Misfits – Super Powers are a Turn On
Last night I watched E4’s new teen drama Misfits (I have no idea why… I guess I thought the idea of Skins with super-powers might be good. Trust me, it’s not)
There is often critique about the way fantasy writers treat their female characters, much of it regarding the way the super-powers given to them fit their stereotypical role as a woman. Whilst male superheroes are going around smashing and killing and KAPOWing, female superheroes are more likely to be deflecting bullets, reading minds and becoming invisible. All whilst looking damn hawt.
So last night, 4 of the 5 Misfits got their super-powers… and they were all pretty lame, to be honest; invisibility, mind reading, turning back time. What, no setting-things-on-fire-just-by-looking-at-them power? Oh well, that’s an E4 style budget for you…
The power attributed to the character of Alisha really took the biscuit though. Her power was… wait for it… …when a person touches her they are overcome with the desire to have sex with her. Yes, really!
So we saw two male characters touching Alisha (above) and declaring “I’m so hard for you!”, “I want to piss on your tits” whilst fumbling with their flies. There’s no clue yet what happens when a woman touches her, but you can bet all those pubescent viewers out there who love a bit of faux lesbianism can’t wait to find out.
This new found power was all rather scary stuff for Alisha who, obviously, wasn’t in the mood to be shagged or pissed on right there and then. It made for uncomfortable viewing too, since the boys’ lustful cries mixed with Alisha’s scared ones came far too close to a near rape scene for my liking.
What really annoys me is that the writers had obviously thought this power would be fitting for Alisha because, in earlier scenes she is shown as completely in control of her sexuality. She confronts one of the boys she sees ogling her with an offhand “Feel free to look at my tits, yeah?” and tells a story (with explicitly mimed explanation) of how she ‘gave head’ to a breathaliser when stopped by police for drink driving.
It feels like this power is a punishment to Alisha for owning her sexuality. We’re led to believe that these kids don’t have much going for them, so it seems a bit harsh to lay down the law to this one particular character by saying ” You want to rely on your sexuality to get by? Allllrighty then, let’s see you cope with THIS!”
I can’t say much more, I think, except – can I have my hour back? If only I had the power to turn back time…
(Images taken from pictures section of the E4 Misfits site)
Edit: Really good analysis from JenniferRuth over on theFword, where she connects Alisha’s ‘Power’ to rape culture;
By: Sarah Barnes, 13.11.2009 | Comments (12)“This is one of the most blatant examples of rape culture I have ever seen … A woman who can be raped without consequence because it isn’t the man’s fault as her powers literally “make them” rape her.”
Tagged: Alisha, E4, Femininity, lust, Misfits, Rape, Sex, Sexuality, Super Heroes
November 13th, 2009
3:35 pm
Oh god, a friend to me to watch this today, because they thought it was good! Argh – the above does not sound good in any way.
November 13th, 2009
4:05 pm
I wonder how they would have portrayed that power if it had been attributed to a man? Sounds like a Lynx advert waiting to happen to me.
November 17th, 2009
1:03 am
well to be honest… i really enjoyed watching it… and even with the near rape scene, she learn from it and before she goes out, takes off her earings and the “bling”… so how bad can it really be?
November 17th, 2009
9:52 pm
Hey Gill, cheers for the comment! Well, I think it’s actually being received pretty well so I’m not surprised your friend recommended it to you. If you watched Skins, then you’ll know what to expect; clunky acting, contrived dialogue but still pretty compelling. Sadly no great turns from older comic actors though… yet.
It was Alisha’s ‘power’ that really turned me off though, I couldn’t have any respect for the programme after that. Let me know what you think if you do watch it though!
November 17th, 2009
9:58 pm
Good point, Dan! I’m sure if it was a male character the whole scenario would have been presented as a blessing, rather than a curse. Still, don’t know how happy I’d be if E4 managed to turn this Alisha’s ‘power’ around into her own little Impulse advert. But then, there’s no pleasing some people, is there?
November 17th, 2009
10:58 pm
Hi Hana, thanks for your comment! I think if Alisha’s ‘power’ hadn’t have been so badly thought out then I could have enjoyed Misfits too. As it was, though, I’ve been completely put off.
I don’t think any woman in control of her sexuality should have to ‘learn’ anything, and especially not through a near-rape experience. Of course we’re only talking about a TV character, not a real person, but I still think it’s worth commenting on. So often fiction can tell us about the society in which we live. As Jennifer Ruth said over on The F Word, this whole story-line reflects and re-inforces a society that blames women for rape. Alisha’s ‘power’ mirrors the belief that women bring rape on themselves by seducing unsuspecting men into raping ‘because they can’t help it’.
