Hello and welcome once more to Multiversity’s continued coverage of Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. on Hulu! I’m E.A.G.E.R. (Entity Assigned to Guide Everybody’s Reactions) to talk to you every Saturday and Tuesday about the evil genius with a head even bigger than his ego. This time around, M.O.D.O.K. learns about the power of friendship while his estranged wife gets drunk with one of his dreaded rivals! So, while M.O.D.O.K. struggles to complete this deceptively complicated task, you can complete a very simple task and read on as we look over the fourth episode of the series, “If Saturday Be… For the Boys!”
1. S.O.N.
As always, I like to get my negative thoughts out of the way first because I have mostly positive things to say for this show. Unfortunately, I don’t have anything positive to say about Lou, M.O.D.O.K.’s son. Thus far, each episode has explored a member of M.O.D.O.K.’s family, with M.O.D.O.K. himself being the focus of the first, Jodie in the second, and M.E.L.I.S.S.A. in the third. However, Lou has remained painfully uninteresting. I’m not saying that we need deep pathos and long soliloquies from everybody, but after four episodes there is nothing to distinguish Lou from every other cliche “teen boy in adult animated comedy.” It drags down any of his (brief) scenes and makes me zone out. It also doesn’t help that his companion for his episode was cliché goth girl Carmilla, who was a bit of a let down given her comic book potential.
2. L.A.D.I.E.S.
In stark contrast, Jodie has a few moments to shine in her scenes with Monica Rappaccini. The loose premise for their interaction is that Jodie needs M.O.D.O.K.’s help to get her out of a jam, but runs across Monica instead. Monica is all too excited for the opportunity to learn some hot gossip about M.O.D.O.K., so she decides to get Jodie drunk and have a girl’s night in. This interaction helps add more layers to Jodie and shows her inner struggle to disassociate from M.O.D.O.K. and make it through life unaided. It also fleshes out Monica, who has mostly just been comedic relief so far. This was a fun way to advance both characters and the plot while also fighting in the show’s trademark sense of humor.
3. G.O.O.N.S.
While Jodie and Lou spend a night out at A.I.M. Headquarters, M.O.D.O.K. winds up encountered a gaggle of the goofiest goons that Marvel has to offer. Cast aside from his cool villainous peers, M.O.D.O.K. has to hang with some henchman he meets at The Bar with No Name. While it was fun seeing deep-cut characters like Angar the Screamer and Poundcake, my heart grew three sizes when I saw Melter. Melter has easily one of the dumbest designs of any villain ever and I’ve always found him weirdly endearing because of it. Seeing M.O.D.O.K. utilize an oddity like that was great fun, and I love that they characterized him as a washed up boomer. The way that M.O.D.O.K. continues to use bizarre characters perfectly makes me look forward to each episode just to see who’s next.
4. H.U.S.B.A.N.D.S.
As much as I appreciated the way that Melter was used for comedic effect, I have to say that I was surprised with how well M.O.D.O.K. used the equally laughable Armadillo for a dramatic revelation. By watching Armadillo go through the pains of a lost marriage, M.O.D.O.K. was able to process his own fears and see what his emotional state could be like if he isn’t able to save his own crumbling romance. Even if this scene is brief (and is also derailed slightly by the Mandrill’s massive… man-drill), it provides the surprising emotional hook that has become a trademark of the series.
5. A.D.A.P.T.
And on a lighter note, this episode gave us a hearty dose of the Super-Adaptoid. While not as charming as my treasured A.I.M. scientists, the Super-Adaptoid has proven to be a unique and funny companion in M.O.D.O.K.’s increasingly mundane life. The show takes liberties with his powers and mostly just uses him for visual gags, but that doesn’t stop the Super-Adaptoid from being the neediest man (robot) in this series. Watching him pine over M.O.D.O.K. is never not fun. I also love that he is so desperate for approval that he is willing to turn himself into a car for everybody else to ride in, just so he feels like he has value. I hope that M.O.D.O.K. gives Super-Adaptoid a big hug by the end of this show.
