My Spoiler Impressions of JUPITER'S LEGACY (Season 1 on Netflix)



OUT OF THE GATE
I am wholly unfamiliar with the original source material, and have zero connection to the comicbook source, which meant I was coming in cold, and this commentary (less "review") of the series will reflect that.



TAKING YOUR TIME
Far be it the twists and turns of what the real tale dictates, it took 8 X one hour episodes to tell what could have been done in a 2 hour feature.

I really hate to bring this aspect of "editing to fit my tolerance", because a ton of my friends do so, and I disliked hearing/reading that, but ...

For the quality of the script and originality of the story, it did not need to be padded out like it was. I am not saying the series was "painful", but it was hardly "pain-free".

WATCH-TIME
All 6 episodes are now streaming on Netflix, and I was able to casually binge them within three separate nights (not back-to-back). Given the binge-ability, I decided to complete the season, but doubt I would do so if it had been a weekly airing instead.

WAS IT WORTH MY TIME?
It doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the genre that you've not seen in other dramas (in other genres, to be fair). The Tropes are excessively familiar, and quite frankly tiresome to witness again, to be able to take it seriously.



What is morally right and wrong is constantly questioned, and notion of "justice" is upheld by the law of the super-powered, versus "the government" in this tale of what looks to be deceit and despair. Somewhat apt given the state the world is in right now, and quite frankly does not provide any "answers" (within it; ls first season), and instead gripes about it, or as some quarter of humanity might say; "Shine a light on them".

Plus, the "Kids pissed with their parents"-trope is ... okay, I'm not a "parent" myself, and cannot judge what it is I do not experience, but... these are young adults here, not necessarily "fully formed", but they are neither the cliched "rebellious teens" which folks tend to "forgive" their transgressions, as "they are only kids, after all"... but these are working folks, who self-indulgently inhales illegal substances, because they are leading the "privileged-life".

Sorry, could not relate, even as a middle-aged man LOL

The "drama" is so scripted, it was painful to watch.



LITTLE VICTORIES
And while I do concede to "Superhero Fatigue", JUPITER'S LEGACY had been a run-of-the-mill middle of the road affair for me, save for the thrill of seeing Anna Akana in the role of "Raikou"! Too bad we won't be seeing her again in "Season 2".



ALAS THE POINT IS MOOT
I had typed most of the above before the announcement that Netflix has since cancelled the series at the end of Season One, and we'll no longer need to find out what happens next (unless Hulu or someone else picks this series up) ... THAT said, I see no need to watch this (yet), if there is no continuation of the Season afters.

Go read about the episodes here on wikipedia.



I am reminded of the comigbook-made-live-action-adaptation "DEADLY CLASS", which was also cancelled after one Season. And while it did not feature "superhero" drama, it hinged on the "trained to be assassins academy"-schtick, and provided the similarly notioned emotional connection with folks with personal powers beyond ours, and that felt more "faux-real" than this Legacy of a Tale that would have been better served during the day of comicbook publication. Seen right NOW, it just seemed to be following "everyone else".

(More of DEADLY CLASS on #iliketeevee, btw).



Synopsis (Wiki): "Shortly after his father's suicide in 1929, triggered by Black Tuesday, former businessman Sheldon Sampson travels to an uncharted island in the Atlantic Ocean, where he, his brother Walter, and four others received superpowers. He then creates a superhero team called the Union of Justice, and his guiding ideals – never kill anyone, never interfere in political matters – remain unchanged over the near-century of his adventures as The Utopian.

However, the next generation of superheroes, including his children, struggles to live up to his rigid ideals and high expectations. When Sheldon's son, Brandon, seemingly kills one of their greatest foes, it ignites a public debate over whether those ideals are still relevant."


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