Liam Hoofe reviews the fourth episode of Marvel’s Runaways…
What has made Marvel’s Runaways such interesting viewing so far, is that it has a very different feel to many of the other Marvel properties. In the show’s opening few episodes, we have only seen glimpses of the Runaways’ powers, and they have yet to you know, actually, run away. Instead, the show has focused on the dramas of suburban life, specifically those surrounding the teenagers, which in turn, has allowed the show’s characters to develop quite nicely.
In the fourth episode of the season ‘Fifteen’, the show focuses on all the little secrets that the parents have been hiding from their kids over the years. And when I say secrets, I don’t mean that Dad sneaks out for a cigarette every night when everyone goes to bed, or a pair of handcuffs that you accidentally discover in your Mom’s drawer when you’re trying to catch a glimpse of your Christmas present, I’m talking about hiding guns from your children, hiding a dinosaur in your basement, and potentially having a hand in the death of your dearly departed sister.
Amy, the friend of the group who passed away two years prior to the events of the show, and more importantly, Nico’s Sister has a real presence in this episode. At the start of the episode, we see a flashback to the day of her death, and one of the most startling things about that is the transformation Nico has gone through. When we see Nico in the past, she is in stark contrast to the moping goth we all know now. Clearly, her sister’s death has had a big influence on her life, but what if her parents, and the rest of PRIDE, have something to do with it? It is no small coincidence that Amy’s death took place on the same date two years prior to the events the kids witnessed in the first episode, and this mystery will no doubt be a big hook as the season continues.
We were introduced to some more of the children’s powers in this episode as well. Karolina, having discovered what Chase did for her in the first episode, reveals what happens when she takes her bracelet off. We get to see the first glimpse of her powers as she lights up like a Christmas Tree in what is a pretty accurate rendition of what happens to her in the comics. Gert, who in the last episode discovered the dinosaur, Old Lace, in her basement at the end of episode 3, discovers that the dinosaur will obey all of her commands, much to the surprise of her parents, who arrive home to find Gert and Molly in the hallway with their creation.
Gert’s parents also have a big role to play this episode. The Yorkes are easily the show’s most likeable parents and their issues with PRIDE and their actions is clearly beginning to take its toll on the pair. During the episode, they plot to run away together and leave everything behind, and in the process, end up missing an emergency PRIDE meeting called by Tina Minoru. Tina is certainly beginning to look like the big bad of the group, and if The Yorkes continue on their path of disobedience, I don’t think things are going to end too well for them here.
Another discovery made by the kids this episode is made by Alex and Nico, who see Nico’s father, and Victor Stein at the police station at the end of the episode. While they are initially taken back as to why they are in the police station in the first place, Nico is more concerned when she realises the police office with them, is the same one that was around their house the day her sister died.
With four episodes gone, Runaways is doing a great job of balancing all of its characters and at currently, it is doing an excellent job of keeping everybody involved. The show reaches its halfway point next week, and now we have a real sense of the children’s, and the parents’ home life, perhaps now would be the right time for them to get running.
What did you think of Episode Four of Marvel’s Runaways? Let us know in the comments, and let Liam know on Twitter @liamhoofe
Originally published November 29, 2017. Updated April 19, 2018.
