Hello and welcome yet again to Multiversity’s coverage of Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. on Hulu! Every Saturday and Tuesday, we S.T.U.D.Y. (Search Through Underlying or Developing Yarns) the show about Marvel’s maddest scientist. As M.O.D.O.K. begins to approach the final stretch of its first Season, things are coming together and the family tension is at an all-time high. Luckily, nothing brings people together like a little mutual bloodshed. So, without wasting any more of your precious time, let’s take a look at “O, Were Blood Thicker Than Robot Juice!”
1. P.A.C.I.N.G.
Before I begin gushing about how much I loved this episode, I want to do some minor nitpicking. While I think that this episode was well-done and I appreciate the bombastic nature of the story presented here, I can’t help but feel like using all of this storytelling potential in one episode was a misstep. As much as I like the opening twist with M.O.D.O.K.’s secretly-robotic family, I feel like that would have been better served as a cliffhanger in a previous episode. There was a lot of wasted time in both “Tales from the Great Bar Mitzvah War” and “This Man… This Makeover,” so it’s a shame that the writers didn’t stretch out this episode’s plot across multiple segments instead. Oh well.
2. B.O.N.E.H.E.A.D.
Oh M.O.D.O.K., you big doof. You were presented with the perfect family and you didn’t even think to question it. Even though M.O.D.O.K. did eventually figure out that something was going wrong and that his family had been abducted, it’s a shame that we didn’t really get to see him put the pieces together for himself. This goes back to that pacing issue I mentioned before, where I feel like this story could have benefitted from exploring these smaller character moments. I enjoyed the character development from M.O.D.O.K., I just would have liked to have spent time with his perspective as he realized it was too good to be true. I even would have settled for a moment of reflection after M.O.D.O.K. breaks into the secret lair that his family is being held in. I think we’ve deserved that kind of catharsis. Hopefully that will happen somewhere down the line.
3. G.A.M.E.T.I.M.E.
This episode also introduced the villainous Arcade and I think it’s safe to say that he was adapted for M.O.D.O.K. better than any other guest character thus far. Arcade has always had a soft spot in my heart because of his many appearances in various “X-Men” books and “Avengers Arena,” so I was thrilled to see him take part in M.O.D.O.K. His particular brand of humor fits the tone of this show well and I was impressed with how consistent his characterization was with the source material. The elaborate death trap was delightful and I loved how many absurd intricacies there were to his plan. Little gags like his parachute and the fireworks that say Robot were also top-tier. Plus, his scheme made for thrilling content.
4. B.L.O.O.D.
I never would have guessed that M.E.L.I.S.S.A. would turn out to be such a bloodthirsty little troublemaker. Yes, M.O.D.O.K. has not been afraid to dabble in some violent escapades, but this took it to the next level. Multiple major characters were killed in brutal ways and M.E.L.I.S.S.A. got to prove that she is her father’s daughter by finding herself drenched in blood as she took on robots and people alike. There’s also probably something profound about Jodie killing the adolescent version of M.O.D.O.K. that existed before she fell in love with him. Still, the most impactful moment of this episode may have been seeing that level of violence turn into a moment of genuine concern, as M.E.L.I.S.S.A. was put into a high-pressure situation where she had to save her father’s life. Amidst all of the bloodshed, this stood out as a great moment that helped progress her character arc.
5. R.E.S.O.L.U.T.I.O.N.S.
So uh… where do we go from here? With two episodes left, the big villain of M.O.D.O.K. has been murdered, the Super-Adaptoid has lost his passion for revenge, and M.O.D.O.K. himself is on the path towards repairing his tattered home life. All that’s left is for M.O.D.O.K. and Jodie to get some much-needed couples counseling and for M.O.D.O.K. to take back A.I.M. This makes me excited, because it means that the story is going come full circle and will likely revisit some of my favorite elements like Monica Rappaccini, Austin Van Der Sleet, and most importantly – Gary. I can’t wait to see what happens.
