Marvel’s Runaways - Season 1 Review
This review of Season 1 of Marvel's Runaways is spoiler-free!
When I first discussed Runaways, I talked a lot about how superhero shows, in general, have become almost overloaded in the media. Whether it's from things like the Arrowverse that heavily leans into romances and just a soap opera style of storytelling or the Netflix shows that aim to be extremely dark and gritty, there's just not a ton of room left for new styles of stories to be told. Runaways had a huge task ahead of it to find it's way in this gigantic landscape. It certainly had the pieces to do it, focusing on a group of characters rather than just one main character allowed for new dynamics to be created. Well, after a season of development and story, I can safely say that Hulu has not only created a good superhero show, but they created an excellent show overall.
Let's start with something that really helps the show overall: its story. Through the premiere, this group of teens is coming off the heels of a tragic event in the death of one of their friends. Seeing the fractured atmosphere at the beginning of the series is great because it really gives a starting point to see how much this relationship between these kids builds. Along with this, Pride was rather in the background at the beginning of the series, but through 10 episodes of development, it almost seems to have overtaken the story of the kids. While I don't necessarily view it as a problem as of this point because the complexity of these characters does make every story line interesting, I worry about it for the future seasons. The Runaways is about the kids, and if the story isn't focused on them I could see problems going forward.
But for positives in the overall story of the season, I really did love the way the team came together. Without getting into spoiler territory it was great to see the trials and tribulations of being a teen intermingled with superpowers. They have human problems to deal with, along with discovering their abilities and learning how to work together. If I were to point out one character that I felt had a very significant arc throughout the season, it's Chase (Gregg Sulkin). Sure he plays a rather generic jock at the beginning of the season, but by the end, he has levels and depth that influence every choice he makes. He still has angst and hormonal moments like you would expect from a teen, but he really evolves throughout the season as a person.
Along with Chase, the character who has the most story beats revolving around them is Karolina. Sure an argument could be made for Alex or Molly as another major part of the story, but Virginia Gardner's character takes the cake. She has multiple different parts of her life to deal with, and it all comes to a head in the finale. Seeing her battle her family and her inner emotions were excellent. I can't praise the group of runaways enough, everyone plays their character well. They all have specific quirks that really make them stand out and differentiate them from the generic characters that we have in many series today. Even the parents who should be viewed as the antagonists of the series have layers to them that make them at times even relatable. I hope going forward that they continue to explore this depth more, and perhaps with an extended second season, they can split time more equally between the kids and Pride.
I've mentioned it throughout this article, but something Runaways does exceptionally well is managing multiple different themes and secondary stories. The idea of family is hit on often (not on the level of a certain film franchise), and it really hit well for me. Along with this, outside of the primary story for everyone, there are secondary stories for nearly every character that tie back into the main plot. While maybe not every one of these stories was handled as effectively as others, I can't help but feel satisfied with the conclusions that came. Moving forward, I hope this balance continues to be held, as the finale marks a major change for the series and seeing how the kids handle their new situation will be exciting.
Concluding this all over the place discussion of Season 1 of Marvel's Runaways, I think this is a great series for the superhero genre as a whole. It has character development that only the likes of Legion and the Netflix series have. There's a lot of conspiracy and crossing stories that make every moment exciting. And finally: that beautiful theme. I have yet to find anywhere that they made a full version of it, but there's something fantastic about the music in this series. If you haven't taken the time to get Hulu, make it a priority. With Runaways joining the lineup, it almost is a must have for any TV and superhero fan. Put it at the top of your list for your next addiction!
