Marvel's Runaways 2017

I have to say it every time, but never compare what you read to what you watch. The comics range from solid to superb and always get more creative than show producers ever care to risk for the screen. That said, as rabid of a Marvel fan that I am, I think the show kind of betrays the source material with too many hokey spots in the language. The parents undermine their villainy, and the kids come across as almost hopeless in their fleetingly small displays of powers. It consistently irks me when I can feel a show aiming for a specific age group and what the producers or writers think that group sounds like. They pull in all of the lazy cliches and simple arcs you'd train aspiring writers on if you never wanted competition. I'd rather have less TV shows and more examples of how alive these characters can feel, than weird mock-ups flapping their arms and moving their gums with the title and clothes, but none of the soul.

Marvel usually takes its characters seriously or gives us depth. Save the corn and cheese for DC. It amazes me that such a large and example-ridden brand can be so hot and cold with whether they bother to build and respect the characters. The work's already been done for you. The second season distinguishes itself from the first in actually moving along and developing the plot. The use of powers is ratcheted up some, and the introduction of more seasoned actors, even briefly, rounds out what the younger players might not know how to bring to the screen. It's an enjoyable series, but I always return to the idea of whether or not I'm doing something else while it's on. I can play on my phone or draw a bath, and not really be missing anything. That's a sad point more than my haughty expectations, because like I said, I'm a rabid Marvel fan, and I want every adaptation to be sincerely spell-binding.

IDK. i've watched 8 episodes during the holidays, off-trakt, and while i can tell there's supposed to be a central conflict with the kids splitting from their parents to achieve ... something, the tie-in with the marvel MCU is weak, and it suffers. You expect there to be a tie-in. It's in the LOGO. but, i doubt there's anything here.

I'll binge 2 or 3 to catch up, eventually, but whatever idea they had to tie this into place, there's not enough actual story . It's way too CW, establishing teen drama and 5-way romance tetrapolygonal crushes. i'm disappointed in a different way to Inhumans, because it feels like i've wasted time watching the show.

This reminds me too much of Gotham S1 or Vampire Diaries or CW junk. A series that promises a lot of spectacle and 'known' characters, that i sort of know. But i prefer watching Gotham, because new things can happen. eventually.

There's not enough desire to come back each week. The story doesn't move forward, it stumbles into the next scene. The 'heroes' in this, are dumb. Unfortunately, so are the parents. i can't especially tell if the Mystery Box appeal of learning who the parents actually are, is even that bad. or good.

If they could tie this into the parents actually being evil, rather than 'bad' in a certain light, i.e. their resident 'genius inventor' tony stark analogue tries to kidnap a homeless person, took the show in a strange direction and just as quickly it backed right off without any consequences that i doubt would happen in modern bel-air/beverly hills (sic.) when people are voracious with gossip and everyone has a camera. They tried, but it's so empty.

So this is really keeping to a script or comic, and it's not going to get better or move along faster, unless the source does. Sigh. I don't really want to watch or research the source material book/comics or spinoffs for the characters, because, like Inhumans, it could get ... better ? different ?