Review: Misfits 4.1

Jess (Karla Crome) and Finn (Nathan McMullen) join
the team under stressful circumstances.

When it started, people compared Misfits' urban appeal to that of E4's flagship show, Skins. And we had to hope, really, that that comparison continued when not one but three of the original cast members left last season; two in story and one that may or may not be because of an unfortunate incident where Lauren Socha racially abused a taxi-driver. So we've got two new guys, Jess (the wonderful Karla Crome, who was in Hit And Miss which I reviewed before I gave up on it half-way-through) and Finn (Nathan McMullen). Now with a cast that looks rather different from the original, we have to wonder whether Misfits can survive the change. As far as I can tell, it has. And rather well.
      Jess and Finn arrive, suspicious of their new "probation worker" Rudy. Rudy and Seth are torturing two people in order to find out the combination to a briefcase - including Curtis, whom the two new recruits release from a freezer. Rudy explains that Seth returned from war-torn Uganda (where Kelly has apparently stayed). The three were touched by a gangster carrying the briefcase, whose power made them obsessed with opening it and getting the cash inside. Rudy cut the gangster's hand off in the night. Believing them to be in cahoots with Curtis, Rudy drugs the two new guys and throws them in the freezer. They argue and flirt, with Finn telling an imaginary story about being sexually abused as a child.
     The thief gets dumped in with them, and he explains that ever since he stole the money, everyone around him has been desperate to get it off of him. Finn gets affected by the power just as the theif dies. Seth knocks Rudy out, but Frudy is still around to stand-in. He lets them out, and after explaining that he's not the real Rudy, he tells them that it was he who stole the briefcase. He retrieves it and discovers that Finn and Jess have both been affected by the thief's ability. Finn runs off with the case and there's a confrontation on the roof. The thief takes the case and falls off the roof, opening it and letting the cash fly free. Everyone makes up and they bury yet another body. A new Probation Worker turns up, and he's a badass. Finn goes home, and it's revealed that he keeps a girl locked up.

The new line-up.

     Karla Crome stands out immediately - Jess is confident, witty and wise and she's an absolute joy to have on screen. Nathan McMullen's Finn took a bit longer to convince me, but his optimistic yet jittery persona gave a replacement to the original Simon that wasn't as creepy as fuck. In short, yeah, I really liked these new characters. It seems like both have places they could go, and I thought that their introductions were handled a lot better than Rudy's last year, which seemed to consist of, "Here's the new Nathan, deal with it." This episode felt much more balanced between a genuinely intriguing plot and the new character beats. The comedy came hard and fast, and worked well with the rest of the story to provide a good all-rounder.
     So yeah, I was really impressed by this week. It managed to get everything right in a really intriguing way, with both a fascinating scenario to work in and a set of new characters with impressive opening resumes. Heck, at this point Curtis feels like a bit of a weight, and I'd really like it if his veteran position on the team could be exploited more this series. Other than that, then, this premier was just what I'd wanted - interesting, well-aced and just very, very funny. Good job, Misfits. Keep it up.

Thanks.