Review: MISFITS S4E02 (Or, Finn Keeps His Girlfriend Tied Up And Locked In His Bedroom)

Contributing Writer; London, England
Review: MISFITS S4E02 (Or, Finn Keeps His Girlfriend Tied Up And Locked In His Bedroom)
Misfits has always had a very strange way of touching on themes that are much more interesting than they seem on the surface. For example, Curtis' episode in the third series turned out to be a more challenging look at gender issues than the audience perhaps expected. Last week's episode ended with the reveal that Finn is keeping his girlfriend tied up and locked in his bedroom. This episode explores the reasons why he's doing that and finds itself discussing free will in a surprisingly intriguing manner.

Finn's girlfriend Sadie has the power to make him into her perfect boyfriend. Through subtle behavioural changes, she makes him better for her. The reason that he then tied her up and locked her away is that he wants some sense of control back, but he hasn't stopped loving her. It's hardly a defensible measure and it makes Finn someone that is incredibly creepy, perhaps irredeemably so. Nevertheless, when Finn discovers Seth's gift for trading powers, he sees a way out of his predicament.

Rudy, though, has just been forcibly removed from his flat and has invited himself to stay at Finn's place. When he discovers Sadie (after initially thinking that she might be a talking dog), he sets her free. Misfits raises the question of not only just how much Finn is prepared to change for his girlfriend but how much of his self-control he is prepared to lose. The episode ends with Seth taking away Sadie's power without Finn's consent, an action that inevitably brings about the end of their weird relationship.

One of the main things that I had wondered about with the loss of Simon from the series was where the moral center of the show would be. Misfits exists in moral grey areas, but Simon was always well-intentioned and thought about others. I'm interested to see if that spot is going to be filled by either Seth or Jess. Both characters are great in this episode, and I'm really starting to warm to Jess's sarcastic sense of humour and tough attitude. It looks like Seth is still planning to head to Africa, but I don't doubt that the show will find some way to keep him around.

The episode also has a very amusing subplot that features a racist blind girl and her telepathic guide dog. After she rejects Curtis, Rudy attempts to have his way with her but can't get past her racism (while she can't get past his hastily improvised condom). It looks like Curtis is about to get an even more interesting story to deal with soon, though, as he meets the mysterious new trainee probation worker Lola (Lucy Gaskell).

Perhaps this episode doesn't go quite as far into its exploration of free will as I would've liked and it may well have ruined Finn as a character, but it remains a decent installment. Rudy keeps the show infused with the sense of humour it has always had, and he is being written more consistently than the others at the moment. The teaser for next week's episode hints at a really interesting development to Rudy's power, so that's definitely worth looking forward to.
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