What If…? Season 3 Episode 5 Review
The fifth episode of ‘What If…?’ season three gives audiences a glimpse at the dystopian world that happens if the Eternals fail to protect the Earth from Tiamuts’s follow emergence. Quinten Beck rules the world with an Iron Federation, and it’s up to Riri Williams to stop him.
The Watcher is very up front with audiences that this universe is incredibly bleak, especially as this world in particular doesn’t have to fall apart. This is to further the meta-narrative of the season, which is the Watcher being punished for his transgressions. It’s a strong narrative, especially as his meddling has been continuous. Audiences get an even bigger hint at where this narrative will go with the appearances of The Incarnate, The Eminence and The Executioner, though this is likely just hinting at things to come.
Williams is the star of the show, and she’s joined by an eclectic cast like Sharon Carter (as the Power Broker), who is now a hugely untrusting character, no longer fighting on the side of good, just out for herself. Michelle Yeoh returns as Ying Nan, who is more of a leader this time, so has a bigger role. Wong, Valkyrie, and Okoye round out the varied cast.
While Beck is the master of illusions, the setting of this episode comes across far too similarly as if Ultron had established a dictatorship. Beck enforces his will through drones, and his chief enforcer is White Vision, who behaves as an emotionless murder robot. Beck’s illusions are severely underutilized, which is a huge shame as animation provides the perfect medium to be adventurous with his creations without the need to justify why they work. It’s also worth mentioning that Jake Gyllenhaal doesn’t return to voice the character, though audiences won’t notice Alejandro Saab as he slots perfectly into the role, with his megalomaniacal shouting.
This means the action throughout the show is fairly traditional explosions and punching, with no elaborate illusion sequences like Beck unleashed in ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’. As previously mentioned, it’s a waste of Beck’s powers, and just replaces it with generic action sequences. The scale is ramped up to hide this fact, which helps.
There are a range of different MCU characters that are included in the story, all supporting Riri Williams’ journey to overcome White Vision and Beck. The use of the ship makes for a brilliant visual, coupled with the smaller transport boats. Tiamut bursting out the Earth is also a striking visual, a testament to the strength of the Head of Visual Development and Character Development Ryan Meinerding and his team.
The star of the show is of course Williams, who gets to demonstrate her masterful knowledge of engineering and technology. But the theme here is that of resistance, one is hammered home at the end, though can be seen throughout the episode as the Alliance are willing to take a stand against Beck, but of course it’s Williams’ incredible last stand against Beck, unwavering in her resolve. This is where the Watcher steps in to give her that little push she needs to beat him, also reinforcing the idea of community.
This episode of ‘What If…?’ is disappointing, as Beck’s unique skill set is wasted for generic action. However, the episode does have extremely strong visuals that could be a screensaver, and with a powerful message of resistance and community throughout.
