Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Episodes 6, 7, & 8 Review
Peter Parker is brought to his lowest point throughout episodes six, seven, and eight of ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’, in some emotional and heartfelt storytelling. He gets to see some new perspectives on how to handle his situation, as the various different threads that the past five episodes have been weaving start to come together. Episode eight in particular is a standout, as by the end Peter is morphing into someone he’s supposed to be. The characters around him are all also compelling, with the story kicking into high gear.
Episode six helps set the stage for all that’s to come in these three episodes. Lonnie descends even further into his gang life, as he’s kicked off the sports team and begins to block Pearl out. It’s something that continues, as later on Pearl eventually demands Lonie either choose the 110 or her, and in a sad moment, Lonnie chooses the 110. The conviction in Eugene Byrd’s voice in this moment sells it, and helps audiences feel Pearl’s pain.
Pearl isn’t the only one with relationship troubles in these three episodes. Peter convinces Nico that they should hang out with Harry more, which starts off especially awkward, as it’s clear Nico and Harry are from two completely different walks of life. Peter does get them to hang out, but he might have been better off if he hadn’t. Nico and Harry are awkward when left alone, leading to the bombshell moment where Harry outs Peter’s identity, causing Nico to be upset with them both. What’s mature is that even after Harry manages to patch things up with Nico (with a hint that Nico is also hiding something), she doesn’t automatically forgive Peter. Peter for some reason patches things up with her over the phone though, which is a bizarre choice, and is evident that the writers needed to move this arc along fast.
Norman Osborn starts to show his true, villainous colors. During Spider-Man’s highly enjoyable fight with Daredevil, Daredevil says Norman is hiding something. It’s frustrating there’s no hint of what. Norman cozies up to Secretary Ross, saying that he will cooperate with him on Spider-Man’s identity, caring only about Oscorp’s bottom line and proprietary technology are kept secret. He ignores Peter during the heat of battle as instead he chases his nemesis, Octavious. His glider makes an appearance. And, the biggest moment, is when Norman delivers a slightly chilling speech that Peter needs to be better, twisting Uncle Ben’s iconic line as he does, into something more corporate and horrible. It’s a slow descent, but one that is bound to lead Norman to darker places.
Otto Octavious does get a small part to play in these episodes. Norman sends Secretary Ross and Iron Man to capture him, and while there’s a brief, fun, moment that Octavious is fighting S.W.A.T. goons with his mechanical arms, he’s ultimately captured far too quickly and easily. His defeat also rings hollow emotionally, as so far he’s not met either Peter or Norman in the show. He ultimately feels like a side villain to the show at the moment, when he absolutely deserves more.
While the show continues to look a bit basic in its animation style, there are some sequences that make it look slightly more impressive. Peter’s fight with Scorpion, his hallucinations in episode eight, and the comic inspired bordering as Peter mopes around are all stand out moments, helping the series have some visual appeal, even if it can’t stand up to prior Marvel animated projects.
Episode eight leaves audiences a tease for the upcoming fight ahead, as Peter’s new suit he made with Harry isn’t fully shown, but it’s likely it’s the more classic red and blue suit audiences are used to. It’s a moment that show’s Peter is on the up now, though doesn’t feel earned as he’s not had to do any deep soul searching to come to the conclusion on how to be better. Episode nine will likely give audiences the first look at it in action.
While there are some stumbles in these three episodes, ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’ still remains an enjoyable watch, something smaller in the grand scheme of the massive superhero capers and TV shows. The final two episodes have a lot to tie up, but as the show has managed to lay the groundwork while keeping all plot threads woven together, there’s good reason to think that it will be satisfying.
