#and then not going to therapy hoo boy. wacky idea from anime that i think will be very silly

[brutal-nemesis]

get ready for my shitty wips

i uh. i've never had. a lot of wips. so this feels a bit silly but whatever it's for fun ig ✨ ty @toyybox

Rules: Pick a bunch of your WIPs and summarize them as badly as possible, then ask your followers to vote on which one they'd be most likely to read. Multiple/all/none options are completely optional.

Open tag because I'm eepy （；´д｀）ゞ

[paulsebert]

Runaways S01E01 Thoughts

Going to hide these behind the cut for Spoilers.

The first Marvel property created in the current millennium lets hope they don't screw this up.

And the official  title lets us know it's “Marvel's Runaways” as not to let us think this is a biography of Joan Jett.

The opening is like this little mini-horror movie and if you've seen the plot twist at the end of the first issue of the original series it's made all the more horrible because you know where this is going.

“What's this like a cult?”  “We don't use that word...” - If you ever hear anyone say that in real life say that just leave the room.

Our villains are allowed to basically engage in a public kidnapping because of society's ingrained distrust of non-English speaking Latinos.  Ouch...

The official intro sequence looks to be dropping as many hints about the actual characters while simultaneously obscuring the fact this is a superhero show.  The synthesizer sound has a little bit of a modern synth meets retro John Carpenter feel. Didn't care for it the first time I listened to it but it grew on me.

We cut in to see Alex Wilder playing video games.  You know how the original comic starts with the kids playing a superhero MMO?  Wouldn't it be a hoot if he was playing Marvel Online the week that it gets killed?

Alex is an introvert who appears to have some sort of depression issues and perhaps some unhealthy emotional hang-ups as we learn he's still got issues over a girl he broke up with two years ago. A curious choice for our POV character. If the show follows the complete arc of the comics.

“You know it's like a charity organization and not like... the mob.”

We cut to Nico and we learn she has a missing or dead sister.  Curious how this will play out.

We cut to Chase and he's jacked! Also his dad establishes himself as creepy and emotionally abusive within seconds.

We see the Dean family in the Church of the Gibborum.  It's like Scientology and that Not-Really-Scientology church from Kurt Busiek's Avengers run had a baby. Karolina's mom is the woman we saw take the girl at the per-credits sequence.  Oh shit...

Gert and Molly are like step-sisters in this continuity.  I guess Molly's name and race change in this incarnation is an easy way to get around the whole “no Mutants” rule.  I wouldn't put it past Fox to put a “Molly Hayes” and her parents in this continuity.  The Steins are like embarrassing wacky sitcom parents and the most “normal” of the Pride.  I get a very Daria-esc vibe from Gert,  Molly is written as if she were like 12-13 but looks the same age as the rest of the kids.

“They're teenagers, the last thing they're interested in is what their parents are doing.”

Alex's parents have a giant room just for creepy cult rhobes.  Karolina's mom has a hundred year old dude hooked up to what could best be described as some sort of S&M life support system. That's a new addition and a damn creepy one.

Runaways is presented by “Discover Los Angeles.”  Did the Los Angeles board of tourism really mean to sponsor a show that presents their city as run by a murder cult?

Gert wants to start a club to smash the patriarchy. Her classmates aren't interested by I support this endeavor.  Gert's kinda tongue-in-cheakly set up as the young idealist the kind that gets demeaned online as a “Social Justice Warrior” but... she's kinda perfect.

Gert meets Chase and there's obvious friction.  Gert stumbles across the two and is snarky. Karolina comes along and there is friction between her and Gert because Gert thinks the cult-like organization that raised her is totally a cult. Also she's not that big on organized religion in general.  

Chase is struggling with Spanish yet can't ask for a tutor because... well despite being in this episode for less than two minutes I think the guy's a psychopath.  Gert offers to tutor him. Subtle flirting...

Alex wants to talk to Nico but Nico is ignoring him because she's still mourning her (presumably) dead sister. Meanwhile we learn that Karolina is being cyberbullied over being in a totally obvious cult. So many painful feels...  Karolina comments on Nico's beauty and we get our first hint at her sexuality.

“Some people hide behind makeup, others behind a smile... they're still hiding.”- Ouch...

Molly is having cramps and some mysterious medical issues so she goes to the school nurse.  We learn that Molly's parents died in a fire which means they either had to cut back on the cast or legal rights.  Maybe Molly's Parents will be villains on the next season of The Gifted.  Also Molly has a bad case of CGI glowing eyes.

Wait if Molly is Gert's step-sister why hasn't she taken the “York” family name?

Karolina is being interviewed for some kinda profile or documentary on the church.  The girl we saw in the prologue says that “you're really lucky to have your mom...”  Hoo boy...

Molly's super-strength has already kicked in and she almost gets herself killed trying to figure it out. We get to see her pus a Volkswagon mini-bus!

We finally cut to the Pride's annual party.  Chase's dad gives me more psychopath vibes.  I want a prequel series about the Yorkes being wacky sitcom parents. Ms. Wilder has no idea how they were allowed in their murder-cult.

We actually get to see some of the Pride talking to each other like normal parents which is nice. Though Karolina's mom is still cheerfully creepy while Mr. Stein has a Patrick Bateman vibe.

The kids turned down Alex's invitation to hang out and he is sad.  Chase blew off Gert's study invitation to hang out with frat-looking bros, she is sad.  Karolina trying to sneak out and winds up at the same party as Chase.  There's a dude who looks way too old to be there handing out pills.  Stranger danger Karolina!  Meanwhile  Nico is on the beach doing witchy things.  Gert sends Molly a text message to feed the “pets.” (Old Lace)

Karolina sees two girls making out at the party and it's like a lightbulb goes off!  Gay people exist in the advanced Marvel Cinematic/Television Universe!  She takes off her bracelet and starts glowing... She then passes out. Chase sees two boys carrying her off and oh no...

The Steins have a mad science lab with a bunch of animals in cages and an ominous door labeled “Keep Out.” Molly gets her first glimpse at Old Lace and tears a door off trying to get away.  She calls Gert and wants to get out of the house because there's seriously weird stuff going on.  Now where might they go?

Chase sees two guys about to date-rape Karolina and kicks the shit out of them. I have mixed feelings on this. One one hand I'm against date-rape as a cheap plot  device (particularly in a teen drama) but I'm 100% for attempted date-rapists getting the shit kicked out of them.  Karolina recovers and she doesn't want to go home.

Whatever it is that Nico was trying to do with her beach witch ritual it ain't working. The kids all finally decide to go meet Alex.

Everyone is still weird, stressed out, and still mourning. Amy is confirmed as dead.  It's like this weird therapy session.  Chase decides that the only way to take the stress out of the situation is underage drinking.  Yep... still a dumbass.

The kids see that the parents are gone and start sneaking around. Wouldn't you know it there's a trap door. You know what's coming...

The girl from the beginning is the one being sacrificed made the more horrifying by the fact that Karolina recognizes her.  Rather than being stabbed she's shoved into some kind of glowing space coffin.  We get a cliffhanger as Mr. Wilder asks “what the hell was that?!”

Final Verdict: Some interesting changes... I kinda of wish they got to the party earlier but the young cast is great, the glimpses of special effects are good, and they didn't screw it up!

Final Grade: B+