Nathan Young: My New Anti-Superhero
I've been noticing a pattern in my fandoms. I often have a favourite guilty pleasure character. You know, the sort of character that you shouldn't like, but absolutely do. For me it's usually a character who is established as the most annoying, amoral or despicable character on the show, yet I find them irresistable and brilliant. This is the part of me that loves Gaius Baltar (BSG), Pete Campbell (Mad Men) and Sue Sylvester (Glee). Maybe it's because these characters are so self-possessed in their awfulness that they impress me? Maybe it's because you can only enjoy these characters in fiction because they wouldn't be tollerable in real life? As most of you know I've a new pleasure, Nathan Young (Misfits). Since this show & character has eaten my brain, I may as well celebrate it with a big picture & meta Nathan-spam in tribute to his appalling wonderfulness.
For non-Misfits fans on my flist...do you have a favourite guilty pleasure character?
My Top 10 Favourite Nathan Moments (with Meta)
10) "Who are WE to condemn them?!" (1x1)
The scene where Nathan tells his elaborate lie about Tony and Gary doing it doggy style in the toilets, complete with humping gestures and orgasm recreation, was the first time his character almost killed me with laughter. It's one of those funny moments that's so wrong it's right. The ASBO five have just buried Tony and Gary under the bridge and Sally has just made an emotive speech about how their families are worried over their disappearence. It couldn't be a more inappropriate and disrespectful time for Nathan to launch into this crass performance. It's in bad taste moments like this that I'm in awe of Robert Sheehan's willingness to throw himself into the shameless vulgarity of Nathan's character. And I love the way Nathan sagely advises Curtis and Simon not to say anything if they are asked any questions. I have to wonder if Nathan has some form of undignosed ADHD because he immediately seems to forget his own assertions and gets distracted by his impulsive need to fill up any silences available to him. Admittedly I get a kick out of most moments when Nathan says or does something randomly obscene; Nathan's absurd striptease & sun-lotion lathering scene, Nathan demonstating his failed attempt at self-fellatio, Nathan describing what "tripling" is, etc, were all considered for this list (no, seriously). But it's the original Nathan grossgasm that I love the most.
9) "And that boys and girls is how to shoot yourself in the head..." (2x6)
One of my regrets about discovering Nathan's power so late is that I don't think S2 fully explores the emotional complexities of Nathan's immortality and how it works as an extention of his personality as they did with the other four characters in S1. However I was rather captivated by the sick twisted concept of Nathan becoming a snuff movie star and shooting himself in the head on Live TV for the pleasure of the viewing public. Nathan has always been an attention whore but there's something especially depraved about him blithely agreeing to blow his brains out for the sake of fame and fangirls. It's scary how quickly Nathan becomes corrupted by celebrity and happy to go along with Laura's perverse exploitation. In an earlier S2 episode Nathan had ideas about joining the circus and letting people throw knives at him. I have to wonder if Nathan did go down this road wheher he would eventually start to feel a little disturbed and traumatised by all these violent showcases of his death? Just as Alisha's power is only exhibited in acts of rape, Nathan's power can only be exhibited in situations where he is violently killed. I feel like the show hasn't quite done justice to the dark side of Nathan's regeneration powers yet. Like most fans I'm hoping that Nathan buys back his original power in S3.
8) "Oh, just kiss me, you dick!" (2x3)
This might not be the most popular choice, but I adore Nathan and Kelly's little sexfail scene. Firstly I love the way it was deliberately placed after Alisha/Superhoodie's epic idealised super sex. As always Nathan and Kelly's characters bring the show back to its grubby reality with a sexual fumble that is so messy and awkward, but so endearingly juvenile. Even though this scene goes against shipper expectations, I admire it for staying true to the characters and their issues. Context is important here. At the start of 2x3 Kelly hears Curtis thinking that she and Nathan would never work as a couple. Vince tells Kelly she doesn't want to be with a prick like Nathan too. Kelly herself is insecure about why she and Nathan haven't got it together yet, so much so that she briefly thinks Nathan might be gay. If there's one thing we know about Kelly it's that she gets upset and paranoid over other people's judgements and people were judging Kelly and Nathan's potential relationship before they'd even given it a chance. So when Kelly reciprocates Nathan's advances, I think she is trying to prove something; to herself and to others. However, Nathan doesn't share in any of Kelly's concerns. Nathan has never cared what people think of him. He fancies Kelly, he respects her, he chooses her in 'eenie meanie' even after she loses to a prettier girl. Nathan knows what he wants and so when Kelly finally gives him the greenlight he gets a little...giddy. We've seen from his other sex scenes that Nathan is frantic and blundering in bed. Which is fine if the girl is up for it (Ruth and Marnie certainly were), but with Kelly being more cautious and mindful of people's criticisms, Nathan's clumsy careless foreplay was an understandable buzzkill.
