What happens if you took The Breakfast Club and turned up the sex, drugs, rock and roll? You’d have to add superpowers to get to Misfits, a BBC series that posits an interesting thesis: how would teenagers react to getting super powers?
Simon (Iwan Rheon), Nathan (Robert Sheehan), Curtis (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), Kelly (Lauren Socha) and Alisha (Antonia Thomas) are doing community services for a variety of transgressions when an odd electrical storm leaves them with superpowers. Simon is a bit nebbish and can turn invisible. Curtis can spin back time when he has an immediate regret. Kelly can read people’s thoughts while anyone who touches Alisha instantly wants her sexually. Nathan’s powers aren’t quite evident but they do play a pivotal role in the show’s first season finale.
The show follows the six as they gain and explore their powers while trying to keep them hidden from the world. What makes the show interesting and hovering around brilliance, though, is that these aren’t teenagers with senses of duty like Peter Parker or Clark Kent. They’re delinquents who are trying to figure everything out, a few dead social workers getting in the way of course, and as the show progresses they find out that they’re not the only ones blessed/cursed with these powers.
What makes Misfits stand out so much is a handful of things. The first is just how well put together the show is; there’s strong background music from scoring to pop culture placed throughout. This is a show with really good music that doesn’t overpower the show itself. It’s also really well designed and set up; everything in the shows serves a purpose and there isn’t anything wasted for a pretty shot or two.
It doesn’t hurt that there’s a really strong chemistry and an over-arching story that spans the entire first season. Everything in it matters and each show builds upon the last in terms of these young people figuring out their lives. It’s a slow build with the show’s season finale both a cliffhanger and one of the funniest moments of the season.
While other shows try and fail miserably trying to emulate the Buffy formula of teenage angst with the supernatural, Misfits succeeds beyond every respectable measure.
The Making of Misfits focuses on some of the practical effects used in big scenes from the show. There are Interviews with the cast and crew, of course, and some of Simon’s Films from the show are included.
Misfits may only have six episodes in its first season but it’s well worth the viewing.
BBC presents Misfits (Season One) Starring Iwan Rheon, Robert Sheehan, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Lauren Socha, Antonia Thomas. Running time: 270 minutes. Not Rated . Released: July 31, 2012. Available at Amazon.com.
