Misfits series 5 episode 3 review

This review contains spoilers.

Our focus was on Alex in the first episode, Rudy in the second and now its Abby’s turn. Prior to this week’s episode, Abby was the most underwritten and mysterious character on the show, but another strong outing from the final series of Misfits has meant that she’s now as much a part of the gang as anyone. That’s quite a feat and, although the promise of a bogeyman imaginary monster wasn’t quite used to its full potential, this episode showed off another of Misfits’ signature moods – discomfort that ends up being quite touching.

The discomfort part primarily came from the B-plot between Finn and Greg. I’ve been dreading this relationship playing out since last series and, now that it’s arrived, it was just as nasty as I expected. I understand that Greg has become a very popular character and a lot of fans find his fixation on Finn hilarious, but these dodgy storylines have never been my favourite trick for Misfits to pull. Though their duet on The Power of Love was fairly amusing, the predatory nature of the situation overrode any enjoyment I could have had.

That said, I loved the fake-out death of yet another probation worker, and the fact that they’ve played this card probably means that Greg is going to be the first occupant of the job not to die horrifically. It’s a nice change, and really had me fooled before Greg awoke mid-burial. Hopefully he’s kept as a background character for the rest of the series, as that’s where I feel he works best. The storyline’s silver lining was how it brought Alex, Finn and Rudy together – these guys are finally feeling like a solid unit rather than five random people thrown together.

And the reveal of Abby’s identity didn’t disappoint, either, as we discover that she is actually the physical manifestation of an imaginary friend. She doesn’t have a power, but is instead the product of someone else’s – Laura, who we met last week. Since leaving the bar, the pair have been engaged in a romantic relationship (on which the gang walked in) but, once Abby discovers that her flashbacks to a childhood monster are real, she realises her true identity. The fallout was sweet and quietly sad, and I thought it was the perfect explanation after far too long of a wait.

Scary, the ying to Abby’s yang, was effectively frightening right up until the moment he became a real threat, and I was slightly disappointed about how much this villain was used. Then again, Misfits has never really been about its villains, but rather how its heroes react to those threats. In this regard, I’m glad that this episode was a strong as it was, and it’s nice that we can move forwards with Abby as a proper character rather than the blank enigma she’s been thus far. The powers this year are well and truly back, and the promise of a recurring character with the ability to fly is a tantalising one that the show has only teased.

We seem to be focusing on one character a week this year, and I couldn’t be happier that Joseph Gilgun gets another episode as Rudy Two after last week’s Rudy One adventure. With him the only member of the gang delving into the power support group, next week should be the hour in which we move forwards with the superhero stuff the most. That excites me and, after another quality outing for the final series, I’m one happy viewer going forwards. I hope they can keep up the quality as, so far, series five is the best Misfits has been in a good couple of years. 

Read Caroline’s review of the previous episode, here.

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