DISCLAIMER: This Runaways recap contains more spoilers than the number of times our crew has dressed to the nines for various galas. Hey, when you’re rich, expect a plethora of galas. You’ve been warned. Prepare for The Pride meeting and enter at your own risk.
Welcome back, Atlas Academy students! Runaways returned this week with quite the whooper of an ending. Janet shot Victor in the chest! Well, he was attacking Chase with the fisticuffs. Stacey and Dale sent Molly away since she knows all about The Pride meetings. Hopefully that’s not a euphemism for “death.” Jonah gave Frank all the special light powers, thus prompting a very jealous Leslie to question her place in all this. Not to mention, Frank also discovered a certain photograph that gave him a glimpse into who Jonah really is. So many mysteries are finally unraveling. Huzzah!
Alright, ready to delve into “Refraction?” Just be sure to please feed the dinosaur. She gets very cranky if she doesn’t receive a surplus of tacos on the hour, every hour.
We open with a flashback: 25 years in the past, to be exact. A young Victor (Tim Pocock) approaches a young Janet (Sorel Carradine) after a college lecture. They begin discussing the possibilities of time travel, and whether it can be achieved in their lifetime. Thus, a rocky union is born. Honestly, they hit the nail on the head with young Janet’s casting. After some digging I discovered Sorel Carradine is the cousin of Ever Carradine, who portrays our Janet Stein. A-plus casting right there. Anyway, we flash forward to the birth of Chase. Victor is in utter awe at the sight of his newborn son.
Then, we’re propelled further into the future as Victor picks up a young Chase from a soccer match. Their relationship is rather tumultuous at this point. Chase defiantly stands up to Victor for not attending his match as promised. Victor retaliates by slamming his son’s head into the car window.
Now, we’re back in the present. Victor (James Marsters) wakes in his lab to the sound of the time machine he created. This time, an older and bearded Chase (Gregg Sulkin) appears on the screen. He warns his father of the future. However, the image, along with the sound, continuously cuts out. The dialogue is also on a loop. What does it all mean? Is the future of Los Angeles a grim one, and perhaps soon to be nonexistent at that?
Meanwhile, Geoffrey (Ryan Sands) and Catherine (Angel Parker) are in Alex’s room while he showers. Catherine is playing Nancy Drew and attempting to extract any clues regarding Alex’s potential knowledge of The Pride. Molly knows, so why wouldn’t she inform the rest of the gang? Suddenly, Alex (Rhenzy Feliz) emerges and her search is cut short. We learn that Atlas Academy is having an Open House that evening, which the Wilder parents plan on attending. Alex snatches up the laptop before Catherine can get to it. He knows what she’s up to. That’s my boy.
Next, Chase finds Victor in his lab, unkempt and rather disheveled. Victor says he’s close to unraveling the mystery of his time machine. He also vows to attend the Open House alongside Janet (Ever Carradine), much to the surprise of everyone else. Dad of The Year, anyone?
Then, we see Nico (Lyrica Okano) getting ready for school. Robert (James Yaegashi) pops in for a brief visit and promises to stand by her at the Open House. We learn that he’s moved out, and Nico is staying with Tina (Brittany Ishibashi). A family torn apart.
Meanwhile, Leslie (Annie Wersching) is at the bedside of a dying man. His family tearfully surrounds them. Just as she’s about to pray him off into Gibborim’s version of an afterlife, Frank (Kip Pardue) bursts in. He lays his hands on the man. White light emanates from them, and said man is healed. He’s cured of his terminal illness. Just like that, a miracle worker is born. Leslie is furious, scolding Frank of the consequences of his “parlor trick.” However, she’s just jealous that Jonah gave him powers. I would be.
Later, Alex and Nico are chatting at school. Karolina (Virginia Gardner), Molly (Allegra Acosta), Gert (Ariela Barer) and Chase join them. Molly makes a startling confession – that Catherine and Geoffrey know she witnessed The Pride meeting. Our gang puts two and two together and realizes their parents will soon discover everyone’s knowledge of it. Time to go into action mode! Alex is continuing his attempts to crack the video footage he nicked from Wizard. Molly, upset that no one takes her seriously due to her young age, leaves the group in a huff.
Next, we see Stacey (Brigid Brannagh) and Dale (Kevin Weisman) studying Jonah’s DNA from the serum used on Victor. They’re taken aback by how incredible said DNA is. Dale appears to have come in contact with Jonah’s DNA, as a portion of his skin begins to glow white. Uh oh. Will he too morph into a vampire god?
Then, Leslie confronts Jonah (Julian McMahon) regarding his bequeathing of powers to Frank. Is someone sour at no longer being the favorite? However, in true Jonah fashion, he reminds Leslie of her compassion and how it’s held The Pride together for so long. Her friends are falling apart. Jonah urges Leslie to attend to their needs now. He’s like a magical Charles Manson.
