[7.4/10] So here’s the thing. Most of this episode is junk. It’s colorful, reasonably action-y junk, but junk nonetheless. Toomes getting the uber-mech and the Spider Squad trying to keep various macguffins away from him feels like a giant waste of time before an inevitable defeat. His control of the satellite defense system comes off like a corny attempt at a tie-in with Spider-Man: Far From Home. Visually, the episode barely takes advantage of the fact that the bad guy can control any nearby technology. And the team of good guys seem to appear and disappear almost at random. The technological stuff makes no sense, which isn’t the worst sin for a superhero show, but is still a little disappointing. At a nuts and bolts level, this is a disappointing conclusion.
But on a thematic/character level, it’s a great one. For however much “reverse the polarity” nonsense is involved, I like the idea that the neurotronic brain is what allows the good guys to get the jump on Vulture. And even better, I like Doc Ock making a heroic sacrifice. His arc has been the most engrossing one this season. Seeing him learn Uncle Ben’s lesson, take it to heart, and sacrifice himself because the world needs Spidey more than it needs him is the ultimate representation of the transformation he’s gone through. His whole scene with Spidey at the end works as an affirmation of the power of the values that have undergirded stories about the Wall-Crawler for decades, and it’s a play that has impact given where Otto started, the time we’ve spent with him overcoming that, and his efforts to be good in the here and now.
I also like the effect that his sacrifice has on all his friends. Peter is understandably moved by his “best friend”’s final words. Harry admits he was wrong about Otto. Gwen and Anya realize that they should have given him a second chance, but they can still give Peter one. And the development that Otto left a scholarship for Peter at Horizon, and Max Modell implying he knows about Peter’s alter ego, both nicely resolves something that’s been an issue the whole season while changing the dynamic in novel ways for the next one.
Overall, the “action climax” of this episode is bullocks, full of weightless skirmishes that feel more like filler than the crescendo of this season. But the choice that Doc Ock makes, to be a hero in the realest way possible, and the effect it has on his friends and allies, had an effect on me too, and elevates the episode beyond its more disappointing trappings.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2019-12-17T20:19:08Z
[7.4/10] So here’s the thing. Most of this episode is junk. It’s colorful, reasonably action-y junk, but junk nonetheless. Toomes getting the uber-mech and the Spider Squad trying to keep various macguffins away from him feels like a giant waste of time before an inevitable defeat. His control of the satellite defense system comes off like a corny attempt at a tie-in with Spider-Man: Far From Home. Visually, the episode barely takes advantage of the fact that the bad guy can control any nearby technology. And the team of good guys seem to appear and disappear almost at random. The technological stuff makes no sense, which isn’t the worst sin for a superhero show, but is still a little disappointing. At a nuts and bolts level, this is a disappointing conclusion.
But on a thematic/character level, it’s a great one. For however much “reverse the polarity” nonsense is involved, I like the idea that the neurotronic brain is what allows the good guys to get the jump on Vulture. And even better, I like Doc Ock making a heroic sacrifice. His arc has been the most engrossing one this season. Seeing him learn Uncle Ben’s lesson, take it to heart, and sacrifice himself because the world needs Spidey more than it needs him is the ultimate representation of the transformation he’s gone through. His whole scene with Spidey at the end works as an affirmation of the power of the values that have undergirded stories about the Wall-Crawler for decades, and it’s a play that has impact given where Otto started, the time we’ve spent with him overcoming that, and his efforts to be good in the here and now.
I also like the effect that his sacrifice has on all his friends. Peter is understandably moved by his “best friend”’s final words. Harry admits he was wrong about Otto. Gwen and Anya realize that they should have given him a second chance, but they can still give Peter one. And the development that Otto left a scholarship for Peter at Horizon, and Max Modell implying he knows about Peter’s alter ego, both nicely resolves something that’s been an issue the whole season while changing the dynamic in novel ways for the next one.
Overall, the “action climax” of this episode is bullocks, full of weightless skirmishes that feel more like filler than the crescendo of this season. But the choice that Doc Ock makes, to be a hero in the realest way possible, and the effect it has on his friends and allies, had an effect on me too, and elevates the episode beyond its more disappointing trappings.