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Hey everyone. This is SofiaBlythe2014. Well, after a four month hiatus, season 2 of Marvel’s Spiderman is finally here. The season premiere is two episodes that, while they connect well, I feel better talking about them on their own. So, we review the episodes “How I Thwipped My Summer Vacation” and “Take Two”. Let’s begin.

1. How I Thwipped My Summer Vacation

Writers: Kevin Burke & Chris Doc Wyatt

Director: Dan Duncan

Date: June 18, 2018

Synopsis: “Peter tries to have a good summer vacation.”

Now the format of the episode is a little different, showing various vignettes about Peter trying to have a good summer. I will talk about each one individually, and see how well they work in enforcing the message on how there’s a bright side to anything even when things don’t go as planned.

The first part of Peter’s checklist is spending some time at the beach with Miles. However, when trying to buy snacks, he sees Black Cat stealing the prize money from a hot dog eating contest. He then tries to get it back, and succeeds, but Miles won the contest when he wasn’t around. Now, let’s look from Peter’s perspective. Yes, he’s bummed that his perfect beach day was ruined, but he did manage to make things good for Miles. Plus, Black Cat was apprehended and did seem to have quite a bit of fun with him.

The second part of his checklist is going to a baseball game with Aunt May. However, when he goes to bring her some snacks, he runs into the Tinkerer, who’s changing the trajectory of the ball in order to help his team win. In the end, though he stops the Tinkerer, things don’t go smoothly with Aunt May when she thinks he should sit out future games to help the team win. Yeah, he definitely is bummed that they can’t spend time watching games, but they at least have other things to bond on. Plus, she’s not that happy about it either. You can also feel for Tinkerer given that he’s like a child trying to live out a dream. He’s also real funny.

The third part of the checklist has him trying to go to a Ross Caliban concert with Anya and Gwen. However, Ross gets kidnapped by Hammerhead’s goons so that he can surprise his son with his favorite singer. This short definitely brings in an interesting celebrity angle into the match. Peter (who’s still in costume) is a fan of Ross, and Ross is a fan of him. I also like how Ross is actually fairly reasonable considering he was trying to do what he could to satisfy both of them, and still be saved by Spiderman. We also see more humanization of Hammerhead since he does legitimately want to impress his son even if he’s a brat. Though Peter lost his ticket in his costume and can’t get in, he still gets complimented by Ross during the concert, making it bittersweet.

The fourth part of the checklist has him going on a camping trip with Anya, Gwen, and Miles. He’s still not happy with how his checklist is going. During the night, their gear gets stolen by someone named Nocturnal, who is very owl like. However, it’s also discovered that he was mutated into bird form due to a lab accident like Peter was. I like the bonding they have here. Though Nocturnal is more willing to do bad, it’s just because he needs to be able to survive, and Peter lets him have the supplies. In the morning, he cooks breakfast for his friends to make up for his behavior. It’s a nice little moment that shows that you should still show some niceness even when things turn out unexpectedly.

The last part of the episode takes place a week before school. Peter finds out that the special tuition payment from Max as his assistant is only offered to freshmen. As such, he tries to find a part time job to help pay for it since he doesn’t want to inconvenience Aunt May or Harry. The job hunt goes poorly though. I guess I should spoil how it ends. Randy Robertson asks how things are going, and decides to help him by getting him a job at the Bugle. However, J. Jonah Jameson will only let him in if he can get good quality footage of Spiderman. Yeah, what I said is what pretty much happens, but it does show Peter making more attempts to be self sufficient instead of relying on others.

A common unifying theme that runs through each part is “look on the bright side”. Peter either helped someone else have a good time, or managed to get some type of victory in an unexpected way. I call everything here pretty good. Let’s move on.

2. Take Two

Writers: Kevin Burke & Chris Doc Wyatt

Director: Sol Choi

Date: June 18, 2018

Synopsis: “Otto Octavius returns.”

