A Runaways Catch Up
So, during Christmas, I got very busy and because it’s me, I also got very sick. Standard me behaviour, so sadly my reviews fell by the wayside. Now that I’m well and I can write again, I have finished watching the first season of Runaways and after thinking carefully about how to write 4 separate reviews, I thought it best to write a singular one and talk about my thoughts and issues that developed over time. It’s not that the show became terrible, buts it’s not like it got much better than its consistent tones throughout the first half I reviewed and that’s where my reasoning lay. If there wasn’t much changing, would I go crazy writing the same thing every week?
The similarity between all the episodes (as I said before) isn’t a bad thing, it could just be a condition from shooting an entire series at one-time ala Netflix’s Daredevil and what not. But unlike Daredevil and Jessica Jones, I felt there was something lacking in Runaways and I couldn’t put my finger on it. Was it the fact that the characters were already established in the main pop culture zeitgeist and this series had to try harder to explain and introduce characters? Was it the lack of a true villain for half a season? Were they both in conjunction with each other and lead to a convoluted story that had too many mysteries and reveals for its own good? I don’t know, these are theories and the more I read my own writing the more I’m coming off like I didn’t enjoy it and I don’t think that’s the case. I think maybe I wanted more from the show that was going to present a source material that I cared so much about and if I was impartial, I would have to say, I genuinely enjoyed the show and would definitely recommend it.
I have three pages of notes to the left of me outlining my random thoughts about each episode and the events that took place in each one and it seems like some ramblings of a crazy man. So, I’ll just copy a few here and then go into greater detail about aspects of the show I thought needed to be talked about;
· The explanation of the “magic” staff is actually cute, I thought I would hate it, but I didn’t.
· Stan Lee!!
· URGH GURT is too typical anti-everything.
· Heck yeah time travel: rekindled the mystery that was lost for me.
· Relationship stuff between the divorcing parents is very honest and real.
· Booooooooooooooo Gurt.
· Gross but good make up/prosthetics.
· Only smart thing Molly has done.
· Goddammit chase.
· I wonder if this had been made 6 months later that maybe Molly would be a proper mutant/first mutant in the MCU.
· SO MANY KISSES.
· GURT IS THE WORST.
· Slowed to a halt.
· I liked the ending, but it was a little underwhelming, I hoped more would’ve happened and maybe a new start?
· Answers are nice.
The acting I felt, got better as the series went on and was a welcome change as I felt the parents were very wooden and lifeless. The scripting also felt more real towards the end and I feel this could’ve been due to the kids trying to deal with crazy situations and they seemed like real reactions to conflicting situations and events. Nothing was perfect though as there were some terrible choices in dialogue, but I feel that’s par for the course when you decide to create a teen drama and then add a crazy plot device such as powers or secret murder plots. I feel plot-wise there was a little misstep towards the end of the series when a few mysteries finally got answered but either fell flat due to it being unfulfilling or they were dragged out to be something and it was something completely different, making no sense. Besides that, there’s only one real complaint I have left and that is that the last episode seemed like it was going to be this cataclysmic event with major changes happening and it fell flat and almost bordered on boring and cheesy. The fact that a fight scene happened off camera was very disappointing, and I understand smaller budgets but if that was the case, don’t tease confrontation and then don’t show it to me. On the plus side; the music throughout was great and whoever oversaw that department should keep their job going forward.
Overall, I thought the series was good and its worth a watch. I’m excited about the next season as its been greenlit for more than its previous 10 episodes and there are rumors of a crossover with the new Marvel show Cloak and Dagger (which is another Marvel property I quite enjoy). Please watch, I just want more fun marvel TV shows and if you do, I’ll get more!