[5.8/10] Phew, this one was kind of a mess. Is it about Carnage taking over Midtown High? Is it about Stan Lee getting a chance to fight it? Is it about Morbius unleashing his plan with Crossbones? Is it about Mary Jane becoming a villain? Is it about Harry getting back in the fight?
The answer is that it tries to be all of these things, plus a quick meditation on whether it’s a good thing or a dangerous thing to be a part of Peter Parker’s inner circle. Much of this arc feels like a throwback to the 1990s Spider-Man animated series, and that was a problem that afflicted that show as well, too much happening too quickly and all at once.
I will admit that, despite the theme, I didn’t really care for Mary Jane becoming “Queen Carnage.” For one thing, it just led to a convoluted macguffin chase for who could control her. For another, it’s the same old “I know the real you is in there somewhere!” routine that this show has done literally a dozen times at this point. For yet another, despite the episode trying to make it a part of the theme, it’s stretching incredulity that literally everyone in Peter’s orbit becomes a hero or a villain at some point.
Plus, we just did the “I need to reveal who I really am to get you to snap out of this” schtick with Harry in the last episode! I’ll admit, it was kind of fun to do a throwback to the show’s first season, reuniting Peter’s cohort from high school. I’ll also admit that Flash continues to be delightful, with his dim-witted enthusiasm continuing to bring laughs and charm (including his “What? I’m a Shield agent too” moment.)
But it’s not worth falling down a rabbit hole of another abbreviated Stan fight or Harry becoming the Patrioteer again despite just nearly sacrificing himself or Morbius having some silly and ill-defined life-sucking force, or Mary Jane becoming both an aggressor whose “look” is commented upon and yet again someone who needs to be saved.
Overall, this is a weak point in the arc to be sure, particularly after the highs of the prior episode. It’s overstuffed and underwhelming. Let’s hope the finale is a fair bit better!
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2019-03-25T21:08:52Z
[5.8/10] Phew, this one was kind of a mess. Is it about Carnage taking over Midtown High? Is it about Stan Lee getting a chance to fight it? Is it about Morbius unleashing his plan with Crossbones? Is it about Mary Jane becoming a villain? Is it about Harry getting back in the fight?
The answer is that it tries to be all of these things, plus a quick meditation on whether it’s a good thing or a dangerous thing to be a part of Peter Parker’s inner circle. Much of this arc feels like a throwback to the 1990s Spider-Man animated series, and that was a problem that afflicted that show as well, too much happening too quickly and all at once.
I will admit that, despite the theme, I didn’t really care for Mary Jane becoming “Queen Carnage.” For one thing, it just led to a convoluted macguffin chase for who could control her. For another, it’s the same old “I know the real you is in there somewhere!” routine that this show has done literally a dozen times at this point. For yet another, despite the episode trying to make it a part of the theme, it’s stretching incredulity that literally everyone in Peter’s orbit becomes a hero or a villain at some point.
Plus, we just did the “I need to reveal who I really am to get you to snap out of this” schtick with Harry in the last episode! I’ll admit, it was kind of fun to do a throwback to the show’s first season, reuniting Peter’s cohort from high school. I’ll also admit that Flash continues to be delightful, with his dim-witted enthusiasm continuing to bring laughs and charm (including his “What? I’m a Shield agent too” moment.)
But it’s not worth falling down a rabbit hole of another abbreviated Stan fight or Harry becoming the Patrioteer again despite just nearly sacrificing himself or Morbius having some silly and ill-defined life-sucking force, or Mary Jane becoming both an aggressor whose “look” is commented upon and yet again someone who needs to be saved.
Overall, this is a weak point in the arc to be sure, particularly after the highs of the prior episode. It’s overstuffed and underwhelming. Let’s hope the finale is a fair bit better!