It’s finale time! But is this the end for Misfits?

By the Nazi-killing, zombie-bashing high standards of Series 3 it’s a rather low-key finale, and against the previous 7 episodes feels just a bit underwhelming.

A criminally underused Mark Heap is the medium who brings back ghosts that have unfinished business with our misfits. So high is the group’s kill-rate it’s disappointing that only three ghosts from the past return: probation workers Tony and Sally, and brainwashing cult-member Rachel (bit weird seeing her in this again after Downton Abbey).

Long-term fans will love the nostalgia of seeing Series 1 characters, while fans who came onboard more recently may find things feel a bit shallow. Did we really care that much about Tony and Sally that we’d want to see them again?

Why the ghosts can interact physically with the world around them, and even get drunk and have sex, isn’t explained, and so feels suspiciously convenient as events play out, especially with Sally kissing Simon, and Rachel killing Alisha.

Alisha’s death and the result it has on Simon all happens a bit quickly, with this rushed feeling compounded by the fact the previous forty minutes meander with the ghostly goings-on that, while entertaining, could have easily been condensed. Simon’s predestination has been such a large part of Misfits lore for so long now that it’s surprising it’s not given more space to breathe in the episode.

Leaving us knowing that Alisha and Simon are dead may feel a little depressing, but we’re soon reminded that they’re destined to love one another in a perfect causal loop. It’s a beautiful but twisted love story, especially as each has to watch the other die, and it’s as close as Misfits gets to a happy ending.

And speaking of endings…though it doesn’t do it in the most exciting fashion Misfits ties itself up very well in a neat little temporal bow that leaves you with the distinct feeling that this is ‘The End’.  It feels like it’s emulating the plot of it’s own finale – looking back on its past (ghosts, and a brief treat for Robert Sheehan fans), and fulfilling the things it needs to do before it can be laid to rest, just as the ghosts do.

If you have this feeling then you’ll be delighted to know the show is returning for a 4th series, which makes the ending, with Rudy, Kelly and Curtis pondering their own futures, a little less ambiguous but also a little less powerful. With the promise of a new series, any ‘happy ever afters’ are a way off yet.

Our characters might not know what’s in store for them but based on the strength of this series the future looks good for Misfits. Given the deaths here and the changes in cast it’ll lead to, it’s likely that when the show returns it’ll have a slightly different feel to it, but that’s an exciting prospect.

“I love a happy ending,” says Rudy, appealing to fans of hard-to-catch innuendo everywhere, and though this episode is certainly not happy, it isn’t sad either. It’s a perfectly serviceable finale but one which could have used its time better to deliver more (not least a little characterization for poor Seth, who’s been more power-up flinging MacGuffin than character throughout).

As an end to Simon’s story it is, like Alisha’s death, brutally neat but lacking a little of the fanfare it deserved. Mind you, that’s probably the way SuperHoodie would want it.

Aired at 10pm on Sunday 18th December 2011 on E4.

> Buy the Series 1-2 boxset on Amazon.

> Order the Series 3 DVD on Amazon.

What did you think of the episode? Let us know below…