With the current hype and popularity of the Disney+ streaming service and shows like Marvel’s WandaVision, many may not be aware that Marvel Studios has had an assortment of TV shows that were released across several networks before the launch of the Disney+. I think this might be why some didn’t last or get the recognition they deserved. Some still aren’t on the streaming service. The lack of connections to the larger universe and lack of crossovers in the face of a cinematic universe that prides itself on that was a missed opportunity for many of the shows. Budget, access (not everyone has HULU), air dates and times were the downfall of others. Agent Carter, Cloak & Dagger, and Runaways were a few of my personal faves.

• Agent Carter (ABC)
• Cloak & Dagger (Freeform)
• Legion (FX)
• Runaways (HULU)
• The Gifted (FOX)
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC)
• Inhumans (ABC)
• Jessica Jones (Netflix)
• Daredevil (Netflix)
• Luke Cage (Netflix)
• Iron Fist (Netflix)
• Punisher (Netflix)
• Defenders (Netflix)
• Helstrom (HULU)
• WandaVision (Disney+)
• The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+)

The most recent Marvel show I saw last year before the release of WandaVision was Helstrom, a HULU original. I will preface this review by stating that I have not read the Helstrom comics. However, I have watched the other, more obscure, standalone Marvel TV shows like the Runaways (HULU) and Cloak & Dagger (Freeform), but Helstrom left a lot to be desired; it felt like a poor man’s Supernatural. There were even two recurring actors from Supernatural on the show!

My biggest gripe is that the show and lore only appeared to have one main protection against demons and that was the Keeper medallion, which only kept a demon at bay for about an hour. I can hold a downtown parking space for longer than that. The demons also all seemed to have the ability of telekinesis and that felt like way too much power for them to possess. Speaking of possession, one scratch could turn a human into a demon’s sock puppet, and exorcising the demon released it back (into the atmosphere?) instead of banishing it back down to hell.

The solution? Lock up possessed humans to be slowly tortured from the inside out by their uninvited, demonic guests. Yikes.

On top of an already dark and dreary color palette for the show, things felt quite hopeless. Any glint of remaining hope was snuffed out when devout novitiate Gabriella became the unwilling mother to a demon. Poor Gabby. She was possessed, forced into nonconsensual sex, impregnated, and had to give birth with no epidural or support. Damion then wanted her to forget all the bad and be happy with their new “family”. Yeah, that’s a no from me, dawg. What that woman needed was legit psychological aid; what she found, however, was a new purpose with the Blood – archenemies to the Helstroms. Earlier in the show, Damion callously reiterated to Gabriella that she had knocked on the door that opened to the demonic reality of the world. Now he was sweetly asking her to be Soccer Mom #1 to their demon baby. If this show gets a season 2, I look forward to Gabby stabbing Damion at some point with the dark dagger and shouting, “Knock on this, sucka!”

There were, still, two main highlights in the show for me:

1. 1. Ana Helstrom (Sydney Lemmon) coming through with the chic, 5’10 fashion that mirrored Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince (Wonder Woman). Those bayangs gotta go, though…

2. 2. A diverse cast which included, not one but, two Black leads. If you know me you know I am all about representation in TV and movies and I felt that here. They were quality roles where the actors were crucial to the plot and not just sidekicks marred by insulting, racial stereotypes.

All in all I spent one day binging a series I knew nothing about and wanted to give a chance. The fact that it has a place somewhere in the Marvel Universe only crossed my mind during the intro. As a standalone show, if it gets a season 2, I would like to see it expound on demon hunting and Papa Helstrom. 5/10

What did you think? What other Marvel TV shows did you enjoy? Let me know in the comments!

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