Review: Misfits 4.3

Grr.

Some rudimentary psychology for you. Everyone has at their base three personality states - Child, which runs on the id and acts submissive; Adult, which is the central and rational version of the self; and Parent, which aims to control others. It's another version of the Id, Ego, Superego idea and Misfits is using that perfectly when it comes to Rudy. This time we're introduced to the idea that Rudy hasn't just released Frudy upon the world, but has also got a Dark Side - or, as I will say, Drudy. It's new dynamic, and an interesting one that this episode uses to add a slice of variety to our regular characterisations (and to give Joe Gilgun a chance to be a bit more serious).
     Drudy has just been released from some very accepting prison after having beaten someone up in a club, and comes back to re-integrate with Rudy and take over his body. Social worker Lola (Lucy Gaskell) arrives to act all sexy around Curtis, while Drudy makes his mark by thieving from Jess's locker. He manages to get inside her head when they talk, and he creeps her out. Finn gets seduced by his step-mother, but gets abandoned by Jess, leading him to walk out on her. Frudy comes back to find Drudy has returned, and a short exertion of Rudy's central personality almost allows him the chance to escape. While Finn is shown up in public, he also has another run-in with the probation worker who's acting as bit more mental. Finn's stepmother comes back again and she's more desperate for a relationship; he's too much of a chicken to break it off.
     Curtis flirts with Lola and Jess flirts with Alex, after which Drudy freaks Jess out some more. Finn is forced to stop his stop-mum from telling the truth to his dad, but he doesn't get their in time and he has a father-son chat. He reveals that he isn't Finn's real father, and thus disowns him. The probation worker discovers someone has stolen a wedding cake, and tears a strip off of the three - meeting his match with Drudy. When they talk, Jess catches on that his personality has changed. Drudy explains some of the mechanics while Jess explains some some of her background. Drudy nearly strangles Jess so she stabs him with some scissors. Before he dies, she convinces him to let his two other selves go. They bury yet another corpse, and Finn makes it up with Jess.

The probation worker meets his match in Dark Rudy

     This week's episode wasn't very funny, but I feel that it took a very successful Being-Human-esque movement from comedy to drama and used the various characterisations to make it work. It was the best episode so far this series, for the simple reason that I enjoyed all of the characterisations. While yet again Curtis got relegated to putting his penis into people (which, 1.4 aside, is basically his only consistent ability so far), the other three characters got a lot to do and a lot of background. It wasn't laugh-a-minute, but it did have the oomph of good characterisation from all hands. Good show.

Thanks.