Misfits - Series 3 [DVD]

This is the new series without wise cracking Nathan (Robert Sheehan). Instead we have Rudy, who is foul mouthed and slightly mad.

The new series starts off with the group each having new powers as a result of trading them for others. This is a good method for the writers to add fresh impetus into the series by exploring new angles. With Episode 1 focusing on Rudy, I really enjoyed Episode 2 with Curtis heading back to the running track and getting himself into quite a mix up.

Whilst I still love the original content of the episodes and the variety of insane characters, I have to agree that the series definitely misses the comedy value provided by Nathan in series 1 and 2. The show has changed subtly from a crazy funny original British show to a crazy and original British show with moments of comedy action. Good but no longer great.

I was slightly concerned when i discovered Nathan would no longer be in Misfits, however each episode so far in the series has been pure class! The scripts are incredible, theyve made it more dramatic, dark, and somehow funny! The new character Rudy is a good laugh, and although a blatant copy of Nathan adds a breath of fresh air to the new series. The season has contained some of the greatest episodes to date, and gets better every week. A very strong comeback from a show i thought couldnt get better.

After an absolutely amazing second series, the third season of Misfits was always going to be difficult. Especially after the writers made the dubious choice of stripping the main characters of their powers in the Christmas special. Add to this the fact that the actor playing Nathan decided to leave then I was slightly worried what Misfits series 3 had in store.

Sadly it seems Channel 4 are continuing their current trend of disappointing third series syndrome (Here's looking at you, Inbetweeners). If there was one bad point about series 2, it's that it was starting to dip into "Killer of the Week" territory and this seems to have continued in series 3. However whereas there was a strong overall story arc with Simon going back in time to save Alicia, it feels like this season has been compiled of standalone, one-off episodes and has been very disjointed. And despite everyone having new powers, the "Superhero" aspect seems to have taken a back seat to everyday drama such as relationships, STDs and getting drunk.

It does have some highlights though. The effects are great, as ever. Some of the new villains, such as "Coma Girl" and "Comic Book Nerd" have been very interesting and put a good spin on Misfits' general theme of "With great power comes irresponsibility." And despite perhaps being given a little too much gurning screen time, I actually prefer Rudy and his (literally) split personality make him a much more human character than Nathan ever was. Similarly Seth is a nice new inclusion and Kelly is given more time to shine with a great performance by Lauren Socha. Likewise the gang's probation worker is comedy gold every time he appears on screen.

But for all the great moments, there seems to be twice as many mediocre ones. I always felt that the powers being tied into each characters' individual personality flaws, lifestyles or desires was a really strong point so to change the powers of the original four feels like a huge cop-out for the sake of a few "What if we did this?" moments. There are some bizarre plot twists that don't really work in the overall Misfits timeline and the less said about the utter paradoxical, plothole-ridden tripe that was the Nazi episode the better (I refuse to acknowledge it ever happened in the context of the series any more). I don't know a huge amount about the rules of Science Fiction but I know that you can't just explain everything away with the characters going back in time to change the future as it leaves too many paradoxes. Similarly the Zombie episode might as well have not happened as absolutely nothing had changed by the end. Luckily the final episode is brilliant and ties up pretty much all of the loose threads.

So overall season three of Misfits has some quality moments, great acting by all the cast involved but unfortunately is let down by some dubious writing, plot holes and lack of direction. The whole series feels like it has been rushed and could have benefit greatly without the events of Series 2's Christmas special. Nazi/Zombie episode aside, the bad points are never really terrible (certainly not enough to warrant 1-2 stars) but they far outweigh the great parts. Maybe a fourth series will help it return to form but for now, I fear Misfits has strayed off course.