Superhero TV Show Power Rankings — JULY & AUG 2018
Two months, two shows — which one should you be watching?
THIS MONTH(S) — Luke Cage is back and Cloak & Dagger finally materializes onto the small screen.
I’ve watched every episode of the shows listed below and have given this months’ block of episodes a brief analysis and a rating out of 10. Numbers in italicized parentheses represent change in rating from last month.
For previous articles see November 2017, December 2017, January 2018, Feb+Mar 2018, April 2018, May+June 2018.
SPOILERS for all episodes of Cloak & Dagger and Luke Cage.
CLOAK & DAGGER (FREEFORM)
Season: 1
Episodes Reviewed: 5–10
RENEWAL STATUS: Renewed for Season 2!
THE BAD: (1) It’s a slow-burner, like the other Netflix shows. While Tandy and Tyrone each try to solve their own mysteries, in the end, it’s only one or two clues that get them to the finale. So what’s going on in between? Filler. (2) With only three storylines to juggle — Tandy, Tyrone & O’Reilly — the show somehow never seems to find much of a flow, force-cutting back and forth between scenes in an attempt to show the parallels between Tandy’s and Tyrone’s lives. (3) A television drama can often benefit from the use of an occasional lyrical song over a montage, but the music in Cloak & Dagger is so constant, that the effect loses power. Montage songs occur multiple times per each 40-minute episode, including an out-of-place cover of Styx’s “Come Sail Away” in the season finale.
THE GOOD: (1) The scenes in which Tandy and Tyrone use their powers to learn about the hopes and fears (respectively) of other characters are amongst the best parts of the show. Both characters start out consumed by their own grief, but, through their powers, they start to learn that everyone has their own personal dreams & demons. (2) Aubrey Joseph and Olivia Holt are spellbinding and single-handedly make the show worth watching. The two young leads are perfectly cast and convincingly play these two extremely complex characters. (3) Despite its above-mentioned shortcomings, Cloak & Dagger is never boring and is certainly a unique take on the superhero genre. It is also a very high-concept television show, and I give its creators a lot of credit for pulling it off, but Freeform’s first venture into the TV superhero world is average at best.
How to Make It Better: Cloak and Dagger each have a one-track mind, focused on getting revenge for their lost loved ones. But now that those storylines have been mostly wrapped up, hopefully Season 2 will find our heroes putting more of a focus on developing their powers and how they can be use them to do good while still living their own lives.
Score: 5/10 (-1)
Bold Prediction Realized : Tandy’s ex is will be back and he’s not going to be happy. [Correct, although he’s easily placated.]
LUKE CAGE (NETFLIX)
Season: 2
Episodes Reviewed: 1–13 [all]
RENEWAL STATUS: Cancelled!
THE BAD: (1) The “drama” with Misty’s fellow precinct cops Bailey and Nandi was the weakest part of the season. Nandi’s betrayal was nothing compared to Scarfe’s in Season 1. It mostly felt like a way to extend the season, but it could have easily been cut. (2) I would have liked a little more “science” behind Bushmaster’s immunity to bullets. I still don’t buy that an herbal remedy can grant one superhuman abilities, such as Wolverine-esque healing, no matter how rare the material. (3) I never cared much for the character of Tilda. Her role as both Mariah’s daughter and Bushmaster’s supplier seemed a little too convenient. Despite her significance to the season’s two big bads, her character seemed to just “exist”. However, I do wonder if she’ll become a bigger player in Season 3. In the comics, she becomes Nightshade, who is sometimes hero, sometimes villain.
THE GOOD: (1) The unexpected relationship between Shades and Comanche was a fascinating B-story that added a lot of depth to what could have been two “stock” characters. (2) There’s a nice arc for Luke in this season, as he struggles to control his anger. He’s mentored by Claire Temple, Misty Knight, Iron Fist, his father and even Mariah and Bushmaster. And while we think they’re leading him down the right path, the twist at the end shows that we were not even close. (3) Perhaps the MCU’s biggest flaw is its villains. The biggest problem Luke Cage had in season one was it’s killing of Mahershala Ali’s Cottonmouth mid-season. Unlike the one-note Diamondback, this season’s villains are refreshingly multidimensional — the writers have you rooting both for and against Mariah and Bushmaster and Shades and Piranha at different points in the season. Alfre Woodard especially shines this season in the complex role of Black Mariah. Both relatable and deranged, she’s quite possibly the best MCU villain of them all.
How to Make It Better: It will be hard to replace Mariah Stokes Dillard, but I have confidence that the writers will come up with an interesting antagonist, whether that’s Shades, Tilda or someone new.
Score: 10/10
On the next Superhero TV Show Power Rankings…
Iron Fist returns for its sophomore season, hoping it got its slump out of the way early, Black Lightning comes back for round two, and the 4 Arrowverse shows return for their 4th, 4th, 5th and 7th seasons!
What do you think? Comment with your thoughts!