Meanwhile, Molly is observing the school cheerleaders practicing for their Open House routine. She works up the courage to ask if there’s an availability for her. However, they dub her the “Cheer Manager,” which is essentially another way of saying “Towel Girl.” Molly takes the ridicule in stride. Poor girl. Karolina watches the scene unfold and assists Molly in folding towels. She reminds Molly that they’re in this together. As the two resident Runaways with superpowers, they have to stick together. Girl power!
Later, Stacey is flabbergasted as a clearly high Dale runs around the lab. She discovers that he came in contact with Jonah’s DNA, thus giving him that drug-like high. Better not release that stuff on the streets. All the kids will want to get that Jonah high.
Meanwhile, Frank and Vaughn (Cody Mayo) hit up the Church of Gibborim’s storage facility. He spots the desk that Leslie’s father used. Of course, he desires it for his own, as the new Gibborim favorite. He rummages through the desk’s contents and his eyes alight on a photograph. It’s of Leslie when she was in 8th grade…with Jonah. Uh oh. Frank immediately flashes back to when he walked in on Leslie straddling Jonah. So many questions. Leslie, you have some explaining to do.
Later, our Runaways and their parents are attending the Open House. After listening to a speech made by the school principal, everyone goes their separate ways. Leslie begins her quest to knit The Pride back together. She starts with Tina. Leslie finds Tina observing Nico with Robert from afar. She urges Tina to reunite with her husband, that Robert and Janet’s fling was just that – a fling. They’ll soon end it. Besides, Tina is Leslie’s right hand woman. She’ll bounce back.
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Next, Leslie finds Janet with Victor. She reminds Janet to focus on her own family, and end the affair with Robert. Janet heatedly urges Leslie to stay out of her business, and that yes, the tryst with Robert is over. Then, Victor and Robert cross paths. Victor, newly reborn as a compassionate family man, shakes Robert’s hand as a way to make amends. However, the old Victor comes out to play. He grips Robert’s hand a little too tightly and for too long. A thinly veiled threat.
Meanwhile, the Wilders find the Yorkes outside the school. They discuss what to do with Molly. Of course, the Wilders hope the Yorkes will take care of their adopted daughter. If she knows about Pride, then who’s to say the remainder of the kids don’t know already?
Then, Frank confronts Leslie regarding the photo. Meanwhile, Victor does some confronting of his own. Clearly, the side effects of Jonah’s serum are wearing off, and he’s in withdrawal mode. Victor threatens Chase’s old lacrosse coach to allow him back on the team.
Now, Leslie begins to answer Frank’s questions regarding who Jonah really is. He came to Leslie’s father many years ago, confirming some long held beliefs the latter possessed. Jonah is the Being himself, the one in the prophecies who has seen the full spectrum. Gibborim be praised! Then, Leslie drops a bomb: she mentions she kept all this from Frank due to her overwhelming shame. Her shame regarding her own relationship with Jonah.
Meanwhile, Robert meets with Janet in another corridor. He still has hopes that she’ll move in with him. However, Janet mentions how much Victor has changed, and she so longs to keep her family together. Robert was merely a blip on Janet’s radar. Janet puts the kibosh on their affair, much to Robert’s dismay. We see Tina was watching the scene play out from the shadows, and it appears she’ll step in to nurse Robert’s wounds.
Later, Nico meets with Alex at the coffee shop. Alex is chipping away at the video encryption. She grills him on how he knew the password to her mother’s office. However, the scene cuts away before Alex reveals all. Blast!
Then, Molly finds her parents packing her things in her room. The Yorkes reveal that Molly will be staying with her cousin for a while, to learn more about her real parents. Molly, of course, knows a red flag when she sees one. She blatantly refuses to go along with it. Gert swoops in and pulls her sister aside. She urges Molly to go through with it, to take the journey away from LA for a bit. If Molly uses her powers now, it’ll make things worse. Better to keep suspicions under wraps.
Later, Victor finds Chase in the lab working on their project. Victor is irate, since their apparent agreement states that Chase never works on said project solo. We see the old Victor has returned in all his fury. He dons the fisticuffs and tests them out on Chase. He punches Chase repeatedly, and the latter lands outside the lab on the driveway. As Victor is about to go in for the final punch, he’s shot in the chest. We see Janet emerge with her gun raised. Victor’s eyes are open, and he appears to be very much dead. Well, that escalated quickly.
Runaways this week had a slow start, but a rather triumphant finish. My only true gripe with this series is the immense focus on the parents, and the lack of running away that our Runaways are supposed to be doing. To me, the best moments were the ones that drove the plot forward, and less of the relationship drama. Of course, the remaining five minutes of the episode had me on the edge of my seat. Personally, James Marsters has been a standout in this series for me, so I sincerely hope he’s really not dead. Well, only time (and one more week) will tell.
Do you think Jonah will bring Victor back to life? Where exactly is Molly going? Will she learn more about the Yorkes’ indirect involvement in her parents’ deaths? Will Frank finally learn about the true nature of Leslie’s relationship with Jonah? Join me next week as I continue to recap Runaways, here on Geek Girl Authority.
Runaways airs Tuesdays at midnight on Hulu.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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