[8.2/10] I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of this one. It’s rare that a show aimed at kids can keep me guessing, and maybe I’m just a dope, but I was legitimately unsure for much of the episode whether the symbiote had corralled Max Modell or Flash Thompson (though it was pretty obvious that Tony Stark was a red herring). Both Max and Flash had come into contact with the symbiote, both were acting exhausted, and both had beef with its victims. It wasn’t until the opposing football player was injured that the answer became clear, and that speaks to the very nice job the show did at teasing us and crafting two very plausible solutions for its mystery.
I also got a big kick out of Flash and Spidey teaming up to fight the football player-symbiotes. I will say that, as in the Ultimate Spider-Man series, I’m a little irked by the fact that they nerfed the symbiote a little, but I still really enjoyed the gridiron-adjacent antics of Spidey when trying to distract Team Venom. It’s a silly sequence, but Spider-Man’s quip game was on point, and there was a lot of creative and fun animation choices.
Plus, I really enjoyed the subtle theme of this one -- the idea that there’s a certain elitism, or at least underestimation, coming from the folks at Horizon High for the folks at Midtown, and that it’s to their detriment. Flash is still a bit of a stereotypical jock, but he passes his science test, and even comes up with a good solution to stop the symbiotes based on something Peter taught him. And despite the bad blood between Max and Mr. Solario, Midtown’s science teacher helps save the day too, and Max admits that he may have overstepped his bounds.
It’s not as though Marvel’s Spider-Man goes especially deep on these topics, but it depends the fighting and mystery elements a bit by grounding them in something more personal and with a hint of commentary.
Overall, a great introduction for Venom with a solid mystery, a fun football set piece, and a little bit of theme as well.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2019-05-21T15:17:28Z
[8.2/10] I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of this one. It’s rare that a show aimed at kids can keep me guessing, and maybe I’m just a dope, but I was legitimately unsure for much of the episode whether the symbiote had corralled Max Modell or Flash Thompson (though it was pretty obvious that Tony Stark was a red herring). Both Max and Flash had come into contact with the symbiote, both were acting exhausted, and both had beef with its victims. It wasn’t until the opposing football player was injured that the answer became clear, and that speaks to the very nice job the show did at teasing us and crafting two very plausible solutions for its mystery.
I also got a big kick out of Flash and Spidey teaming up to fight the football player-symbiotes. I will say that, as in the Ultimate Spider-Man series, I’m a little irked by the fact that they nerfed the symbiote a little, but I still really enjoyed the gridiron-adjacent antics of Spidey when trying to distract Team Venom. It’s a silly sequence, but Spider-Man’s quip game was on point, and there was a lot of creative and fun animation choices.
Plus, I really enjoyed the subtle theme of this one -- the idea that there’s a certain elitism, or at least underestimation, coming from the folks at Horizon High for the folks at Midtown, and that it’s to their detriment. Flash is still a bit of a stereotypical jock, but he passes his science test, and even comes up with a good solution to stop the symbiotes based on something Peter taught him. And despite the bad blood between Max and Mr. Solario, Midtown’s science teacher helps save the day too, and Max admits that he may have overstepped his bounds.
It’s not as though Marvel’s Spider-Man goes especially deep on these topics, but it depends the fighting and mystery elements a bit by grounding them in something more personal and with a hint of commentary.
Overall, a great introduction for Venom with a solid mystery, a fun football set piece, and a little bit of theme as well.