DISCLAIMER: This Runaways recap contains more spoilers than the number of times our teenage heroes have evaded their parents this season. How dare they try to live up to the show’s name? You’ve been warned. Prepare for the Pride meeting, and enter at your own risk.
Welcome back, fellow runaways! Marvel’s Runaways came to a close for its first outing on Hulu. Our protagonists have finally decided to cut all ties with their elusive parents. Gert’s dinosaur finally received a name – Old Lace. Not to mention we finally got to see Old Lace in the sunlight! I was starting to think she was some sort of vampire/dinosaur hybrid. We discovered that Jonah was behind Amy Minoru’s death, with Leslie Dean in the know every step of the way. Pride, as we know it, started bursting at the seams. However, the parents of our runaways have commenced a new plan, one that will hopefully knock Jonah off his pedestal. Oh, and the kids were framed for Destiny’s murder. Teenage delinquents, indeed!
Alright, ready to delve into “Hostiles?” Just be sure to effectively hide Old Lace from prying eyes. It’s more than a tad difficult to explain why a dinosaur exists in modern times.
We open right where we left off – our runaways facing off against the Pride in front of the dig site. Molly’s (Allegra Acosta) eyes begin to glow a deep amber. Chase (Gregg Sulkin) fires up the fisticuffs. Karolina (Virginia Gardner) casts aside her Gibborim bracelet and sparkles like a human-sized diamond. Meanwhile, Gert (Ariela Barer), Alex (Rhenzy Feliz) and Nico (Lyrica Okano) assume fighting stances. Game on!
Of course, the parents are taken aback at Molly and Karolina’s display of their special abilities. They beseech their children to come home with them. To end, once and for all, their prying into Jonah, Gibborim and Pride. Suddenly, the man himself, Jonah (Julian McMahon), bursts on the scene. He uses his powers to sweep the runaways aside, while their parents watch helplessly. However, Karolina boldly steps forward and urges her friends to flee. After all, she’s the one that Jonah truly desires. She taps into her light powers, and Jonah does the same. We see beams of light emanate from Karolina’s hands. She blasts Jonah and he retaliates in kind. It reminds me of Harry vs. Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Meanwhile, the remaining runaways escape the deadly light show, and find Old Lace waiting for them by the getaway car. Aw, I need a trusty guard dinosaur. We see street lights snuffed out, glass shattering and the earth shifting in waves. Power surges take place throughout the city. Some big-time energies are at play here.
Now, Nico wholeheartedly believes they should double back for Karolina. She’s risking her life to save them, after all. Why not return the favor? However, the rest of the gang thinks they should high-tail it out of there lickety split (yes, I went there).
Later, as the sun brightens up the City of Angels, we see the kids seeking shelter in a cluster of trees outside the Griffith Observatory. Old Lace is shrouded in a blanket and being transported in a shopping cart. I would expect nothing less for our Benevolent Dinosaur Queen. After some more convincing from Nico, they decide to enact Mission: Save Karolina. With Old Lace in agreement, they commence the planning stages.
Meanwhile, the parents are gathered together to scheme against Jonah and find their children. Tina (Brittany Ishibashi) reveals that she knew what Leslie did to the Hernandez parents. However, she didn’t know that Molly would be inside with them when the explosion was set to occur. Leslie merely told Tina that she was “taking care of the situation.” Just a heads up, secrets don’t make friends, Tina. Dale (Kevin Weisman) and Stacey (Brigid Brannagh) propose they take a peek at Jonah’s dig site. Discover what’s really down there that’s so imperative.
Next, Catherine (Angel Parker) proposes they question Karolina as to what their kids know. They decide not to actively search for them or seek out the authorities, as they might be even less likely to return home. Good thinking, parents!
Then, we see Leslie (Annie Wersching) and Frank (Kip Pardue) circling around an unconscious Karolina. She’s strapped to the same breathing machine that Jonah was utilizing at the beginning of the season. Leslie accuses Frank of betrayal, of ratting the children out to Jonah. Frank knows that Jonah may be Karolina’s biological father, but the former raised her. Jonah enters and urges the pair to go home and rest. He will take care of Karolina. They reluctantly leave. Man, Jonah is creepy.
Meanwhile, our runaways in every sense of the word are experimenting with disguises in a thrift store. Nico and Chase dish on their love interests. Well, more like Nico drills Chase on his horizontal tango with Gert. She believes Gert truly likes him. He recalls what Gert said at the dig site, that their tryst was a one-time thing. Chase fears he may be head over heels for her. Aw, this is so Pretty in Pink!
Later, after purchasing their disguises, our gang reconvenes in their makeshift campsite at Griffith Observatory. Everyone feels Gert should dump Old Lace. Gert, however, makes her case for how well-trained her Emotional Support Dinosaur is. Unfortunately, it’s four against one. Gert tearfully says goodbye and releases Old Lace into the wild. No! Not my baby!
