We’re at episode four of Runaways and the kids still haven’t run away. Believe it or not, that’s actually great. “Fifteen” inches us closer to that but dives deeper into the mess that’s become these characters’ lives. While not a faithful adaptation, this might be the best show Marvel has given us to date. Let’s jump into this but be warned, there are spoilers throughout. Also, content warning for self harm and sexual assault.
1. Amy’s Death
“Fifteen” starts things off right off the bat with a flashback to when Amy died. I don’t know what I was expecting but I wasn’t expecting Amy’s death to be a suicide. Younger Nico (who hasn’t become a goth icon yet) finds her sister in bed and a bottle of pills next to her. Amy’s death was seemingly a suicide and Nico is devastated when she sees her. Mama and Papa Minoru on the other hand, aren’t as shocked and that’s where things get messy. Nico wants to call 911 immediately but her mother and her staff stop her. This is where things get interesting because this feels like another big cover up from a group of parents who are all about covering things up. Was Amy a sacrifice? Did Amy find out what they were doing and killed herself? Did one of the other parents kill her? We don’t know yet but in the present day, Nico starts to think about this because she notices that there is nothing in Amy’s diary about feeling depressed or anything similar. She’s a happy teenager and diaries typically are the place where you’d unload all those feelings. She never did that so Nico starts to wonder what else her parents have done.
2. We Get It, Chase Is A Good Guy
Sexual assault storylines are not off limits in fiction as far as I’m concerned, however, there are ways to do it. As we saw, Chase saved Karolina from being assaulted at a house party but he didn’t tell her what happened. When they all go back to school, they both realize that this is all anyone can talk about and Karolina has to deal with some nasty comments from her classmates. Chase ends up getting a fight with the guys who almost did this horrible thing and honestly, the whole thing comes off as this show needing us to know that Chase is actually a good guy. My thing here is that we already knew this and there are other ways to establish that without making a sexual assault storyline about him. This should have been about her but it’s been used to beat into us that Chase is one of the good ones. This could have been accomplished in so many different ways and in all honesty, there’s nothing here that made me believe Chase was a bad kid anyway. He clearly cares about his friends and he’s been actively helping in figuring out what all their parents have been hiding. The whole thing just comes off badly and I hope this plot is dropped quickly.
3. Karolina Dean Is A Lesbian
Listen, I don’t pick many things to be a stickler about but I am absolutely putting my foot down here and declaring that nothing romantic is allowed to happen between Chase and Karolina. Because of the sexual assault storyline, they’ve spent a lot of time together and I really, really, really hope that it doesn’t go any further than them being good friends. Karolina’s arc of coming to terms with her own sexuality and her romance with Nico and later Xavin are so important. She’s literally a rainbow (as a good friend pointed out) and with the show placing her within a church like this, there’s even more to explore. She should never date Chase. It is bad. Don’t do that to me Runaways.
4. The Yorkes Have Had It
Old Lace (who still isn’t officially named that) is on the run thanks to Gert and Chase sneaking around the Yorkes’ lab. Dale and Stacey Yorke end up needing to go out to find their dinosaur and as they do this, they talk about what comes next. The Pride demands everyone go to an emergency meeting but the Yorkes are done. They want to move on and they even entertain the idea of just running away. I really like the dissension in the group and the lack of desire to be a part of this whole mess anymore. When they return home, they find Old Lace, Gert and Molly and are shocked when they find out that Gert has some kind of connection with the dinosaur. That’s news to them but they do let Gert and Molly know all about their dinosaur, which is a big step for this family. I find this so interesting and such an exciting addition to the television show because when the kids eventually run away, these parents might be so unified. These kids might have allies in places they couldn’t expect. That, or their running away will push the parents closer together. I lean towards the latter because of how the episode ends and I think, because of the trust Gert now has in her parents, that will be the case. It’ll be more heart breaking.
5. We’d Like To Report A Murder…Actually Two
This episode ends on what is probably the catalyst for the kids running away. After arguing about it, Nico convinces Alex to go with her to the police and report what they saw as well as Amy’s death. They don’t get far because the cop they talk to looks at them like they’re lying (cops are the worst) but they stay there to try their best and report what happened. What they don’t expect is to see the man Nico saw her mother talking to in her office after Amy’s death as the lead detective and they definitely don’t expect to see to see Robert and Victor with him. Things get even worse when Alex is kidnapped when they later decide to all meet up. Everything is going very badly now and I can’t wait to see how it all shakes out.