November 20th, 2009
12:17 pm
I think Hana’s comment missed the point. Why should Alisha trying to make herself less noticeable as a result of the near rape scene and of her experiences with her “power” more generally be seen as a good thing? Why should she be the one to “learn from it” when her ability to influence that situation was wholly compromised? That suggests that Alisha should bear responsibility for other people’s sexual advances towards her. In the case of unwelcome advances, it removes any agency from the perpetrator – instead the victim is accountable for perpetrator’s actions and thus feels shame that is not rightly hers for acts she cannot control. To the extent that these experiences encourage her to change, to have a more negative relationship with her own sexuality (and identity) – illustrated, for example, by removing eye-catching jewellery – Alisha is being punished by a set of cultural precepts. Meanwhile, the characters (male, so far) who have threatened her with sexual violence are portrayed as passive, attracted to a magnified depiction of female sexuality that they are physically unable to resist. At this point, there have been no ramifications for them.
In an interview with ITN the actress playing Alisha, Antonia Thomas, describes her character’s “power” as “not even really a power, more of a curse”. I think that phrase summarises it quite neatly. Misfits falls in line with a long history of portraying sexually confident women in this way (i.e. as eventually subject to and/or to blame for some form of curse, the moral consequence of their behaviour).
It’s early days for this series. There is still potential for future episodes to subvert the aspects of so-called “rape culture” that have been represented so far, turning it into a critique of our perjorative treatment of female sexuality (and especially sexually empowered women) rather than just a disturbing reflection. It would be both refreshing and constructive for a prime-time show with a large audience of young people to do this.
December 3rd, 2009
8:50 pm
I think alot of people are looking at this the wrong way. The feeling of being uncomfortable in the near-rape is meant to be there, and i don’t think it is trying to suggest that it is a woman’s fault if someone rapes her. It is an ironic twist that her power is the extreme of what so many girls her age try to do: get noticed through their looks and sexuality, but she can’t control it. It’s meant to be sad and confusing for her, not an acceptance of rape-culture or anything like that.
December 11th, 2009
11:25 pm
The show is brilliant, entertaining and the characters are well developed. Stop hating and get off your high horses sheesh! Enjoy entertainment for what it is, entertainment.
December 16th, 2009
2:20 am
I don’t know why people seem to think that being in control of your sexuality has to mean sleeping around. It is possible to be sexually confident and comfortable with your own sexuality without being promiscuous. The whole argument that the story surrounding the character is somehow promoting rape culture is grabbing at straws if you ask me, the whole nature of the near-rape encounters and the reaction of the other characters clearly shows that it is viewed as unacceptable. Furthermore, why are people referring to Alisha as a victim when she is the one who took it upon herself to touch curtis and make him want to have sex with her, even though he already asked her not to. I think that the character of Alisha is like most girls her age, incredibly insecure. It is evident from her behaviour that she measures her own self-worth based on how many boys want to sleep with her. I think that there are probably many young girs who can relate to the feeling that they need to be sexually active in order to gain attention and acceptance from their peers. I think this is the issue that the show is actually trying to tackle. Whilst Alisha may view her power as a curse at the moment, it may be a blessing in disguise. This power may force her to change the way in which she interacts with men and by doing this she may find something more substantial to value in herself and to base her self-worth upon than sexual conquests. I really hate this misguided popular belief that girls who are sexually promiscuous are somehow liberated, powerful and confident when in fact they are likely to be the most damaged emotionally. There is nothing wrong with showing restraint, it is when you respect yourself and your body, connect with people emotionally before opening your legs to them and feel safe and secure with the people you choose to have intercourse that you can truly say you are in control/owning your sexuality.
December 28th, 2009
12:59 pm
What an unbalanced and inappropriate critique.
There is very little information about the actual programme and content in this alleged article. It’s merely a hackneyed semi feminist (and misguided) rant about one of the characters and her super power. Each of the characters have a power which helps them develop as a person. for example Kelly…her telepathy makes her a more understanding person. As for Aisha, I agree with the above comment. It’s a sweeping generalisation that a young person who is promiscuous is a happy and well rounded individual to start with…
This is all a deviation from the programme as a while though. You provided a very vague and mostly opinion orientated plot summary. The programme is expertly cast and very well acted. The characters are believable (to compare it to Skins is laughable) it’s tightly scripted and written with wit and intelligence. Considering it is low budget it has been put together wonderfully. It’s got more imagination and grit than Heroes. It’s a wonderful new British creation and has had me hooked from the beginning although I’m out of the initial demographic. A sincere mix if humour and tragedy and tackling issues which may actually cause younger people to think before getting laid, doing loads of drugs and getting drunk, but without the preachy element. I’m not sure if this is the intention or just my perception. Either way, it may benefit you and your readers to provide a more well rounded critique of a television show if you’re to avoid making a fool of yourself..
January 6th, 2010
12:16 pm
Okay, I do see how her power could be seen as punishment for her being an overtly sexual creature, but seriously, she DOES take back control of her sexuality! I thought that that was the whole point of that particular storyarc! She’s the one who suggests that she and Curtis have ‘phone sex without the phone,’ she still dresses and acts in the same way, she is still the same person and she’s found a way of moving beyond what should be a horribly crippling power. :/