7) "These chicken nuggets are cooked to perfection." (1x5)
Whether you love Nathan or hate him, I think it's universal that every Misfits fan would like to feed him. We are reminded in almost every episode that Nathan is skinny starving homeless kid, living off whatever empty calorie junk food he can scavenge from vending machines. A plate of chicken nuggets with alphabet spaghetti isn't the most gourmet (or nutrious) meal, but Kelly offering to cook Nathan tea was a really heart-warming gesture. It's only a brief scene but I like how it shows another side to the Nathan/Kelly dynamic. Maybe it's moments like this which lead Kelly to say that sex with Nathan feels like she's doing it with her cousin? Kelly's relationship with Nathan is often very familial. She's like a tough big sister who slaps Nathan when he's mouthing off, but is also protective of him, making sure that he has enough to eat and sitting with him to check he's okay after he dies again. Often Nathan is too proud to allow other people to see his vulnerabilities, but he can't do that with Kelly. All his thoughts and emotions are naked to her, due to her telepathy. Nathan is even more exposed after being psychologically manipulated by Baby Finn and consequently revealing his issues over his father not being around. Kelly seems to be the only one who notices Nathan's loneliness and lack of family, so it's sweet to see Kelly adopting Nathan like a stray puppy and Nathan accepting her kindless with minimal piss-taking.
6) "It breaks my heart...you're wearing cardigans!" (1x6)
I know some fans would probably rank this moment higher. Personally I found Nathan's rooftop speech a little rambling and overwritten, but the sentiment of the speech was the perfect thematic climax to S1. The whole purpose of community service is to reform young offenders into useful moral members of society. The Virtue Cult were just a more extremist group trying to enforce the same thing. Nathan's very first line in 'Misfits' is to argue that maybe some people are just born criminals. In Nathan's speech he goes further to say that it's in the nature of young people to be stupid, reckless and rebellious. I like that 1x6 is the episode that reveals that Nathan's surname is 'Young' on his coffin lid; a name that reflects his immortality and how Nathan will pressumably be 'forever young', but also how Nathan embodies an invincible spirit of youth. He is the anti-hero preaching about amoral anti-social behaviour, but he's also fighting for free will by trying to put an end to a virtuous society ruled by conformity, repression and groupthink. This is one of the many scenes on the show where Nathan does something redeeming, but his efforts turn out to be futile. The only person listening to Nathan's speech who'll remember it is Simon, who is watching on the roof, cloaked by his invisibility. Earlier in the episode, Simon had refused to save Nathan, but after this speech Simon rushes to catch Nathan's hand and later makes a video tribute to Nathan's obnoxious antics which he shares with Kelly. If Nathan achieves nothing else by the end of S1 he at least convinces two people (Kelly and Simon) to look past his annoying behaviour and think fondly of him.
5) "We could just cuddle." (2x3)
One of my favourite aspects of S2 (which I found entertaining but conceptually inferior to S1) was the emerging bromance between Nathan and Simon. There's lots of charming little moments between these two in the most recent episodes, but Nathan falling in love with Simon under the spell of the heart tattoo was so hilarious and endearing. When the Misfits characters are under the influence of someone else's power, it's almost like they are drunk. They are prone to revealling things about themselves that they would prefer to keep secret. Just as Nathan being manipulated by the baby's power revealled his real desire for a family, Nathan being manipulated by his heart tattoo reveals that he does have a soft spot for Simon. Nathan has always teased and harassed Simon, but I think it's true that Nathan finds it easier to ridicule people than admit that he likes them. With the love spell these feelings manifest in Nathan wanting to spend an intimate evening with Simon, then kissing him and attempting to deflower him. I love that Simon is mortified, but later amused by Nathan being in love with him. In early episodes, Simon was hurt by Nathan's taunts because of his own experiences with school bullying. I don't think it's until S2 Simon starts to realise that Nathan's bark is worse than his bite. Nathan isn't some cool popular kid who can look down on Simon, because Nathan is just as lonely and anti-social in an extroverted way as Simon is lonely and anti-social in an introverted way. It's funny that Nathan references the Jerry MaGuire quote "He completes me!" because Simon/Nathan really do complete each other.
