Series three of the hit British sci-fi/comedy/drama fusion Misfits aired Sunday night. For those unfamiliar with the show, Misfits is about five young offenders required to work in a community service program. While getting rid of graffiti one day, a strange electrical storm hits the city and leaves the group with powers. But this group of delinquents is no Justice League. Instead of actively finding evil to fight, trouble usually finds them.
The much anticipated season premiere had a lot to live up to. Misfits garnered even more fans to please this past summer, particularly yanks, due to Hulu making it available to the U.S. in June. And more importantly, it was announced in April that Robert Sheehan, who played the show’s main protagonist Nathan Young, would not be returning for series three. With the lack of Nathan’s douchey, yet loveable humor, many fans were skeptical about the next season. However, the series premiere did more than impress, and set the standard pretty high for the episodes to come.
Series three picks up with Rudy Wade, played by Joseph Gilgun, taking over the fifth spot in the group. He was first introduced to the show in an exclusive clip from E4 explaining Nathan’s departure. Although similar to Nathan, the new guy in town has his own personality that meshes perfectly with the rest of the youngsters. It is revealed that he has the ability to split into two identical duplicates and moments of insecurity, one being extremely self-confident to the point of being egotistical, the other full of self-doubt and sensitivity.
Rudy can be pompous, but not to the same level as Nathan. His humor has a bit more of a darker charm while Nathan’s mojo came from his boyish qualities. But what sets apart Rudy from Nathan is the fact that his empathetic and perceptive traits are extremely transparent, at least when he splits into his two polar personalities. Also, he has a back story with leading lady Alisha Bailey (played by Antonia Thomas), that may bring some conflict to her and Simon Bellamy’s relationship (Simon is played by Iwan Rheon).
Also vital to the series premiere was the group’s new powers. At the end of series two, the team had traded in their original endowments for money. Realizing they were better off with abilities, they returned to the powers dealer to get them back. Unfortunately, they had already been sold to others, meaning they had to get new ones.
The original four's first powers all were representative of some insecurity or something from their past. Keeping up with the continuity, their new powers are no exception, however the nature behind them has yet to be completely revealed.
Kelly Bailey (played by Lauren Socha) originally had the ability to read minds due to her constant worry of what others thought of her. She now has the intellect of a rocket scientist, probably deriving from some self-doubt in her capabilities. Simon used to feel so left out that he could turn invisible. But his new power lets him see the outcome of his actions before he tries anything, likely due to his still slight self-doubt.
Before the trade-in, Alisha’s physical contact with any man turned them into sex-craving beasts who would not leave her alone until sex, almost to the point of rape. Her power came from her promiscuity, however due to it being more of a curse, it humbled her. The British beauty can now put herself into other people’s perspectives and see what they are doing, probably stemming from her want for other people to see what it’s like to be in her shoes sometimes.
Finally, Curtis Donovan (portrayed by Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) used to be able to turn back time in situations of high stress, a power sourced from his regret of his running career being shattered because he was caught with drugs on him. Now he can transform into a female. It could this be a subtext for a doubting sexuality, especially from the preview for next week’s episode.
Although the introduction of so many new things could have been catastrophic, the addition of a new cast member and flurry of fresh powers worked for the premiere. Rudy looks like he is going to be a great fit to the group, especially being he already landed the team back in community service, and the story behind him and Alisha seems like it is heading in a heartwrenching direction. As for the powers, they coincide with how the characters have changed since the first episode, leaving viewers impressed with how the plot for the premiere was set up and excited for what producers have ready for the reason of the series..
The episode itself was also more than solid. It had a usual “wrong-doer” with powers, Kelly’s hilarious quotes and loveable moments between Alisha and Simon. Overall, the series premiere delivered even without the memorable Nathan. Also, introducing new powers has added another layer to the storylines. Audiences will be looking forward to the rest of the series, as the premiere of Misfits was far from a miss.