Now this was much more like it! Whew. I was getting a little worried there for a minute.
When I heard before the season started that we would be getting an Eternals heavy episode, I expected it to be this one. I mean, the title kind of says it all. It literally takes place due to the events of that movie. While I am a little disappointed that we didn't focus on them here, the story that we did get was the best one so far this season, so I can't be too upset.
The episode length did feel a little compressed (I would have loved to spend more time with the non-Riri characters, for example, if only to make their deaths hit harder), but it didn't really hurt it that much. Mostly thanks to the final confrontation with Beck.
Alejandro Saab did a great job as him. Even when he was villain monologuing, he had a great presence. I was so happy that he fully leaned into the illusions and used them to trick Riri. Using them just to make fake robots and stuff would have been boring. Instead, we got the psychological manipulation that would realistically break Riri and make her give up.
Also, the brief flashes of very clearly dead heroes? That made me sit up a little. It felt so dark in a way that I've been craving all season.
White Vision was also terrifying. He's a scarier Terminator. He doesn't even need to worry about walls or floors. He can just move through them. That was a very nice sequence where he was floating through the ship only to be stopped by magic. It was probably my favorite piece of animation in the episode.
Do I wish that I cared more about Riri as a character? A little. I haven't seen Black Panther: Wakanda Forever so I just knew that she existed and does Iron Man-like things. This is admittedly very much a Me Issue, but it's something that's been lurking in the back of my mind the last few episodes. Maybe it's just the fact that it's animation instead of live action, maybe I just am having trouble recognizing faces, maybe Marvel just has too many characters floating around, but there have been several characters throughout the season where my reaction is just "Um, who is that?"
Like Ying Nan in this episode. I'm assuming she was a character in Shang-Chi but I don't know who. It takes some of the fun out of seeing different characters team up in different ways if you don't know everyone.
Perhaps most importantly, we finally got a sense of what our overarching story will be. Season three has been very disconnected so far. Sure, we got a sequel episode with Howard and Darcy, but there hasn't been any Captain Carter sightings or Guardian of the Multiverse mentions. The Watcher kept talking about how hopeless Riri's story was that you knew that something had to happen. I just thought that the Watcher was going to be wrong and Riri was going to find some way to win.
I did not expect him to play such an active role. Maybe I should have. It's not like he's been shy about interfering before. But that had been for genuine multiverse threats. Was this the first time that he meddled in a universe that was following its intended path? No wonder he got the attention of three of his fellow Watchers. Presumably, he'll continue to influence things too.
I can't wait.
Random Thoughts
If the Watcher had seen Riri's story countless times already, does that mean that there are a bunch of universes that are practically identical?
It's nice that the Avenger's symbol continues to be a beacon of hope no matter what universe it is.
The Titanic as a base was very cool.
Yes, I'm deliberately ignoring the fact that the Earth exploding would definitely kill everyone, making this episode literally impossible in any way.
Okay, but seriously how would there even be an atmosphere? Right, right, sorry. I'm ignoring that!
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An Honest Fangirl loves video games, horror movies, and superheroes, and occasionally manages to put words together in a coherent and pleasing manner.
Yes, Ying Nan is Shan-Chi's aunt. I have to agree I wanted more with this episode. Sometimes, I have questions that Marvel either doesn't think about or thinks are trivial. How did people survive after the Earth was destroyed, or were they from other planets? It's like the Blip, which would be fascinating to explore more. While season two is the best of What If, I like this season as well. Especially way more than Season 1. Looking forward to seeing how this final season ends.
ReplyDeleteMan, I (along with many others) would have loved a "What If the Other Half Got Snapped?" episode. But I definitely needed to turn off my logical brain for this episode when it came to how any of these people were surviving.
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