POWERLESS Season 1 Episode 9 Review: Emergency Punch-Up



POWERLESS has traveled down a bumpy road during its first season, with just as many downs as there have been ups. However, this week’s episode, “Emergency Punch- Up,” is an extraordinary new high for this series to reach. This episode had me rolling on the floor one second, laughing at even the smallest of jokes, and by the end, I felt myself connecting with these characters, especially Emily, whom I hadn’t grown to connect with, on an entirely new level.

It all stems from a single miscommunication. As Wayne Security is getting ready to leave for their annual beach retreat, Emily and her team find themselves trapped in the office during Doctor Psycho’s gas attack while everyone else gets to go have fun and relax. As they begin to sit in their mess, dealing with the missed opportunity of a much-needed vacation, they begin to do something that they’ve never done as group before. They start bonding. 

After Teddy cracks one of the windows on accident, and the gas begins to seep into the office, they soon realize that what they thought was poisonous gas is actually a gaseous form of a truth serum. Anyone who breathes in the gas will immediately black out and begin to forcibly, and angrily, tell truths that they never previously would have. Once Emily breathes in the gas, and she begins to let loose everything she’s been keeping in, office mates and audience members alike get to see a new side of her that we’ve never seen before. 

What draws the connections to this character so clearly for audiences is Emily’s astounding ability to vocalize what it means to feel unappreciated. She’s done so much for all of her team, and they still treat her as if she’s an outsider that they all agreed to hate before even meeting her. When she begins to put them in their place, she shows that she isn’t going to be stepped on anymore. Just as anyone in Emily’s position wants to do, but can’t without the presence of a truth serum, she demands exactly what she hasn’t gotten up until now, respect. 

Opposite the much-needed heart of this episode stands a long list of jokes that allows the episode to stand out amongst the previous others. Though POWERLESS has been consistently funny, mixing in topics of the super-powered variety with everyday office humor, and all around goofiness, this episode reaches a new level. 

One of the things that became very obvious in this episode is the style that POWERLESS has made for itself. With nine episodes released so far, POWERLESS has built an expectation for itself. Not an expectation where the jokes fall flat because audiences can see them coming, but one where you begin to appreciate what the show is able to do combining the characters, its style, and its humor to create situations that are an all out laugh riot. 

POWERLESS outdid itself. Honestly, as both a reviewer and a fan, I was delighted at “Emergency Punch-Up.” It combined the show’s humorous side and emotional side in an all-new way. In the end, when everyone else in the office begins to appreciate Emily more, I found myself appreciating these characters in an entirely new way. Though these characters have a very obvious progression, this is the first time we see the characters act selflessly, even if it’s in their own, neurotic way. POWERLESS has shown in this episode that although it will stick to its roots, it isn’t afraid to show progression or change, two of the most vital components in television today.

Written by William Staton, POWERLESS Beat Writer -- Click to read William's posts


Related Posts:
POWERLESS Season 1 Episode 8 Review: Green Furious

POWERLESS Season 1 Episode 7 Review: Van v. Emily - Dawn of Justice

POWERLESS Season 1 Episode 6 Review: I'ma Friend You