4) "Don't fuck a wounded bear!" (2x2)
I find any scene with Dexter Fletcher as Nathan's dad really compelling viewing, because whoa...this bit of father/son casting could not be more spot on. As one critic said if 'Misfits' had been written 25 years ago, Dexter Fletcher would be playing Nathan. I know that not every fan enjoys Nathan's daddy issues, but the two actors are always so great together. And I always like my 'Misfits' best when the social commentary comes first and the superpower stuff comes second. Nathan meeting his half-brother Jamie who was also abandoned by their father gave Nathan a reason to call his dad out on his shitty parenting. He could go mad at him on Jamie's behalf as a veiled way of expressing his own disappointments. Jamie's death is really just a metaphor for the loss of Nathan's own relationship with his father and by extension the loss of his childhood innocence. The IKEA paedophile story was a great bit of character history. A lesser writer would probably have just gone with a "Nathan was sexually abused as a child and that's why he's such a screwed up person now" explanation. I like that Nathan wasn't actually molested, he was just hurt that some sleazy stranger cared about him more than his dad did. And I love that Nathan is still holding a grudge over this and is only prepared to let his dad buy him breakfast. I really hope this storyline isn't forgotten in S3. As hilarious as Robert Sheehan can be,his dramatic acting was woefully underused in S2.
3) "It should have been a complete car crash. But it wasn't." (1x6)
This is the most romantic scene of 'Misfits' for me. I don't find the Simon/Alisha story even nearly as appealing since their love is based around Simon having to change into a better version of himself for Alisha. This moment is all about Nathan telling Kelly that admires her for exactly who she is and that he doesn't want her to change. It's tragic because Kelly is too brainwashed to appreciate what Nathan is saying to her. As always Nathan finds his decency only when it is too late. But even though Nathan's compliments fall on deaf ears, it's such a great moment to see in a UK show. The "chav" stereotype is viewed with such distain by British society that it's become a form of social racism. It's so sad to see Kelly internalising that snobbery and saying how horrible she was. But it's so refreshing to hear Nathan sticking up for Kelly and saying how much he liked her attitude, how much he repects her for slapping him, how he is attracted to her in spite of how Kelly's appearence is judged and degraded. I loved the final sad remark of "It was you and now you're not...you" and Nathan tenderly kissing Kelly on the cheek only to be told his kiss is really inappropriate. It's this scene that gives me hope for Nathan/Kelly in the future because Kelly has feelings for Nathan too and yet she hasn't even seen the best side of him.
2) "Girl...you'll be a woman soon." (1x2)
The Nathan/Ruth story in 1x2 is fucking amazing. It's my favourite single episode arc tied with the Simon/Sally story in 1x5 and I'd say it features the best 'Misfits' use of music so far. The song 'Girl, you'll be a woman soon' couldn't have been a more perfect choice for this story in the way that it's about sexual awakening, but also about aging. I realised Misfits was a ballsy little show when its second episode featured a teenage boy having sex with an 82 year old woman, but the thing that I respected the most was that this story wasn't just used for shock value. Okay, so it's the most startling sex scene twist since 'The Crying Game', but just like that film there is a lovely tender relationship story woven around the shocking reveal. The first up-tempo version of the song is just lots of fun with Nathan/Ruth romping on the stair lift and Ruth giggling at Nathan's cum face. But the second slower version just gave me chills. I didn't really blame Nathan for running out on Ruth in horror after he saw her true appearence. Ruth was wrong to lie and seduce a boy young enough to be her grandson. But this story isn't really about who was the wronged party. It's about how Nathan and Ruth came together because they were lonely. Nathan needed to spend time with a wise caring adult who could offer him some guidance and Ruth needed to spend time with a rebellious kid so that she could drink, shag, misbehave and be young again. When Nathan comes to say sorry he finds Ruth dead in her armchair, once again showing his decent side only when it's too late. It's such an eerie moment when Nathan reaches the end of Ruth's photo album and keeps flicking through the blank black pages. I think he's searching for the photo that him and Ruth took together, at which point the song chims in with "The boy's no good..." suggesting that Ruth chose not to place Nathan with her other fond memories. And even though it's too late for Nathan to make amends with Ruth, I love how her death moves him to stop driving away his mother's boyfriends because he doesn't want her to be alone too.
