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The basic idea is this: a group of young criminals on community service acquire extraordinary powers after a freak electrical storm.
Given that unusual idea as the gist of the series, I felt more than a little worried that it could be a complete flop. Chavs with superpowers? Uh-oh. Despite my blatant cynicism about the whole thing though, I was actually left pleasantly surprised.
It all starts out with the group of six outsiders arriving for their first day of community service. You realise quickly what a brilliant mish-mash of a team it is. In a nutshell, there’s Nathan (Irish, ubercocky, yet totally affable), Simon (odd, aloof), Kelly (massive chav, worse accent), Curtis (athletic black guy), Gary (ASBO), Alisha (straight-talking, strong-willed), and Tony (probation officer, gets scary).
The storm hits them just minutes after changing into their Guantanamo-orange jumpsuits, sending them soaring into a hyper-slow-mo electric shock. Resident chavette Kelly is the first to notice something’s different after the storm (“Did any of youse lot feel dead wee-urd?”). We then get drip-fed nearly all the other members’ superpowers throughout the programme, with one remaining a mystery for now. I’m not going to spoil it for anyone, but just think Heroes; we’ve seen most of the powers there, except for Alisha’s power, which is absolutely hilarious!
Speaking of Heroes, the similarities with the American show are there on the sleeve of Misfits for all to see: random people getting strange new abilities through a freak one-off event, the ensuing self-discovery of power etc. There are obviously differences too: the most notable is the distinct modern Britishness about the whole thing. Whilst the basic story shares more than a passing likeness to Heroes, the general humour and tone of the show is very E4, very Skins. So expect a fair dollop of coarse language and filthy-rude japery.
Misfits is far from being a clever show, and lacks the Hollywood gloss of Heroes. But I see this as being no bad thing. The heady combination of hormones, British grit and the supernatural is enough, along with the Skins-style humour, to make me want to see Episode 2 right away.
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