I did not really have plans to watch this series since I found the character unbearable in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever but I figured with only 6 episodes it won’t hurt.
I know Marvel started down this route to try to attract a Gen Z/A audience several years back but 3 episodes in and I’ve yet to see the point of the show in the greater scheme of the MCU so far.
Thankfully Dominique Thorne portrays Riri Williams as far more likable here than in her appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
I just find myself not caring one bit about the story they want to tell me.
There’s some great elements that could have been developed for a character piece but of course Marvel doesn’t do character studies.
I’m interested in them exploring Riri’s life as a young girl with a massive aptitude for engineering and such and how that impacted her family and friends. But Marvel doesn’t really develop any of these adapted characters beyond trope-ish things.
I’m interested in Riri and her friend Xavier’s (Matthew Elam) coming to terms with the loss of his sister, and her best friend, Natalie to a pointless death. There’s gravitas to explore there but Marvel doesn’t do deep characterization or gravitas.
Alden Ehrenreich is likable, and the unveiling of who he really is at least felt a bit like a surprise. (I am going to assume he in fact has a hidden arc reactor to give her sometime before the last episode.)
I think my favorite part has been essentially the cameo by Cree Summer as one of Riri’s mom’s friends. (I love me some Foxxy Love!)
The odd checklist assortment of the “bag guys” doesn’t really appeal to me in anyway. All cookie cutter late teens/twentysomethings that are cardboard. (And massively long fingernails on a computer hacker doesn’t really seem all that practical.)
I’ve read that the finale is actually great, so watch the rest of it when it all drops.
I mean, it is only 6 episodes and unlikely to have a second season.
But so far, it does indeed feel like content for Disney+ for the sake of new content for Disney+ under the directives of the previous Bob Chapek regime.