Misfits series 5 episode 5 review

This review contains spoilers.

This final year of Misfits has been really great and, though this Finn-centric fifth episode wasn’t my absolute favourite, I can admit that the reason is a personal one. Finn’s probably my least favourite character of the new group, but at least this episode took us back to the sci-fi concept vs. crude humour of old Misfits. In it, Finn is taken hostage by a girl, Leah, who can both create virtual worlds and download herself into anyone she has the phone number of. She takes a liking to our Finn, and downloads him onto a memory stick to keep him with her, Meanwhile, in an attempt to put Finn off Jess, Rudy films her on the toilet and accidentally creates the world’s new internet sensation.

The Leah storyline really did feel like something Misfits might have done in its first couple of seasons, and provided a nice break from the comedy elsewhere, rather than the other way around. That said, I much prefer when the show falls somewhere in the middle, as it has the last few weeks, and the vast tonal difference between the two stories was a little jarring at times. The A-plot was a dark insight into out society with a neat genre twist. The video storyline, in general, would have been nothing without Rudy involved and, even with him at the centre, it still seemed like pointless filler – maybe I just have to adjust my sense of humour.

And if we’re talking about things not to like, I’m having some problems with the way Alex’s new power is being handled. We established the week before last that he was going to try and help people, but there was a moment in this episode where he was basically threatening to assault someone to stop their evil plot. And, as it was Leah, the term evil plot doesn’t even apply. There is comedic potential in the move, sure, but this is an sample of what can come across if it’s used alongside more harmless powers like Finn’s telekinesis. I get the sense that there’s more to come, as the series seems to be focusing on one character at a time this year, and I dread to think what we’re in store for in the Alex-centric episode.

One of my favourite things about this series is the developing romance between Rudy and Jess, and that finally moved forward this week. It felt a little unnecessary to bring back a love triangle that hasn’t really existed all year (there’s no mention of whether Alex would mind, either), but now at least we get something new to watch within the same group of people. This relationship is a very different beast to the one between Simon and Alisha and, with the writers doing their best to develop both Rudy and Jess into characters that might actually fit well together, I’m looking forward to seeing how they can actually maintain a relationship going into the finale. There are still three weeks to muck it up, after all.

But there’s a healthy amount of intrigue to go along with it, as Rudy Two is on a mission to uncover the truth behind the premonition jumper before it comes true. He tracks down the electrician from last week and tells her she might become a proper superhero and, with a teased return of the guy who can fly, the pieces are being arranged for some promisingly epic set pieces. My expectations were fairly low going into this series but, after seeing all of the good ideas and solid execution this year, they’re back up to hopeful levels. See you next week for more Misfits madness!

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

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