Misfits: Episode Five

Rudy: 'Oh, therapy... I love it.'

After the mayhem and time travel of the past two weeks, tonight's episode was more a sedate traipse through character development territory. For the first non-Howard Overman penned episode of the series, I’d say tonight's offering was a success. Rudy's dialogue was as sharp as it's ever been, and provided some much needed relief during the occasional lapse in pace. We also bid a fond adieu to the notorious Shaun. (To his credit, he did manage to stay alive longer than his predecessors.) So, for the most part, I'd say Jon Brown did a competent job. Which can only be good news for next week's similarly Overman-lite outing.

Misfits: Episode Four

Kelly: 'No! You’re not allowed to die.'

Tonight’s episode picked up a seemingly throwaway line from season two and ran with it to incredulity shattering lengths. Last year we learned how Seth sold Curtis’ superpower to some Jewish guy who wanted to kill Hitler—tonight, we got to see how Friedrich Hisch made out. Unsurprisingly, not very well. Instead of preventing the war, his dropped mobile phone gave the Nazis the tactical advantage needed to win, resulting in a poignant, shocking, sometimes hilarious trip through an alternate-history Britain. Oh, and Kelly mullered Hitler.

Misfits: Episode Three

Peter: 'A superhero has to be prepared to die for what he believes in.'

Which is Howard Overman’s not-so-subtle way of reminding us that Simon’s going to die and there’s not a whole lot anyone can do about it. Promising not to travel back in time won't save him—it's already happened. Alisha being alive is proof of that. Simon's story arc is by far the most interesting on the show; the chasm between the man he is, and the man he’ll one day become, is rapidly shrinking. Tonight Superhoodie saved his first innocent, and by way of thanks, Peter laid the foundations for his demise. Now there’s gratitude for you.

Misfits: Episode Two

Melissa: 'You have no idea what it feels like to be a woman.'

I was hoping that with Nathan gone, Howard Overman would spend more time rounding out the show’s characters, and tonight’s episode did just that. For Kelly, Simon and Alisha, community service has been something of a blessing: it’s given them a sense of purpose, some much needed self-worth, and a unique (if twisted) camaraderie. For Curtis, however, it’s been a real step backwards. Before his drugs conviction, he was the only misfit whose life wasn’t an unmitigated disaster. He was someone with real talent. He had a future. In short: he wasn’t a misfit at all.

Misfits: Episode One

Rudy: 'My face. Am I... am I still gorgeous?'

2011 is pretty much a make or break year for Misfits. With Robert Sheehan’s departure back in April, the show lost its most handsome, most disgusting, funniest, most Irish sounding character. Nathan was the hub of the rusted, buckled, sometimes punctured Misfits wheel, so it should come as no surprise that the backlash has already started. Robert Sheehan was trending on Twitter even as the show was airing—which is pretty amazing considering he wasn't even in the episode. Should a show continue once its most popular character has departed? I suspect that’s a question we’ll be asking from now until Christmas.

Doctor Who/Torchwood/The Sarah Jane Adventures Crossover Guide

Doctor Who has spawned three spin-off series' since its return in 2005. Doctor Who sits at the heart of the franchise, with The Sarah Jane Adventures, Class and Torchwood catering for the children, teenager, and adult markets respectively. The question is: how does it all fit together? Below is a chronology of the show's main crossover episodes. It's by no means exhaustive, but what follows should be enough to give the new viewer a rough idea of what to expect, and the order in which to expect it.
the franchise, with

Doctor Who: The Wedding of River Song

Churchill: 'All of history is happening at once.'

You have to admire the ambition of tonight's episode—for fifteen minutes I just stared at the screen, both amazed and befuddled. The visuals were at times breathtaking: from the car carrying balloons, to steam trains exiting the Gherkin, to the vaguely impressive pterodactyls. (Less impressive after Terra Nova's, sadly.) I even liked the weird meld of the Tudor/Roman/post-war eras. True, we ended up with more questions than we got answers to, but this was a remarkable ending to what's been a wholly remarkable season.

Doctor Who: Closing Time

Doctor: 'It's a papoose.'

Tonight's episode reminded me a little of 2005's 'Bad Wolf'. It likewise started off relatively lightweight, before revealing some unexpectedly devious depths. Despite enjoying 'The Lodger' (Gareth Roberts' last effort and prequel to 'Closing Time'), it didn't exactly set my world alight. Tonight's offering was a slight improvement. It's rare we get to see the Doctor in a bromance story—it's even rarer we get to see him almost copping off with another character. Steady on, Matt. You're not in Christopher and His Kind now.

Doctor Who: The God Complex

Doctor: 'I'm not a hero. I really am just a madman in a box.'

I struggled with tonight's episode, and it was only after listening to Toby Whithouse's commentary on Doctor Who Confidential that I understood half of what went on. Second time through, it made a lot more sense, but watching DWC shouldn't be a prerequisite for understanding an episode. Maybe I'm a bit of a dunce, but it all felt unnecessarily convoluted. I did enjoy the last ten minute, however, I just didn't want to believe them. I still don't.

Misfits: Vegas, Baby!

Nathan: 'Who is this?'
Rudy: 'Err... I'm the new guy.'

As fans of the show probably already know, Robert Sheehan announced back in April that he wouldn't be returning for a third season of Misfits. The good news is, E4 haven't left us entirely bereft—they've graciously stumped up the cash for an eight minute webisode and given our favourite foul mouthed miscreant a send-off worthy of... I dunno, a hobo? To sum up the plot: Nathan gets pwned, but not before he wins a shit load of money, loses it all, and then gets arrested. I know, it's hardly Shakespeare—but Nathan's no Hamlet. Hamlet never shat out a rabbit.

Doctor Who: The Girl Who Waited

Amy: 'I'm going to pull time apart for you.'

After the sub par 'Age of Steel/Rise of the Cybermen' this was a real step up in quality from Tom MacRae. This is the kind of episode that Doctor Who excels at: a girl lost in time, waiting for the Doctor. ('The Girl in the Fireplace', 'School Reunion', 'The Big Bang'.) If the highlight of the first half of the season was 'The Doctor's Wife', then this must surely be the zenith of the back six. If there's better still to come, I'll eat my fez.

Doctor Who: Night Terrors

Rory: 'We're dead... again!'

I had the strangest feeling during 'Night Terrors' that I was watching a Russell T. Davies produced episode, written by Steven Moffat. The script felt like a retread of 'Fear Her', yet the subject matter felt distinctly Moffatian. How odd that it was actually a Moffat produced episode, written by Mark Gatiss. For a moment, I though the Doctor had used his TARDIS to take us back in time to the Russell T. Davies era. Now there's a chilling thought.

Doctor Who: Let's Kill Hitler (2)

Mels: 'You've got a time machine. I've got a gun. What the hell. Let's kill Hitler.'

Bonkers! Absolutely bonkers. I don't think I've ever seen anything so mad. 'Let's Kill Hitler' had just about everything: answers, puzzles galore, humour, cleavage, conflict... Rory punching Hitler and then locking him in a cupboard. What more could anyone ask for? (Bearing in mind that this is a family show, not HBO).