After looking into why this week’s episode was “Osborne Academy” and not “Horizon High: Part Two,” I found out they aired 2 episodes last week. So, this week playing a little catch up. I have my five thoughts on both episodes, “Horizon High: Part Two” and “Osborne Academy.”
As always spoilers abound below so if you don’t your animated Spider-Man cartoon spoiled I guess stop reading here.
“Horizon High: Part Two”
1.Old Lady Haters
I am not sure why but old ladies hate this Spider-Man. Part one had a very nimble old woman who cared for pigeons do battle with him on a roof. In this episode, an old woman beats him with her purse and calls him stinky. Old people hate millennials.
2.Making The Suit
So it only took til episode 2 for Spider-Man to create and wear the suit. I really liked the series’ justification for this suits creation. Peter needs something to work on at Horizon High as a project so he decides to improve on his suit and thus creates the one we know and love. Because this series constantly reminds you he is a genius and that he is at a school which gives him his own lab because he is a genius it is actually reasonable to think he could make this suit. Also, if I am remembering correctly this is how Peter in the comics made money at Horizon Labs(Adult Horizon High). He created tech for his suit that doubled as tech advancements he shared with Max as his work.
3.We almost had a Spider-Janitor
We were so close. Peter needs money to help Aunt May pay for Horizon High and he applies to be the janitor. Then Max steps in and makes Peter his lab assistant. What does Max have against janitors? I thought this would of been a cute plot point going forward, but alas.
4.His master plan
The Smythe weird dad and weird son duo debut their Spider Sentinels. As they control the sentinel at a what seems not that far from the action distance (no one notices these guys?), dad Smythe mentions that the Vulture and Sentinels were all part of his master plan. Who is he? I assume Kingpin, but with this cast of characters who knows.
5.Face It Eavesdropper, you’ve hit a sort of jackpot
While Peter listens to Aunt May on the phone we learn she is talking to Anna Watson, aunt of MJ. That didn’t take long.
“Osborne Academy”
1.Then there is Gwen
So they named dropped MJ(well her aunt) at the end of last episode, then they name introduce Gwen. Guess what? She is super smart, too. She also tells Spider-Man as he is saving people how to do it better. I actually think this is an interesting idea. Gwen in most incarnations of Spider-Man is his first girlfriend (I’m looking at your Maguire!) and she helps shape him. If Gwen finds out he is Spider-Man, which she will, I’d like to see her be the one to push him to be a better hero. Also maybe we will get Spider-Gwen.
2.Osborne, something ain’t right with dat der kid.
There are many not-so-subtle hints that Harry has secrets. He is working on some sort of weapons tech – tech so important Norman is willing to have it stolen from his lab to be brought to Osborne High for Harry to keep working on. Harry is super smart as well? Harry quickly turns on Spider-Man and seems to flip an super paranoid switch on and off pretty quickly. If I had to take a guess from the very well placed clues, something is up with this guy. They started this in episode 1, now its 3 and its super obvious. Spider-Man has lots of other villains you know?
Also Norman starts his own school for Harry and is just recruiting kids to steal their tech or make them villains. The first kid to join is the Shocker. Oh and he is a genius, what a shocker right?
3.John Jameson
John is seen briefly trying out for a spot at Osborne High. He is talking about space stuff and he is super smart. The 90’s animated series used John as a plot point to bring in the symbiote from space. So maybe Venom? When do we get Venom? Just give me Venom already. Also J. Jonah!
Continued below4.Where did you get that gun Jackal?
I still have no idea where this settles in Marvel’s animated universe, but this episode has a mention of Stark Tech. Jackal is using Stark Tech and mentions it by name. Peter also mentions Stark later so Tony is surely a thing in this universe. Is Iron Man? Are there other heroes? Probably.
Also Jackal. A major villain with no explanation.
5.The Miles Problem
So we met Miles a little more and Anya as well. He is smart, goes to Horizon High, builds robots. Cool stuff. Except for me in recent years Miles, in the comics, has been far and away a better story that Spider-Man. Miles is already a kid in high school. Miles already goes to an academy. Miles already has cool friends. Marvel’s Spider-Man is taking a huge part of Mile’s story and making it Peter’s. There is no way in this series they can give Miles the characterization and credit he deserves as a character. He will be a side kick.
Miles has carried his own title since his debut. If you wanted a younger Spider-Man you already had one. You could of even had Peter be the mentor(Stark figure) in this series. Maybe those Uncle Ben flashbacks would of actually worked if Peter were telling them to Miles. Miles deserves better.
So there are my five thoughts on episode 2 and 3 of this first season of Marvel’s Spider-Man. Episode 2 was better. It felt like a Spider-Man show. Episode 3 was necessary? Not sure if it was good though. Tune in next week because I have to.
