As INHUMANS opens, with grandiose slow motion shots that show the audience just how highly Marvel TV views itself for using IMAX cameras, there’s an immediate, eerie feeling of “What have I done to deserve this?” Not because there’s no turning back from watching this show; trust me, you can turn your television off any time you want. Rather, it comes from realizing that Marvel’s perception of its own content, as well as what audiences might want from it, is uncontrollably skewed this time.
INHUMANS has spent years going through various phases, from Marvel Cinematic Universe film to the final product being shown on television. Now, and as I finish the premiere two-parter, I’m left with a feeling that can only be described with an audible sigh and a saddened shoulder shrug.
“You’re one of us.”
“What are we?”
“We are Inhumans.”
What does that mean exactly? First off, it means that you live in an unbelievably classist society, one that governs who you are based on the extent of your powers. But, is it so wrong to be showing a society like this on television, especially when issues such as this are prevalent in our own society? When it comes to INHUMANS, the issue is a resounding yes. Unfortunately, INHUMANS attempts to get the audience to sympathize and root for the Royal Family, the people whose dominance over the Inhuman society was gifted to them without purpose, the same people who enforce and control the class-type system that sends those without powers to work tirelessly in the lunar mines. This decision, both counterproductive in getting the audience to enjoy these characters and a horrible misunderstanding of how this series should address societal issues, acts as a hole, one that INHUMANS continuously digs for itself throughout the course of these episodes.
INHUMANS takes some time to establish this world, one that acts more as a spectacle than an actual setting. The IMAX cameras, which are still surrounded by a pile of drool from the overly excited Marvel TV executives, are used to make Attilan, the lunar city and home of the Inhumans, seem like an appealing place, one where a person can truly be what they are meant to be. However, as the audience learns that the lives of the royal outweigh the lives of literally anyone else, INHUMANS is quick to let you know that this series isn’t about observing a fairly undiscovered aspect of the Marvel Universe, but rather, it’s about a bunch of leather-clad supermodels beating each other up in slow motion.
Now, you’ll have to bear with me as I try and describe the plot of INHUMANS with as much sincerity as I can: Black Bolt, King of the Inhumans, sends one of the most trusted members of the Royal Family down to Earth in an attempt to rescue stranded Inhumans and bring them to their rightful home in Attilan. However, when Triton is presumed dead, Black Bolt’s brother, Maximus, sees a weakened moment in the Royal Family as an opportunity to enact his plans of a coup. By doing this, he rids Black Bolt of the throne and sends him, as well as Queen Medusa, Karnak, and Gorgon, two other powerful Inhumans, to Earth. Separated, they must fend for themselves until they can reunite and return to Attilan to reclaim the throne from Maximus, the newly self-crowned King of the Inhumans.
What this plot summary doesn’t include about INHUMANS could fill an entire encyclopedia. Many moments, such as Maximus’ abuse towards Medusa, don’t add depth or real emotion, but rather, they make the series uncomfortable and unpleasant. This almost feels like an exploitation of abuse, one that simply adds an element of drama without any real intention or purpose behind it. Though Medusa is the best character in my opinion, and will surely be one of the guiding lights of the series, her character seems to be dangled in front of audiences, only for her to be silenced when her impact could be honestly powerful.
This really comes as no surprise, though. The rest of the characters are either ripped of their potential given to them in the comics, like Black Bolt, or they’re used as easily identifiable television troupes and clichés, such as Gorgon and Karnak being literally any famous duo with opposing personalities. These characters feel unused in an already lacking plot, so to say that they deserve more seems like an empty promise that Inhumans isn’t going to follow up on.
I would be remise if I didn’t discuss one aspect of the show that has been picking at my brain ever sense the IMAX premiere, one that I’m almost certain is not only an unbelievably disappointing decision for Medusa’s character and the fans who her, as well as one that also shows the amount of effort that Marvel is willing to put into this series, is the fact that Medusa’s hair is cut off at the beginning of the show. Medusa, who is known for her infamously sentient hair, is stripped of her powers in a way that doesn’t develop her character, but rather lets INHUMANS off the hook of constantly editing and developing the effects for her hair. Instead of allowing this character to be all that she can be, INHUMANS prefers to take the low road and put their feet up for the rest of the season. This exact sentiment seems like it might be an ongoing theme of INHUMANS, one where spectacle and dramatic effect takes precedence over quality.
What I will say is: INHUMANS has only begun. Though the series is only eight episodes, and we’re now two in, redemption isn’t impossible. There is ample opportunity for INHUMANS to switch gears, turn around, and start heading in the right direction. Though this seems incredibly unlikely, and I instead predict a storm building in this new series, I want at least a part of me to stay hopeful. I wish the audience good luck throughout this series, and just know that though the number of viewers may decrease every week, there will still be others, such as myself, watching and experiencing this show, just like you.
Written by William Staton, INHUMANS Beat Writer
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