Welcome back to my blind coverage of the new Netflix anime Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, a series based off of some of the most influential comic books and movies of my life. What I’m doing here is giving my thoughts, analysis, and predictions after each episode before moving onto the next, so what follows is based solely on the first five episodes (and will contain spoilers for all five, but for nothing that comes after).
You can find coverage of all previous episodes below:
Episode 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life
Episode 2: A League of Their Own
Episode 3: Ramona Rents a Video
Episode 4: Whatever
With that out of the way, let’s jump into episode five, take 47…
EPISODE 5: LIGHTS. CAMERA. SPARKS?!
It's wild for me to believe that the first volume of Scott Pilgrim was released way back in 2004. Not because of the horrific, inescapable passage of time (well, not just because of it), but because it's still so shocking that a comic released while I was in high school featured a gay character as brilliant and unapologetic as Wallace Wells. Wallace is an icon, a mad-lad, a gigachad of highest order, a character who is what he is, says what he thinks, and gets what he wants at pretty much all times. It's almost impossible not to fall in love with him, especially for me, first picking up Scott Pilgrim as a closeted twentysomething and seeing in Wallace a freedom and confidence I couldn't even imagine having for myself.
Wallace is the de facto star of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off's brilliant, gut-busting fifth episode, and holy fucking shit, did he shock me. You thought Scott "dying" was a surprise? Or Matthew Patel outsting Gideon from the League? Hardly. The greatest, grandest surprise of Takes Off is officially, unequivocally, Wallace seducing Todd Ingram and Todd falling in love with him. I never saw it coming, but it's not totally without precedent: Wallace is known for seducing straight guys/other people's boyfriends (he hooked up with Stacey's boyfriend Jimmy in Volume 1, and Stacey's "Again?!" implies it's not the first time), and Todd spent the entirety of Volume 3 cheating on Envy with no guilt whatsoever. Still, re-working and combining those plots has lead to an incredibly fresh and funny swerve.
And yet, as I sat on my couch, jaw agape at this totally unexpected gay awakening, Takes Off barely acknowledged it. Oh sure, Todd falling in love with Wallace is a big deal, but it's a big deal because he's cheating on Envy, not because he's in love with another dude. I mentioned back in my Reaction to Episode 3 that I was pleasantly surprised by how calmly and naturally that episode handled Ramona's bisexuality, and that holds even more true here. Very few stories could feature this kind of plot, make it so funny, but also play it with such restraint. I am beyond impressed, and just as dazzled by the sheer chutzpah of Wallace Wells as I was the first time I saw him, all those years ago. What a fucking legend.
Stray Observations:
— Needless to say, I adored this episode. That may feel a bit strange, given that it has so much in common with the previous episode, which I had far more mixed feelings about. But Episode 5 somehow addresses pretty much every complaint I had about Episode 4 while still feeling very much like a companion piece/continuation to it. We finish the movie plot, but incorporate more of the expanded cast into the proceedings. By the end of the episode, Ramona's investigation is mostly on the same page as the readers, and pretty much all pending subplots (Gideon and Julie, Matthew's coup, Knives joining Sex Bob-Omb, Ramona's friendship with Julie) have been revisited, advanced, and re-prioritized. It breaks up the formula that was starting to form by the end of Episode 4, letting Ramona confront Todd but in no way making it emotional or cathartic for either of them (I'm shocked that Lucas has more emotional intelligence than Todd, but he does). And most importantly, this episode is somehow even funnier than the very funny Episode 4, while also being tighter in every way, putting out a laugh every 30 seconds with no padding or wasted time. It's a little triumph.
— This is the first episode since the premiere that hasn't opened with Ramona dyeing her hair a new color, which establishes this as a continuation of the previous episode while also showing us that Ramona isn't our primary focus this time around.
— There’s some fun cameos in this episode! Actor Nelson Franklin voices the cameraman, making up for his role of Michael Comeau in the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World film being cut from Takes Off, but far more importantly, National Hero Weird Al Yankovick provides his voice to the narrator!
— And, of course, the director of Young Neil’s movie being named “Edgar Wrong” is an obvious reference to real life Scott Pilgrim vs. the World director Edgar Wright.
— We see Knives and Stephen Stills working together here, united by their ambitions for Sex Bob-Omb. This pairing was a fairly big part of the latter half of the comics, and seemed to be hinting at a romance between the two; that was a feint, though, as Knives actually befriended Stephen Stills during his coming out process, unbeknownst to Scott.
— It’s a very small joke that may not even be intended as a joke, but I chuckled every time Young Neil’s name was shown as just “Young Neil” on the news chyron, or whenever someone on set referred to him as “Mr. Neil.” For the record, the comics do give him a last name (Nordegraf) that has not made it into any adaptation thus far.
— There’s a few jokes from previous adaptations of Scott Pilgrim that show up, remixed, in this episode. Scott’s “Pee Bar” is handed off to Todd, and Scott’s battle with Lucas Lee’s stunt doubles from the movie is transformed into a battle between Wallace and Envy where their stunt doubles (including Ramona) fight in their stead.
— Matthew Patel confirms a theory I put out there when talking about Episode 3; when he finds out Scott’s alive, Matthew says that he was able to defeat Gideon because of the confidence he gained from thinking he killed Scott.
— The contrast between Ramona being terrified by Todd punching a hole in the moon for her and Envy finding it romantic is hilarious. This is the only version of Envy Adams where I can actually understand why she would have been with Scott at one point; she’s as detached from reality as he is, if perhaps in totally different ways.
— Todd Ingram was designed — more than any other Evil Ex, Gideon, or even Nega Scott — to be Scott’s dark counterpart. They have similar names and hairstyles, both play bass, both dated Envy and Ramona. This episode adds a new layer to their connection by having Todd actually play Scott in Young Neil’s movie, to the point where he seems to be forgetting that he’s not actually Scott. It’s a fun, meta touch in an already incredibly self-referential and recursive plot line.
Okay friends, I’ll be taking tomorrow off for Thanksgiving, but I’ll see you back here on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for the final three episodes!
ABOUT
“Do You Know What I Love the Most?” is a newsletter from Spencer Irwin about his relationship with the stories he loves. Spencer is an enthusiast and writer from Newark, Delaware, who likes punk rock, comic books, working out, breakfast, and most of all, stories. His previous work appeared on Retcon Punch, One Week One Band, and Crisis on Infinite Chords, and he can be found on Twitter at @ThatSpenceGuy. If you like this newsletter, please subscribe and share with your friends!