‘Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger’ is exactly what a superhero show should be
WE’RE either in a golden age of superhero television or an annoying glut of it, depending on your perspective. Either way, we’re flush with more shows based on comics and superheroes than ever before, and their genuine appeal can get lost in fan theories, Easter eggs and crossover episodes.
Enter Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger, a ray of light (and darkness) in a sea of Spandex that may just be the purest superhero saga on TV. Created by Joe
Pokaski, Cloak and Dagger is earnest, simple and utterly winning, an emotional and stylish teen drama that mixes in mysticism and metaphor.
At the centre are Tyrone (Aubrey Joseph), a black, uppermiddleclass student athlete, and Tandy (Olivia Holt), a white, formerly wealthy runaway. (Eventually, he’s Cloak and she’s Dagger, but they don’t adopt their superhero names until well into the series.)
The series opens with the characters as small children who experience a devastating loss and exposure to a toxic explosion on the same night, linking them both psychologically and supernaturally. The explosion gives them powers (Tyrone teleports, Tandy conjures light daggers and both have visions) which surface only once the pair reunite as teens.
Too many current superhero series are exhausting and weighted with extraneous heroes and sidekicks (DC Comics series); dour themes and bloated seasons
(Netflix’s Marvel shows); or simply their own pretentiousness and
mythology (Legion).
Cloak and Dagger deals with serious subject matter: Tandy squats in a church and robs rich kids to get by, Tyrone appears to be depressed by the loss of his brother as a child. Yet despite this, it manages to be light and breezy. Episodes are wellpaced and often use an unconventional structure, jumping around in time.
But its greatest strengths are its
its greatest strengths are its restraint and
simplicity
restraint and simplicity. The show unfolds slowly and delicately, with greater initial focus on its enchanting young leads than their newfound superpowers. Both teens have gone through horrific trauma, and their powers manifest as a metaphor for posttraumatic stress disorder, forcing them to relive the worst parts of their lives, often quite literally through their vision powers. Every scene in which they use their powers is deeply emotional; this is a superhero show for fans who prefer meaning over martial arts.
Holt (a former Disney Channel star) and Joseph are appealing young talents with good chemistry and puppydog eyes. The acting is more natural than typical superhero dramas. The pilot is directed by Gina PrinceBythewood, who gives the series, set and filmed in New Orleans, a leisurely style, and plays with the light/dark dichotomy that is part of Tandy and Tyrone’s powers.
Wisely, the series shirks the racial stereotypes and sexist costumes of the dated comics on which it’s based, and also doesn’t shy away from racial issues. Tyrone’s mother fears he could be killed by police, he’s bullied by white teammates on his basketball team and he fears being perceived as a thug.
Cloak and Dagger isn’t a joyful series — it’s an often sombre comingofage story of two kids deeply traumatised but trying to heal — but it’s joyful to watch it unfold. And isn’t that how a superhero should make you feel?
µ Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger premieres on Sunday at 9.30pm, on Duke.