1) "I got done for eating some pic-n-mix." (1x4)
I've chosen Nathan's pic-n-mix conviction as my favourite moment, because it's comic, tragic and iconic all at the same time. I really liked getting glimses at the character's original crimes and seeing them as young offenders before they gained their superpowers. As a British person, I can tell you...I have seen teenagers getting in trouble with the police for the same shit as Nathan pulls at the bowling alley. Young people like Nathan are the reason ASBO's were introduced in my country. He doesn't get arrested for stealing a handful of sweets. He gets arrested for being Nathan. His very personality is criminalized. And yes, Nathan was being a intollerable mouthy twat as usual, but the way the security guards respond by pinning Nathan to the floor was equally ridiculous. So I really get a kick out of Nathan faking an epileptic fit and Bev stupidly falling for it, followed by Nathan running down the bowling lanes and trying to escape behind the skittles. But the later scenes in Bev's office give such a sad realistic context to Nathan's behaviour. I think the majority of ASBO kids act the way they do due to neglectful parenting and bad role models. Nathan's dad calling him a wanker and Bev giggling over it was the perfect dark irony, because these older men are both wankers themselves. I think all Nathan's exploits at the bowling alley were mostly cries for attention, because he went there alone with no friends and his mother was off in Spain with her boyfriend. Nathan teased Bev about his name because mockery is his way of communicating but I dont think Nathan really means it mean-spiritedly. And even though he tries to hide it, Nathan can be hurt by the meanness of others which is why Bev scoffing about Nathan's poor relationship with his dad causes him to seal his own fate by staple gunning Bev's hand. Nathan actually chooses to be a bad kid and a criminal because he's got nothing else to aspire to.
For non-Misfits fans on my flist...do you have a favourite guilty pleasure character?
My Top 10 Favourite Nathan Moments (with Meta)
10) "Who are WE to condemn them?!" (1x1)
The scene where Nathan tells his elaborate lie about Tony and Gary doing it doggy style in the toilets, complete with humping gestures and orgasm recreation, was the first time his character almost killed me with laughter. It's one of those funny moments that's so wrong it's right. The ASBO five have just buried Tony and Gary under the bridge and Sally has just made an emotive speech about how their families are worried over their disappearence. It couldn't be a more inappropriate and disrespectful time for Nathan to launch into this crass performance. It's in bad taste moments like this that I'm in awe of Robert Sheehan's willingness to throw himself into the shameless vulgarity of Nathan's character. And I love the way Nathan sagely advises Curtis and Simon not to say anything if they are asked any questions. I have to wonder if Nathan has some form of undignosed ADHD because he immediately seems to forget his own assertions and gets distracted by his impulsive need to fill up any silences available to him. Admittedly I get a kick out of most moments when Nathan says or does something randomly obscene; Nathan's absurd striptease & sun-lotion lathering scene, Nathan demonstating his failed attempt at self-fellatio, Nathan describing what "tripling" is, etc, were all considered for this list (no, seriously). But it's the original Nathan grossgasm that I love the most.
