Nobody could have predicted the spectacular success of E4's teen-superhero series Misfits last year. When news of a British alternative to Heroes leaked in the summer of 2009, most people braced themselves for a tedious, low-budget mess -- based solely on the concept of delinquent teenagers being given super-powers. Instead, Misfits immediately proved itself a witty, profane, imaginative and thematically compelling series, using its British perspective to craft something rawer than the US mainstream would allow. In many ways, it became the Trainspotting of superhero drama on TV; winning big ratings, critical respect, and a BAFTA for Best Drama. For the uninitiated, Misfits concerns five felonious teenagers who live on a council state, where they're currently doing community service to pay for their crimes. There's young athlete Curtis (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), who was caught with illegal drugs, putting his career at risk; cocky Nathan (Robert Sheehan), an extroverted Irish boy charged with theft and assault; introverted Simon (Iwan Rheon), caught attempting arson; petulant Kelly (Lauren Socha), arrested for fighting in public; and party girl Alisha (Antonia Thomas), who was caught drink driving. After a freak hailstorm, the young offenders found themselves blessed/cursed with strange powers: Curtis can rewind time, Simon can turn invisible, Kelly can read minds, Alisha can cause sexual frenzies by touch, and Nathan... was apparently unaffected. Although (spoiler alert!), series 1 ended with Nathan killed after falling off a roof and impaling himself on a fence railing, only to wake up buried in a coffin, thus realizing he's immortal. After such a remarkable first year, there's naturally the worry of "second album syndrome" affecting series 2, particularly as Misfits continues to be written by just one man, Howard Overman, who now has the added pressure of knowing Misfits will be dissected and analyzed by critics and fans alike. Having a show unspool from one person's imagination has its pro's and con's, but ultimately I can't help thinking you risk burnout. The premiere of series 2 was essentially more of the same, quickly dealing with the issue of Nathan's premature burial by, rather predictably, having Kelly hear his thoughts while visiting his grave. And yes, horndog Nathan could be heard masturbating, having also soiled himself six feet under. From there, the script found a funny way to get Nathan back into community service (he made the mistake of returning to work, forgetting his "death" has erased him from the system), and a dumb way to explain the miracle of his resurrection (off-screen, Nathan simply told his parents he faked his demise -- which will just have to do). So, before the first ad break, Misfits had untangled its knots and dived into another freak-of-the-week story, involving a bug-eyed shapeshifter called Lucy (Evelyn Hoskins), who has such an obsession with Simon she starts using her transformative power to get closer to him. This led to Simon receiving a blowjob from "Alisha", and "Kelly" emasculating Nathan over the size of his manhood, before Lucy posed a more serious problem after learning the gang were responsible for the deaths of their previous probation workers. There was a real confidence and swagger to this opener. It's certainly one of the most visually creative shows on British TV right now, having the flair and aesthetic of a cool indie movie. Director Tom Green returns behind the camera, and delivered some incredibly cinematic sequences --such as the moment when the camera followed a paper airplane in flight, thrown from a building across an expanse of water, to poke Kelly in the eye. The only downside is that (for me, anyway) the visual embellishments are occasionally overblown and distracting, particularly whenever a third of the screen appears to be smudged, smeared and blurred, for no discernible reason. Unfortunately, while it continued the verve and punch of series 1, I must admit this episode disappointed me for several reasons. I hate it when juicy developments get reset, and this story dodged plausibility regarding Nathan's revival, just to get the show back to basics quickly. I can understand why this was done, but I'd have preferred more realism. It's also true that Misfits has a core freak-of-the-week formula, which means most stories resemble grittier versions of old Smallville episodes, and this one wasn't as strong as they've been in the past. The idea of an infatuated shapeshifter pursuing Simon was fine, but the relationship between Simon and Lucy wasn't terribly clear and, consequently, I didn't feel very engaged with the story. Instead, it was best just to focus on the show having fun with the trope of uncertain identities and people "acting out of character". It was particularly amusing when the gang's solution to the dilemma was deciding on "monkeyslut" as a password. Episode 1 also continued the mystery of the "masked man/woman" who debuted in series 1's finale (rescuing Nathan on a bicycle), and appears to be the gang's guardian angel, often seen standing on the edge of rooftops in a Batman pose. The masked man seems to be steering their fate, nudging them down certain paths, and considering his "lair" contains a giant digital clock, I predicting this person's a time traveller trying to ensure history flows in the right direction. And I wouldn't be surprised if, behind that mask, it's one of the main characters -- hence the Timecrimes-esque disguise. Overall, I have no doubt my average rating for this episode may surprise people, but while I enjoyed the superb performances, arch one-liners, filthy dialogue, and stylish visuals... the storyline didn't grab me, and I was disappointed by how quickly it dispensed with series 1's fallout. And, trouble is, when you have such a wonderful freshman year, the bar's automatically raised (along with audience expectations), and I just wanted more from a premiere than another freak-of-the-week caper.
WRITER: Howard Overman DIRECTOR: Tom Green CAST: Lauren Socha, Iwan Rheon, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Antonia Thomas, Robert Sheehan, Craig Parkinson & Evelyn Hoskins TRANSMISSION: 11 November 2010, E4/HD, 10PM