Review
MISFITS: Goosebumps Every Time I Watch the Milk Guy Episode
Misfits. What at first seemed like a banal story about teenagers who gain supernatural powers, was very well received both by critics and viewers.
Misfits debuted on channel E4 in November 2009. What at first seemed like a banal story about five teenagers who, as a result of intense discharges during an unusual storm, gain supernatural powers, was very well received from the very first episodes — both by critics and viewers.
Accidental Superheroes
Nathan, Simon, Curtis, Alisha, and Kelly, dressed in stylish orange uniforms, meet for the first time during a gathering before starting their assigned community service. Each of them has something on their conscience, but they differ from one another like the five elements. And it is an element that also grants them a shared secret – after a sudden storm, they are attacked by the social worker supervising their service and… they kill him, facing the unpleasant necessity of getting rid of the body. At the same time, they discover that the frenzy which suddenly seized their supervisor is not the only effect of the bizarre storm.
Each of them, as a result of the unexpected atmospheric phenomenon, has been given a power that somehow amplifies the strongest feature of their character – suspicious Kelly gains the ability to read minds, attractive Alisha can, with the lightest physical contact, awaken wild desire in anyone, withdrawn Simon can become invisible, and runner Curtis, tormented by guilt, can turn back time. Missing someone? Ah… Nathan. Carefree Nathan doesn’t know for a long time what power the storm has given him, which causes him considerable frustration. Of course, until…
Misfits ran for five seasons. The original cast carried the series at an even pace through the first two. From the third season on, Nathan was gone, which strongly affected the comic side of the story. After the fourth season, of the original five, and even then not for long, only Curtis remained. Faithful fans therefore recognize only the first three seasons as the real show – the fanatics, only two. Why? Because Misfits stands on its original cast. Yes, the script and execution of the series are truly high-quality (though it must be emphasized that the third season very skillfully closed the circle of this story, and indeed the following ones seem somewhat forced continuations), but it was the main five who breathed life into the series.
It’s the beloved Klaus from The Umbrella Academy, that is, Robert Sheehan, who shines brightest as the charming, capricious, unpredictable Nathan. His brilliant partner is none other than the ghastly Ramsay Bolton from Game of Thrones – Iwan Rheon as Simon, the strange, withdrawn kid who suddenly grows into a superhero. It’s between these two that the funniest verbal duels take place, they develop their characters the most, and they surprise the most.
Trying to keep up with them is the beautiful Antonia Thomas as Alisha (and also Dr. Claire Browne from The Good Doctor), who initially hesitated to accept the role because of the strongly emphasized eroticism of the character and the bold scenes involving her. Yet Alisha is not just a pretty body, so she was lucky to gain Thomas’s face. An exceptionally original character is Kelly (Lauren Socha), whose life attitude and distinctive accent seem to keep the whole crew in check. Perhaps the least expressive, though necessary for the balance of power, is Curtis, played by Nathan Stewart-Jarrett.
The Milk Guy Enters the Scene
The creators provide viewers with many interesting threads and plot twists – one of the most intriguing is certainly the mysterious figure of the Man in the Mask, who follows the main five, observing, supporting, guiding…? Surely, if you asked a selection of fans which episode is their favorite, many would choose the one where the Man in the Mask’s identity is revealed. I like it too. But what has always impressed me more is the penultimate episode of the second season, whose main character is the Milk Man.
Imagine your life. Day after day, you stand behind the counter, pouring milk… invisible. No one pays attention to you, and She doesn’t even look your way. And suddenly – everything changes. You gain a superpower; you control dairy products of all kinds. You start making videos, newspapers write about you, an agent reaches out to you. And finally, She looks at you with admiration. Unfortunately, there are others. With powers far more interesting than yours, because wouldn’t you want to be able to heal every disease in the world…? Wouldn’t you want to be immortal and entertain a bloodthirsty audience with live suicide shows…? Your milk, creams, and cheeses no longer interest anyone, your agent has no time for you. It was beautiful, but too short.
The Milk Man’s silly power, dismissed by everyone, turns out to be deadly, and once he’s tasted crime, the despised, frustrated man won’t stop. He decides to eliminate everyone who stood in the way of his bright, promising future. And so we reach one of the best, in my opinion, scenes of the series – when the Milk Man neutralizes Nathan. Neutralizes, because killing him – as we already know by season two – is impossible. So he uses the mozzarella Nathan had eaten earlier to wrap his brain, turning him into a vegetable.
The concept itself may not be very clever, but in this scene Robert Sheehan shows what he could achieve as an actor if he were no longer cast as pretty but unruly boys. The way understanding first appears on his face, then horror, and finally absolute emptiness – it’s poetry. It’s the moment when the viewer, with a lump in their throat, realizes this must be the end of everything. Even the touching scene of Simon’s conversation with Alisha, in which the girl reveals to him what awaits them in the future, fades beside it. Beautiful on its own, and yet overshadowed by Nathan’s absolute moment.
All Good Things…
Naturally, the creators of the series did not allow such an ending to their heroes’ adventures. In the topsy-turvy reality of Misfits, anything is possible, so this time the heroes manage to get out of trouble unscathed. Lactose intolerance, as it turns out, can have its advantages. And yet, every time I return to the first three seasons, this episode gives me goosebumps. A man cast out from society, frustrated, invisible, can be deadly dangerous. He doesn’t have to be – but he can – and then nothing will stop him. It’s terrifying how many degenerates one could find in the character of the Milk Man.
In 2017, the American channel Freeform announced that it was planning a remake of the series. The cast was even revealed. However, the production, to the relief of fans of the original British series, ultimately never came to fruition.
