Saturday, December 14, 2019

REVIEW: 'Runaways' - Big Changes Happen at Wizard and the Church of Gibborim in 'Merry Meet Again'

Hulu's Runaways - Episode 3.06 "Merry Meet Again"

After returning home, the Runaways realize how much they've missed.






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 next episode of Hulu's Runaways.

"Merry Meet Again" was written by Ashley Wigfield and directed by Vanessa Parise

Six months isn't enough time for huge drastic changes to have occurred in the world. However, it's enough for the Runaways to explore what exactly is different in their potential lives. Now, they haven't been living regular lives in a long time. It feels like they have the opportunity to relax a little bit because the greatest threat has been eliminated. They no longer have to worry about aliens and their nefarious plans for Earth. The planet and society still stands. So, the kill squad never came through the portal in order to wipe out human civilization. Instead, Morgan has risen to the top at Wizard with Robert by her side while Leslie has refocused the Church of Gibborim in her daughter's image. Those are the most significant changes at the moment. That also means more time has to be spent on Morgan and how she is hoping to wield power in this world. She explains that she was freed from the Dark Dimension because Nico let her out. Nico wasn't aware of that when she was making these decisions to harness her powers. But now, it feels like Morgan is the welcoming presence who allows Nico to flourish. She views Morgan as the encouraging maternal figure she has long been missing in her life. And yet, Nico has always had strong bonds with her friends who have supported her through so much. This season has purposefully been isolating her a little bit to showcase how her friends don't entirely understand the darkness swirling around her. She doesn't either. In fact, she pulled all of them into the Dark Dimension with their enemies. They may have rescued their parents but Alex is still trapped there. Nico is determined to get him back. That is her focus at the moment. She won't let anything stand in her way. Morgan just comes across as the only person willing to support her in this endeavor. She does so because she has ulterior motives. That is all conveyed in the new phone released by Wizard that embraces humanity's obsession with technology and essentially weaponizes it. It's haunting when the Runaways return to the hostel and see Molly under its spell. That's the moment that immediately clarifies all of this as being nefarious and monstrous. It's a huge and scary idea that Morgan is already taking this product global. She is flooding the market with it to ensure that everyone is vulnerable to her spell. That brings so much power to her. Of course, she also has a coven of fellow witches who ensure her safety. Nico even joins them by the conclusion of this hour. That feels like a somewhat rushed plot development. Again, the show needs to push Nico into this world completely right away. That ensures everything remains just as dramatic as ever before. It also comes with the personal devastation of two couples breaking up. Karolina believes she knows just how dark this path will turn out to be for Nico. She can no longer stand by and support that. She sees this magic as uniformly evil. That is a reasonable assumption to make. Nico may be blinded by it though. She only sees what she needs in order to succeed in her personal mission. Meanwhile, Molly and Gert are completely blind to the temptation. That too can be terrifying. But again, it highlights how Gert and Chase are an odd romantic pairing that have worked so well when the pressure has been on them to rely on each other and no one else. The world may be open to the Runaways once more. They may no longer need to be in hiding fighting for their lives. They can return home if they choose to. None of them really want that at the moment. They remain annoyed by their parents if not exactly terrified of what they are capable of doing. And yes, some of them are still making huge scientific discoveries in the hopes of advancing society. Victor is in connect with Janet once more and enlists Stacey's help with this endeavor. That's promising. Meanwhile, Gert is given a new love interest who may come across as nothing more than a naive pawn in the magic now being cast in the world. Gert cares about him but he still may be expendable in the grand scheme of things. Right now, Max's importance is to upset Chase after he declared his love for Gert. Too much has happened in order for these relationships to return to what they once were. That's devastating. They may still have to rely on each other in order to defeat the various threats to the world. But that may be difficult because they have varying opinions on what's going on and just how villainous it actually is. That's a unique and different way to tell stories in this narrative. That's a welcome change of pace even though it's very introductory here.