‘Runaways’ Season 1 Episode 7: “Refraction” Recap With Spoilers

After the explosive and revealing events of the gala, the families of Marvel’s Runaways are attempting to figure out the best way to move forward.

But, as the show likes to do, we must first begin with a trip to the past. This time, we go back 25 years to where Janet and Victor Stein first met in college. Of course, they hit it off by discussing advancements in time travel. You know, sexy stuff.

From there we jump to the birth of Chase, where we see Victor more unsure about him than about anything in his life. He’s in awe of the baby, giving us a glimpse to a time when he was actually happy. “This is the only thing that matters. Just this,” he tells his wife.

Now we’re in times less happier, Chase is a pre-teen and his dad missed his championship lacrosse game. After lashing out at Victor and telling him “You don’t know shit about shit,” his father responds with some textbook parenting by punching Chase’s face into the window. He eggs his son on to “say it again,” and if you’ve learned anything about Chase, you know that he does. And if you’ve learned anything about Victor, you know he responds with a much harder punch.

Cut to the present where Victor is getting some quality sleep in his lab, passed out on his desk, when he’s awakened by a voice emanating from the time-travel device. Future Chase has sent a message to his father. The words are muddled, but it soon becomes clear:

“Dad, I hope you get this in time. It was a long shot, and I always screw a lot of things up. I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all of it. Now please, whatever you do, dad, don’t pick up the Fistigons.”

At the Wilder residence, Catherine is searching Alex’s bedroom while he showers, hoping to find out if he knows of their crimes as PRIDE. She and Geoffrey contemplate if Molly told him, and Alex’s father thinks something is up given how fragile their relationship has become. Alex catches his parents, who play it off and tell him they’re going to his school’s open house event later in the evening.

They play a little game of chess, attempting to get each other to admit something is up, but neither falls for it. Alex goes to school, leaving the two parents to discuss the problem with Molly. Catherine has a plan, but it requires cooperation from Dale and Stacey Yorkes.

Chase walks in on his dad, still pleasant with a new lease on life, and, shockingly, not an asshole. He’s just figured out a problem with one of his company’s products that has plagued the NEMO engineers for years. Victor speaks fondly of Chase’s own physics teacher, eager to meet him at the open house. This surprises Chase, who can’t remember the last time Victor attended one of his functions.

He heads to work while Chase gets ready for school, speaking with his mom about why she’s sticking around after they discovered her affair with Robert Minoru. Janet attempts to convince her son she is dedicated to keeping their family together. Chase doesn’t seem so sure.

Speaking of Minorus, Robert finds Nico getting ready for school in her room and tells her he’s moving out of the house. The two share a moment, and Nico asks him to talk to her mom and try to work things out. Robert admits he doesn’t want to reconcile, and that he’s in love with Janet Stein. Nico doesn’t take to well to the revelation.

At the Church of Gibborim, Leslie Dean is presiding over a prayer with a dying man and his family, reciting some ceremonial words before the doctor on hand takes him off life support. Before they can move forward, an enlightened Frank Dean enters the room and orders them not to touch anything.

Frank asks the doctor and family to step outside, places his hands over the dying man, and beckons him back to health with a pair of glowing hands. “You’ve been given something we all want,” Frank tells the man, “More time.”

In the hallway, Leslie is upset with Frank, who appears to be removing a pair of gloves from his hands. An other-worldly gift from Jonah, perhaps? Leslie wonders why Jonah gave him the gloves, telling him he has no idea what he’s doing. But Frank wants to be a church healer, challenging Leslie’s authority.

At school, Nico and Alex talk about their parents’ problems until she demands to know how he knew Tina Minoru’s password at the Wizard offices. They’re interrupted, much to Alex’s delight, by the rest of the group. Gert is obviously pissed after last week’s events, launching witty zingers at everyone — especially Karolina.

Something is up with Molly, and she comes clean about her interactions with Catherine Wilder that have put the group in jeopardy. They all take turns chastising her, causing her unleash all the pent-up frustration from no one taking her seriously. She ditches the group, telling them she wants nothing to do with them. Karolina is the only one to chase after her.

In the Yorkes’ basement lab, Dale and Stacey are examining Jonah’s serum, impressed with their findings. They remark that the serum, based on his DNA, has healing properties. A drop leaks out of the vial onto Dale’s skin, seeping into his bloodstream. He tries to play it off, but Dale and Stacey are both concerned.

At the church, Leslie confronts Jonah about his actions, but he downplays her anger and tells her she only has power because he gave it to her.

“This is my father’s church,” Leslie tells him.

“But it’s my religion,” Jonah replies, deepening the mystery of the Church of Gibborim.

Leslie slips that the root of her anger comes from Jonah giving Frank the healing gloves, but Jonah tells her that the church is in the past. “You don’t want to be around when it goes down,” he says.

Jonah implores that PRIDE is the only thing that matters, and beckons her to fix the cracks between its members.

Molly attempts to rejoin the cheerleading team, but mean girl April — who hates Karolina for breaking up the lacrosse team — doesn’t give her the time of day. Instead they make her clean their towels and fill up water bottles as the new team manager. Karolina catches up to the youngster and the two bond over their shared superpowers.

Stacey finds Dale in the lab, who is all hyper, manic, and high off of Jonah’s blood. It’s a bad time considering the Wilders come knocking at their front door. Stacey waves them off, deciding to deal with her whacked-out husband instead.

