'Ironheart' Episodes 1 - 3 Spoiler-Free Review
Image Source: Marvel on X.com
After significant delays to its release, Ironheart has finally premiered on Disney+. Telling the story of Riri Williams several months or perhaps even a few years after her appearance in Black Panther 2, the series sees Riri return to her hometown of Chicago, where she must navigate life with her circumstances vastly changed. The premiere of three episodes shows us half of the show’s story, as Ironheart has only six installments, with the next three dropping in a week.
This format helps cut down on any presence of “fluff,” a common complaint around many shows in the modern day, and the quicker pace helps strike to the heart of several key plotlines. A drawback, however, is that this incredible acceleration forward does not give some of its characters enough time to breathe and connect with an audience, which can lead to some difficulties.
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Image Source: Marvel on X.com
The first episode of Ironheart sets up the events of the wider show very well, introducing us to our full cast of characters within a matter of minutes while also briefly touching on Riri’s previous appearance in the MCU. The series’ tone is also unique, with an example seen in how Ironheart drops the familiar TV-style introductions seen in countless other TV and streaming shows, even other MCU shows. While shows like WandaVision have played with this formula, Ironheart presents its titlecard as a brief moment within the show’s world, before moving a viewer back into the wider plot. For instance, in this episode, the cracking of a paved street spells out “Ironheart,” and the story quickly continues.
Other examples exist in the very rough and lived-in surroundings Riri finds herself after coming back home to her mother’s apartment. Chicago culture, sights, and surely sounds, permeate the scenes with what feels like genuine authenticity, with only the recent Daredevil: Born Again, set in New York City, showing a similar close care with replication of a real-world American locale.
As for the introduction to all of the characters, it is good to quickly grasp each character’s defining characteristics, and to also have such visually distinct people represented across the show. Riri is presented well here, matching her Black Panther appearance and character, while supporting characters like Natalie, her mother, Ronnie, and others also stand out, yet complement, Riri’s personality.
But one issue, at least in the first episode, is Riri’s attitude, which sometimes makes her unsympathetic. It comes across as arrogance on occasion, especially when the Dean of MIT calls her out and breaks down the argument regarding the suit and the nature of her time at the college. Riri does not fight her on her interpretation, so while it seems Riri is good at spinning things her way, it is clear that the young genius is still in the wrong. Near the episode’s end, we learn something of her past that helps us understand Riri more, with more revealed in each subsequent episode, but this issue never fully goes away because the time spent on taking a breath for Riri is few and far between. This is the same issue seen in other characters, where the relentless push forward leaves little downtime to understand or learn more about them, especially as events heat up later in the series.
"Will The Real Natalie Please Stand Up?" & "We In Danger, Girl"
Image Source: Marvel on X.com
The role of Natalie in the series comes to center stage in the second episode onward, though we can’t say much about the character for fear of spoilers. But we can state that the first of the major action events takes place in the second episode, and while Episode 1 had its uses of CGI, Episode 2 ramps it up and features far more of it. Much of it is rendered excellently, with few odd scenes, as many close-ups likely used real machines due to the heavy appearance of cars in this episode. This set piece and the wider series also make light of real-world technology and engineering projects planned or having taken place in cities across the USA, mocking them while also bluntly commenting about their drawbacks, which is both refreshing and logical for a show set to focus on a techie like Riri.
Episode 3 brings Parker Robbins, played by Anthony Ramos, as well as Joe, played by Alden Ehrenreich, into focus after earlier introductions. Once again, we can say little, other than stating both are played excellently and each shows growth and changes as characters that should prove fascinating in the final episodes. After a very tense ending to Episode 3, we are left excited to see what is coming in the second half of the series releasing next week.
Cumulative Rating: 8/10
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Source(s): Ironheart
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