If you’re like me, Marvel’s Runaway’s season one finale entitled “Hostile” left you speechless. (Good thing this is a written review.)
This episode was so much more than I was ready for. I feel like I just watched a whole movie instead of just an hour of television. Every episode this season has raised the bar in my mind. And with the announcement of season 2 just arriving I’ve already got an arm’s length of ideas about what’s to come next season.
“Hostile” gave us so many revelations, questions answered and new ones asked, after all is said and done. So hold on to your undergarments, here we go….
The Parents Anti-Jonah Militia
As a parent I will tell you that the moment someone hurts your child they’re done in your eyes. So when Jonah went after the kids, including his own daughter Karolina, he should not be surprised that PRIDE has decided to conspire against him. This turn of events and his arrogance might truly be the end of him. He thinks all he needs is himself and we all know he’s wrong. He needs them more.
I was happy to see Leslie finally get enough and stand up for herself and Karolina. But that was all crushed the moment she admits to not only killing Gene and Alice but knowing that Jonah killed Amy. And she did NOTHING to stop it. I’m sure I had one of those over the top reactions like I belonged in a soap opera on my face after this was revealed.
The only thing that would make this scene better was Tina finally going through with her threat to whack Leslie with the staff. This revelation broke me. The emotion that Brittany Ishibashi (Tina Minoru) is able to convey is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. She’s been a great standout the whole season and I can’t wait to see more.
Even thought I wish they would’ve backed off the parents a little this season and focused more on the kids, I’m happy to see that at the end of the first season the parents seem ready to fight to get their kids back. They’re done being Jonah’s puppets. It’s not going to be easy, it’s going to tear them apart, but they’ll do it because it’s for their kids.
The Jonah and Frank Bro-squad
I love Frank even though he’s been a bit of an oblivious character the whole time. Even after he figures things out he’s blinded by the anger he has at Leslie’s betrayal. That anger made him so desperate to get a leg up on her that he goes to Jonah.
Although Jonah seems to be the winning horse at the moment, I don’t think this is a smart plan in the long run. Jonah is going to need a sacrifice soon, both to save himself (old dude skin ewww) and Victor (I think that’s who’s in the box, I honestly forgot about him). And with Frank not fully in PRIDE I’m not convinced that he knows that they’ve been killing kids to save Jonah.
I feel like nothing but bad things will come from this team up in season 2. I don’t think Victor knows how to be honest, so of course he’s manipulating the shit out of Frank.
Gert and Her Fight To Keep Her Things
I feel like this episode keeps stripping things away from Gert. First she, along with the rest of the kids, loses her parents in the worst way possible. Then she pushes herself away from Chase, thinking this whole thing they have was only about sex. And to top it off, they make her give up her Dinosaur, who finally receives her name Old Lace, with the final vote coming from Molly. Double pain.
Almost every time I have cried in the series has been a moment of Gert’s. Ariella Barer is so talented at tugging at a person’s heartstrings. Seriously go watch her on Netflix’s One Day at a Time. it’s a sitcom but it tears me up every time she gets emotional. The scene with her saying goodbye to Old Lace made me fear we would never see her again. But I was proved wrong when she followed the kids to the bus. Thank you writers! I was ready to riot.
And then we have the moment with Nico and Chase where he finally admits his feelings. I’ve seen it building and as a fan of the comics I was hoping but you never know with this show. They like to flip things on their heads with relationships (more on that later). But you can tell they really care and this is a relationship they’ll build on next season just from the cute little cuddle moment in the van. I’m all for Gert and Chase… they totally need a ship name people better than Gertchase.
The Ship Everyone is Shipping
You didn’t think we were not going to talk about this, did you?
Of course we are!
The fact that Nico couldn’t leave Karolina behind just warmed my heart. She was so desperate to make sure she was okay. This relationship has slowly been building and hurts my shipper heart to admit that I do wish they had more interaction leading up to this as it doesn’t feel 100% organic. It’s pretty damn close and I squealed like a fangirl when they cuddled in the van, but I need more.
That first kiss after they saved Karolina is what I live for. It was honest and sweet. It didn’t feel like a lesbian kiss just for the sake of it. It was a kiss between two people relieved the other is safe for the moment. And I will fight anyone who has a problem with that.
I feel like Deanoru has eclipsed the other relationships in the show…but I’m not hating that. I think the fact that this ship is trending on twitter is a sign we are moving in a positive direction. And having two girls in a relationship who are main characters and one is POC couldn’t make me any happier than it does.
But with this lies a big responsibility to follow through with this relationship into season 2. Shows have done it before where this turns out to be a phase or something of that like. If that happens, this show will strictly be on the blacklist in my mind. But from interviews I’ve seen with the show runners we have nothing to fear and much to look forward to.
Random Thoughts
- I love the little hints at where Old Lace’s name comes from, and also Gert’s code name in the movie theatre ad.
- For fans of the comics I’m sure you screamed just as hard as I did to see Karolina’s outfit. It’s as close to the comic as they could’ve gotten.
- Alex is still shady in my mind, I have no faith.
What was your favourite moment of the season finale? What are you hoping for in season 2? Let us know in the comments below!
Marvel’s Runaways season 1 is streaming entirely on Hulu right now and the Season finale will air in Canada on Showcase January 17, 2018.
