care, All Responsibility

Rook: 'Close your eyes. Don't look at the monsters.'


I spent the first half of tonight's episode wondering when something was going to happen, and the last half wishing that nothing had. In traditional penultimate episode style, everything went colossally wrong—leaving Toby Whithouse just with 60 minutes to either pull it out of the bag or feel the wrath of my right boot up his arse.

Being Human: The Greater Good

Hal: 'All we are doing is marking time until the inevitable happens.'

Another great character episode, although the season arc itself is a little slow to get going. I guess I keep expecting Captain Hatch to explode in a burst of malevolent madness. Instead, he just sits there, gently picking people off and manipulating others from afar. Not that I'm complaining, it's an effective strategy. The Barry Grand Hotel has a higher mortality rate than Midsomer.

Being Human: Pie and Prejudice

Hal: 'What have you done? You've broken Mary!'

I confess, I wasn't anticipating any stand-alones this season. With the end in sight, and a reduced episode run, I was expecting a mainly story driven final four. So, although initially miffed by the appearance of the seemingly obligatory comedy episode, this actually turned out to be a fascinating character piece. To say Hal killing Larry has thrown a spanner in the works seems like something of an understatement. After over 200 years of lying to Lady Mary, Hal looks set to continue the tradition with his house-mates. This isn't going to end well, is it?

Being Human: Sticks and Ropes

Hal: 'Very well, Thomas. I accept the challenge.'

Now Being Human has been cancelled, I'm finding it difficult to decide what might pass as an appropriate finale. Will they all live happily ever after? Have the new characters had sufficient time to develop so that, in the event of their possible deaths, we'll all feel suitably distraught? If Hal died, I'd definitely miss him. Tom, too probably. Alex, being the relative newcomer, needs some work, but tonight Toby Whithouse did his best to oblige, and thankfully, he did a better job of hanging flesh on Alex's bones than Alex did of playing the organ.

Being Human: The Trinity.

Hal: 'Fill a bowl with boiling water and washing-up-liquid. This is a two sets of Marigolds problem.'

A solid opener to what promises to be Being Human's biggest season yet. Thanks to the rickety economy, we're down to six episodes instead of eight, but this doesn't seem to have diluted Toby Whithouse's ambition. The villains have been getting bigger each season, so it should come as no surprise that this year's big bad is none other than Beelzebub himself. And with Phil Davis on board as Captain Hatch, how can this not be awesome? Well, quite easily, really—but at least we're off to a good start.

Doctor Who: The Big Bang (2)

Amy: 'Okay, kid. This is where it gets complicated.'

Good grief, she wasn't kidding. This was an episode which broke all the rules. There was no clashing of alien hardware, no Doctor v arch-nemesis fight to the death—all we got is one fossilised Dalek, and even it looked fit to drop. But what this episode failed to deliver in terms of dazzling, high-octane spectacle, it more than made up for in brain scrambling complexity. We went back and forth through time more times tonight than we've done all season. We were also treated to a wedding, two Amy Ponds, the return of Aunt Sharon, and dancing so freakishly disturbing that it should never have been shown before the water shed.

Doctor Who: The Pandorica Opens (1)

Unknown voice: 'Silence will fall.'

This was a massive episode. Not only were the stakes enormous and the cliff-hanger whopping, we were treated to perhaps the biggest assembly of Doctor Who baddies the show has ever seen. Not just fifth season villains, either—we got to see Autons, Cybermen, Sycorax, Daleks, Judoon, Sontarans, and a whole host of other nasties too numerous to mention (except I do mention them later). It was like fanfic times 10 to the power of 23 (I did the math). I also totally had several nerdgasma.

Doctor Who: The Lodger

Craig: 'Has anyone ever told you that you're a bit weird?'
Doctor: 'They never really stop.'

A brilliant beginning, an embarrassing middle, and a disappointing ending. But enough about the England game—what about Doctor Who? (Boom tish!) Tonight's episode was a serviceable, if companion-lite, story about the joys of normal life, the intricacies of making an omelette, and how not to blow up the solar system. At times, it felt a little light on plot—but it was so full of humour that I didn't give a monkey's.

Doctor Who: Vincent and the Doctor

Van Gogh: 'I know how it will end... and it will not end well.'

I really didn't think I'd like this one. I'm not usually a fan of historical episodes. Despite being vaguely enjoyable, there's a sameness about them which irks me. The historical figures are often portrayed as caricatures, which is fine for comedic purposes, but it's hard to get emotionally involved when the characters don't feel like real people. You smile at the familiar references, you chuckle at the Doctor somehow being responsible for their most famous works or sayings, but ultimately, it all feels a little contrived. Well, not tonight. 'Vincent and the Doctor' was an absolute gem. It was funny, charming, exciting—yet had a poignancy and depth we seldom get to see in Doctor Who.

Doctor Who: Cold Blood (2)

Doctor: 'Yes, squeaky bum time.'

Virtually every TV paper this week gave tonight's episode a lukewarm reception. Some even went as far as saying that it was a disappointment after last week's 'suspenseful opener'. I respectfully disagree. Firstly, I didn't think last week's episode was particularly suspenseful, and secondly, I don't think tonight's episode suffered by way of comparison. Okay, so it wasn't marvellous—but there was more than enough content to keep me entertained, and plenty of mystery to keep me wondering.

Doctor Who: The Hungry Earth (1)

Amy: 'Oh please, have you always been this disgusting?'
Doctor: 'No, it's recent.'

To some degree, this whole episode felt like an homage to the Pertwee era. The return of the Silurians was the most obvious tip of that hat, but there was also the TARDIS landing in the wrong place, at the wrong time (as was the norm in Worzel's day); the mining plot, which shared many story elements with 1970's episode 'Inferno' (i.e. a team of science boffins, drilling through the earth's crust, attempting to mine its rare resources... etc); and the idea of brokering a peace between the Silurians and mankind was an idea first explored in the imaginatively named 'Doctor Who and the Silurians'. I guess, after 47 years, it's only natural that a show's going to repeat itself.