Tag: marvel cinematic universe

Marvel’s Runaways Season 1 Episode 3: Destiny Recap

~ Metacrone

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This episode is the third part of the three part introduction to the series. We’re done with the night of the Pride ritual, and it’s time to cope with the morning after.

The episode begins with a flashback to ten years ago, when everyone attended the funeral of Molly’s parents, who died in a house fire. The entire Pride, and their children, are there. Little four year old Molly sits alone in a tiny wheel chair with a pink cast on her right leg. She’s next to the Yorkes, who look devastated. The entire Pride has the grace to display varying levels of sadness, except for Tina, who looks like the funeral is making her miss another board meeting. The distaste and impatience on her face are palpable.

After the funeral, everyone gathers together for food and memories. Tina conspicuously pulls her sleeve down to cover the thick bandages on her right hand and arm. Geoffrey confronts Robert about Pride members potentially murdering each other, but Robert insists it was a cooking accident. He implies that he didn’t see the cooking accident, saying he’d know if she’d done something to the Hernandez.

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Marvel’s Runaways Season 1 Episode 2: Rewind Recap

~ Metacrone

MR102Molly

In episode 2 of the Runaways, aptly titled Rewind, we spend most of the episode within the same time frame covered by episode 1, Reunion. This time around, we spend more time with the parents, who are full of secrets. Every family is keeping more secrets from their kids, and each other, than just the true nature of the PRIDE.

The episode opens on the moment when Molly takes her photo of the Pride ritual. The kids and parents all try not to panic. Tina suggests that the flash may have been light from the staff bouncing off the sound barrier she created.

The kids run upstairs and try to escape, but the secret passageway door has automatically closed and locked. Molly uses her new super strength to force it open. None of the other kids realize what she did.

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Marvel’s Runaways Season 1 Episode 1: Reunion Recap

~ Metacrone

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My review of the first three episodes is HERE.

Episode 1 of Marvel’s Runaways is the first of the three episodes that HULU released together to kick off the series. The three episodes work best if watched together and viewed as an extended pilot. That makes Reunion part one, in which we focus on the titular kids.

The episode opens on a bus bringing a young woman to Los Angeles. A boy is reading a copy of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth. Things are about to get weird underground.

The woman is a runaway with no place to go. She spends the night wandering around town. At one point she phones home, but doesn’t speak. Her mother calls her Destiny. A baby is crying in the background.

After she hangs up the phone, Destiny is accosted by two men who speak Spanish to her. They’re trying to get her to go with them and pushing her along, but they aren’t touching her sexually. Only one line is translated: We’re trying to save you.

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The Defenders Season 1 Analysis and a Bit of Speculation

~ Metacrone ~ 2 Comments

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Disclaimers: We can’t speculate much about the next Defenders season, since the continuation of this season’s storylines will be picked up in the individual series’ seasons that will be released long before we get season 2 of The Defenders. So my speculation is about where the story might go for individual characters or organizations, regardless of which show in the Netflix Marvel Universe they might be appearing on at the time. Also, there are a few previously published spoilers sprinkled throughout this post, such as casting news for the various shows. Spoilers are marked [Spoilers].

Characters & Relationships

I enjoyed The Defenders and its focus on the characters. The interplay between the various Defenders was fun, interesting and deepened each character. The interactions between the Defenders and the members of the Hand and other side characters also gave us some entertaining moments, and challenged the characters. Gao and Hogarth, in particular, are played by incredible, talented women, are well-written, and generally provide a challenge to whoever is on screen with them. The addition of Sigourney Weaver as Alexandra was genius, and it’s sad, in a way, that she seems to be definitively dead, so we can’t see more of her. It was also entertaining to watch the supporting casts from each show come together and play with each other.

But the Defenders themselves are the main attraction, and they deserve the attention. Watching Danny and Luke develop from two alpha males who didn’t like each other and stood in their corners snarling, to a big and little brother camaraderie and respect was tons of fun. Seeing the two damaged, suspicious orphans, Jessica and Matt, slowly let down their guard enough to trust each other and discover their matching sarcastic senses of humor was also good fun.

[Spoiler: Danny will be visiting Luke, Claire, and Misty on Luke Cage, season 2, so the bromance will continue. Maybe we’ll get a chance to see Danny supervise Misty’s fitting and rehab with her new cybernetic arm.)

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The Defenders Season 1 Episode 8: The Defenders Recap

~ Metacrone

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And They All Fall Down

The Defenders come together as a united team in this episode, for an epic fight to save NYC from destruction by the Hand. Previous to that, Luke, Matt, and Jessica seem to sincerely want to save Danny because they care about him for himself, not just because the Hand having the Fist is a very bad idea.

But, most importantly, this is a Winter Soldier parallel, and those helicarriers have to come down. that building has to come down. We can’t let HYDRA the Hand succeed with its ultimate evil plan to take over the world live forever and take over the world.

