Publications
Partners
WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
Two teenagers from very different backgrounds, find themselves burdened and awakened to newly acquired superpowers which are mysteriously linked to one another. The only constant in their lives is danger and each other.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
Marvel’s TV series have always been decent. Everything on Netflix is usually a hit but then you get something like Iron Fist which is a straight up chore. But they mostly do well and like Marvel’s other teen-centric TV show, The Runaways, Cloak and Dagger is a good one to add to their stable.
Cloak and Dagger follows the story of teenagers, Tandy and Tyrone whose lives and powers are intertwined when the Roxxon Gulf Platform explodes off the coast of New Orleans and causes cataclysmic changes in their lives.
The story is told through a lot of flashback and most of this first season sees the Tandy and Tyrone working toward their own agendas. Tyrone is trying to nail his brother’s murderer who just so happens to be a somewhat untouchable cop. And Tandy is trying to clear her father’s name. Her dad was working on the Roxxon Gulf Platform and when it exploded and killed everyone on board, Roxxon blamed her dad.
The kids soon learn that their powers are intertwined and soon discover that working together is the key to their success.
But what are their powers exactly? As the name suggests, they are Cloak and Dagger. Tyrone aka Cloak has the ability to engulf others in darkness and move through the Darkforce Dimension, it’s kind of like teleportation. He can also see people's fears when he touches them. Conversely, Tandy aka Dagger can see people’s hopes when she touches them. She can also make daggers out of light.
It takes a few episodes for them and the audience to make sense of their powers and I didn’t realise how invested I had become in this show till I found myself fearing for and shouting at Tandy at the end of episode 9.
This story is masterfully woven and I love just how connected Tandy and Tyrone are despite it being by an incredibly tragic childhood event. But can you even be a superhero if you don’t have a tragic backstory? Probably not.
In the description for this show it was mentioned that Tandy and Tyrone develop a romantic relationship but we don’t see any such shenanigans in the first season and to be honest, I hope they keep it that way. These two are becoming incredible friends and it’s nice to see a plutonic relationship playing out on screen. They are discovering that they are the only ones that can fully understand what the other one is going through in terms of both dealing with their respective family members’ deaths and also figuring out their powers.
Another thing I really like about this series is the soundtrack and the way music is used throughout the scenes. The scenes when they are using their powers sometimes flow like a symphony when paired with the music choice.
So while this series does have a somewhat confusing start with regard to what their powers actually are, the story is compelling enough to keep me watching.
