Welcome back to our coverage of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, in which a lackluster return to behind-the-scenes feuds stymies a fun remix of the “Scott Pilgrim” formula. We’ll dig into what works and what doesn’t after this quick spoiler warning.
1. Seven is a lot of evil exes
In a ballsy double-down the movie set shenanigans continue into the fifth episode, this time latching onto the behind-the-scenes documentary style of the 80s to mid-2000s. Maybe you could hang a good portion of the show around this premise and have it remain cohesive, but with the delivery across episodes four and five it feels mystifying that the show is so hung up on this. Overall it’s made the series feel a lot more generic, becoming a light nod-and-wink plotline that relishes in a surface level meta-acknowledgement. It also does absolutely nothing for Ramona’s character, who has been left spinning wheels (and not the ones on her classic rollerskates) from the moment we entered Torontowood. I think some characters have shown a fun new identity within the setting, but it lacks any serious muscle and feels hard to justify when the main character of the show is barely affected by its personality-clutter.
2. Quiet on set
I can acknowledge that striking marks off this episode for its setting not being ‘plot-essential’ can be very reductive. Shows can have elements just for the stylistic expression they bring, not all elements of a production need to advance the plot. I still think it is entirely justified though, due to the sequence being entirely stylistically tedious as well.
I just don’t understand what this whole arc is for, and who is finding it fun? Again we have a fun little cameo, this time Weird Al, to keep the slow release of serotonin going, but I never once felt surprised, or invested in this whole sidequest.
In another strange echo of last episode we have a fun gimmick-group, with the ninja paparazzi this time substituted for Stunt Wallaces, whose novelty wears off exceedingly quick when placed in the center of a drag-out fight scene. Ramona’s brawl with the Wallaces is just too flat, and therefore looks for a gimmick to buoy it. In this case, cutting away to a slew of quippy lines from Kieran Culkin just doesn’t cinch it.
Anyhoo, poor Young Neil, lets hope his Hollywood dreams aren’t crushed forever. The thread remains dangling on who exactly wrote this script for him, but my money absolutely is on it being Scott or some other not-Scott. A quasi-Scott.
3. Feeding our hungry eyes
From under my cloud of cynicism I can freely admit that Scott Pilgrim Takes Off continues to look absolutely gorgeous. There are some sunset shots when Matthew Patel arrives that have a very natural feel to them, while a wide shot of Julie’s house serve as a great reminder of the show’s dogged commitment to a loving representation of Toronto.
Another stand-out were some quick looks at the Clash at Demonhead concert which are really strong portraits of Brie Larson’s Envy Adams. The, admittedly quick, cut-away could be a perfect encapsulation of if Metric, and Envy’s inspiration Emily Haines, went full Gorillaz. It works within the show as well, becoming a strong shorthand for how much bigger this iteration of Envy is than what we’ve seen before. Here she is a mega-celebrity. She’s not just Scott’s ex who was also in a band but more successful, here she’s Beyonce level.
Finally, and maybe this speaks to my relief at finding an escape, the wide shot of Ramona leaving the studio lot is one of the best from the ep, and hopefully marks her move to better horizons.
4. Make way for Wallace
Evil exes are the lifeblood of “Scott Pilgrim,” they get the people talking, but I think now is the time to acknowledge what an absolute VILLAIN Wallace was this time around. The sly dog had Todd wrapped around his finger so quickly, and then unleashed his messy vegan love upon the world.
Their first kiss is a delight, with Wallace just manipulating the whole production in order to act out his own romantic daydreams, at least until he gets bored of them. He is an absolute force this episode, Todd sees him in the constellations, he sees him in his dreams, he sees him running lines in his trailer. “I’m in love with Wallace Wells” is going to become a societal mantra in the future.
Continued belowAbsolutely nothing will beat for me the shot of Wallace and Tood talking to the director, all while secretly holding hands by Envy’s back. It’s such a great soapy moment that feels ripped from the original comic. It’s the lifeblood of the messy romance that the movie missed so much of, excluding Scott and his headache-inducing heart.
5. Are we enjoying the ride?
So what’s up next? It’s hard to tell if the show has the momentum to keep going monster-of-the-week with its evil exes, so maybe it’s time to actually see what Scott has been up to. Or maybe we can figure out what exactly Stephen and Knives are doing at the moment. They could probably hold up an episode as well as Kim did.
Overall, I think the series is starting to prove that discrete episodes of random shenanigans just don’t hold up a long term narrative in this case. I thought that exact structure was what I loved about the comics, but this often feels less right for the show. Maybe it’s the self-referential quality, or the urge to be bigger and better, but I miss the mundane, diner-front drama of those original six books. I really hope this show can give me something to wean me off that obsession with nostalgia.
