There have been a lot of shows with superheroes and even a few with superpowers but none were done as well or as realistically as Misfits.  The show looked at what would happen if some random people got powers and what they would do with them.  And surprisingly, not everyone had altruistic notions in mind.  Nor did they just decide to go out and fight crime.  They used them usually, for themselves.  And not every power that was received was a good thing either.  Some were downright terrible while others were quite useful and some were just incredibly embarrassing such as the woman with hypnotic breasts during the final series that just aired.  There was a man who could suck the life out of you to extend his own, there was gender swapping, time travel and even a guy who would transport into a closet if he denied he was gay over the course of the show’s lifespan.  Some people were criminals, some were normal folk and some were just evil.  The good thing about Misfits is that it never took itself too seriously when it examined what would happen in (almost) everyday life to everyday people.

With this series, Misfits came to a close.  A sad day for sure as it was everything a show should be – dramatic, funny, suspenseful, thrilling, action-packed and entertaining.  While the main cast eventually bowed out by series four, the new cast filled their shoes admirably and continued the show making the fifth series one of the best.  Each episode left you wanting more and you never knew just where it was going to go as they usually did things that were largely unexpected.  As far as television shows are concerned, that is a good thing and always welcome.

The cast was quite fantastic during this final series.  While most of them debuted in series four, including Nathan McMullen, Karla Crome, Matt Stokoe, and Natasha O’Keeffe, with the exception of Joseph Gilgun who joined in series three as Rudy, they did not really come into their own until the last stretch of episodes.  Whether it was because the writing was on the wall, or the writing for the show was that much stronger this year, our players excelled at their craft and made for a much more substantial show.  And though every member did a good job, two of them really stood apart from the others.

Abbey is the first one of the standout characters on the show, even though not having any sort of tangible power but she is so strange and off-kilter that she makes the show far better just by being there.  Eventually she finds out what her power is, which simply, is the mere fact of being alive.  It seems that the storm affected a girl in a most unusual, albeit unknown way by bringing her imaginary friend to life who just happens as it turns out, to be Abbey.  After helping out her creator, she finds herself a little directionless until that is a new romance rears its head in the form of a turtle, though to be fair it is a man whose power is being a turtle.  She is quirky and fun and someone you could find yourself being friends with.

Rudy is the star of the series, at least the latter two, as he is obnoxious, rude, disingenuous, untrustworthy and probably a little mad at times.  But underneath it all is a guy who just wants to be accepted for who he is but has a hard time opening up to other people.  Except for his sexual exploits.  Everyone gets to hear about those.  Gilgun is exceptional as he has to work harder at his role than anyone else as his power is to split into two separate versions of himself and make them distinct from each other.  When you get to the end of the series you find out that really, both halves of Rudy – Rudy 1 and Rudy 2, were really the same guy deep down inside after all, separated or not.  Some really inspired writing to make three years of clowning around be forgotten when Rudy finally comes into his own.

There were a lot of great moments during the eight episodes we were treated to.  Satanists and support groups, parties and machinations and the creation of a superhero team by Rudy 2 that went off the rails and started killing people to prevent crime.  One thing that never materialized, but has to as it was one of the best moments during the fourth series and almost seemed like it would happen during this one – a full unfettered version of ‘The Power of Love,’ as sung  by Shaun Dooley.  This needs to happen and happen now.  Besides being one truly gifted actor, Dooley has a great voice.  Make this exist somebody!

The show has explored many themes since its inception and continued to do so right up until the last episode such as life, love, death, power, family and more.  Friendship, love, forgiveness and redemption definitely came into play far more this series than many of the previous ones.  There was betrayal between the friends, lying, stealing, humiliation and even more, but when it came down to it, their friendship won out in the end.  Some of our cast found love, some found redemption from others in the group and many learned to forgive, not only the others but themselves as well.  Truly, an all-encompassing show set against the backdrop of the extraordinary.  It is a shame it had to end, but it did so well and is a perfect example of how shows about the superhuman could, and perhaps should, be explored.