Okay, so this is my first official review on IMDB. The first episode was good. The acting was actually above average. I do wish this was on Netflix instead of Freeform, but still a great story even without the true grittiness of real life. i am a fan of the comics and have quite a few of this title. Watch this series because if it stays true to the comics, it will be great.
7 Reviews
I love the show, occasional bad writing.
slg-5601121 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I really love this show, but I can't rate over a 7 because of some of the continuity and some of the writing wasn't exactly on par.
At one point a maid of honor is going to pay for something after a reception. The room is empty except them and Cloak and Dagger. C&D leave the room very suddenly and hop into the supposed married couples car (cans dragging and Just Married on the back windshield). Now, in my experience, if the reception room is cleared and all the guests have gone, the happy couple should have been LONG gone.
Just little things like this irk me, but may not annoy others as much as me.
At one point a maid of honor is going to pay for something after a reception. The room is empty except them and Cloak and Dagger. C&D leave the room very suddenly and hop into the supposed married couples car (cans dragging and Just Married on the back windshield). Now, in my experience, if the reception room is cleared and all the guests have gone, the happy couple should have been LONG gone.
Just little things like this irk me, but may not annoy others as much as me.
"Uh...crazy white girl?"
LegendaryFang5616 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
(1,539-word review) It was high time to rewatch this show, particularly this season, which I started watching a month after its premiere. It came to my mind recently in an intensely nostalgic fashion, much to my surprise; I immediately decided to dive into this show a second time if only to re-evaluate it from an older, more mature perspective, giving it, the episodes, and seasons actual reviews instead of how I "reviewed" back then: one sentence that's either a question or void of saying whether I liked/disliked "it." Ironically, that seems popular and common now, like on Letterboxd; unfortunately, I wasn't aware enough to do it in that meme-esque, sometimes funny (but especially likely to get under the skin of many) way. You could effortlessly tell my brain wasn't at a suitable capacity; I was along for the ride regarding what I watched, enjoying it, yet had no idea what to write about it or what I thought about it beyond that.
I vividly remember liking the first season immensely, and that's corroborated by the ratings I gave each episode back then: mostly 10s, two 9s, and two 8s, though that was when I handed out high ratings to pretty much everything. But now that I've rewatched this series premiere at this time, years later and as a completely different person, generally and concerning how I view TV shows and films, in addition to writing semi-proper reviews now, I can say, assisted by utmost certainty, that it's up-to-par with that initial high rating - a little less so; my new one isn't a 10 out of 10, but an 8 out of 10 is close enough.
This introduction to these characters, specifically the introductory section up to the title card, was fantastic, particularly with how both Tandy and Tyrone's lives were coincidingly presented and edited together, further complimented by the gradual lead-up to their literal coming-together, on top of the similarities and tether of personal relatability and an emotional connection there, with and between their characters, beyond him saving her: the two of them doing the same with each other as their powers go hand-in-hand - from having a family member die in front of them to how Tandy's parents were negligent in raising her and barely involved in her life, leading to her growing up like that, in addition to life after her father's death, plus witnessing it, then with a single mother who already seemed to be the "worst" parent when both were alive: how it shaped her into the person she is currently, while Tyrone's brother died in front of him to then being lied to and gaslit about his death, subsequently growing up and living life without him, topped with his relationship with his parents being a little rocky; both characters, lost in life in present time, with the weight of their pasts on their shoulders while dealing with current struggles.
Additionally, their characters are perceivably being slowly but surely led to facing and confronting their pasts: fighting their respective battles. She will likely go against the Roxxon Corporation - not necessarily the entire company, but most certainly the head honcho or someone close to Nathan; that person may even fit within both categories. On the other side of the duo, he has already come in contact with Connors, the one responsible for Billy's death, which will, without a doubt, further develop into a proper confrontation.
Furthermore, her characterization, in particular (though that doesn't mean his characterization isn't), is off to a great start with subtle layers and visual, show, don't tell storytelling. I liked the shots of the female group of friends, completed with the shots of her afterward, how she saw her mother swallow a pill when the cronies from the Roxxon Corporation took everything, presumably to calm her down some and to help with the extreme emotional stress: to "stay strong," now doing the same thing herself, though not through swallowing them, only to then, at the end of the episode, look at the pills but chose Tyrone's jacket for comfort instead, and her reaction, coupled with rubbing her hand, after seeing her seat at the ballet show being in the middle of other attendees, probably because she would feel "trapped," symbolizing a fear from the car crash - telling us plenty with so little. That may have been somewhat simple (and perhaps other people thought that more strongly and only that: not worthy of praise), but I thought otherwise; it was effective and well done.
Overall, I'm pretty sure the Cloak & Dagger-centric comics were (and potentially are; I don't know if there are any ongoing comics with them) focused on grim themes, or those themes were at least moderately prominent, revolving deeply around s** or c***d trafficking, and maybe a tinge of d**g trafficking. I'm already knowledgeable, through mild remembrance, of this: that the show does honor that and leans heavily into that, adding a lot more to it than the mere, overarching teen drama-esque theme and that sort of thing, which many undoubtedly see this as, even those who've seen it, and while that is somewhat present, you shouldn't devalue the more serious themes that are also present.
For this first season, however, I'm reasonably confident that the focus is on their individual stories, each character's character development, and the coming-to-terms and knowledge improvement of their newfound abilities, intertwined with their collective character progression and development; the second season is when the overarching story leans into the harsh and cruel reality of human trafficking.
