[7.8/10] If I have a major complaint about Spectacular Spider-Man so far, it’s that it tends to go pretty heavy on the action, often at the expense of the storytelling. Don’t get me wrong, Spidey’s fight with Rhino is cool enough, and I again like that Peter has to find a creative solution to defeat his foe rather than just besting him in a punching match. (The whole “you can only sweat through your face” seems pretty suspect in terms of actual science, but hey, it’s a superhero show so I’m willing to cut it some slack.) But the other side of the coin is that the fight takes up pretty much all of the second act, and significant pieces of the first and third to boot.
That’s on top of the nicely done but not particularly story-driven outing early on where Spidey webs a trio of robbers early on, after street surfing with the hood of their car. Again, it’s a neat sequence, but it doesn't move the ball very much.
But I really like the parts of the episode that were story-driven. It’s a little cheesy with the inevitable “Face it, tiger. You hit the jackpot.” line, but I like Aunt May’s little scheme to drive off Betty Brandt and set up Peter with Mary Jane ahead of his fall formal. I like the subtle indication that for all his bluster, J. Jonah Jameson has a heart of gold. And I enjoy the hints at Peter trying to figure out his adolescent love life while Harry Osborn is finding his way despite his father’s neglect.
And I love the reveal that “The Big Man” is (presumably?) Tombstone, not Kingpin like I was expecting. Keith David lends a certain menace to him, and I really appreciate the depth and mastermind quality of the bargain he tries to strike with Peter. The idea that the people pulling the strings are happy to throw supervillains at Spider-Man because it keeps him away from rank and file criminals, the idea that he’s willing to tolerate heroes if they look the other way when told, and Spidey’s reluctance to have to run from the cops are all super interesting and complicated aspects of being a hero in this world. Color me intrigued, even if it’s more of a tease than a substantive part of the episode.
Overall, this feels like a transition point for Spectacular Spider-Man, one where the show does another villain of the week episode for the most part, but also sets up some really interesting hints and details for what might be in the offing down the line.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2018-09-08T05:26:00Z
[7.8/10] If I have a major complaint about Spectacular Spider-Man so far, it’s that it tends to go pretty heavy on the action, often at the expense of the storytelling. Don’t get me wrong, Spidey’s fight with Rhino is cool enough, and I again like that Peter has to find a creative solution to defeat his foe rather than just besting him in a punching match. (The whole “you can only sweat through your face” seems pretty suspect in terms of actual science, but hey, it’s a superhero show so I’m willing to cut it some slack.) But the other side of the coin is that the fight takes up pretty much all of the second act, and significant pieces of the first and third to boot.
That’s on top of the nicely done but not particularly story-driven outing early on where Spidey webs a trio of robbers early on, after street surfing with the hood of their car. Again, it’s a neat sequence, but it doesn't move the ball very much.
But I really like the parts of the episode that were story-driven. It’s a little cheesy with the inevitable “Face it, tiger. You hit the jackpot.” line, but I like Aunt May’s little scheme to drive off Betty Brandt and set up Peter with Mary Jane ahead of his fall formal. I like the subtle indication that for all his bluster, J. Jonah Jameson has a heart of gold. And I enjoy the hints at Peter trying to figure out his adolescent love life while Harry Osborn is finding his way despite his father’s neglect.
And I love the reveal that “The Big Man” is (presumably?) Tombstone, not Kingpin like I was expecting. Keith David lends a certain menace to him, and I really appreciate the depth and mastermind quality of the bargain he tries to strike with Peter. The idea that the people pulling the strings are happy to throw supervillains at Spider-Man because it keeps him away from rank and file criminals, the idea that he’s willing to tolerate heroes if they look the other way when told, and Spidey’s reluctance to have to run from the cops are all super interesting and complicated aspects of being a hero in this world. Color me intrigued, even if it’s more of a tease than a substantive part of the episode.
Overall, this feels like a transition point for Spectacular Spider-Man, one where the show does another villain of the week episode for the most part, but also sets up some really interesting hints and details for what might be in the offing down the line.