Marvel’s Runaways - S1E6 - Metamorphosis

Previously on Marvel’s Runaways, “Kingdom”

(Photo by: Patrick Wymore/Hulu)

I Cannot Make You Understand

Everything comes with a price and you would think the Wilders — at the very least — would know that, but even they fall prey to Jonah’s promises and gifts, such as a beautiful Brentwood mansion with its own murder library. Like the rest of PRIDE, before the Wilders realize what’s happening they’re attending their first sacrifice. The only two besides Leslie who seem to understand what’s going on are Victor and Tina. Victor, the diligent scientist created the chamber to convert people into pure energy and Tina made sure the video of the sacrifice was automatically uploaded to the Wizard servers, trapping everyone in this deal for the past fifteen years. Now in the present day, Jonah (Julian McMahon) is revived and excited to attend PRIDE’s annual gala and meet his daughter, Karolina.

The teens have their own plan for the gala. Because they can only access the ritual videos from the Wizard servers, they are planning to hack into the servers during the party. Though they’re all in, the fact that all of their parents are being a lot nicer is making it hard. Even Nico is feeling remorseful since her mother has finally softened and is even training her to use the staff, which on the show isn’t magic but very advanced tech. But with Jonah involved who knows what the line is between tech and magic. In the comics, Nico’s staff is also activated by blood, but she is limited in her spellcasting. She can’t cast the same spell twice.

Chase’s father is also being extra nice, confiding in his son and working on the Fistigons. Unfortunately, he also confirmed his suspicions about Janet and Robert so he is a powder keg ready to blow. Also, ready to blow is Karolina. Since she was the one most invested in her mother’s goodness, she’s also the one who’s most twisted up about all these revelations. That coupled with her glowstick powers and obvious attraction to Nico, who is clearly interested in Alex, she’s feeling like a freak and she has no one to talk to. By the way, is this a love pentagram? Gert likes Chase who likes Karolina who like Nico who likes Alex? 

Was He an Animal?

Of course, everything comes to a head at the gala. Gert asks Karolina about her and Nico which causes Karolina to go on a bender. She falls off the roof but Chase pulls off her bracelet and her glow powers also include the ability to fly. Gert flirts with the security guard while Alex and Nico access the servers. Hopefully getting her flirt on will give Gert some much needed confidence. Chase’s dad goes full Real Housewives and calls out Robert and Janet onstage and then collapses from his brain cancer. Fortunately, Jonah gives him some miracle cure from his own blood (which Mr. Yorke steals). I’m sure that won’t have any side effects.

While Jonah only connects briefly with Karolina, he does talk to Frank. Frank is having visions of walking in on Leslie and Jonah having sex, but he doesn’t seem to know whether it was real or if his mind is playing tricks on him. Jonah tells Frank that despite what he’s been told, he did reach the ultra level. Is Jonah playing games or did Frank really breakthrough some subconscious mental block?

The kids walk away with the files, but they are encrypted. For every win, there’s a loss. Molly was afraid the adults would all end up in jail before she could get answers from Catherine about her parents so she lets slip to Catherine that time is running out and she saw them in the murder library. Now the adults know the kids are on to them so it’s a race to decrypt the data before they get stopped. 

There is a cameo in this episode that actually made me squeal. I love how the show is teasing out this back and forth between the kids and the parents. Every time they get one step closer to figuring something out, the adults become a little more suspicious. And now the adults have Jonah also keeping an eye out for their missteps. Whatever they’ve been working on for the past fifteen years seems to be coming to fruition and falling apart because of the teens and the secrets the adults have been keeping from each other. At this point, anything could happen and the adults don’t seem to have the bandwidth to cover it up.