9) "And that boys and girls is how to shoot yourself in the head..." (2x6)
One of my regrets about discovering Nathan's power so late is that I don't think S2 fully explores the emotional complexities of Nathan's immortality and how it works as an extention of his personality as they did with the other four characters in S1. However I was rather captivated by the sick twisted concept of Nathan becoming a snuff movie star and shooting himself in the head on Live TV for the pleasure of the viewing public. Nathan has always been an attention whore but there's something especially depraved about him blithely agreeing to blow his brains out for the sake of fame and fangirls. It's scary how quickly Nathan becomes corrupted by celebrity and happy to go along with Laura's perverse exploitation. In an earlier S2 episode Nathan had ideas about joining the circus and letting people throw knives at him. I have to wonder if Nathan did go down this road wheher he would eventually start to feel a little disturbed and traumatised by all these violent showcases of his death? Just as Alisha's power is only exhibited in acts of rape, Nathan's power can only be exhibited in situations where he is violently killed. I feel like the show hasn't quite done justice to the dark side of Nathan's regeneration powers yet. Like most fans I'm hoping that Nathan buys back his original power in S3.
8) "Oh, just kiss me, you dick!" (2x3)
This might not be the most popular choice, but I adore Nathan and Kelly's little sexfail scene. Firstly I love the way it was deliberately placed after Alisha/Superhoodie's epic idealised super sex. As always Nathan and Kelly's characters bring the show back to its grubby reality with a sexual fumble that is so messy and awkward, but so endearingly juvenile. Even though this scene goes against shipper expectations, I admire it for staying true to the characters and their issues. Context is important here. At the start of 2x3 Kelly hears Curtis thinking that she and Nathan would never work as a couple. Vince tells Kelly she doesn't want to be with a prick like Nathan too. Kelly herself is insecure about why she and Nathan haven't got it together yet, so much so that she briefly thinks Nathan might be gay. If there's one thing we know about Kelly it's that she gets upset and paranoid over other people's judgements and people were judging Kelly and Nathan's potential relationship before they'd even given it a chance. So when Kelly reciprocates Nathan's advances, I think she is trying to prove something; to herself and to others. However, Nathan doesn't share in any of Kelly's concerns. Nathan has never cared what people think of him. He fancies Kelly, he respects her, he chooses her in 'eenie meanie' even after she loses to a prettier girl. Nathan knows what he wants and so when Kelly finally gives him the greenlight he gets a little...giddy. We've seen from his other sex scenes that Nathan is frantic and blundering in bed. Which is fine if the girl is up for it (Ruth and Marnie certainly were), but with Kelly being more cautious and mindful of people's criticisms, Nathan's clumsy careless foreplay was an understandable buzzkill.
7) "These chicken nuggets are cooked to perfection." (1x5)
Whether you love Nathan or hate him, I think it's universal that every Misfits fan would like to feed him. We are reminded in almost every episode that Nathan is skinny starving homeless kid, living off whatever empty calorie junk food he can scavenge from vending machines. A plate of chicken nuggets with alphabet spaghetti isn't the most gourmet (or nutrious) meal, but Kelly offering to cook Nathan tea was a really heart-warming gesture. It's only a brief scene but I like how it shows another side to the Nathan/Kelly dynamic. Maybe it's moments like this which lead Kelly to say that sex with Nathan feels like she's doing it with her cousin? Kelly's relationship with Nathan is often very familial. She's like a tough big sister who slaps Nathan when he's mouthing off, but is also protective of him, making sure that he has enough to eat and sitting with him to check he's okay after he dies again. Often Nathan is too proud to allow other people to see his vulnerabilities, but he can't do that with Kelly. All his thoughts and emotions are naked to her, due to her telepathy. Nathan is even more exposed after being psychologically manipulated by Baby Finn and consequently revealing his issues over his father not being around. Kelly seems to be the only one who notices Nathan's loneliness and lack of family, so it's sweet to see Kelly adopting Nathan like a stray puppy and Nathan accepting her kindless with minimal piss-taking.