I find it interesting how this episode reminds me quite a bit of the Elena Of Avalor episode “A Spy In The Palace”. That doesn’t lessen the good of the episode, which I will dwell into. This episode has Otto Octavius returning to Horizon High, claiming to have turned over a new leaf. However, everyone but Gwen (and later on Peter) thinks that he can be trusted. Things don’t turn out as planned when the Wild Pack (composed of Silver Sable, Paladin, Puma, and Battlestar) steal the Neuro Cortex (pretty much an artificial intelligence program) from Horizon High. Otto tries to show that he’s changed by helping Spiderman get the device back. I guess I should talk about the ending. The Wild Pack is put in jail, but it’s also strongly implied that it was Otto who sent them, and he has long term plans for them. Does that undermine the moral on giving others second chances? No. It’s about how you should give others second chances, but also not blindly accept them right away. They should earn it. It works here. Otto has shown to be the most developed of the show’s rogues gallery, what with wanting to be respected for his mind. Plus, regardless of his intent, he’s actually helpful here, what with being able to think of a cure to the Rhino back into Aleksei, and working effortlessly with Spiderman to get the device back. As for how others perceive him, it works. Peter is initially rightfully skeptical of Otto due to how he resorted to brainwashing and terrorism, but then turns around when he sees that Otto has the same educational idols as him like Thomas Edison, who never gave up even when things were tough. Everyone else is rightfully skeptical, most notably Max, who’s been a father like figure, though Gwen is also right to assume Otto’s best when she knows he’s a tortured soul. As for our villains, two of them show off what Ock could potentially be like, like how Silver Sable is shown to be a mercenary who’s willing to use lethal force to get what she wants, or how Paladin is shown to have his immaturity like when fighting Spiderman early on. Puma and Battlestar are mostly there, but do get some good fights in. Regardless, Otto earns everyone’s trust back, and is brought back to Horizon, making things feel great for now. We also see Peter slowly gaining more respect from Jameson, yet also knows he has to reluctantly stay there since Jameson gives him big checks even if he thinks Spiderman is a menace for supposedly helping the bad guys. Well, at least the school feels whole again.

Well, I call myself satisfied. I can’t wait to see what else is in store for the future.

Here is the cast for the episodes.

Robbie Daymond as Peter Parker/Spiderman, Bully 1, Hot Dog Announcer, Ticket Taker

Nadji Jeter as Miles Morales, Security Bots

Laura Bailey as Gwen Stacy, Tully

Melanie Minichino as Anya Corazon

Grey DeLisle Griffin as Black Cat

Nancy Linari as Aunt May

Aaron Abrams as The Tinkerer, Old Man

Jim Cummings as Hammerhead

Jeremy Shada as Ross Caliban

Yuri Lowenthal as Nocturnal

Fred Tatasciore as Max Modell, Interviewer

Zeno Robinson as Randy Robertson

Bob Joles as J. Jonah Jameson

Scott Menville as Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus

April Stewart as Silver Sable

Trevor Devall as Paladin, Construction Worker 2

Matthew Mercer as Aleksei, Construction Worker 1

Max Mittleman as Harry Osborn, Student

Description
Hey everyone. This is SofiaBlythe2014. Well, after a four month hiatus, season 2 of Marvel’s Spiderman is finally here. The season premiere is two episodes that, while they connect well, I feel better talking about them on their own. So, we review the episodes “How I Thwipped My Summer Vacation” and “Take Two”. Let’s begin.

1. How I Thwipped My Summer Vacation

Writers: Kevin Burke & Chris Doc Wyatt

Director: Dan Duncan

Date: June 18, 2018

Synopsis: “Peter tries to have a good summer vacation.”

Now the format of the episode is a little different, showing various vignettes about Peter trying to have a good summer. I will talk about each one individually, and see how well they work in enforcing the message on how there’s a bright side to anything even when things don’t go as planned.

The first part of Peter’s checklist is spending some time at the beach with Miles. However, when trying to buy snacks, he sees Black Cat stealing the prize money from a hot dog eating contest. He then tries to get it back, and succeeds, but Miles won the contest when he wasn’t around. Now, let’s look from Peter’s perspective. Yes, he’s bummed that his perfect beach day was ruined, but he did manage to make things good for Miles. Plus, Black Cat was apprehended and did seem to have quite a bit of fun with him.

The second part of his checklist is going to a baseball game with Aunt May. However, when he goes to bring her some snacks, he runs into the Tinkerer, who’s changing the trajectory of the ball in order to help his team win. In the end, though he stops the Tinkerer, things don’t go smoothly with Aunt May when she thinks he should sit out future games to help the team win. Yeah, he definitely is bummed that they can’t spend time watching games, but they at least have other things to bond on. Plus, she’s not that happy about it either. You can also feel for Tinkerer given that he’s like a child trying to live out a dream. He’s also real funny.

The third part of the checklist has him trying to go to a Ross Caliban concert with Anya and Gwen. However, Ross gets kidnapped by Hammerhead’s goons so that he can surprise his son with his favorite singer. This short definitely brings in an interesting celebrity angle into the match. Peter (who’s still in costume) is a fan of Ross, and Ross is a fan of him. I also like how Ross is actually fairly reasonable considering he was trying to do what he could to satisfy both of them, and still be saved by Spiderman. We also see more humanization of Hammerhead since he does legitimately want to impress his son even if he’s a brat. Though Peter lost his ticket in his costume and can’t get in, he still gets complimented by Ross during the concert, making it bittersweet.

