***This review contains some spoilers***
Watch the SPOILER review on YouTube
The final season of “Runaways” alternates between almost blossoming into the fantastic show it could be, and repeating the mistakes of the past that keep it struggling to overcome mediocracy.
This season is divided into two major threats, each taking up roughly half of the season. That means starting off by wrapping up the alien possession plotline that last season ended with. They pretty quickly back away from the immediate mortal danger some of the characters were in, and since their plan is so vague, even the alien’s endgame never feels like that much of a threat. On top of that, The Magistrate was powerful enough to take on the whole team by himself, so it’s surprising that having three more aliens backing him up is so ineffective. The whole thing is wrapped up a bit anticlimactically, and then quickly dives into the mystically-themed story arc. The Dark Dimension stuff is a bit too bland and could have used a bit more flare to hammer home this wasn’t Earth and it was practically Hell. And we never got to see much of anything scarier than some crooked cops, so the never established how frightening the invading army was supposed to be.
The returning cast don’t really have a lot of new character arcs, just more of the same from last season. The only standout on the team is Nico, whose increasingly dark powers, combined with her guilt, drive her away from her friends. However, even that stops short of moving too far past the status quo. Xavin, who was a late addition to the team last season is fairly annoying at first, with her “shoot first” mentality and her prophecy-fueled love triangle with Nico and Karolina. Thankfully, her bonding with Molly and a reinterpretation of her beliefs allows her character to grow on you. Initially, the show struggles with what to do with the parents after they move past the alien plotline. But, as they move forward, their attempts to redeem themselves and continue protecting their children take them in a worthwhile direction.
The only major new addition this season is Morgan la Fay, who never quite lives up to the hype of being a super-powerful witch. Digging into backstory could’ve added a lot to her motivations and shown how powerful and dangerous she was. The show also misses the mark here as they never dig into how Tina Minoru can suddenly cast magical spells, and that the Staff of One is a magical artifact and not a piece of tech as we were originally told. And the fact that nobody bats an eye that Nico and her mom are performing actual magic all of the sudden feels like a bit of a retcon.
The guest appearance of Cloak and Dagger is used pretty well. After the ham-fisted attempt to explain their abilities and the slightly-forced antagonism between Tandy and Nico, the duo blends nicely with the team. Seeing them joining forces lets you imagine a future where this new group of kids is out there as full-blown superheroes.
The third and final season of “Runaways” finally gets past the alien storylines and tackles some new threats, while hinting at a world where they become true heroes. Unfortunately, they still spend a bit too much time infighting and making reckless decisions that risk the lives of the whole group. And both the big threats are stopped a bit abruptly and without as much teamwork as they could’ve been.
**1/2 out of *****