6) "It breaks my heart...you're wearing cardigans!" (1x6)
I know some fans would probably rank this moment higher. Personally I found Nathan's rooftop speech a little rambling and overwritten, but the sentiment of the speech was the perfect thematic climax to S1. The whole purpose of community service is to reform young offenders into useful moral members of society. The Virtue Cult were just a more extremist group trying to enforce the same thing. Nathan's very first line in 'Misfits' is to argue that maybe some people are just born criminals. In Nathan's speech he goes further to say that it's in the nature of young people to be stupid, reckless and rebellious. I like that 1x6 is the episode that reveals that Nathan's surname is 'Young' on his coffin lid; a name that reflects his immortality and how Nathan will pressumably be 'forever young', but also how Nathan embodies an invincible spirit of youth. He is the anti-hero preaching about amoral anti-social behaviour, but he's also fighting for free will by trying to put an end to a virtuous society ruled by conformity, repression and groupthink. This is one of the many scenes on the show where Nathan does something redeeming, but his efforts turn out to be futile. The only person listening to Nathan's speech who'll remember it is Simon, who is watching on the roof, cloaked by his invisibility. Earlier in the episode, Simon had refused to save Nathan, but after this speech Simon rushes to catch Nathan's hand and later makes a video tribute to Nathan's obnoxious antics which he shares with Kelly. If Nathan achieves nothing else by the end of S1 he at least convinces two people (Kelly and Simon) to look past his annoying behaviour and think fondly of him.
5) "We could just cuddle." (2x3)
One of my favourite aspects of S2 (which I found entertaining but conceptually inferior to S1) was the emerging bromance between Nathan and Simon. There's lots of charming little moments between these two in the most recent episodes, but Nathan falling in love with Simon under the spell of the heart tattoo was so hilarious and endearing. When the Misfits characters are under the influence of someone else's power, it's almost like they are drunk. They are prone to revealling things about themselves that they would prefer to keep secret. Just as Nathan being manipulated by the baby's power revealled his real desire for a family, Nathan being manipulated by his heart tattoo reveals that he does have a soft spot for Simon. Nathan has always teased and harassed Simon, but I think it's true that Nathan finds it easier to ridicule people than admit that he likes them. With the love spell these feelings manifest in Nathan wanting to spend an intimate evening with Simon, then kissing him and attempting to deflower him. I love that Simon is mortified, but later amused by Nathan being in love with him. In early episodes, Simon was hurt by Nathan's taunts because of his own experiences with school bullying. I don't think it's until S2 Simon starts to realise that Nathan's bark is worse than his bite. Nathan isn't some cool popular kid who can look down on Simon, because Nathan is just as lonely and anti-social in an extroverted way as Simon is lonely and anti-social in an introverted way. It's funny that Nathan references the Jerry MaGuire quote "He completes me!" because Simon/Nathan really do complete each other.
4) "Don't fuck a wounded bear!" (2x2)
I find any scene with Dexter Fletcher as Nathan's dad really compelling viewing, because whoa...this bit of father/son casting could not be more spot on. As one critic said if 'Misfits' had been written 25 years ago, Dexter Fletcher would be playing Nathan. I know that not every fan enjoys Nathan's daddy issues, but the two actors are always so great together. And I always like my 'Misfits' best when the social commentary comes first and the superpower stuff comes second. Nathan meeting his half-brother Jamie who was also abandoned by their father gave Nathan a reason to call his dad out on his shitty parenting. He could go mad at him on Jamie's behalf as a veiled way of expressing his own disappointments. Jamie's death is really just a metaphor for the loss of Nathan's own relationship with his father and by extension the loss of his childhood innocence. The IKEA paedophile story was a great bit of character history. A lesser writer would probably have just gone with a "Nathan was sexually abused as a child and that's why he's such a screwed up person now" explanation. I like that Nathan wasn't actually molested, he was just hurt that some sleazy stranger cared about him more than his dad did. And I love that Nathan is still holding a grudge over this and is only prepared to let his dad buy him breakfast. I really hope this storyline isn't forgotten in S3. As hilarious as Robert Sheehan can be,his dramatic acting was woefully underused in S2.
