[7.8/10] A lot of clever writing in this one. The show managed to put Spider-Man in the clutches of The Insidious Six and Kingpin, make him seem in genuine peril, and yet convincingly have him wriggle out of it in interesting ways.
For one thing, I like that Spider-Man’s powers flitting in and out paid off here. The notion that Spidey gets unmasked, but no one believes Peter’s the real deal because (1.) he has motive to impersonate the wall-crawler because his Aunt’s a hostage and (2.) he was so pitiful against the six in battle since his powers were out. It’s a nice way to do a fake out about Spidey’s identity being revealed, but have the takeback seem reasonable.
I also liked that the only reason he gets out is basically due to criminal infighting. That happens at the crime boss level among Kingpin and Silvermane, who are jostling for position in the crime ring with one another and each trying to strike first. And it happens at the regular villain level, with Spider-Man cleverly playing off the Insidious Six’s natural tensions by nudging each of them and setting them against one another. It’s a deft way to have Spidey need to use his brain to get out of this one, and not just his fleeting braun.
It’s also a nice bit to have him saving Silvermane throughout, thinking he’s just a random guy the baddies have kidnapped for ransom. It adds stakes a complications to the battles. And the battles are pretty good! Using Mysterio’s VR cubes is a little easy, but it’s another instance of Spider-Man being resourceful when he’s not at his best powers-wise. And his fight with the villains in the “jungle” or faking them out on rooftops, or sending Shocker into a water tower had plenty of verve.
Last but not least, there’s some good teases for what’s to come. The notion that Spider-Man is still mutating is an interesting one, and Morbius has supplanting his position in courting Felica Hardy throws more complications in his romantic life. Thankfully he still has Mary Jane (and his loving Aunt) in his life, and it’s a pleasant bit of positivity in Peter’s life after such a harrowing experience.
All-in-all, a well-done episode that balances the many characters involved, finds clever ways for Spidey to interact with and beat the villains, and portends interesting stuff to come.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2018-02-09T04:13:11Z
[7.8/10] A lot of clever writing in this one. The show managed to put Spider-Man in the clutches of The Insidious Six and Kingpin, make him seem in genuine peril, and yet convincingly have him wriggle out of it in interesting ways.
For one thing, I like that Spider-Man’s powers flitting in and out paid off here. The notion that Spidey gets unmasked, but no one believes Peter’s the real deal because (1.) he has motive to impersonate the wall-crawler because his Aunt’s a hostage and (2.) he was so pitiful against the six in battle since his powers were out. It’s a nice way to do a fake out about Spidey’s identity being revealed, but have the takeback seem reasonable.
I also liked that the only reason he gets out is basically due to criminal infighting. That happens at the crime boss level among Kingpin and Silvermane, who are jostling for position in the crime ring with one another and each trying to strike first. And it happens at the regular villain level, with Spider-Man cleverly playing off the Insidious Six’s natural tensions by nudging each of them and setting them against one another. It’s a deft way to have Spidey need to use his brain to get out of this one, and not just his fleeting braun.
It’s also a nice bit to have him saving Silvermane throughout, thinking he’s just a random guy the baddies have kidnapped for ransom. It adds stakes a complications to the battles. And the battles are pretty good! Using Mysterio’s VR cubes is a little easy, but it’s another instance of Spider-Man being resourceful when he’s not at his best powers-wise. And his fight with the villains in the “jungle” or faking them out on rooftops, or sending Shocker into a water tower had plenty of verve.
Last but not least, there’s some good teases for what’s to come. The notion that Spider-Man is still mutating is an interesting one, and Morbius has supplanting his position in courting Felica Hardy throws more complications in his romantic life. Thankfully he still has Mary Jane (and his loving Aunt) in his life, and it’s a pleasant bit of positivity in Peter’s life after such a harrowing experience.
All-in-all, a well-done episode that balances the many characters involved, finds clever ways for Spidey to interact with and beat the villains, and portends interesting stuff to come.