Hit-Monkey

That held my interest.

I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't that.

First off, let me state the obvious: M.O.D.O.K. is a complete piece of dreck compared to this. So much so I can't ever picture how The Offenders could have possibly worked as a miniseries. I tolerated M.O.D.O.K. because I assumed that the adult Hulu stuff was all going to be stoner Adult Swim b.s. like it was. My assumption was wrong, as was my tolerance for that truly shady in hindsight series.

I thought Bryce was lovable and jokey, and then it turns out he kills a genuinely good guy, and all of the sudden, he's an utter monster, especially because it doesn't bother him. Let me say I'm going to take what the ghost version of him advises Hit-Monkey with a huge Spam-sized lick of salt.

For all I know this is a medium quality episode, and it gets even better. However, I have only it to judge it by, and as far as Pilots go, it was fantastic. If the series gets even better, I'll be amazed. And if the series gets worse, it will still probably wind up pretty good. 5 stars.

That was crazy.

This reminds me very much of the far-out sci-fi cartoons MTV had in the 1990's, specifically The Head, The Maxx, and Aeon Flux. My impression is that modern audiences are more ready for that kind of bizarre storytelling. All three of those MTV shows I mentioned were technically flops. If Marvel Television hadn't gone under, this could have become a sensation. As it stands, I predict it's gonna get a shocking amount of play for a one-season wonder. There's no way it gets renewed, but I predict every Marvel fan is going to see and love it.

This is so funky and unusual. And it's played straight! How great is that? Hang your head in shame, Patton Oswalt. For real. 5 stars.

Whenever Bryce says "Trust me," is when he's invariably wrong.

Bryce describing casinos as if the happiest place on Earth had a baby with the saddest sounds about right.

This show is bananas (Groan!). 4 stars.

So I guess the Code works for the Monkey, I guess.

I didn't like this episode as much as the previous ones because I didn't like the stuff in the prison. But the ending to the episode was pretty great. 3 1/2 stars.

That Monkey is pretty cool. Bryce being impressed with his moves is the right reaction.

Kingpin is mentioned here.

I like Hit-Monkey threatening the tailor when he tried to remove Bryce's picture.

Another good episode. 4 stars.

Things are starting to come together.

Learning Bryce has a daughter and that he used to be in love with a man are interesting bits of history to find out about, but they probably won't go anywhere with only four episodes left.

That woman at the end is clearly a psychopath.

This show has yet to deliver a bad episode. 4 stars.

Things are getting serious. And the show has never been better.

Lady Bullseye is truly the first foe worthy of Hit-Monkey.

The split with Bryce was a long time coming. I like how the show had Monkey putting together his blame just based on the casual admission that he killed the wrong guy.

Great stuff. 5 stars.

Two things:

This has the best animation of any Marvel Television cartoon.

This is the only other Marvel Television show I like besides Cloak And Dagger. Fitting that it's the last one.

Finding Bryce's body in the snow was a perfect ending. The owl was the one comical element in the episode at the very beginning, but he takes on a very dark subtext at the end, which is why Monkey pulls a gun on him. If he had shot him, I wouldn't have cried.

The thing with the ape village was so openly tragic I DID almost cry. What a crappy situation. I feel so bad for Hit-Monkey. After the things he's seen and done you really can't go home again. It was very much in the vein of the Planet of the Apes reboot.

A little surprised so much of Bryce's backstory was filled in, and far more of it than I predicted. Was Eli the man he was in love with he never told? He might have been. It speaks well of the show that they set up his daughter and that last episode, and paid them both off now instead of saving it for a future season that will never come.

Probably my favorite episode. 5 stars.

Did not see the Uncle being the Big Bad coming, but it makes total sense when his opponent puts it like that. I am very glad his niece and the lady cop didn't let them in on their Hit-Monkey cabal.

Speaking of which, that slow-mo power walk was super badass.

We saw Silver Samurai cameo earlier in the season but he makes a full-on appearance here. The X-Men are truly back at Marvel.

This show is so great. 5 stars.

It's interesting. The last episode of the series is the only one I don't like. I hated Akiko's ending, and the rest of the episode felt incredibly unfinished and unsatisfying too. I'm not saying a potential season 2 couldn't have redeemed things. But I think it's probably for the best that they ended it here. Akiko becoming the new Lady Bullseye strikes me as a shark jump moment, and I'd rather the series end when I only disliked one episode instead of me being invariably frustrated week after week.

Not impressed. I expected and wanted more. 2 1/2 stars.