Marvel’s ‘Runaways’ has its inconsistencies but ended on a good note.
By: Johnnie Yu
Tags: Marvel, Runaways, Film Reviews, Superhero, TV

I started watching The Runaways in the senior year of high school, and the first season certainly left fond memories for me. It felt like a different kind of Marvel series — perhaps with a sprinkle of Batman’s flavor to it as the story did not develop around a superpower, instead, it’s ultimately grounded in very human themes of family, brother/sister-hood and privilege.

The Runaways is about a group of six private school teenagers who discovered their wealthy parents are super-villains hiding behind the disguise of a famous non-profit organization. They ran away together to bring their parents to justice and learn about their origins.

Among the Marvel TV shows, I would slot this under Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and above Agent Carter and Iron Fist. The show was an enjoyable binge, and far from a failure — in other words, the world is probably better off with The Runaways rather than without, which isn’t necessarily true for all the MCU productions. It lacked the visionary writing and directing behind the first seasons of The Punisher and Legion, which is completely alright — they were ultimately created as different products, which targetted different people.

The biggest success with The Runaways is perhaps its (partially) successful casting, which put some great actors and actresses on my radar. In particular, Lyrica Okano’s portrayal of Nico Minoru, Ariela Barer’s portrayal of Gert Yorkes, and Rhenzy Feliz’s portrayal of Alex Wilder were some of the most convincing and charismatic actings. I would further highlight that Lyrica’s portrayal of Nico as both a member of the LGBT+ community and a POC is a win for all, and she did a magnificent job. It’s safe to say that my biggest disappointment with the show’s cancellation is the end of these character arcs, but I cannot wait to see what projects they will take on after this.

Unfortunately, great casting cannot fix some of the most glaring problems with the writing and dialogue behind The Runaways, some of which are just bizarre. I keep making this comment about shows that feature children or teenagers, and it’s that the writers just don’t seem to understand how young adults talk and communicate with each other, resulting in some of the most awkward and unnatural dialogue. Furthermore, it’s baffling to see how some characters can be so “woke” at times but can suddenly become obnoxiously stubborn, creating unnecessary conflict throughout the series. All of the Runaways seem to go through a “phase” where they become lost in their own endeavors — Carolina when she befriends Jonah, Nico with Morgan Le Fay, Molly with using her strength, where they lose sight of the bigger picture which they seem to articulate rather clearly otherwise.

We can skip over the mid-seasons padding which many fans have criticized, but it’s understandable and I won’t penalize a show too much for just going through a standard production process for TV. I ultimately did drop a star on my IMDb rating (from 8 to 7/10) for the Morgan Le Fay arc in Season 3, whose “cult” was less convincing than the Church of Gibborim’s in Season 1. I’ll be entirely honest and say that her entire organization seemed like a cheap multi-level marketing company with her model-like worshippers, if only they sold beauty products instead of mind-controlling tools. Most of the time I find that I could not take this season seriously.

However, it’s worth mentioning that the final two episodes of Season 3 were the most satisfying redemption if you stick with the show. For the first time since the beginning, it brought the show full circle back to what made its first season so compelling as the kids worked together with their parents, and that is the consideration of very profound familial themes. The writers fully explored what it means to be separated from family and the emotional consequences that might have on a person, especially a child. Then, there’s the idea of forgiveness, tolerance, and sacrifice, which the kids learned quickly operate differently when dealing with family than with a stranger. These were very warming messages to receive, and a much more powerful closure for me than merely “defeating evil” as superhero shows tend to have no problem achieving.

I tend to not watch much TV, and when I do, I don’t tend to review them. But Marvel’s Runaways happens to be one of the underappreciated gems in the MCU worthy of your attention, despite its decrease in appeal after the first season, which understandably happens with most shows, but still, ultimately cost it a position in my A-tier Marvel TV list.