Expecting the episode to play it safe, it couldn’t have been more surprising. Instead of easing us in with characters with whom we’re already acquainted before introducing the newbies, the episode is pretty much split between the perspectives of the power-addled regulars and a couple of new arrivals who look just as confused as we are. On paper, this must have looked like a good way to force sympathy for previously unknown characters, but it wasn’t an outstanding debut for me. Things on the whole were a little off, and the combination of such a weird episode and so much change might have been detrimental to the series on the whole. Because there are two of them, Finn and Jess are allowed to introduce each other while navigating the increasingly dangerous halls of the community centre. While they’re likeable enough, and there’s no major reason to worry about their future impact on the show, the awkward freezer scene and Finn’s twisted monologue didn’t exactly recall the light-hearted Misfits of old. The episode might have been the darkest the show has ever gone, and the little humour present here just highlights how grim things have gotten over the past four years. It doesn’t help that Rudy, our resident comic-relief merchant, has always come across a little distasteful when compared to Nathan. I didn’t enjoy much about the episode’s main plotline, and found watching the familiar characters torture strangers, lock each other in freezers and generally act like monsters, horribly unpleasant. The whole episode seemed to have been designed to unseat regular viewers, essentially wiping the slate clean for the new year, but it made me more unsure than ever that the show can effectively pull off another big casting shake-up. Of course, Rudy received a mixed reaction last year with many finding him a poor imitation of Nathan, and having him now take over as the show’s lead is the strangest thing of all. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
