FANBOY FORUM

FANBOY/FANGIRL: A passionate fan of various elements of geek culture (e.g. sci-fi, comics, Star Wars, cartoons, anime, video games, anime, hobbits, Magic: the Gathering, etc.) who lets his/her passion override social graces....


For example...If you have a tattoo of a Transformer, superhero, , Star Trek, Star Wars, ect...yeah, you might be a FANBOY!


Monday, August 22, 2011

SHOWS YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING, Spotlight on: MISFITS

Misfits is a British science fiction comedy-drama television series about a group of young offenders forced to work in a community service programme, where they obtain supernatural powers after a strange electrical storm. The first series started broadcasting on 12 November 2009 on E4, and was produced by Clerkenwell Films. 
It  kinda reminds me of  the U.S. Show from 1985, Misfits of Science; only a UK version. So yes, there is a lot  of "harsh" language and  some intense sexually content, but  it isnt  gratuitous. It actually fits in with the theme of the show.
Mockney chav Kelly (Lauren Socha) can suddenly hear people’s thoughts, shamed sporting hero Curtis (Nathan Stewart Jarrett) can "undo" the last few moments in time, and party girl Alisha (Antonia Thomas) can send people into a sexual frenzy when they touch her skin. Even painfully shy Simon (Iwan Rheon) can make himself invisible when he feels he’s being ignored. Seemingly left unaffected is smart alec Nathan (Robert Sheehan). He is thus the only one of the group that initially seems to want a power, if only because he can't stomach the idea of others having what he does not.
Unlike more traditional comic book superheroes, then, the titular Misfits" don't revel in their newfound abilities and instantly become honour-bound crime fighters. Instead, they initially see their powers as burdens that have only made their lives worse. Although Curtis used his power to save Kelly's life and possibly his own and the other Misfit's, so Curtis may begin to see his power as a god send. 

Nathan Stewart-Jarrett plays Curtis: 
A rising sports star, who had been aiming to compete in the 2012 Olympics However, his career is left in tatters after being caught with an illegal substance and made an example of in the eyes of the law. He is forced to trade his tracksuit for a jumpsuit and take part in Community Payback. Curtis's special power is time manipulation; he is able to rewind and replay past events to affect their outcome.Okay, yeah, the "brother" is of course the sports star, but they  don't dwell upon it. It  isn't the main focus of who  the character is. Yeah he is athletic but he isn't  always carrying a basketball or something like that. Not  self-centered, or "jive", or possessing a "fresh Prince or Bel Aire -like swagger/attitude. He's not at all ghetto (at  least  by  American standars) His character is probably the most  compassionate of the lot.


Lauren Socha plays Kelly: 
The stereotypical Chav with a volatile temper.(A chav (pronounced /ˈtʃæv/ chav) is a stereotype of certain people in the United Kingdom. Also known as a charver in Yorkshire and North East England[1] "chavs" are said to be aggressive teenagers and young adults, of working class background, who repeatedly engage in anti-social behaviour such as street drinking, drug abuse and rowdiness, or other forms of juvenile delinquency .)After the storm strikes, Kelly soon discovers that she has been gifted with the ability of telepathy, which means that anyone that makes a snap judgement on Kelly’s appearance is more than likely to get a head-butt. She is kind of like a young, British Jean Grey with a ghetto attitude. (at  first she just starts to  hear other people's thoughts an cant  control it) I  will  admit at  first  it is a lil' difficult to understand some of the slang, and her accent  is heavy; but you  definitely feel  for her and her issues before and after  she gets her powers.

Robert Sheehan plays Nathan:

A quick-witted, cocky and  Irishman although, beneath this brash veneer, he isn’t as emotionally untouchable as he makes out. Despite being caught in the storm with the rest of the gang, and much to his annoyance, In season 1 Nathan appears to be the only Misfit without a superpower. This doesn’t stop him trying to find out what his power is in a series of more and more outlandish tests.However in the title sequence Nathan seems to have a Wolf's Shadow following him so that may hint at a Shape-shifting power or ability. His sense of social justice and democratic spirit however is stronger than the other misfits. He also has problems at home with his mother and her boyfriend. (who also get  affected by the mysterious lightning storm) I can sum his character  up in two words: "bloody wanker!"...lol He is indeed brash,  rude, crude, annoying, looks like Shia "The Beef" La Beouf; but he grows on you. Even with all  his insults and innuendos, he is another character  that you can definitely feel for. Beneeth all the arrogance is a scared, sad, lonely  kid. And it turns out that his superpower that he is effectively immortal and can interact with the recently deceased.

Antonia Thomas plays Alisha:

A party girl who uses her looks and smile to wrap men around her little finger. She develops the ability to affect the thoughts of others by putting them into a deep state of lust when they come into contact with her skin. The is the pretty, lonely girl who has used sex to get  what  she wants most of her adult life cause she feels; why else would anyone care about her. So when  she actually  finds real love with Curtis her powers backfire, cause even he is vulnerable to her powers that causes overwhelming sexual arousal in people with whom she makes skin-to-skin contact. She is kinda like ROGUE from the X-Men.

Iwan Rheon plays Simon:

A shy social outcast who was ignored and bullied at school. He may have been given community service for arson. Simon lacks the confidence to develop relationships, to make friends or to lead a normal life. His special power is invisibility when he is ignored, a popular character device in superhero fiction.He is alreaddy  invisible to everyone so his powers are a manifestation of it. He has a a overwhemling willing to  please and to  make friends....to a fault. And he has a dar side to him, bust  just  wants to  be seen, and accepted.


The show also  reminds me of the theme of  most of the heroes from the Milestone/DC Comics characters, from the "BIG BANG" Like Static, and Blood Syndicate. All of their powers seem to stem from there desires. Curtis wishes he could turn back time to  correct  a mistake, Alisha, just  wants  to  be loved, Nathan wants to  be invulnerable so  he cant be hurt again, Kelly  wants to  know what  people are really  thinking about her, and Simon just  wants to  be seen.


Watch full episodes of MISFITS here: MISFITS

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