Misfits - Series 1

 

 Any show that's heralded as a cross between 'Skins' and 'Heroes' is going to have instant appeal to a certain demographic - and E4 know all about that. Calculated and contrived, the results are actually much better than you might think.
 
Supposedly a teenage comedy drama, its 18 certificate (like that of 'Skins') is slightly laughable as the bulk of people buying the DVD will be just slight of that.
 
The publicity that came with my strange 'one episode to a disc' DVD-R check-discs says:  The show features a hot young cast of emerging acting talent - Robert Sheehan (Red Riding), Iwan Rheon (Spring Awakening), Lauren Socha (The Unloved) Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (The History Boys) and newcomer Antonia Thomas.


 Misfits kicks off with five teenagers who are thrown together as they work on a 'Community Payback' scheme at a local community centre, where they spend their days scrubbing off graffiti and picking up litter. When the 18 year olds get caught in a freak storm they miraculously develop strange superpowers which change their lives forever.  
 
Party-girl Alisha (Antonia Thomas) can send people into a sexual frenzy with just one touch, lovable chav Kelly (Lauren Socha) can hear peoples' thoughts, while one-time sporting hero Curtis (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) discovers he has the power to turn back time.  Simon (Iwan Rheon), the clever but shy one, discovers he can turn invisible - which is what he has always felt.
 

Smart-alec and Irish charmer Nathan (Robert Sheehan) is furious to discover that he is the only one of the gang apparently unaffected by the storm. The biggest mystery about him remains how he got his community service order in the first place - all anyone knows is there was a mysterious incident involving some pick-n-mix…
 
Bound by a deadly secret, the rest of the gang try to get their heads round their new abilities, while Nathan is left trying to find out what his power might be.


 Over six episodes, the Misfits reluctantly step up to the plate to save each other and the rest of their community from the very thing they've all been mistaken for - the bad guys.  But our gang don't swap their Reebok classics and ankle tags for capes and tights. Instead, they discover just how tough life can be when you're all that stands between good and evil. Well, that and your curfew…


The characters are well defined, if a bit clichéd, though all are well cast. Here's a brief overview of the pack.
 
Nathan - 'Me? I was done for eating some pic 'n' mix.'
Quick-witted, cocky and borderline annoying, Nathan is always the first to fire back a funny or sarcastic retort. But beneath this brash veneer, Nathan isn't as emotionally untouchable as he makes out…Despite being caught in the storm with the rest of the gang, and much to his annoyance, Nathan is the only Misfit without a super-power. But that doesn't stop him trying to find out what his power is in a series of more and more outlandish tests…
 
Kelly - 'You go round saying someone's a slag, you're going to get a slap.'
With her hair scraped back and her over-sized hoop earrings, your first impression of Kelly might be that she is your common or garden chav who wouldn't look out of place on Jeremy Kyle. And you'd be right. But despite her volatile temper, Kelly is fiercely loyal to her friends, and beneath all that war-paint there's a heart of gold. After the storm strikes, Kelly soon discovers that she has the power to hear peoples' thoughts, which means that anyone that makes a snap judgement on Kelly's appearance is more than likely to get a head-butt…


 
Curtis -'I shouldn't even be here.'
Curtis was a rising sports star, a 100m sprinter whose goal it was to compete at London 2012. But all that changed when he got caught with a wrap of class 'A'. With his career in tatters and with the heavy weight of regret on his shoulders, Curtis is trying to piece his life back together. After he gets caught in the storm, Curtis realises that he has the ability to turn back time, but no matter how hard he tries, his power isn't under his control and only kicks in when he feels regret…
 
Alisha -'This cop hands me the breathalyser, and I'm like - 'Do I suck - or blow?'
A spoilt princess who uses her looks and smile to wrap men around her little finger, Alisha has had more than her fair share of boyfriends. Most of them for no longer than one night. But that's fine with Alisha - life's for having fun and she's enjoying every minute…Until the storm strikes and Alisha discovers that every person she touches wants to sleep with her. It's more of a curse than a blessing as Alisha has to adapt to life with her new power and is forced to reassess her relationship with the opposite sex.


 
Simon - 'I soaked some tissues in lighter fluid, I lit them, and I dropped them through the letter box… but there was a cat…'
Despite a sharp, calculating mind, Simon is a social outcast who was either ignored or bullied at school. Lost and lonely, Simon lacks the confidence to develop relationships, to make friends, to live a normal life. And because of this he often comes across as the weird kid in the corner… Simon's power doesn't help his ineptness in social situations as he discovers that he becomes invisible when he is ignored. But though he is not initially in control of his power, Simon is a fast learner…
 
This DVD features over an hour of extra material including behind the scenes videos with cast & crew, the making of Misfits and 'Simon's films' - 4 videos Simon took on his phone of the other group members.
 
Made by Clerkenwell Films (Afterlife, ITV's Persuasion) for E4, Misfits is the first major commission for writer/creator Howard Overman (Merlin, Hustle).  Two young directors Tom Green and Tom Harper take the helm, the former in his television directorial debut, the latter hot off The Scouting Book for Boys and Cubs.


 
For a programme made by, featuring and aimed at 'youth' you'd have to concede that, at its best, 'Misfits' works very well. The acting is fairly convincing and the direction, if a little contrived, is certainly well thought through with some nice focus pulls, long steadicam sequences and some first-class special effects.
 
It's another in a string of programmes that uses a very pale and grey palette (where all seems slightly faded other than primary colours like red) and this a consequence of some serious grading in post-production, rather easy to do now with digital suites and Hi-Def video. The results will lock the programme firmly into the era from which is was made, and it is not really a look I care for, though it does add to the hyper-gritty realism of the piece; more 'Bad Girls' than 'Heroes'.


 
The extras will please fans of the series with their candor and documentary realism, though in common with most making of material, I found this just too tedious to watch in its entirety.
 
All in all, a highly original and well executed series that may have started life as the most calculated and contrived series of the decade, and yet ended up being actually rather good. My eldest teenage daughter certainly enjoyed it, and she is a very big fan of both 'Skins' and 'Heroes'. Certainly worth a punt.