Alex, comfortable in Compton and falling hard for Livvie, is betrayed. Jonah gives Leslie a mission to retrieve his DNA from the Yorkeses while Catherine exacts vengeance against Darius. Janet decodes the Abstract and Molly sneaks out to fight crime.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. Premieres and finales may feature longer reviews. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of Hulu's Runaways.
"Double Zeros" was written by Kirk A. Moore and directed by Larry Teng
Darius has long been the wild card of the narrative. He exists outside of the main conflict between the teens and their parents. As such, he is a potential foil to everyone's plans. He has largely been defined through one small section of the characters. And yet, his actions have caused disruptions that have been important in the past. But it was always unclear what his larger purpose was. Jonah has also been a wild card in the story. However, he has always presented as the true big bad with the powers and menacing agenda that set all of this into motion in the first place. Darius was just the man who believed he was betrayed by Geoffrey after being in prison together. That was the portion of his life that Geoffrey was running away from. He was given this opportunity for something immediately better by Jonah. He took it in order to provide more for the next generation of his family. That just came with the complete rejection of who he used to be. There is a fascinating conversation about race to be had with all of this as well. Geoffrey looks down at the people who still live in his old neighborhood. He seems them as being incapable of getting out on their own like he did. But he doesn't recognize the magical circumstances for his wealth and ambitions. As such, it has extended almost to a complete rejection of black culture. It's to the point that Alex doesn't understand all the basics of being a person of color in this country. There are simple things like him not knowing how to groom his hair. Then, there are the more systemic problems of always being looked at with suspicion. Right now, he sees it as cool to have a change to his hair style. It allows him to better disguise his identity. That's more than any of the other Runaways are currently doing. They think they are protected enough thanks to their new hideout and believing they know where all the cameras happen to be located in the city. And yes, they do have a lot of opportunities handed to them - like being able to find this abandoned mansion with a car that can take them wherever they need to go. Of course, Nico is also right to rally the troops in the hopes of everyone using their powers together. They have to work as a team in order to defeat the looming threat from Pride and Jonah. They aren't truly aware that Pride doesn't trust Jonah and his ulterior motives. They are working against him even though they appreciate his support throughout all of this as well. Jonah is the only reason why Victor is still alive. Janet proves to be just as smart as her husband as well when it comes to cracking the code of the Abstract. However, she doesn't show any concern about Jonah potentially listening in on the conversation she has with Victor. That too could be a frustrating quality because everyone is simply doing what's best in the moment. And yes, some characters get to prove just how smart they are. Alex is conveniently carrying two cell phones. As such, he can warn his friends that he has been kidnapped and needs to be rescued. His parents have malicious plans for him as well that may even include trying to wipe his memories of everything that has happened. That's scary but doesn't ultimately come to fruition. Even though Alex doesn't have powers, he's still a vital member of the group who is smart enough to know how to get out of a complicated situation. Of course, he chooses not to confront Darius about his decision. That, in turn, would have revealed that he was killed by Pride. Catherine needs to tie up all of the loose ends. That's ultimately all that Darius was. A complication who served his purpose. And now, the show is already introducing a new wild card in Topher - someone who follows Molly back to the secret hideout and who also happens to have the same eyes as her.
