The problem with Simon
(warning…rape and sexual assault)
I watched Misfits season one and two in the wrong order, so my perspective on Simon…kinda went all over the place. In Series Two he’s sort of set up to be the paragon of goodness…he’s an Actual Hero and he saves people and dies for Alisha and stuff. But in Series One…he looks up Kelly’s skirt when she’s unconcious. Comes very close to actually putting his hand up her skirt, too. (I believe he actually touches her leg, than gets scared and leaves). And he spies (invisibly) on the girls when they’re getting changed…he goes right up to Alisha and sniffs her, and she has no way of knowing he’s even there. Plus, well, he didn’t exactly kill Sally (it was a strange combination of accident and self-defense) but he did keep her in a freezer and drop in every now and again to eat ice-cream with her corpse. Which I think we can agree is not healthy behaviour.
I just wish this stuff was addressed, you know? Simon goes from being one step away from the sex offender’s register to being Mr Perfect, and while I know a lot of it is legitimate character development, enough of it doesn’t feel so. Does Alisha know that he uses to spy on her? Would Kelly be so quick to defend him if she knew he almost molested her? I don’t hate Simon, but I think I would like him a lot more if the show had just addressed what he used to get up to. Even a simple “I’ve done a lot of bad things I’m sorry for,” would’ve done.
Although really, very few of the males come off well anyway. Rudy, for a start…I can’t quite bring myself to like Rudy, really, not as a person. As a character he’s hilarious, and I do suspect he doesn’t mean half the stuff he says (like his memorable ‘raped in a good way’ joke) but, well, there’s this:
Rudy: Do I have to wake her up?
Simon: What do you mean?
Rudy: Like, can’t I just slip it in there or something?
Simon: That’s rape.
Rudy: Is it really?
Simon: Yes.
(Which I suppose shows that Simon does at least understand that rape is wrong, but that’s how you should think, it’s not evidence of good-guy-ism, just evidence of being a regular person.) And Rudy had sex with Curtis/Melissa under very dubious circumstances, too, he must have known that she was drunk and not with it. She was calling him by a different name! Curtis would have been well within his rights to accuse him of rape…
Nathan…he’s incredibly entertaining, but he’s a massive arsehole. An ableist arsehole, too. Annoyingly, although he started off one of my favourite characters, the more I think about him the less I like him, except in a love-to-hate way. Sigh. Curtis on the other hand comes off pretty well. He’s done a few not-so-good things (I think he called Nikki a bitch once?) but on the whole he’s definitely the best person out of the Misfits men, I think.
Now there is actually one defense for Simon’s act of near-sexual assault, and that’s this: It happened at a time when Curtis was messing with the timelines, so there’s a chance it never happened at all. But it still demonstrates that Simon has that unpleasantness in him, and it doesn’t excuse the other things he’s done. I know lots of people like him- and yeah, in S2 and S3 he does do many good things and he does geniunely seem to love Alisha. (And she seems to love him back). Plus- he canonically has mental health issues, and it’s good to see a main character on a superhero show who has them. (But that’s a whole new can of worms, probably one I will open later). But it’s like…he can be either a creepy weirdo (a popular character archetype, I know) or a loving boyfriend/superhero…but not both. Not without making that transition properly. So…yeah. Also I wrote a fanfic dealing with all this.
March 9, 2012 @ 5:49 am
Hello from your friends-of-friends list! Hope you don’t mind a comment from an almost-stranger. :) I’m in the middle of watching Misfits for the first time, too! Or, well, near the end of it (sadly). Two more new eps in season three, then I have to wait for season four. Simon is my favorite character, so I was really interested to read your post. Then I remembered all the things in season one and went all “Yeah… /sad”. Even a simple “I’ve done a lot of bad things I’m sorry for,” would’ve done. I’ve noticed there’s a lot of that lacking on all the characters’ parts. Though they’re all teens I think? Hm, or maybe I’m mistaken. *skims wiki on Asbo* I thought those were just given to teenagers, but I guess not. Curtis was messing with the timelines, so there’s a chance it never happened at all. But it still demonstrates that Simon has that unpleasantness in him That’s one thing I love about the time traveling: All the characters stay the same even in different timelines, including things like relationships — if two are in a relationship in the main timeline, seems like with few exception, they are in the new timeline as well. Thanks for the link to your fanfic! I’m looking forward to reading it as soon as I’m done with the last two eps.
March 9, 2012 @ 9:35 pm
Oh no, that’s fine! I enjoy comments from everybody. :D I’ve noticed there’s a lot of that lacking on all the characters’ parts. Though they’re all teens I think? Hm, or maybe I’m mistaken. *skims wiki on Asbo* I thought those were just given to teenagers, but I guess not. I think the Misfits are between eighteen-ish and early twenties. Possibly! That’s one thing I love about the time traveling: All the characters stay the same even in different timelines, including things like relationships — if two are in a relationship in the main timeline, seems like with few exception, they are in the new timeline as well. I like that too! Which reminds me, I really wish we’d gotten a glimpse of Nathan in the Nazi-time-travelling episode…he was their friend after all, Kelly’s especially. Thanks for the link to your fanfic! I’m looking forward to reading it as soon as I’m done with the last two eps. Aw thank you!
March 11, 2012 @ 10:14 pm
I think the Misfits are between eighteen-ish and early twenties. Possibly! With actors being generally older, it’s so hard to guess sometimes! Which reminds me, I really wish we’d gotten a glimpse of Nathan in the Nazi-time-travelling episode…he was their friend after all, Kelly’s especially. Yes, that would have been interesting! I love all these extra little storylines they can get into through the use of time travel. So much fun! Also, thanks to one of your posts, I realize I haven’t seen the Christmas ep! Yay for more new stuff to watch even after I’m “caught up”! (Edit: Oops, or not. That’s an ep title! I thought it was an extra one. My bad!)