Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. premieres new episodes Friday’s on Disney+, in the US episodes air via Hulu. The series stars Patton Oswalt in the titular role. Oswald is joined by a who’s who of comedy actors including Aimee Garcia as Jodie, Ben Schwartz as Lou, Melissa Fumero as Melissa, Wendi McLendon-Covey as Monica Rappaccini, Beck Bennett as Austin Van Der Sleet, Jon Daly as Super Adaptoid and Sam Richardson as Gary.
Synopsis
In an effort to win back his wife Jodie, M.O.D.O.K. takes her traveling through time to a Third Eye Blind concert they missed years ago. There they are attacked by a college-aged M.O.D.O.K. who steals their time machine and strands them in the past.
Review
After mixing up genres in its series premiere, Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. uses its second episode to flex its storytelling muscles. It also proves that adult comedy series like this, as with DC’s Harley Quinn, are able to tell heavily serialised stories without forsaking any of their trademark humour.
What impressed me about the first episode of M.O.D.O.K. was how well it balanced out some really strong, albeit offbeat, comedy with family drama. As much as the episode put focus on M.O.D.O.K.’s time with A.I.M. and his battle with Iron Man, it also showed us the consequences of his villainous focus on his family life.
“The M.O.D.O.K. That Time Forgot!” capitalises on that with a razor-sharp focus on his relationship with soon-to-be ex-wife Jodie (Aimee Garcia). But in telling their story the series is still able to weave in comic book style action. Here M.O.D.O.K. decides that to win Jodie’s affection he needs to return to the past and take her to a Third Eye Blind concert they once missed. That leads to some hilarious moments of the series attempting to navigate the pitfalls of time travel.
Still, after two episodes it’s abundantly clear that M.O.D.O.K. may not be for everyone. It’s squarely aimed at the Robot Chicken, Rick & Morty crowd. Its unique brand of balls to wall humour comes across as potentially overwhelming until you learn to attune yourself to the aspects of the show which are the most appealing to you. That being said, once you adjust to the level of noise there is a lot to enjoy here.
As a fan of early 00’s alternative music it was quite a ride to hear Hoobastank name checked in the same sentence as The Beatles. M.O.D.O.K. certainly nows how to pull an obscure reference and punctuate it in a way which is still funny to a general audience.
What remains to be seen is how the series will cement its storytelling for the future. With Marvel Television now absorbed in to Marvel Studios it’s unclear if (or how) the series will continue. But based on the two episodes so far it absolutely deserves a future. I’m just not sure it knows how it will achieve it at this stage.
Verdict
The second episode of M.O.D.O.K. highlights the series’ ability to tell stories which don’t solely focus on the titular character’s villainy. Surprisingly poignant and incredibly well executed.
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