[6.5/10] This was pretty underwhelming as a capper to the “New Warriors” story arc. It was just way too overstuffed. Trying to cram the old Shield Cadet squad, the New Warriors, Taskmaster and the Thunderbolts, and a Goblin-led quartet of Spidey’s usual rogues into the same episode was just too much. You could feel the show straining to justify the team-ups and rumble, with Cloak depositing the old team away but not the new team for reasons unknown, Doc Ock giving excuses for why he’d work with Osborn, Vulture giving excuses for why he’d work with Doc Ock, and Dagger explaining why they’d fight Spider-Man after he what they did for them. It feels like the show just decided on a massive multi-man rumble as the conclusion to this arc and didn’t put a lot of thought into how it would get there.
Even apart from the storyline issues, this was just a mass of indiscriminate fighting without much memorable or unique about it. There were a few solid set pieces. Spidey’s motorcycle jump wasn’t bad, and his freefall with Cloak had some nice tension to it. Even though it didn’t make much sense, I did appreciate the setup and payoff of the New Warriors using the tricarrier’s LMDs to fight the baddies.
But even there, the show’s contrived hero/villain alignments and collaborations weaken the whole thing. We never really get why Cloak and Dagger would be with Taskmaster in the first place, so them switching sides doesn't have much juice. And it’s also not especially clear why Taskmaster would be helping Goblin or what their collective goal is, so it feels like villain pileup for villain pileup’s sake. There is something half-decent about Spidey telling his recruits to lick their wounds but keep fighting creatively, but even there, we don’t know these characters that well individually, and definitely not as a team, so it all comes off rushed.
Overall, as a regular episode, this wouldn’t be so bad (and to be clear, it’s not awful or anything here), but as a capper to an ambitious New Warriors story arc, it’s particularly weak, trying to do too much and seem too epic without having laid the groundwork to make any of it meaningful.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2019-01-24T16:25:34Z
[6.5/10] This was pretty underwhelming as a capper to the “New Warriors” story arc. It was just way too overstuffed. Trying to cram the old Shield Cadet squad, the New Warriors, Taskmaster and the Thunderbolts, and a Goblin-led quartet of Spidey’s usual rogues into the same episode was just too much. You could feel the show straining to justify the team-ups and rumble, with Cloak depositing the old team away but not the new team for reasons unknown, Doc Ock giving excuses for why he’d work with Osborn, Vulture giving excuses for why he’d work with Doc Ock, and Dagger explaining why they’d fight Spider-Man after he what they did for them. It feels like the show just decided on a massive multi-man rumble as the conclusion to this arc and didn’t put a lot of thought into how it would get there.
Even apart from the storyline issues, this was just a mass of indiscriminate fighting without much memorable or unique about it. There were a few solid set pieces. Spidey’s motorcycle jump wasn’t bad, and his freefall with Cloak had some nice tension to it. Even though it didn’t make much sense, I did appreciate the setup and payoff of the New Warriors using the tricarrier’s LMDs to fight the baddies.
But even there, the show’s contrived hero/villain alignments and collaborations weaken the whole thing. We never really get why Cloak and Dagger would be with Taskmaster in the first place, so them switching sides doesn't have much juice. And it’s also not especially clear why Taskmaster would be helping Goblin or what their collective goal is, so it feels like villain pileup for villain pileup’s sake. There is something half-decent about Spidey telling his recruits to lick their wounds but keep fighting creatively, but even there, we don’t know these characters that well individually, and definitely not as a team, so it all comes off rushed.
Overall, as a regular episode, this wouldn’t be so bad (and to be clear, it’s not awful or anything here), but as a capper to an ambitious New Warriors story arc, it’s particularly weak, trying to do too much and seem too epic without having laid the groundwork to make any of it meaningful.