[7.7/10] A cool episode to open the season! I’m a sucker for a good film noir homage, and casting Nebula as the former bad guy trying to break good is a great way to reimagine the “conflicted gumshoe” archetype. The episode does a nice job of showing her as a true believer who shows loyalty to her new cause, even when everyone doubts her. The fact that Nova Prime turns out to be the culprit, and it’s her lack of devotion to the cause of righteousness that exposes her, gives the story a certain ironic poetry, which I appreciate.
I also enjoyed the aesthetic here quite a bit! I was a bit more mixed on the look of this show last season, as I recall. But the cell-shading fits unexpectedly well with the grim future dystopian setting of Xandar. The show used some neat colored lighting, a darker palette, and some off-kilter framings to evoke the planet as a unique and memorable cesspool. The show managed to evoke a real Cowboy Bebop-esque atmosphere, which isn’t easy in such a different animation style and cinematic universe.
There were also a few particularly good sequences. The scene where Nebula connects with the data core had the right mix of startling body horror and evocative coloring. Her and Yon Rogg spelunking through the old data tower, replete with underwater elements, made this one memorable too. In addition to Cowboy Bebop, these sequences in particular had a real Animatrix vibe that I enjoyed.
I also appreciated Nebula’s new crew. The combo of her, Howard the Duck, Korg, Groot, and a choppy-hands guy lent the right comic misfit badass quality to their standoffs with the corrupt Nova Corps. And Nova Prime making a deal to let Ronan the Accuser take over in exchange for reopening the planet to the sun is a cool motivation, one that's understandable but mercenary, in a way that runs counter to the principles Nova Prime inculcated in Nebula. The dialogue ties into the dark versus light imagery and symbolism that pervades the episode.
Overall, this is a cool, stylistic way to kick off season 2, with a nice noir-filled outing that uses familiar characters in novel ways, and gives us some deeper insights into Nebula to boot.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2024-03-16T20:34:31Z
[7.7/10] A cool episode to open the season! I’m a sucker for a good film noir homage, and casting Nebula as the former bad guy trying to break good is a great way to reimagine the “conflicted gumshoe” archetype. The episode does a nice job of showing her as a true believer who shows loyalty to her new cause, even when everyone doubts her. The fact that Nova Prime turns out to be the culprit, and it’s her lack of devotion to the cause of righteousness that exposes her, gives the story a certain ironic poetry, which I appreciate.
I also enjoyed the aesthetic here quite a bit! I was a bit more mixed on the look of this show last season, as I recall. But the cell-shading fits unexpectedly well with the grim future dystopian setting of Xandar. The show used some neat colored lighting, a darker palette, and some off-kilter framings to evoke the planet as a unique and memorable cesspool. The show managed to evoke a real Cowboy Bebop-esque atmosphere, which isn’t easy in such a different animation style and cinematic universe.
There were also a few particularly good sequences. The scene where Nebula connects with the data core had the right mix of startling body horror and evocative coloring. Her and Yon Rogg spelunking through the old data tower, replete with underwater elements, made this one memorable too. In addition to Cowboy Bebop, these sequences in particular had a real Animatrix vibe that I enjoyed.
I also appreciated Nebula’s new crew. The combo of her, Howard the Duck, Korg, Groot, and a choppy-hands guy lent the right comic misfit badass quality to their standoffs with the corrupt Nova Corps. And Nova Prime making a deal to let Ronan the Accuser take over in exchange for reopening the planet to the sun is a cool motivation, one that's understandable but mercenary, in a way that runs counter to the principles Nova Prime inculcated in Nebula. The dialogue ties into the dark versus light imagery and symbolism that pervades the episode.
Overall, this is a cool, stylistic way to kick off season 2, with a nice noir-filled outing that uses familiar characters in novel ways, and gives us some deeper insights into Nebula to boot.