Idiot Boxing: Runaways, season 1 (2017); Rick & Morty, seasons 2 and 3 (2015, 2017)

Runaways, season 1 (2017)

A surprisingly solid and entertaining first "YA" entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Set within the same fictional universe as better-known films such as Thor and TV shows like Agents of SHIELD, Runaways focuses on a sextet of teenagers in Los Angeles who live in an extremely affluent area and attend a top-flight high school. We join their story about two years after the death of one of their friends, also the older sister to one of the group, an event which fractured the bonds which held them together. Now being adolscents between 13 and 17, each of the six has found different groups or interests: lacrosse, computer science, social causes, a parent's Scientology-like pseudo-religious pop cult, and others. An accidental discovery at one of their houses, though, reveals that all of their highly wealthy and successful parents, through whom they had all met as children, may not be the fine, upstanding citizens they had always assumed. In fact, they may even be murderous villains.

And so kicks off the premise of the show. As the story moves along, it also reveals that a few of the six teens have supernatural powers, while others are exceptionally intelligent. Despite their abilities, they all struggle to cope with their entire social order crumbling around them as they face the very real possibility that their parents are "the bad guys." It's a really novel premise for a story, and it serves to keep the show surprisingly engaging. Sure, nearly every teenager thinks their parents are evil, but what if you actually found out that they were, really and truly, evil? It's a fun concept which is handled well in this show.

Another strength is that, even beyond the basic premise, the plot works well with its mysteries. In the first couple of season's ten episodes, we are offered several odd images and scenes which beg multiple questions. As the season progresses, the questions are addressed in mostly satisfying ways, at a well-measured pace. The kids with supernatural powers begin to discover their abilities. The group also begins to dig up the shadier parts of their parents' past, including certain aspects that puts them more in the realm of the fantastic heroes and villains with whom we are more familiar through the other MCU shows and films. Blessedly, this latter element is done without relying one bit on plotlines or characters from any other shows or movies. Runaways is one of the most self-contained MCU shows created, and its all the stronger for it.

Much of the drama comes from the kids' uncovering and
grappling with the reality that their parents are murderous
villains masquerading as pillars of society.

The performances by the rather large cast are solid, all around. The six teens, each pair of parents, and even the handful of secondary and tertiary characters all hit their marks quite well. For me, it's good to see a show featuring actors whom I had never seen before, allowing them to inhabit their roles so that I only identify them with this show. The dialogue isn't anything particularly special, but it is solid by not trying to be too clever. Rather, it offers a lot of organic verbal exchanges during the many dramatic moments, large and small.

On the subject of the drama, most of it is handled well. I will say, however, that some of the romantic elements felt a bit forced. I understand maybe two or even three of the six "runaways" falling for each other, but the show goes a bit overboard by giving us a weird "love pentagram," where everyone but the youngest member, 13-year old Molly, is pining for one of the others. I can't help but wonder if the writers weren't trying to be overly "inclusive" here. It's great that the cast is very diverse ethnically and in terms of sexual orientation, but there is almost a sense that they were afraid to leave anybody out in terms of openly expressing themselves in this first ten-episode season. The result is a bit of an overload of teen love and lust. It hasn't harmed the show yet, but they'll need to be careful not to be all things to all people, which can ultimately torpedo any fictional tale.

The season doesn't end with quite the sense of closure that one might like, even for what is meant to be only the opening chapter in a longer tale. Rather, some notably large questions remain unanswered, while new ones are raised in the final episode. Such suspense and mystery can work well, but I felt more as if the show simply lost track of the episode limit on its rookie season just a bit.

Nitpicks aside, this was a pleasant surprise. I look forward to the next season.

"Pickle" Rick and his improvised exoskeleton and laser
weapon. This was just one of many episodes featuring writing
brilliant enough to outdo 99% of Hollywood action flicks.

Rick and Morty, seasons 2 and 3 (2015, 2017)

After discovering and falling in love with the first season last year, my wife and I readily dove into the second and third seasons of this outstanding show. We were not disappointed.

Giving a thorough rundown of either ten-episode season would require far more writing that its genius demands. Instead, I'll just mention a few of my favorite episodes from each season. But know that there are no "bad" episodes of Rick and Morty. Sure, some are weirder or darker than others, and some go a bit more "meta" than the rest, but they are all exceedingly intelligent and creative. And every single one of them is hilariously irreverent to delicate sensibilities and the standard tropes of many popular science-fiction tales. A few of my favorites from each season:

In season 2, the season opener "A Rickle in Time" is a masterpiece of fast-paced, intelligent storytelling. Rick, Morty, and Summer end up playing with time in order not to get caught having thrown the massive house party that ended season one. This results in ever-splintering parallel timelines, with different Ricks trying to outthink and even kill one another. The tale is told with ever-multiplying split screens in one of the most uniquely stunning sequences I've seen in a long time. In "The Ricks Must Be Crazy," Rick and Morty shrink themselves down to help jumpstart the miniature universe that powers Rick's spaceship battery. Another hilarious multi-layered tale. My wife offers her seal of approval to "Big Trouble in Little Sanchez," when Rick implants his mind into a smaller, teenage body of himself. Just his infectious teenage enthusiasm and propensity to thrust his arms in the air and proclaim "Tiny Rick!" is worth seeing.

Season 3 had more than a few outstanding offerings. My clear-cut favorite was "Pickle Rick," which sees Rick proudly turn himself into a pickle in order to avoid a family counceling session. Pickle Rick eventually becomes embroiled in a Die Hard-like scenario where he is trapped in a building and has to fight his way out. This episode has some action elements and sequences that were as fun as anything I've seen from nine-figure-budget Hollywood action movies in recent years. "Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender" was also a personal favorite. Rick and Morty rejoin a galactic superhero group, The Vindicators, who barely tolerate Rick's open derision of their posturing and moral superiority. The oil/water scenario of the sociopathic Rick and a bunch of self-important do-gooders in tights is every bit a hilarious as one would hope. And the opening 3 minutes of "Rest and Ricklaxation" had me and my wife literally crying with laughter. The rest of the episode is great, too, but the setup is award-worthy stuff.

Both the second and third seasons ended with the same tease: oddball character Mister Poopybutthole sending us off and suggesting that the next season probably wouldn't be coming for quite some time. If it results in another ten episodes like we got with these two season, the creators can take whatever time they need, as far as I'm concerned.