Are you in need of a series to binge watch? “Misfits”, this odd science fiction comedy-drama British television series (2009-2013) already ended in 2013, but people are still talking about it. It was a massive hit for a reason: the show was impressive in its storytelling, soundtrack, and British dark dry humor (there are absolutely no filters, but many jokes about sex and manhood!), and the brilliant cast.
“Misfits” launched the careers of many famous actors, for example, Iwan Rheon (who could only forget the brutal and sadistic Ramsay Snow from “Game of Thrones”?), Robert Sheehan (“Umbrella Academy”), Joseph Gilgun (“Preacher”) and Natasha O’Keeffe (“Peaky Blinders”). Each of them is already definitely a reason enough to watch this British show, even if you don’t like this genre and are more into video games and tonybet.com. After all, Robert Sheehan and Lauren Socha have even received BAFTA nominations for their portrayals of Nathan Young and Kelly Bailey.
But what makes “Misfits” so original and unique? The drama is centered on five teenage criminals working in a community service program who get struck by lightning in a thunderstorm. After that, five young outcasts discover supernatural abilities: eccentric Nathan Young (Robert Sheehan) becomes immortal, beautiful Alisha can make men and women love and adore her only by touching them, and nerdy meek freak and outsider Simon Bellamy (Iwan Rheon) may turn invisible.
This television series is much more than just a teen drama about teenagers with superpowers, it is focused on people with individual and dramatic backgrounds. The electrical storm not just gives the main characters of the show superpowers similar to the abilities of X-men or “Marvel” – superheroes, but it plays upon their past. Rudy Wade, who replaced Nathan Young in the show, always gets into girls’ knickers and appears to be obnoxious and rude, but has one side of him hidden: he is also a sensitive, self-conscious, and loving person.
Curtis (Nathan Stewart-Garrett), a successful professional athlete was charged with drug possession and was forced to throw off his career. He wants to rewind time and return everything he lost – and his new paranormal ability makes it possible. However, to do it he needs to sacrifice the lives of his new friends and he soon finds there are more important things in life than his running career.
Not less interesting as the stories of the main heroes, are the backgrounds of many supporting characters, who also got superpowers after being hit by an electrical storm. A teenage outsider is so obsessed with superheroes, that he becomes able to change reality with his comics. The young nun with powerful phantasy gets the power to summon deities. For some of them, their abilities are their curses, for the gamer Ego pretends to live not in real life, but in the video game about gangsters. He sees real people as video game characters and brutally kills them, believing it was just a game mission. Some powers of the characters are not less odd than that – one of the Misfits gang, Alex, was robbed of his manhood because of one’s paranormal ability. His new power is also more than just weird: he can take powers from other people while having sex with them. Former playboy, he turns into a superhero, who helps other people lose their powers. Simon, a meek guy who is always billiges and picked on by other people, becomes able to see the future and turns into a true superhero.
So, the characters’ development throughout the series is incredible, and new powers bring out something in the main characters they didn’t believe to possess. For example, Alisha, who was sentenced to community service for trying to seduce a policeman, realizes through her weird superpower that she is more than just a sexy girl. She becomes more empathic and supportive of everyone in the group. Curtis accepts his past and sacrifices his sports career to save his girlfriend from prison. Kelly, a hard-as-nails chav with a softer side, learns to be more open to other people through her telepathic ability. Obnoxious freak Rudy with the power of emotional duplication (he physically splits up into two, and even three Rudies when emotions are too overwhelming for him) learns to accept his sensitive and caring side (Rudy 2).
As already mentioned before, this British comedy-drama has very specific language and raunchy humor. A solid portion of sarcasm and ridiculous jokes spices up every episode. And “Misfits” also picks up many important topics such as criminality, rape, bullying, drug abuse, attachment issues, different mental illnesses, and disorders. It makes all the storylines very realistic: there are just ordinary people struggling with their past and figuring out who they are, with their unique personalities and fears. The show explores real life through a supernatural lens. And what could you do with your supernatural abilities, if you had any?