3) "It should have been a complete car crash. But it wasn't." (1x6)
This is the most romantic scene of 'Misfits' for me. I don't find the Simon/Alisha story even nearly as appealing since their love is based around Simon having to change into a better version of himself for Alisha. This moment is all about Nathan telling Kelly that admires her for exactly who she is and that he doesn't want her to change. It's tragic because Kelly is too brainwashed to appreciate what Nathan is saying to her. As always Nathan finds his decency only when it is too late. But even though Nathan's compliments fall on deaf ears, it's such a great moment to see in a UK show. The "chav" stereotype is viewed with such distain by British society that it's become a form of social racism. It's so sad to see Kelly internalising that snobbery and saying how horrible she was. But it's so refreshing to hear Nathan sticking up for Kelly and saying how much he liked her attitude, how much he repects her for slapping him, how he is attracted to her in spite of how Kelly's appearence is judged and degraded. I loved the final sad remark of "It was you and now you're not...you" and Nathan tenderly kissing Kelly on the cheek only to be told his kiss is really inappropriate. It's this scene that gives me hope for Nathan/Kelly in the future because Kelly has feelings for Nathan too and yet she hasn't even seen the best side of him.
2) "Girl...you'll be a woman soon." (1x2)
The Nathan/Ruth story in 1x2 is fucking amazing. It's my favourite single episode arc tied with the Simon/Sally story in 1x5 and I'd say it features the best 'Misfits' use of music so far. The song 'Girl, you'll be a woman soon' couldn't have been a more perfect choice for this story in the way that it's about sexual awakening, but also about aging. I realised Misfits was a ballsy little show when its second episode featured a teenage boy having sex with an 82 year old woman, but the thing that I respected the most was that this story wasn't just used for shock value. Okay, so it's the most startling sex scene twist since 'The Crying Game', but just like that film there is a lovely tender relationship story woven around the shocking reveal. The first up-tempo version of the song is just lots of fun with Nathan/Ruth romping on the stair lift and Ruth giggling at Nathan's cum face. But the second slower version just gave me chills. I didn't really blame Nathan for running out on Ruth in horror after he saw her true appearence. Ruth was wrong to lie and seduce a boy young enough to be her grandson. But this story isn't really about who was the wronged party. It's about how Nathan and Ruth came together because they were lonely. Nathan needed to spend time with a wise caring adult who could offer him some guidance and Ruth needed to spend time with a rebellious kid so that she could drink, shag, misbehave and be young again. When Nathan comes to say sorry he finds Ruth dead in her armchair, once again showing his decent side only when it's too late. It's such an eerie moment when Nathan reaches the end of Ruth's photo album and keeps flicking through the blank black pages. I think he's searching for the photo that him and Ruth took together, at which point the song chims in with "The boy's no good..." suggesting that Ruth chose not to place Nathan with her other fond memories. And even though it's too late for Nathan to make amends with Ruth, I love how her death moves him to stop driving away his mother's boyfriends because he doesn't want her to be alone too.
1) "I got done for eating some pic-n-mix." (1x4)
I've chosen Nathan's pic-n-mix conviction as my favourite moment, because it's comic, tragic and iconic all at the same time. I really liked getting glimses at the character's original crimes and seeing them as young offenders before they gained their superpowers. As a British person, I can tell you...I have seen teenagers getting in trouble with the police for the same shit as Nathan pulls at the bowling alley. Young people like Nathan are the reason ASBO's were introduced in my country. He doesn't get arrested for stealing a handful of sweets. He gets arrested for being Nathan. His very personality is criminalized. And yes, Nathan was being a intollerable mouthy twat as usual, but the way the security guards respond by pinning Nathan to the floor was equally ridiculous. So I really get a kick out of Nathan faking an epileptic fit and Bev stupidly falling for it, followed by Nathan running down the bowling lanes and trying to escape behind the skittles. But the later scenes in Bev's office give such a sad realistic context to Nathan's behaviour. I think the majority of ASBO kids act the way they do due to neglectful parenting and bad role models. Nathan's dad calling him a wanker and Bev giggling over it was the perfect dark irony, because these older men are both wankers themselves. I think all Nathan's exploits at the bowling alley were mostly cries for attention, because he went there alone with no friends and his mother was off in Spain with her boyfriend. Nathan teased Bev about his name because mockery is his way of communicating but I dont think Nathan really means it mean-spiritedly. And even though he tries to hide it, Nathan can be hurt by the meanness of others which is why Bev scoffing about Nathan's poor relationship with his dad causes him to seal his own fate by staple gunning Bev's hand. Nathan actually chooses to be a bad kid and a criminal because he's got nothing else to aspire to.