Last week's TV - the inthenews.co.uk view
Misfits continues to impress on E4
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Monday, 23, Nov 2009 02:51
We entered the third dimension last week as Channel 4 bought us a bevy of treats from the Queen to Siegfried and Roy in stunning 3D.
It was a rather strange experience donning a pair of black and white chequered coloured card 3D glasses to watch television though. However, after getting over the initial stage of adjustment it was a rather rewarding experience. The glasses bought us closer into the world of our television sets, bringing depth to our programmes providing us with a unique reason to switch on the tube. However, whilst Channel 4's week of special programmes heralded a new era for British television, it was not without its limitations.
Kicking off the week was The Queen in 3D. In 1953, Bob Angell and Arthur Wooster shot the Coronation in stereo 3D. Whilst the documentary made great viewing, the 3D footage felt curiously flat. Whilst the footage had never been seen before in the public domain, it did not quite live up to the television event it was billed as.
I'll admit that after enjoying Disney/Pixar's Up at the cinema, in stunning 3D, my expectations were probably unfairly high. However even when Derren Brown appeared later in the evening attempting every 3D gimmick in the book, I was still left rather unsatisfied that the 3D tricks were not more sophisticated.
There were times when it worked brilliantly though. The most notable moment occurred when the Queen's golden carriage appeared, but as stunning these moments were, they were rare. Overall, the week was enjoyable, and captured my interest, yet I feel it will be some time before 3D television becomes a staple must-see part of our television schedules.
I missed Misfits when it premiered the week before last, so was not sure what to expect, when tuning in last week for episode two - having caught up online - but thought it was worth giving it a go.
The premise could not be more overloaded. Put simply the show is Heroes-meets-Skins-meets-I Know What You Did Last Summer. A group of teen delinquents get struck by lightning in a freak storm whilst on a community service project, only to develop superpowers, ranging from invisibility to mind reading. The supervising officer ends up trying to kill them, having also be affected by the storm - the teens kill him, bury the body and then start receiving threatening messages. Sound familiar?
Despite a collision of elements, the show is surprisingly good and not at all what I expected when I first read the premise. It is funny in places, combining supernatural and horror elements effectively, although at times the acting is slightly dodgy.
Last week's episode focussed on Nathan, the cheeky Irish member of the group, who discovers that his mum's partner was affected by the storm too. Rather than developing a special power, he takes on werewolf tendencies, running around at night naked, believing he is a dog. Sadly, it does not end there for Nathan. Not only does his mum seem unfazed by dog-man, to make matters worse, he learns that his love interest, blonde bombshell Ruth, is in fact a resident at an old people's home. He makes the discovery after the pair sleep together; apparently the storm made her appear much younger than she actually was and unluckily for Nathan he saw her as she used to be.
Whilst there is nothing ground-breaking going on here, Misfits is harmless good fun. It is an hour of TV which combines elements from some of pop culture's most popular shows and films in an action-packed, dark yet funny drama that's perfectly suited to the E4 audience.
I will feely admit that I have been caught up in X Factor hysteria over the past few months; sadly it has meant that I missed the start of The Impression Show with Culshaw and Stephenson, which reached its third episode on Saturday.
This show is comedy gold, with John Culshaw and Debra Stephenson making a great partnership. This comedy sketch show is a welcome return to TV for Culshaw, and the perfect replacement for Dead Ringers.
Highlights include Fiona Bruce's thieving of items from the Antiques Roadshow, David Cameron's nighttime activities and Nick Knowles' visit to a hardware store in search of a 'long wait'.
Throughout the show's run, the duo will showcase 23 new impressions including Anne Robinson, Ricky Gervais, Gene Hunt and Michael McIntyre. It is great stuff and there are numerous laugh-out-loud moments to keep the audience entertained from start to finish. It is perfect Saturday night entertainment, and a great way to escape the power of the X if you so chose, or the perfect show to end your Saturday night viewing with.
Matt Robinson