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| Inhumans |
Seeing as Marvel's Cinematic Universe is an impenetrable force at this point, it seems bizarre to note that Inhumans has always been destined to be their weak point. From the poorly planned IMAX release a month ahead of its TV debut to the actual series being called one of Marvel's worst projects ever, there was no way that this would be more than a silly piece of future obscurity. After the eight episodes were completed with a predictable story, Inhumans is the series that proved how limited MCU's appeal could be outside of the big screen. It isn't just that it's kind of bad and dated. It's also largely forgettable, which is the only thing keeping it from being the most ridiculed adaptation they have produced yet.
While MCU has been accused of being predictable and repetitive, there's no denying that Inhumans was basically an eight episode compilation of the greatest tropes. With a royal family cast down to Earth, the show most resembled a knock-off version of Thor, with many of the supporting players producing hackneyed scripts that highlight the absurdity. Their Loki, Maximus (Game of Thrones' Iwan Rheon), is more menacing in concept than in execution. With the only redemptive member of the group being the teleporting dog Lockjaw, the series failed to feel authentic, even if this was one of the kookier collection of characters ever splayed onto screens. The story that followed essentially played like The Avengers as they assembled to take back their former glory. When they got it, it was far less triumphant than one could hope. It was largely done in a warehouse-like supernatural setting that had poor editing and choreography. It's a show that would be barely passable as a lead-in to Xena: Warrior Princess in the 90's. Instead, it's the one MCU show dumped into a premature grave; never caring to rebuild an audience after a spiritual de-pantsing.
By nature, the show was always doomed to be extremely ridiculous. The idea of a bunch of superheroes from the moon sounds ridiculous. Unlike Thor or Doctor Strange, the lead-in to this universe was too confident and expected the audience to keep up. This was to be a Shakespearean drama, but ended up feeling like an introduction to themes project. It doesn't help that none of the characters are necessarily engaging nor have a complex story worthy of deeper sympathies. The goal is simple: get back home and dethrone Maximus. Even with only eight episodes, separating the group results in a lot of dull scenes where conversations - influenced by mediocre scripts - drag on and require a certain level of maturity not to just entirely laugh off its amateur nature.
Beyond its technical difficulties and limited performances, the show did manage to have a semblance of charm. In the story of Medusa (Serinda Swan), she befriends a scientist (the cliche nerdy blonde comic folly) who teachers her the value of human life. She is the focal point for which every other member of the Inhumans must reach. As the show becomes more entwined, it manages to use its cast in clever ways, especially as Lockjaw begins to factor further into the plot, becoming the shining moment in this dull series. Still, Medusa's emotional core shows what the show could've been had it known its purpose. What it ended up feeling like is a bit cynical; capturing more of a fad than an actual interest in the characters. This is evident in characters such as Black Bolt (Anson Mount), whose voice can destroy city blocks. The issue with Mount's casting? He's not expressive enough to be the strong, silent type. As a whole, the family feels like a mixture of missed opportunities that barely began to endear once the many, many, many other flaws were overlooked.
Inhumans is among the weakest series in MCU's TV division, even beating the critically maligned Iron Fist. This is largely because, despite being in its own continuity, it doesn't have much of a purpose to exist. It feels like it was retroactively made to appease fans who loved the more intergalactic elements of the franchise, possibly doing for Inhumans what The Avengers and The Defenders did: build a universe of epic wonder. Some could hope, but it's doubtful that ABC will continue down this road. After all, The Punisher is only a week away and it looks a lot cooler than seeing another season of Inhumans. The series is doomed to be so obscure that it's a punchline that only Hasidic Comic Con goers who take everything as canon, will appreciate. It's fascinating to know that this is the one notorious misstep that MCU has made in their first nine years. Who knows if it's a sign of what's to come.
Overall Rating: 2 out of 5
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