[8.3/10] I really enjoyed this one. I appreciate the approach of Peter being completely and utterly harried. The idea that he’s trying to balance his superheroic, personal, and scholastic responsibilities while stretching himself too thin is an evergreen one for Spider-Man, and this episode does it well. You definitely get the sense of Spidey rushing from thing to thing, always being a step behind, always having his thoughts bleed from one part of his life to another. It gives “A Day in the Life” a very specific energy that’s a lot fun, but which also communicates a lot about where Peter Parker’s day-to-day life is right now.
I also enjoyed his interludes with Black Cat and his efforts to track her. As a Batman fan, it’s hard not to see Spidey’s feline-themed thief as a cheap copy of Catwoman, but I still enjoy the dynamic whatever it’s form. Black Cat’s playful demeanor made for entertaining encounters between her and the Webhead, and the whole luck conceit is an interesting idea. I haven’t seen that done with Black Cat before, but it’s a creative power (one that, I guess, makes her the opposite of Domino from Deadpool 2), and I like Spidey combating it by invoking all sorts of traditional bad luck portents to turn the tables.
At the same time, I like that Peter gets inspiration from one part of his life that helps him in another, while also dropping more than a couple of the balls he’s attempting to juggle here. The fact that he’s trying to develop a tracker as a science project for class, that he uncovers fixes and enhancements for it through his various personal and academic misadventures, but that he still gets an F on it for showing up late is a near-perfect tack to take. It shows the “can’t win” quality of Peter trying to pack so many things into his life (while still meaning well) that practically defines the character.
That means that he can’t be Spider-Man, be a student at Horizon High, be a part-time janitor for his principle, be a devoted nephew to his Aunt May, be a present member of his study group with Anya and Miles, and be a good friend to Harry Osborn all at the same time. It’s that last part where the cracks really show, as Peter is late for this umpteenth event, and not present with his best friend. You can see the show not only planting the seeds for baddies like Venom and (I think?) Rhino, but also for this “half-assing many things rather than whole-assing one thing” approach to blow up in Peter’s face (to paraphrase the great Ron Swanson).
Overall, this one wasn’t necessarily deep, but it put you into Spidey’s headspace nicely, while including a flurry of quips and heists and missed appointments that fit together, and jut against one another, very well. A quality episode that makes the most of its premise.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2019-04-29T23:41:16Z
[8.3/10] I really enjoyed this one. I appreciate the approach of Peter being completely and utterly harried. The idea that he’s trying to balance his superheroic, personal, and scholastic responsibilities while stretching himself too thin is an evergreen one for Spider-Man, and this episode does it well. You definitely get the sense of Spidey rushing from thing to thing, always being a step behind, always having his thoughts bleed from one part of his life to another. It gives “A Day in the Life” a very specific energy that’s a lot fun, but which also communicates a lot about where Peter Parker’s day-to-day life is right now.
I also enjoyed his interludes with Black Cat and his efforts to track her. As a Batman fan, it’s hard not to see Spidey’s feline-themed thief as a cheap copy of Catwoman, but I still enjoy the dynamic whatever it’s form. Black Cat’s playful demeanor made for entertaining encounters between her and the Webhead, and the whole luck conceit is an interesting idea. I haven’t seen that done with Black Cat before, but it’s a creative power (one that, I guess, makes her the opposite of Domino from Deadpool 2), and I like Spidey combating it by invoking all sorts of traditional bad luck portents to turn the tables.
At the same time, I like that Peter gets inspiration from one part of his life that helps him in another, while also dropping more than a couple of the balls he’s attempting to juggle here. The fact that he’s trying to develop a tracker as a science project for class, that he uncovers fixes and enhancements for it through his various personal and academic misadventures, but that he still gets an F on it for showing up late is a near-perfect tack to take. It shows the “can’t win” quality of Peter trying to pack so many things into his life (while still meaning well) that practically defines the character.
That means that he can’t be Spider-Man, be a student at Horizon High, be a part-time janitor for his principle, be a devoted nephew to his Aunt May, be a present member of his study group with Anya and Miles, and be a good friend to Harry Osborn all at the same time. It’s that last part where the cracks really show, as Peter is late for this umpteenth event, and not present with his best friend. You can see the show not only planting the seeds for baddies like Venom and (I think?) Rhino, but also for this “half-assing many things rather than whole-assing one thing” approach to blow up in Peter’s face (to paraphrase the great Ron Swanson).
Overall, this one wasn’t necessarily deep, but it put you into Spidey’s headspace nicely, while including a flurry of quips and heists and missed appointments that fit together, and jut against one another, very well. A quality episode that makes the most of its premise.