Monday, January 2, 2012

The Netflix Files: December 26 - January 1

Misfits - Season 2 (2010) created by Howard Overman:
Having firmly established its universe in season one, Howard Overman's hugely popular Brit super hero show moved on to bigger (but not too big) things in its superior second season. Though I still find Robert Sheehan's Nathan Young to be one of the most insufferable characters on TV, I have to concede two things. The first being that he did actually make me laugh a few times, the second being that the early episode involving a long-lost brother (from another mother) was exceptionally well done. Lauren Socha's brash Kelly remains my favorite of the cast, although Nathan Stewart-Jarret's Curtis and Antonia Thomas' Alisha seemed like they were given more (and better) material to work with than season 1. The episode involving Curtis (who can rewind time) messing with the incident that landed him in community service was one of the season's best. I go back and forth as to whether I find Iwan Rheon's portrayal of Simon, a shy nerd with the power of invisibility, irritating or not, however. Still, I liked how season two further introduced antagonists with super powers, without doing anything too bizarre (and this includes a villain with control over dairy products). The season's penultimate episode, which involves the main characters (and others affected by the lightning storm) being brought into the limelight, is also a highlight, though part of me wishes the writers had avoided the deus ex machina at the end, even though ignoring it would have created a plot hole. And while the finale wasn't as good as that episode, it did at least deal with an intriguing possibility, and ended on a simple but game-changing decision. As a whole, Misfits continues to feel better made, washed-out look included, though the star remains Vincent Pope's stellar (if at times too epic for its own good) score, one of the most vibrant and memorable I've heard in a TV series in quite some time. I hate to rip him from Misfits, but the man needs to make the transition to scoring films ASAP, as he's the closest the show has to a true hero.

Grade: B+

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