The fourth part of the checklist has him going on a camping trip with Anya, Gwen, and Miles. He’s still not happy with how his checklist is going. During the night, their gear gets stolen by someone named Nocturnal, who is very owl like. However, it’s also discovered that he was mutated into bird form due to a lab accident like Peter was. I like the bonding they have here. Though Nocturnal is more willing to do bad, it’s just because he needs to be able to survive, and Peter lets him have the supplies. In the morning, he cooks breakfast for his friends to make up for his behavior. It’s a nice little moment that shows that you should still show some niceness even when things turn out unexpectedly.

The last part of the episode takes place a week before school. Peter finds out that the special tuition payment from Max as his assistant is only offered to freshmen. As such, he tries to find a part time job to help pay for it since he doesn’t want to inconvenience Aunt May or Harry. The job hunt goes poorly though. I guess I should spoil how it ends. Randy Robertson asks how things are going, and decides to help him by getting him a job at the Bugle. However, J. Jonah Jameson will only let him in if he can get good quality footage of Spiderman. Yeah, what I said is what pretty much happens, but it does show Peter making more attempts to be self sufficient instead of relying on others.

A common unifying theme that runs through each part is “look on the bright side”. Peter either helped someone else have a good time, or managed to get some type of victory in an unexpected way. I call everything here pretty good. Let’s move on.

2. Take Two

Writers: Kevin Burke & Chris Doc Wyatt

Director: Sol Choi

Date: June 18, 2018

Synopsis: “Otto Octavius returns.”

I find it interesting how this episode reminds me quite a bit of the Elena Of Avalor episode “A Spy In The Palace”. That doesn’t lessen the good of the episode, which I will dwell into. This episode has Otto Octavius returning to Horizon High, claiming to have turned over a new leaf. However, everyone but Gwen (and later on Peter) thinks that he can be trusted. Things don’t turn out as planned when the Wild Pack (composed of Silver Sable, Paladin, Puma, and Battlestar) steal the Neuro Cortex (pretty much an artificial intelligence program) from Horizon High. Otto tries to show that he’s changed by helping Spiderman get the device back. I guess I should talk about the ending. The Wild Pack is put in jail, but it’s also strongly implied that it was Otto who sent them, and he has long term plans for them. Does that undermine the moral on giving others second chances? No. It’s about how you should give others second chances, but also not blindly accept them right away. They should earn it. It works here. Otto has shown to be the most developed of the show’s rogues gallery, what with wanting to be respected for his mind. Plus, regardless of his intent, he’s actually helpful here, what with being able to think of a cure to the Rhino back into Aleksei, and working effortlessly with Spiderman to get the device back. As for how others perceive him, it works. Peter is initially rightfully skeptical of Otto due to how he resorted to brainwashing and terrorism, but then turns around when he sees that Otto has the same educational idols as him like Thomas Edison, who never gave up even when things were tough. Everyone else is rightfully skeptical, most notably Max, who’s been a father like figure, though Gwen is also right to assume Otto’s best when she knows he’s a tortured soul. As for our villains, two of them show off what Ock could potentially be like, like how Silver Sable is shown to be a mercenary who’s willing to use lethal force to get what she wants, or how Paladin is shown to have his immaturity like when fighting Spiderman early on. Puma and Battlestar are mostly there, but do get some good fights in. Regardless, Otto earns everyone’s trust back, and is brought back to Horizon, making things feel great for now. We also see Peter slowly gaining more respect from Jameson, yet also knows he has to reluctantly stay there since Jameson gives him big checks even if he thinks Spiderman is a menace for supposedly helping the bad guys. Well, at least the school feels whole again.

Well, I call myself satisfied. I can’t wait to see what else is in store for the future.

Here is the cast for the episodes.

Robbie Daymond as Peter Parker/Spiderman, Bully 1, Hot Dog Announcer, Ticket Taker

Nadji Jeter as Miles Morales, Security Bots

Laura Bailey as Gwen Stacy, Tully

Melanie Minichino as Anya Corazon

Grey DeLisle Griffin as Black Cat

Nancy Linari as Aunt May

Aaron Abrams as The Tinkerer, Old Man

Jim Cummings as Hammerhead

Jeremy Shada as Ross Caliban

Yuri Lowenthal as Nocturnal

Fred Tatasciore as Max Modell, Interviewer

Zeno Robinson as Randy Robertson

Bob Joles as J. Jonah Jameson

Scott Menville as Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus

April Stewart as Silver Sable

Trevor Devall as Paladin, Construction Worker 2

Matthew Mercer as Aleksei, Construction Worker 1

Max Mittleman as Harry Osborn, Student