There are a lot of options when it comes to watching TV these days. Personally I prefer streaming from sites like Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu to over the air type programming.
In my opinion, not only is it cheaper but also overall better. Cut the cord? Yes I will.
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There are a myriad of different superhero type shows to choose from. It seems like everybody like superhero shows these days.
Netflix started the whole thing with their original series like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist.
Netflix isn't the only game in town though.
I'm fond of several of Hulu's original shows. Now they come up with their own Marvel show called Runaways. Is it as good as some of the offerings on Netflix?
After having watched the entire thing, I can say that I did enjoy it but it is not without its ups and downs.
In order for a show to be good I think it needs to have a very solid storyline that progresses at a pace that really draws the viewer in.
Additionally there needs to be some very specific character development that makes you want to root for, enjoy, and sometimes even fall in love with the characters you are watching.
Does Runaways pull these two very important things off?
Well to be honest we run into a bit of a problem from the get go.
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The problem has to do with the progression of the storyline. You see, Runaways is almost completely character development based.
Although there definitely is a story, and it does progress, this show seems to want to focus so much on the characters that it kind of neglects everything but the progression of the character development.
I definitely agree that character development is important. However, it should not be the one thing that makes your show work.
If the entire show is developed around the characters you have to ask yourself where is the excitement?
So you run into a problem right away. Runaways has great character development, but it is not as exciting as it could be because even though there are important things happening in the show they seem to take a backseat to getting to know the characters better.
If you love flashbacks then you will love the show. Flashbacks. I've never been a single person that enjoys them. They kind of take you out of the immediate excitement.
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If this picture from Runaways makes you think of Dawson's Creek or some other teen angsty drama then you are right to think that.
Runaways is all about the drama.
I'm not talking about the drama of being kids that have super villain parents either. Sure there is some of that, but this show will add drama at every opportunity even where none is needed.
Imagine show about a police detective that gets in an argument with someone at the coffee shop in the morning, then gets into a problem driving to work because he almost runs into a dog, then drops all of his papers on the floor and they all fly away, and then some of them are caught by another lawyer.
None of that has to do with being a police detective. It's just extra drama that is added on for no apparent reason at all.
Runaways definitely suffers from the too much teen angsty drama problem.
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That is not the only problem though. Runaway suffers from one of the most annoying tropes of all time.
I'm talking about the unnecessary secret. Each and every character in the show is keeping secrets from everyone else. Even when they don't make sense. They're doing it just to add extra drama to the show and frankly it really drives me nuts.
Let's do another imagination scenario.
Let's say that there is a guy sitting on a couch with his girlfriend in the middle of the night watching a movie. She gets up to go to the kitchen to grab something to eat. In that instance a clown with a butcher knife shows up in the window scaring the man badly.
The man gets up and goes over to the window. He watches the clown run off with the butcher knife, then turn around make a scary face and jump over the wooden fence. The man goes back over to the couch and sits down with a worried look on his face.
The woman then comes over and sits down next to the man. She notices that something is wrong. What's the matter? she asks him.
What is his reply?
Nothing.
There's literally no reason for him not to tell her about the clown. After all, this clown might come back and kill them both. She needs to know about the clown....yet for reasons unknown he is unable to tell her about the clown.
This describes Runaways in a nutshell.
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It should also be noted that none of the characters in the show have powers. That's not entirely true actually. One or two of the characters do have powers, but they aren't fully explained yet.
This is not the type of show where everyone is running around shooting people or escaping through little teleportation tunnels.
To tell you the truth, it would probably be a bit more exciting if it was a show like that. I'm not saying that I dislike the show though. I really do like it and I think that it is a great show for anyone that really loves character development in a teen environment, and is able to get past the idea of the unnecessary secrets and the over dramatized situations.
As long as you understand that this is a very over dramatized show that involves character development to the point of neglecting its progression of the storyline a little bit, then I think you'll actually enjoy it.
It's a slow burn though.
Runaways.
Hulu's original Marvel show is actually pretty good, if not a bit on the slow side.
If you've got Hulu I think you should check it out.