Episode 1x03
- This is the first episode with a proper animated opening, and it goes hard as fuck.
- Zack and Ivy are instant faves. I love Boston accents and I'm equally a sucker for playful sibling dynamics. I do find it funny that in a show that is otherwise sensitive about cultural representation, there's two aggressively New England stereotypes consistently present. Still, I really hope we get the backstory episode their dialogue is hinting at.
- Ivy in particular is my favorite of the two, being a capable female side character without being a carbon-copy of Carmen. Zack has yet to prove his purpose on the team, so I'm hoping he turns out to be more than a bumbling comic relief character.
- At first I didn't appreciate the infodumping on the country-of-the-day at the beginning of the episode, but now I see it as a decent framing device considering how the facts are implemented into the actual plot.
- Dr. Saira Bellum is an evil ADHD queen and we love her for that.
- More seriously, I like the realistic plans and motivations V.I.L.E. are given. There's no vague and cartoonish take-over-the-world plots. There are actionable and effective plans that are remarkably similar to real-world actions by real-world corporations and governments, such as compromising food supplies for profit in this episode.
- Graham's cliffhanger was fucked up and I'm legit concerned for him. Where is my Aussie son?
Episode 1x04
- The underwater scenes of this episode are gorgeous and I kinda wish we spent more time there. The climax shouldn't be taking place in a sterile room full of dead fish.
- However, I am pleasantly surprised that Ecuador didn't get the Hollywood Yellow FilterTM and is rightfully depicted as bright and colorful.
- I like the idea of an antagonist wanting a treasure purely for ego, but the fact the doubloon in question doesn't actually have much monetary value makes it kinda hard for me to care if V.I.L.E. received it.
- Still, I like the themes of exploring and preserving one's cultural past and how that connects to Carmen's backstory.
Overall: 1x03 was an awesome introduction to the formula of the show proper. 1x04 felt pretty underwhelming as there were low material stakes and the setting wasn't fully utilized.
