Marvel’s Runaways season 3 episode 2 review: “The Great Escape”
By Shaun Stacy
The Runaways are finally reunited after a collaborative jail-break from the Stein’s house. Plus, our first casualty of the season is revealed.
The premiere of Marvel’s Runaways‘ third season ended on a suspenseful note, and its second episode picks up immediately at the end of the previous one. Nico and Alex are hiding in the server room after a failed attempt at rescuing their friends, while Jonah and his alien daughter in the body of Tina Minoru, have just arrived back home. Jonah notices something is off and goes to check the server room, but Nico uses her magic to cloak herself and Alex.
Meanwhile, Dale has come to his senses and helps Gert secure Old Lace for transport so she can rejoin her friends. There’s a touching moment between Dale and Gert as he comes to terms with what he has done in the name of protecting her, but their moment is interrupted by a newly herself Stacey Yorkes. After her run-in with Molly, Stacey was able to overcome her alien host long enough to track down Gert to warn her about the Magistrate’s family. The alien reasserts control over Stacey and attacks Gert and Dale, who are saved by Old Lace.
We then switch back to Xavin and Molly outside of the Stein’s house, anxiously awaiting the return of Nico and Alex with their friends. I’m really loving the awkward bonding moments between Xavin and Molly; out of everyone, Molly seems to be the most open to the alien shape-shifter. Although I have a bad feeling that Xavin won’t make it to the end of the season.
While in the algorithm, Chase, Janet, and Karolina finally make contact with each other and plot an escape of their own. Jonah senses something is happening on the inside and tries to release all of the oxygen out of Chase’s module to get them to stop trying to escape. With some coaching/pressure from Janet, Karolina is able to use her light powers to release oxygen back into Chase’s module so he is able to breath again. Similarly to previous storylines we’ve seen take place in a digital framework on other shows, apparently what happens in the algorithm can affect them in the real world.
Tired of waiting, Xavin and Molly decide to head into the Stein’s house, in case Nico and Alex need back-up. About the time they reach the captive Runaways, Jonah and Alien Tina bust into the room. Alien Tina is heading to Wizard to start working on a “platform” for the aliens to return home. Xavin and Molly hide in the back of her car but turnaround and steal the car once Alien Tina gets out at Wizard. Following their carjacking, Gert texts Molly to let them know that she is on her way back to them.
Nico and Alex decide to go on the offensive in order to finally rescue their friends. While Nico faces off against Jonah, Alex works on trying to unlock the “door” so Janet, Chase, and Karolina can escape. In the algorithm, the trio of captives finally locates their backend escape hatch.
With help from Karolina, Janet is able to open it and hold it long enough for Karolina to get out. As her fight with Jonah escalates (props to Lyrica Okano for her stunt work during this scene), Nico struggles against giving into her darker side (much to the behest of Morgan le Fay), while Alex begins to crack the code to help the others. Molly, Xavin, Gert, and Old Lace show up to help Nico fight Jonah. This is when Runaways is at it’s best — when the team is working as a team.
Janet and Chase briefly argue as she tries to get him to leave her behind by going through the doorway. He refuses, of course, which is when she transports them to another location within the algorithm — to a place they used to go to when Chase was a kid and look up at the stars. He wonders what they are doing there and she says to him this is the place she chose to say goodbye to her son.
Janet reveals that, while trying to escape, her physical body has already died and her mind is trapped in the algorithm. She tells him that she is proud of him and loves how brave he has become before letting go and ushering him through the doorway. It’s to Ever Carradine and Gregg Sulkin’s credit that this scene is equally beautiful and heartbreaking.
With Jonah subdued, the Runaways are finally reunited and return to their underground hostel to regroup. It’s there that Alex and Gert both raise questions about whether or not to trust Chase, since he had previously lied to the team and betrayed them. Molly and Karolina both try to give him the benefit of the doubt but the rest of the group aren’t hearing it. They agree that he can stay one night.
Xavin also raised the question about finding the fourth alien, revealing that they suspect that Nico is indeed the alien son. While the rest of the group jump to Nico’s defense, Nico comes forward, admitting that there is something dark inside of her that she’s been fighting for a while and she is worried the alien is inside of her.
Next. Marvel's Runaways season 3 premiere review: "Smoke and Mirrors". dark