This is just a general rant, and really one of the reasons why I joined this sub:
To talk about how Alisha could've been handled so much better as a character, especially in respect to her power.
I get that the show isn't exactly known for particularly intelligent writing, which is fine, but it always irked me how they handled a lot of their female characters, especially Alisha.
Being a woman who was all too willing to use her sexuality to get what she wants, Alisha gets the ability during the storm to passively induce intense sexual arousal on whoever touched her. Initially smitten by her power and using it to her advantage, she eventually realizes how bad it is that she wouldn't be able to have actual intimate/romantic physical relations with another person. She becomes withdrawn and learns to develop vulnerability with her friends, especially her romantic partners (Curtis, Simon). She eventually trades her power for something more benign by the end of S2, when she's become a kinder person and in a relationship with Simon.
I take issue with the idea that Alisha's "power" just becomes a punishment for her sexuality. That maybe would have been be okay at the beginning, but save for her and Nathan, the other Misfits manage to actively trigger or develop their first abilities.
I can maybe get that she's a "tragic character" (a la MCU's Rogue) along with Simon Spoiler Alert: She dies at the end of S3 and she and Simon basically get trapped in a time loop to try to save her. I understand how harrowing it would be for her power to trigger. But she never is developed to have any autonomy or assertiveness to try to use her power (unlike Rogue), even when it could save her and her friends from harm's way. There's a lot of opportunities for her to have distracted an antagonist by touching them.
Ultimately, Alisha becomes a better person because she gets punished by her power, and not through actual action on her part. And then she gets "rewarded" when she's committed to a stable relationship, which is such a bad plot for a female character.
It could've been more interesting for her arc to explore how she could have further developed her power with Curtis or even Simon, and discovered when and how to use her ability for good, and not for her own pleasure. Maybe she could have trained herself to (only) consciously withdraw the effects of her power upon touch. She would still be "cursed," but actually be more mindful of how her abilities interact with people.
Rant/Ted Talk over!