Tick and Arthur go on their first patrol of The City, battle a bank robbing monstrosity, and attract the attention of AEGIS. Dot has a weird day. She and Overkill have a few drinks and compare plights.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the season premiere of Amazon's The Tick.
"Lesson One: Think Quick!" was written by Ben Edlund and directed by Romeo Tirone
Arthur is fully committed to being a superhero now. He was reluctant throughout the first season. He wanted to maintain a life of somewhat normalcy. Tick came in and uprooted so much for him. And yet, Arthur's entire family is now supportive of what he is doing. He may still be worrying about money and trying to maintain a steady job. But he is the only person doing so. Tick is ready to patrol the streets. Joan and Arthur want the kids to visit more often and be honest about what's going on in their lives. And Dot is proud that Arthur suddenly has so much clarity in his life. It is freeing in a way. When Arthur is faced with a choice regarding his career, he doesn't even take anything from his office back to his apartment. He is perfectly fine throwing it all away and jumping off the roof in his suit. Sure, this decision will still cause problems for him. He didn't think about how instantly recognizable he would be as a superhero. His super identity is literally his first name. That's how the world knows him now. Tick never had to worry about that because he doesn't have anything else in his life besides being a hero. He may be molting at the moment but he is eager to shape Arthur into an even better hero who can protect the city. Sure, the molting is absolutely curious. It could potentially be signaling something more going on within Tick. However, this premiere is mostly about Tick and Arthur accepting their newfound responsibilities. They took on the Terror and won. Not many heroes have been able to say that over the years. Of course, Miss Lint still escaped. She remains an ongoing threat. But the show is also more interested in looking ahead to the next battle than lingering too long on the past. Sure, Arthur wakes up from a nightmare about the Terror and his father's death. That's ominous. Meanwhile, Dot remains shaken and doesn't quite know what she wants from her life. She may be developing her own powers too because she has a premonition that a man is about to drop his coffee and accidentally hurt people. She doesn't know how to reckon with that or explain what may be happening inside of her. Overkill feels lost as well. He is honoring the warrior's code through the deal he made with Tick. He is no longer killing people. Not even the people he deems deserving of death. As such, he doesn't know who he is. He doesn't want to completely rebrand himself as Overman. That is lame. But that leaves him as a drunk mess in Dot's apartment with no clear path forward. Despite all of this, Tick and Arthur do see a little bit of action here when the bank they are in gets robbed. It's so unusual to see superheroes in that kind of situation making a deposit and hoping they can make the money last for awhile. Arthur may even have his first true fan in the bank teller. But that is quickly cast aside when the robbers arrive and one of them is a giant lobster with incredible strength who can go toe-to-toe with Tick. It is eventually lost in the sewer. But this signals an even larger threat is coming to the city. That is underscored by the return of AEGIS. Tick and Arthur are even recruited by a legendary agent. That is so joyful and exciting for Arthur. And yet, the show is clearly asking the audience to be skeptic of this government program that is monitoring over the world and those with superpowers. So, all of this could become complicated very quickly.
