NYCC 2017: ‘Runaways’ Episode One and Panel Recap

Hulu and Marvel Television took over the Main Stage at New York Comic Con for their presentation of Runaways, the highly anticipated adaptation of the popular comic book by Brian K. Vaughan, Adrian Alphona, and Christina Strain. The show is set to premiere on Hulu in November.

The panel began with head honcho of Marvel Television Jeph Loeb hitting the stage to hype up the crowd before introducing the cast and showrunners of the program.

Allegra Acosta hit the stage, followed by Ariela Barer, Virginia Gardner, Gregg Sulkin, Lyrica Okano, and Rhenzy Feliz all hit the stage, looking dapper for their first major comic con.

Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz came to the stage after the cast. Loeb commented that the actors and producers flew out from Los Angeles to hit the con.

Everyone spoke about how important it is to shoot in LA, given how much of the comic depends on that setting. Schwartz talked about the source material, calling it his favorite comic book. He cited Brian K. Vaughan’s writing, who they leaned on heavily for his knowledge, and played a clip with the creator hyping up the audience.

Surprise Screening, Part 1

After hyping up a clip of the episode, Loeb revealed that they would play the entire first episode of the series instead.

The show begins with a young woman named Stephanie on a charter bus. She gets off at a stop in Los Angeles, and after a couple of failed phone calls at a pay phone, she gets harassed by a couple of men.

A van pulls up and two older women hop out, one of them shocks the two with tasers – but not before the men say they’re trying to help Stephanie.

The two older women lead her into the van occupied by other teenagers. She asks if it’s a cult, and they tell her “we don’t like to use that word.” The two men, recovering from their injuries say “she would have been better off with us.”

The doors of the van have a logo displayed on the door. It reads: The Church of Gibborim.

Surprise Screening, Part 2

Six months later, Alex Wilder is playing a video game, ignoring his parents calls for breakfast. When dad Gene Wilder tries to coax him downstairs, Alex makes it clear that he has been affected by the death of a friend.

At the table, Alex’s parents say it’s been two years since the mystery person’s death and that he needs to move on, but Alex tells them off. His mom mentions a meeting with the Pride that evening, and Alex suggests “it’s just a charity,” and says he can get out of it.

His father says his friends that he’s been avoiding likely feel the exact same way and he should reach out to them, and Alex responds they’re doing just fine. “Or, maybe they’re hiding what’s really going on,” his dad responds.”

Nico gets ready for school and steals a pair of tights from her sister, Amy, who passed away. Tina Minoru gets upset that Nico went into Amy’s room, causing a confrontation that results in one of Amy’s many trophies being damaged.

Cut to Chase’s room where he’s working out. The camera pans across his athletic accomplishments and pieces of technology like computer parts, teasing his engineering process.

At the breakfast table, his father confronts him over getting a C in Spanish and threatens him. “If you were really afraid of me, you would be getting an A.”

Karolina’s mom is giving a sermon at her church, apparently the Church of Gibborim as evidenced by the two older women who “saved” Stephanie at the beginning of the episode.

Surprise Screening, Part 3

Karolina wants to go on a field trip to San Francisco that night but needs her mom’s permission. Mrs. Dean tells her no, that she must be at the church for a Vanity Fair photographer. Karolina gets upset, mad that her mom doesn’t consider her wants or needs, and storms off.

Gert and Molly get dropped off by their parents, hinting that they are siblings in this iteration. Mrs. Yorke reveals that Molly isn’t feeling well because she’s having her first menstruation and offers some unique tips to receive the accompanying pain.

A quick sequence at school occurs with all six Runways interacting. They’re distant, no longer friends, but Alex seeing them all causes him to call his mom and ask if they can have the kids over for the parents’ Pride meeting.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Dean is meeting with a mystery person in a locked, white room, with pale skin and hooked up to a sci-fi breathing machine. “Tonight, another becomes eternal,” she tells the person.

 

Surprise Screening, Part 4

During their first class, Alex approaches Chase and asks if he’d want to come over and hang out like old times. Gert overhears, causing a fight between the purple-haired rebel and the engineering meat head. Karolina pops in, causing a fight between everyone but Alex. Nico, in the background, sees Alex’s attempt crash and burn and leaves the class before she can be asked.

Meanwhile, Molly is trying out for the dance team, but her cramps impede her performance and she’s sent to the nurse.

Chase pleads with his Spanish teacher to change his grade, but he won’t relent on the C and tells him to study for the future. Gert overhears his predicament, volunteering to tutor him. Though he makes a plan for that evening, Chase’s friends come in right after and invite him into a party.

Karolina notices people laughing at her while staring at her phones, and when she checks her social media account she sees a doctored photo of her smiling and throwing up a rainbow, with the caption saying “#brainwashed.” She cries and runs to the bathroom, insecure that people are making fun of her faith.

Alex meets Nico and offers the same proposition to her as the others while she’s standing in front of a trophy case containing a tennis accolade for Nico’s sister Amy. Nico turns him down very coldly, then goes to the same bathroom as Karolina where the two share a moment.

