I was wrong. This show is a breath of fresh air. Instead of something flashy full of stupid special effects on a TV show budget with mind numbingly dull action, this is a character story first and foremost. You also don't have to have watched many other Marvel properties. As loathe as I am to say it, I would argue that watching Iron Man 3 is a good pre-requisite to this show. Also Shang-Chi. I'll explain why later on.
I know comic fans were angrily typing away on their sad, overcomensating keyboards when Simon Williams was cast as a Black man, instead of a white man as he appears in the comics. If there's one thing they hate besides strong female leads, it's race swapping. I said before that Wonder Man is a D-List character, so if nothing else, now he can have an actual personality because by being a Black man, his struggles in life are amplified.
One thing I specifically like is when actors play actors and have to act like they don't know how to act. Simon's whole story is trying to become an actor because it is that art that fills his cup up. That's buoyed by the secret he has and why he always has to keep his emotions in check. (Welcome to the life of a Black person). I don't know what it's like to be an actor, but the way they portray it here, I feel like I have a clear picture. The story revolves around his love of an old movie, also called "Wonder Man". There is a remake being made and he feels his whole life has lead to this. The love and care this show takes on that aspect of Hollywood is evident everywhere in this series.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is fantastic as Simon Williams. You see the full range of his struggles with his career and within his own family. Side note, I love that they added the personal detail that Simon is the child of Haitian immigrants. That gives him more depth, because he always felt like an outsider except when he's with his family, for the most part.
Remember when I talked about Iron Man 3 up above? I only bring it up because that's where you're introduced to "The Mandarin", played by the character Trevor Slattery, played by Ben Kingsley. They reference his role as "The Mandarin" a lot and it is the other parallel plot running through the show. Slattery also showed up in Shang-Chi. Iron Man 3 is a terrible movie, but I am glad that they have spun gold out of their use of Ben Kingsley and they keep finding ways to bring him back.
The core of this show is about the friendship between Simon and Trevor and it is truly heart of this show. I found myself just enjoying minutes upon minutes of them just talking and interacting. I was transfixed. Trevor finds a mentee and helps Simon open up and be a better actor. Simon finds a mentor that pours into him the way that no one else has. Their friendship felt authentic, even if it started under false pretenses. Both characters grow by knowing each other.
Here's a quick spoiler. You've been warned.
Unlike other Marvel shows, there is no big bad to fight. There's no super hero battles. Hell, there really aren't any fight scenes. This show remains tightly focused on the dual goals of Simon and Trevor. I'm being deliberately vague because I don't want to spoil everything. They do slip in a deep cut origin of what will potentially be a super villain. They took time out to dedicate a whole episode to it and it was all in black and white, a huge stylistic swing in a show like this.
This is the kind of show you get when Marvel just leaves the creators be without interfering. You get a cohesive show that doesn't rely on 40 movies and 20 series as requisite viewing. You feel this was a passion project for the creators.
Now, I'm going to pivot to what pissed me off. It is not aimed at this show. It's aimed at Marvel itself. They just slid out all 8 episodes in the cover of night. I barely saw any advertising for this show. It's hard for me to not think, "I bet if this was a show around a white lead, they'd promote the hell out of it." I felt the same about Ironheart last year. No runway to build up anticipation. Just a trailer and then months later, it arrives. They could have waited a week and premiered it during Black History month. They have left this show out to die and it is one of the best efforts they've put out since they started doing TV shows. It feels like nothing more than some kind of tax write off with how dismissive they've been.
Simon and Trevor BETTER show up in other shows and get a second season. The way this has panned out, I won't hold my breath. I hope word of mouth, increased ratings, etc. makes Marvel take a hard look at doing more with this show or these characters.
Comments
Post a Comment