After ten action packed episodes that asked us to accept that guy from “Nip/Tuck” as an all-powerful alien being, Marvel’s Runaways is over. And with a finale that beautifully capped off the season, we’re definitely looking forward to the next one.
Over the course of an hour, the episode flies through major plot points: after their first battle (in which they are practically demolished), the kids actually get around to running away. They’re ready to abandon their lives and their parents, who put their lives in danger the very moment they started fraternizing with Jonah and his apparent psoriasis condition. Fortunately, they’re also ready to come to terms with what, exactly that means.
Meanwhile, the finale manages to answer a lot of questions, satiating some of the mystery that’s been built, sometimes clumsily, throughout the first season. Yes, Jonah is Karolina’s father, and they have a Harry Potter versus Voldemort circa “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” magic-off. And yep: Not only was Leslie responsible for the death of Molly’s parents, but she’s inadvertently responsible for Amy’s too (Leslie is rude AF).
Yes, Vaughn, the kids in their “disguises” can be aptly described as “weird kids in bad wigs” — except Nico (Lyrica Okana’s performance this season, by the way, has been mesmerizing) who essentially just adds a lip ring to her goth ensemble. And yes, the dinosaur has a name: Old Lace. Not bad, if you think about it.
Of course, for every question answered, there are plenty more that crop up. Specifically, it seems more and more likely that Jonah is in cahoots with one of the kids — after all, who is he texting when he’s lovingly caressing Frank’s pseudo coffin? What, exactly is the living thing underground at the dig site? What is going on with this weird gang plot, and why is Alex getting involved? The episode also begs very important question: Who does Jonah’s eyebrows? Can they stop?
But really: it’ll be exciting to see those questions be answered in a second season of Runaways. But an even better prospect? Seeing how the teens’ relationships continue to expand: as friends, romantic prospects and confidantes. And as they explore what it’s like to be on the run — and what changes that means for their lives.
And I’m betting it’ll turn out great: Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, the pair behind the likes of The O.C and Gossip Girl, have done an impressive job bringing the comic book to the screen and infusing it with a familiar dose of teenage angst. Molly, perhaps, summed it up best: as far as being a teenager goes, the struggle is real.
