Martin Carr reviews the sixth episode of Marvel’s Inhumans…
Whoever keeps coming up with these taglines needs reprimanding. Gorgon is not even the central focus of this episode and in fact gets less screen time than he deserves. That the writers have seen fit to bless him with a slightly expanded backstory does nothing to engender an attachment or have an impact when something happens. After the hopeful events of episode five where I thought Inhumans had managed to get itself together, its follow-up falls into similar traps, offers up weak narrative progression and short changes all involved.
Maximus is still plotting in a disjointed way on the moon, Black Bolt and Medusa are still trying to get off the Earth after they find their family, while Crystal seems perpetually stuck in an episode of 90210. That the head of Marvel television has publicly lambasted Inhumans is tantamount to sacrilege. This illustrates a distancing policy which has been employed in an effort to shift blame elsewhere. My question would be why release something which was clearly not working before it got to the IMAX, big screen, televisual first point of no return. Other higher-ups have yet to come out and say something similar, but nonetheless the actions so far show no consideration for the actors involved. They invested time, effort and energy to breathe life into paper-thin characterisations, convinced that Marvel’s name was enough to guarantee the end result.
This programme has done none of the principal players any favours. Unforgivably two-dimensional and narratively rushed, someone had to be on a really tight schedule to think of handing in something so unfinished. My only hope is they cashed that cheque before Marvel had a chance to cancel it. Given that I have sat through four hours of television and am able to explain what has happened in under five minutes means something is wrong. Devoid of emotional impact where there should be one things are looking increasingly bleak for all involved.
There are saving graces and character beats that remind you what these actors are capable of given a chance, but they are fleeting and infuriating as a result. Similar emotional exchanges come close to piquing your interest, before being lost amongst a strange amalgam of Eighties pop during an uninspired fight scene. If anything Inhumans is turning into an extremely expensive cautionary tale which might be remembered as the comic book equivalent of Heaven’s Gate.