First, we need to convince Luke that the architect was right, and we should use his C4 and plans to collapse the building. Sweet Sister, Luke’s not okay with violence unless he’s instigating it! His trusted women, Claire and Jessica, make good points in the argument; enough so that he reluctantly gives in. Jessica, in particular, wants the Hand to be stopped permanently. She still has the architect’s brains all over her apartment and once is enough with a rude enemy like that.

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Marvel’s Inhumans Season 1 Episode 8: …And Finally: Black Bolt Recap/ Agents of SHIELD S5 Promo

~ Metacrone
MIposter
Remember those promising days of early August, when it seemed like this might at least have writers who made sense, despite the awful hair and costumes?

We did it! We made it to the end of Marvel’s gag reel! They saved the worst for last, with the writers barely bothering to try to make this episode hang together and make sense. They also diabolically threw in new plot information from out of left field, just in case this torture device gets reviewed.

Hold your noses and read on.

We pick up right where we left off, with Black Bolt confronting Maximus in the royal bunker. Except the writers got drunk in between, and forgot that the two men were alone, so this week the whole family is there. Why not? Let’s say that invisibility is now a temporary talent.

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Marvel’s Inhumans Season 1 Episode 7: Havoc in the Hidden Land Recap

~ Metacrone

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The royal family is reunited on the moon this week, after 6 episodes of stumbling around a tiny Hawaiian island trying to find each other. Watching these guys, one begins to understand why the Kree decided to leave them behind.

Black Bolt reveals the existence of a fully stocked royal apocalypse bunker known only to the king, which suggests that the servants who periodically switch out supplies are subsequently murdered. Another mark in favor of keeping Black Bolt as king, no? Maximus proves once again that he got the entire genetic allotment of intelligence for the family, as he easily tricks Black Bolt into turning Declan over to him. Then it’s fun and games with terrigenesis experiments all around. But first, Black Bolt proves to have pulled off another deception, as Triton appears from the ocean, alive and well.

Down on earth the royals recapture everyone who escaped when Gorgon died, including Auran and Declan. Medusa and Karnak question Declan about his research, which they learn has been funded by Maximus. The royals realize that Maximus wants to go through terrigenesis again, and has probably murdered the genetic council so that they won’t stop him.

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Marvel’s Inhumans Season 1 Episode 6: The Gentleman’s Name Is Gorgon Recap

~ Metacrone

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This week the royal family members on Earth are reunited, in preparation for the season finale. Each side of the ongoing battle in Hawaii loses a key member. Human friends are ditched, having served their purposes. And Maximus continues to go through more advisors than the Trump administration. The phrase “peaceful transition of power” clearly doesn’t mean what he thinks it means.

Maximus is walking down the halls of the palace, alone, when Lockjaw drops in with the entire royal family, wearing their original outfits. They are out to get Maximus. Black Bolt blames Maximus for Triton’s death, and knows that Maximus is the one who really killed their parents. Maximus begs for a peaceful transition of power, as Black Bolt draws a deep breath before using his voice on Maximus.

Before Black Bolt can speak, Maximus wakes up, sitting on the throne, still king of Attilan.

Down on Earth, Dave’s crazy ex-girlfriend/vet tech Audrey is examining Lockjaw and complaining about his injuries and treatment. Crystal gets defensive about her right to use Lockjaw for teleportation, no matter what his injuries are. Then Audrey changes tactics, and tells Crystal to go home, or get registered. In fact, she’ll take the photo for the ID herself.

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The Defenders Season 1 Episode 7: Fish in the Jailhouse Recap

~ Metacrone

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In the penultimate episode of the season, we’re reminded why Danny is the Iron Fist instead of the Iron Brain, Elektra proves that the Black Sky is more than just a killing machine with a pretty face, and Foggy shows that he’s the best best friend a guy could want. Some of the color returns to the screen as the 3 remaining Defenders rally to find Danny and stop the Hand.

The cold open reminds us that Elektra and Matt met because, years ago, Stick sent her as an undercover operative to recruit Matt to the Chaste. Stick was ruthless in his criticism of both of his surrogate children when Elektra failed. He couldn’t tolerate weakness or hesitation in anyone.

In the present day, we see red and blue police lights flashing over the scene where Stick’s body lies, presumably dead, and Matt, Jessica, and Luke lie unconscious.

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The Defenders Season 1 Episode 5: Take Shelter Recap

~ Metacrone

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This episode is all about the Defenders vs the Hand, as the Defenders begin to define themselves as a team, while the Hand lets infighting and old grudges continue to drive them apart. The visual style of the show changes to reflect this.

In the beginning of the episode, the Defenders signature colors of green, yellow, blue and red fuse into soft mixed colors, like peach, chartreuse, gold and lavender. They gradually give way to industrial grays made of metal and concrete, and the cold whites associated with Alexandra, as the Hand becomes more prominent in the episode.

Elektra also shifts through being surrounded by Alexandra’s white and wearing Matt’s red, to wearing her own color, black, with just a hint of Matt’s red, and placing herself in Matt’s apartment. Interestingly, Matt’s apartment has art and other prominent accents in Jessica’s blue. A hint for the long-term future?

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