[7.8/10] I like the concept of sending a bunch of D-list supervillains after Spider-Man a lot! There’s a vignette/anthology quality to the proceedings that keeps things punchy and fun. As someone who’s watched several Spider-Man shows, it’s always a treat to see the Web Head encounter villains I’ve never seen before, who have something a little distinctive about them.
That’s definitely true for Panda-Mania and Hippo. They basically seem like a pair of cosplayer friends off to a con in the big city, which is a fun dynamic. The idea that they don’t know who Spider-Man is, and are impressed with mundane things in New York City is cute. Hippo’s affable dopeyness, and Panda-Mania’s more go-getter cheer makes for a nice combo.
By the same token, I appreciate the idea that Spidey is out here trying to save the city, but is still getting nothing but guff from the public thanks to J.J.’s smear campaign. That, combined with his renewed money troubles, feel like the essential, canonical challenges of being Spider-Man, so it’s nice to see the show taking some time to address and explore them.
I’ll admit that I wasn’t as enamored with Overdrive, despite the coolness of his nanotech upgrade abilities. For one thing, the fact that his nanobots only work on vehicles is silly even for a superhero show, and for another, the whole “Spider-Shifter” bike is embarrassingly toytetic. But the episode saves the crassness of that by (1.) putting together a nifty little race sequence between Spidey and Overdrive and (2.) by couching it in Peter remembering his uncle’s sage wisdom to try to put an emotional and character foundations underneath this thin effort to sell molded plastic.
I also like where the episode lands, with Peter realizing that despite his public relations struggles and money troubles, his Aunt and Uncle always moved heaven and earth to help him, to where he wants to return the favor in some small way with his dinner-making gesture. It’s a nice beat for him and May, who’s been a little underserved on the show.
Overall, this episode loses a few points from the spider-shifter nonsense, but otherwise makes for an enjoyable outing with some unfamiliar faces going after Spidey, and with Peter having to reconcile the good he does and the lack of credit or esteem he gets for it.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2019-06-12T14:21:57Z
[7.8/10] I like the concept of sending a bunch of D-list supervillains after Spider-Man a lot! There’s a vignette/anthology quality to the proceedings that keeps things punchy and fun. As someone who’s watched several Spider-Man shows, it’s always a treat to see the Web Head encounter villains I’ve never seen before, who have something a little distinctive about them.
That’s definitely true for Panda-Mania and Hippo. They basically seem like a pair of cosplayer friends off to a con in the big city, which is a fun dynamic. The idea that they don’t know who Spider-Man is, and are impressed with mundane things in New York City is cute. Hippo’s affable dopeyness, and Panda-Mania’s more go-getter cheer makes for a nice combo.
By the same token, I appreciate the idea that Spidey is out here trying to save the city, but is still getting nothing but guff from the public thanks to J.J.’s smear campaign. That, combined with his renewed money troubles, feel like the essential, canonical challenges of being Spider-Man, so it’s nice to see the show taking some time to address and explore them.
I’ll admit that I wasn’t as enamored with Overdrive, despite the coolness of his nanotech upgrade abilities. For one thing, the fact that his nanobots only work on vehicles is silly even for a superhero show, and for another, the whole “Spider-Shifter” bike is embarrassingly toytetic. But the episode saves the crassness of that by (1.) putting together a nifty little race sequence between Spidey and Overdrive and (2.) by couching it in Peter remembering his uncle’s sage wisdom to try to put an emotional and character foundations underneath this thin effort to sell molded plastic.
I also like where the episode lands, with Peter realizing that despite his public relations struggles and money troubles, his Aunt and Uncle always moved heaven and earth to help him, to where he wants to return the favor in some small way with his dinner-making gesture. It’s a nice beat for him and May, who’s been a little underserved on the show.
Overall, this episode loses a few points from the spider-shifter nonsense, but otherwise makes for an enjoyable outing with some unfamiliar faces going after Spidey, and with Peter having to reconcile the good he does and the lack of credit or esteem he gets for it.