Review: Misfits 1.2

Nathan meets helper Ruth.

Second episode, and Misfits shows us just how gritty it can be in this controversial and absurd episode. Both its storylines revoved around the charismatic Nathan, and they surprisingly manage to touch on a vital message about our treatment of the elderly. It feels a bit of a shame that perhaps the already most vocal character is emphasised in lieu of the others, but I feel that it's important to add some more sentimental characteristics to his otherwise obnoxious nature.
     The group are made to help out at an OAP party, where Nathan is otherwise unoccupied. He sees and chats-up a pretty helper girl called Ruth, who after a drunken night in the community centre end up having sex, during which she transforms into an 82 year old woman. It turns out that Ruth was a pensioner affected by the storm, given a power that satisfied her desire to look young again. Nathan tries to avoid the now-rapidly aging Ruth until he goes round to apologise, and in a touching scene finds her dead in the armchair.While the dark absurdity of this plot in some areas made it feel a little crude, the lack of melodrama provided a refreshing change to the sentimental US drama that was prevalent at the time.

Nathan is "savaged" by Jeremy.

      The main subplot (although it was so woven in with the main that one wouldn't think it was one) surrounded Nathan's home-life, specifically his ailing mother and her boyfriend Jeremy, whom Nathan hates. The gang discover Nathan's step-dad naked on the estate, and later on in the night he appears again, acting like a dog. Nathan's mother has kicked him out of the house, and when he returns to warn his mother about her boyfriend's activities she already knows. He's also been affected by the storm, and is nightly given the mind of his favourite childhood Jack Russell. This subplot is as ridiculous as the main but doesn't hesitate to face the domestic issues apparent in today's youth.
     Elsewhere, a few strands of plot did develop, although not very significantly: Curtis found a mysterious, accusing letter on the inside of his locker, and Simon started chatting online to someone called "shygirl". I think the problem with a Character-A-Week format is that other characters too often get stuck on the sidelines, often having nothing to do before suddenly getting a single week of character development and then nothing after. Series One, in fact, doesn't have an episode that focusses on Kelly, which is a shame.
     As an episode of Misfits 1.2 was fairly standard, taking a mixture of the satirical, cynical and grotesque and creating an entertaining drama. As a Second Episode it was just as successful for the same reasons, showing how far the show was willing to stretch the boundaries, and how these stretches could be played realistically.

Thanks.