Next, our crew finds Vaughn (Cody Mayo) at the coffee shop. You know, the one that everyone in LA goes to. That one. Anyway, they reveal what they know about Pride to the clueless church worker. They’re hoping he can be of service (get it?) and help them break Karolina out of her Gibborim prison. He obliges, albeit reticently.
Meanwhile, Karolina wakes up to find Daddy Jonah sitting at her bedside. The best part of waking up, am I right? He fills her in on some pertinent details, all while still remaining irritatingly vague. Your villain in a nutshell. Anyway, Karolina merely wants protection for her friends. Speaking of which…
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We see Molly and Chase amid a group of teenage runaways filing onto the Church of Gibborim bus. Business as usual. Just because Jonah is alive and young doesn’t mean they can’t still sacrifice castaways in his name. Chase and Molly are under cover and hope to find Karolina while at the church proper.
Next, Stacey and Dale appear at the dig site, science tools in tow. They begin analyzing the substance at the bottom of the hole. They discover that said substance is alive. How is this possible? Is it the same organic matter keeping Jonah ticking? Is it an alien? So many questions! Leslie interrupts their research. Of course, the Yorkes think they’ve been found out, but Leslie encourages them to keep digging. She’s fed up with Jonah’s antics too.
Later, Chase and Molly fill out applications to join the Church of Gibborim. Vaughn leads them away from public eyes to Karolina’s private quarters. Molly uses her super strength to take out the locked door. Karolina is overjoyed at seeing her friends. Vaughn washes his hands of the situation and flees. Karolina ushers Chase and Molly toward an exit, under the guise that she’s giving them a tour. However, they almost have a run in with Jonah. Thankfully, a Gibborim van driven by Alex pulls up and the trio clambers inside. Everyone is reunited. Yay! Once everyone within the church realizes Karolina is missing, panic ensues. However, Vaughn approaches Leslie and fills her in on the escape. Her reaction tells me that she orchestrated Karolina’s break out. Go mom!
Next, our fully formed runaways gather at their campsite. Nico and Karolina reunite with a kiss. Aw, these two. Alex slips away and calls Darius (DeVaughn Nixon). He asks his father’s arch nemesis for assistance. Hey, you know what they say: the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Meanwhile, the parents commence an unofficial Pride meeting in the Yorkes’ basement lab. The Yorkes present their findings from the dig site. Leslie appears and confesses her crime in slaughtering the Hernandez parents. Not only that, she confesses to knowing that Jonah killed Amy Minoru. Tina and Robert (James Yaegashi) are beside themselves. Tina toys with Leslie, revealing how easy it would be for her to kill the latter.
Then, Jonah and Frank approach the pod containing Victor. Jonah reveals to his new favorite Gibborim follower just how crucial Victor is in the grand scheme of it all. His impending work will change everything. Thus, they need Victor to be in tip top shape.
Later, we see our runaways sleeping in the back of the Gibborim van. Gert and Chase are snuggled close and holding hands. Karolina and Nico are also engaged in some Grade A spooning. Nico wakes up and exits the van as the sun begins its ascent into the sky. She spots Alex sitting in solitude. He reveals a wad of cash he received from Darius. What did Alex exchange in return, I wonder? Regardless, our makeshift family can flee anywhere now.
Then, the kids arrive at the bus depot. They ponder aloud over where to go as they view a list of destinations. Gert stands watch outside and discovers Old Lace cowering in a dumpster nearby. Aw, she just couldn’t leave her owner’s side, could she? Gert plots on how to conceal a large creature in the bus cargo hold.
Suddenly, a breaking news story flashes across the TV screen in the bus station. Six teenagers are wanted in the death of Destiny Gonzalez. We see our runaways’ faces appear, clear as day. Jonah framed them for murder! Uh oh. After a bystander recognizes them as the fugitive kids, our protagonists high-tail it out of the bus depot. They nab Gert and disappear, running as far away as their legs can carry them. Old Lace barrels after them.
Runaways ended its premiere season on a high note. While this episode was rather sluggish for a finale, the last ten minutes alone were worth the watch. Our runaways are finally running away! Of course, knowing Runaways will return for a Season 2 has me giddy at the prospect of where the series will go next. Now that they’re on the road, there’s a whole new realm of possibilities. Plus, there’s still Jonah to contend with, and fully discovering who he really is. Oh, and dinosaur. Always good to have as much dinosaur as possible.
Do you think our heroes will stay on the West coast, or will they venture East? Will we discover what Jonah is and in turn what Karolina is? What did Alex give Darius in exchange for the overabundance in cash? How will Pride retaliate against Jonah, and can they stop the digging? Will Los Angeles crumble to the ground in a series of explosive earthquakes, as Victor discovered in his time machine? How will Victor return? So many questions! Thank Gibborim we’ll find out next season!
Runaways is currently streaming 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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