Frank goes searching through the church’s storage room, wanting to find historical items to be used once again, finding Leslie’s father’s original desk. When searching through the drawers, he finds a photo of Leslie at her 8th grade graduation… standing with Jonah, who doesn’t look like he’s aged a day. The image triggers more flashbacks of Jonah and his wife sleeping together, complete with crotch-glowing action.

We now begin the open house, where Dale Yorkes’ comedown from Jonah blood has began. Robert Minoru shows up, and Tina tells her daughter to ignore him. Alex is obviously uncomfortable to be with his parents, and Karolina and Leslie remark how it’s unlike Frank Dean to miss these events.

Victor interrupts the opening ceremony with an uncharacteristic compliment for the school’s staff, but considering Dale’s comedown, it’s pretty apparent what’s on the horizon. People, prepare yourselves for the inevitable return of dick Victor.

Cut to outside, where all of the parents are gathering information about the clubs at their own booths. Gert confronts Molly about having self respect instead of being stomped on by the cheerleaders. But Molly points out that Gert’s “Undermining the Patriarchy” club has moved on without her.

Frank Dean shows up and meets with Karolina, though he’s more eager to talk to Leslie. And Robert Minoru finally gets to talk to Nico, telling her that they’ll get adjusted to their new normal. He’s under the impression that he and Janet will get together in their own apartment, but Nico makes it clear that Janet might not be interested.

In private, Leslie Dean confides in Tina Minoru and tells her that she’s always been her right hand in PRIDE. Tina jokes, “that’s funny, I thought you were mine.” Leslie talks about her hard choices made with her husband, remarking that when others doubted her motives Tina stood by her. Tina seems unsure of how to move forward, but Leslie promises her husband’s affair is ending. They need to stick together for Jonah and for PRIDE.

Leslie corners Janet Stein and attempts to intimidate her into ending the affair. Janet assures her it’s over, demanding some privacy in her marriage.

Victor Stein corners Robert, “thanking” him for taking care of Janet when he couldn’t. A not-so-friendly handshake starts to get intense, and Janet whisks her husband away before it gets too physical.

Dale Yorkes remarks to Stacey about how awful the Jonah comedown is, wondering how it feels for Victor who got a much larger dose. They’re cornered by the Wilders, demanding to speak about Molly, and the parents go to a private area — though they’re spied on by Karolina and Chase.

The Yorkes, shocked that Molly might have seen something, are unsure how to move forward, but the Wilders have a contingency plan: something from her parents’ will. The exact plan isn’t spoken aloud, but it insinuates she’ll be sent away. The Yorkes protest, but soon realize it’s the only way to protect her from Jonah and Tina Minoru.

Karolina and Chase meet up with the rest of the group, realizing Molly has been found out. Still waiting for the decryption, they come to terms with the fact that they’re going to turn their parents into the police for PRIDE’s crimes.

Frank corners Leslie and confronts her about the picture and his memories of her and Jonah. He threatens to leave her and demands to know who Jonah is. She reveals that Jonah came to her father in the past, confirming her father’s theories. Frank wants to know if Jonah is “the one” her father wrote about. “Is he the being?” he asks.

“Yes, he is,” Leslie replies.

Frank asks why he’s left in the dark, knowing how much he loves the church. Leslie attempts to explain why her husband became involved late, when the plan was already in motion, admitting that she’s ashamed for being unfaithful to her husband in her relationship with Jonah.

Victor stalks Chase’s lacrosse coach to a private area and tosses him against a wall, telling him he’s going to make a public apology to his son and reinstate him to the team.

Robert finally gets a private moment with Janet, though she’s keeping her distance. She tells him that she’s Victor’s wife, for better or worse, and that she wants to stay with her husband and son. Janet makes it clear their affair is over and walks away, right as Tina Minoru approaches in one of the most awkward moments of the series.

With the decryption on the verge of finishing, Nico finally has a private moment with Alex, and she demands to learn how he knows her mom’s password, unwilling to put up with his lying.

At the Yorkes residence, Molly discovers her adopted parents have packed her bags and are shipping her off to live with her second cousins in Montebello. Molly immediately gets angry and doesn’t buy Dale and Stacey’s reasons for sending her away. Gert interrupts and attempts to defend her sister, but Molly nearly loses her cool and shows off her superpowers.

Gert takes Molly away before some parent punching goes down, trying to calm her little sister down. She attempts to convince Molly that the best thing for their situation at the moment would be going along with her parents, telling Molly to leave.

Chase continues working on the Fistigons in his dad’s lab when his dad catches him. Victor is now in the process of his own comedown from Jonah blood, as evidenced by his “discussion” with the lacrosse coach, and he’s none too pleased to see Chase in the lab without his permission.

He begins taunting his son, confusing Chase who thought their relationship had changed. The argument gets heated and Victor, out of nowhere, swings at his son. Chase ducks and lands a blow right to daddy’s face, sending him back to his desk… and into the Fistigons. Yeah, remember that warning from the future at the episode’s beginning? Victor ignores it.

Papa Stein loads up the Fistigon and launches his son through the glass window, sending him crashing into one of the nice cars in the garage. Victor stalks the fallen Chase, intending to finish the job, but right before he can use the weapon again he gets shot in the chest.

The scene reveals Janet Stein, holding the smoking gun — the same gun Robert Minoru gave to her in the previous episode.