Most people are also aware that the show is welcoming three new cast members to fill the gap, with Jess (Karla Crome) and Finn (Nathan McMullen) joining Curtis (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) and Rudy (Joseph Gilgun) on community service for series four, before the introduction of new character Alex (Matt Stokoe). Based solely on this episode, it’s incredibly hard to judge how well they’ll fit into the regular groove of the show, as this opener does its very best to split perspective fairly equally. Curtis, Rudy and Seth are here as our familiar faces, but Jess and Finn are given enough screen-time to introduce themselves. They’re not major revelations, but there’s an interesting tease in the final moments that intrigues me for what’s to come from at least one of them. That said, the episode doesn’t really set us up for things to come as much as last year’s premiere did, and the rest of the series is still a big unknown when the credits start rolling. It’s an episodic adventure that doesn’t seem as if it will have a huge residual impact plot-wise, but is probably a good indication of where the writers want to take the show. If I’m being honest, that’s a little worrying, since the rising darkness in each character carried over from last year left me kind of unsettled. There is a lot to love about the episode, and I’m eager not to write the series off without considering all of the different elements being brought in, but I’m concerned the light-hearted tone of early Misfits might be left behind. The show has leaned more towards comedy in the past, with lots of thriller and action conventions thrown in and mixed up, and the overtly humorous episodes often come out as season-bests. There were obviously some laughs in this opener, but there were some over-used jokes from previous series that felt a little tedious and forced. Rudy, for example, is at his irritating best, and those who didn’t like him last year won’t be changing their minds based on this. The story of this episode, and the things that happen in it, are at times thoroughly unpleasant, and humour from an unpleasant person will almost always come across as a bit distasteful. None of this means it’d a bad first outing, of course, and it’s the inherent strangeness that somehow makes it undeniably, unmistakingly, Misfits. No one fell in love with the show for its cosy predictability, and so I’m glad they’ve managed to change things up once again without losing sight of what made it so special in the first place. I didn’t love this episode, and found most of it hard to get my head around, but the job of moulding a new ensemble cast has been done all over again with as much grace and confidence as can be expected. It aims to intrigue, rather than excite, but, crucially, remains the same Misfits fans know and love. Misfits series four begins on E4 on Sunday the 28th of October at 10pm. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
