Source: Hulu. Marvel’s Runaways. Ariela Barer as Gert, Lyrica Okano as Nico, Rhenzy Feliz as Alex, Gregg Sulkin as Chase, Virginia Gardner as Karolina, Allegra Acosta as Molly.
I really want to like this show. That’s not to say that I don’t like it, but I’m having a hard time making up my mind. First off, I feel like that is quite a bit of “underage” sex in this show. Each of the main characters, except Molly, the youngest, has now seemingly had sex. Alex was the last to join the club this week as he apparently consummated his relationship with Darius’s sister-in-law. I do not have a problem with sex on television, and I know these are some hormonal teens, but that aspect of the show seems at times unnecessary and gives it more of a soap opera feel.
This episode centered around Alex’s relationship with Darius and how Darius was using it as a means to an end. Namely getting a portion of the deed to the land where PRIDE was building it’s school and where Jonah is preparing to awaken something. This is exactly the issue I had with this relationship. Alex turned to a person that he believed was his “friend” because he was also at odds with Alex’s father. This proves to be false as Darius uses the relationship to turn Alex over to G to get what he deserved, which ultimately ends up being a bullet to the chest and a frame job for murder to clear the kids. Of the adults on the show, Darius was probably my favorite. He seemed to be the most rounded out adult character as the parents all seem to be two sided flat characters. Instead of having depth and substance, they are either pretending to be nice to one another and their kids or trying to kill people. Perhaps it’s a issue of too many characters to flesh out.
The Runaways themselves are at the behest of Nico practicing using their powers, to get stronger, while Molly is out being a vigilante and ends up helping a prostitute fight off a pimp. During the practice session the team laments the absence of Alex, who is spending time with his new love interest. They come to the conclusion that perhaps his absence is the reason they are disjointed, because he’s “smart”. While Alex has proven to be smart at times, he also shows tremendous amounts of naivety. One aspect of the characters I am liking is Gert’s struggle to control her emotions while off of her meds. I do not know how they will handle it ultimately. Does she go back on her meds? Do her struggles continue and cause issues with her relationships with the rest of the Runaways? Does she miraculously no longer need them because of the power of love? I’m hoping that last question is ferocious, but when Molly tells Chase that he needs to help Gert how to be okay without her meds, it made me cringe a little.
The climax of this episode occurs when after being turned over to his dad, Alex secretly calls Nico and lets her overhear where he is being taken. The Runaways show up and collectively use their power to get Alex back. See all that training paid off! And guess what Alex is smart, because he helps Nico figure out that she cannot use the same incantation twice when using the wand.
The show ends with Gert going out on another vigilante run and running into the same prostitute and pimp, who’s car she flips. Unfortunately she is seen by mysterious stranger hiding in the shadows. And so Darius is not even given the opportunity to be mourned as that stranger shows up at the hideout. So hopefully he will provide some depth to the story and will not be just another character on top of the pile that is already difficult to keep straight.