Surprise Screening, Part 5

Molly goes to the nurse’s office and provides some useful exposition about her character background. Her parents died in a fire when she was younger and she was adopted by the Yorke family. When the nurse leaves the room, Molly’s eyes grow and her power kicks in. She bends the steel of the bed she’s sitting on, then remarks that she feels much better.

Stephanie, from the episode’s opening, meets with Karolina while she’s doing the Vanity Fair shoot to thank her and her family for all they’ve done for her. Karolina leaves the interview to talk to Stephanie in private, asking her what it’s like to be a rebel.

At home from school with no parents around, Molly goes to the garage and attempts to kickstart her powers again, attempting to bend a crowbar. But an old Volkswagen bus that’s being worked on rolls off of its supports and nearly smashes her, causing her eyes to glow again. She uses her strength to secure the bus, but finds herself very tired and passes out in the corner.

The Pride meeting shows there are clear lines of respect. The Steins don’t like the Minorus. The Minorus don’t like the Yorkes. The Yorkes disrespect the Wilders. And Karolina’s mom believes everyone is there for a reason. Karolina’s dad is noticeably absent, however. 

Surprise Screening, Part 6

Alex shows up as they discuss boring things like budgets and fundraising, lamenting that he could not convince the rest of the kids to come over. When he leaves the parents, Tina Minoru comments that Nico hasn’t been the same since Amy’s death either. Mrs. Dean responds “we know how hard this must be for you both, especially tonight.”

Alex gets his game on and eats some pizza, Nico tries to perform a beachside seance, Karolina ditches her responsibilities, Gert preps her Spanish tutorial, and Chase goes to a party.

Karolina appears at the same party Chase is attending, though she doesn’t notice him. Someone offers her drugs, and it seems like she takes them and begins dancing on the dance floor. She removes her Gibborim bracelet and watches her arms start glowing, immediately passing out in the middle of everyone.

Chase’s friends attempt to take her unconscious body to an empty bedroom up stairs, addressing her and apparently attempt to rape her. Chase stops them and beats the crap out of both of them, driving them off.

Gert texts Chase multiple times as the coffee shop closes, now pissed that he ditched her without warning.

Meanwhile, Molly goes to feed animals locked up in their basement at Gert’s insistence. But when she hears strange noises coming from the other side of a steel-enforced door, she peaks through the window. But Molly is frightened by what she sees: a dinosaur. AND WE GET OUR FIRST APPEARANCE OF OLD LACE!

Surprise Screening, Part 7

Molly calls Gert, telling her she’s upset and scared and doesn’t want to be home. Gert, ditched by Chase, decides to go pick up her sister.

Chase and Karolina leave the party, but neither wants to go home.

Nico’s attempt to talk to deceased spirits doesn’t work out so well, and she ends up crying on the beach begging for a sign. Alex, feeling despondent from being left hanging by his old friends, is surprised to see everyone show up at his front door. Nico, Gert, Molly, Karolina, and Chase all go inside his house to eat some pizza.

A lot of raw feelings come out when they’re all in the same room. Chase tries to leave and blames Alex for the group not hanging out anymore, calling him out for not going to Amy’s funeral. Karolina suggests they were only friends because of their parents and were destined to break apart. Nico suggests it’s her fault, saying she’s sorry that she’s not her sister.

They decide to work through their issues and talk everything out, but Chase says he requires alcohol to do so. The group heads to Alex’s dad’s study where he knows a stash of booze is kept.

 

Surprise Screening, Part 8

Nico notices her mom’s purse is there, but no one knows where the parents are. When Alex goes to give them all coasters for the drinks Chase made them, he triggers a hidden switch that opens a secret door, with a staircase leading to a basement.

“This is some Narnia sh*t,” Alex remarks, and the groups head through the secret passage to figure out where it leads.

From a balcony overlooking a ceremonial room, the teens see their parents performing a ritual while adorned in red robes. Stephanie from the episode’s beginning is there, they make her sip from a chalice which immediately causes her to go week. The parents shove her into a pod that glows with white light, and she disappears.

Molly takes a picture with her phone, and the flash gets the attention of the parents. They look up at the balcony as the kids attempt to hide, and the episode closes with Gene Wilder asking, “What the hell was that!?”

Back to the Panel

Loeb reintroduced the cast and producers. When he noticed people sneaking out the back he chastised them saying “I know you have to get home and watch the second episode of Inhumans, but you’re going to miss stuff.”

Damn, Loeb.

Loeb asked about Old Lace, and Ariela mentioned they are best friends. Virginia talked about her glowing rainbow skin. And Gregg said that fans will see the Fistigons. Lyrica teased that fans might see “some kind of staff. The Staff of One, maybe?” They then teased Rhenzy’s character Alex for not having powers.

Basically, they’re hinting at how faithful the show will be to the source material.

Loeb asked Josh about the parents, who said the second episode will retell the events of the first episode from the Pride’s perspective. Schwartz said “there are no villains in our show.” They mentioned Brian K. Vaughan’s one regret in the comic is that he didn’t get to focus as much as he wanted to on the parents, and that will be rectified in the series.

The panel ended with a clip of the upcoming season, teasing events that will occur in Runaways’ first season.

Marvel’s Runaways