On top of that, I know their powers. But perhaps not comprehensively. Tandy can see the hopes of people, while Tyrone sees their fears; she can also summon light daggers (she may have the ability to bring forth other weapons or things and maybe even use those powers differently, not only conjuring knives/weapons), and he can teleport. They can also take away hopes and fears, not to mention amplify them, or at least Tyrone can do that from what I remember, including dragging people into his darkness, which has a dimension in and of itself; relating to that, his powers are scarier and possibly more automatic, shown by how Connors became weakened (perhaps beyond the current on-the-surface simplicity of that, like a portion of his life was sucked out of him; I may remember that a person's body becomes colder and colder as they're being affected by it) after merely coming in contact with that darkness and Tyrone's fear-seeing ability activated.
Besides the apparent lack of effort that went into (or didn't) the casting choice for the younger version of Tyrone, who did not resemble Aubrey Joseph whatsoever - and I'm joking about the possible implication of finding that inconsequential blunder to be immersion-breaking and a huge deal - it was a terrific series premiere.
The music/songs/song choices were excellent; the music supervisor(s) did a fantastic job. I'm aware that element, contributing to the teen drama feel, isn't everyone's cup of tea; some people probably didn't like it as much as I did, possibly even disliking or hating it - at the very least, doubtlessly annoyed by it, especially those who readily find things to dislike or allow to get under their skin unrealistically in shows and films. The score, too, stood out, especially during the scene with Billy and Tyrone before they ran and when they were running away as Nathan was on the phone and driving recklessly.
Not to mention, Olivia Holt's acting was phenomenal and did most of the carrying concerning that side of things, closely assisted by Gloria Reuben's acting. Aubrey Joseph did an equally efficient job, particularly in that "confrontation" scene; he and Gloria did wonderfully and played splendidly off each other.
Olivia and Aubrey had palpable chemistry from the get-go. The relationship between their characters isn't even a relationship yet, let alone platonic or romantic; as it develops, it'll likely go from the former to the latter. Or platonically undertoned with subtle crumbs of romance and s**ual tension as a slow burn. Tyrone seemed taken aback by Tandy's "well, you should wear it more often - hangs nicely off your shoulders" comment, and that had a greater sense of genuine affection and sincerity than what was present in his interactions with Evita: free and himself - untethered from putting up a bit of a front. Those two are undoubtedly the endgame ship, most notably in the minds of the majority, even if it remains in slow-burn, excruciating edging territory for the show's entirety.
But the writers are seemingly going for a classic love triangle, throwing Evita's character into the mix, given her obvious crush on him. He seems reciprocal enough - not to her level; he's noticeably distant and not fully present with her - for a potential relationship to occur: a brief one, no doubt. Hopefully, that dynamic isn't abused too much, especially regarding the inevitable increased distant behavior, now directly affecting and interfering instead of being something that happened to be in the air whenever they're together, all because of further exposure to Tandy and having a deeper connection and relationship with her, which she'll predictably notice. Handling that situation skillfully is vital, despite similar situations in TV shows and the like usually being an afterthought.
I vividly remember liking the first season immensely, and that's corroborated by the ratings I gave each episode back then: mostly 10s, two 9s, and two 8s, though that was when I handed out high ratings to pretty much everything. But now that I've rewatched this series premiere at this time, years later and as a completely different person, generally and concerning how I view TV shows and films, in addition to writing semi-proper reviews now, I can say, assisted by utmost certainty, that it's up-to-par with that initial high rating - a little less so; my new one isn't a 10 out of 10, but an 8 out of 10 is close enough.
This introduction to these characters, specifically the introductory section up to the title card, was fantastic, particularly with how both Tandy and Tyrone's lives were coincidingly presented and edited together, further complimented by the gradual lead-up to their literal coming-together, on top of the similarities and tether of personal relatability and an emotional connection there, with and between their characters, beyond him saving her: the two of them doing the same with each other as their powers go hand-in-hand - from having a family member die in front of them to how Tandy's parents were negligent in raising her and barely involved in her life, leading to her growing up like that, in addition to life after her father's death, plus witnessing it, then with a single mother who already seemed to be the "worst" parent when both were alive: how it shaped her into the person she is currently, while Tyrone's brother died in front of him to then being lied to and gaslit about his death, subsequently growing up and living life without him, topped with his relationship with his parents being a little rocky; both characters, lost in life in present time, with the weight of their pasts on their shoulders while dealing with current struggles.
Additionally, their characters are perceivably being slowly but surely led to facing and confronting their pasts: fighting their respective battles. She will likely go against the Roxxon Corporation - not necessarily the entire company, but most certainly the head honcho or someone close to Nathan; that person may even fit within both categories. On the other side of the duo, he has already come in contact with Connors, the one responsible for Billy's death, which will, without a doubt, further develop into a proper confrontation.
Furthermore, her characterization, in particular (though that doesn't mean his characterization isn't), is off to a great start with subtle layers and visual, show, don't tell storytelling. I liked the shots of the female group of friends, completed with the shots of her afterward, how she saw her mother swallow a pill when the cronies from the Roxxon Corporation took everything, presumably to calm her down some and to help with the extreme emotional stress: to "stay strong," now doing the same thing herself, though not through swallowing them, only to then, at the end of the episode, look at the pills but chose Tyrone's jacket for comfort instead, and her reaction, coupled with rubbing her hand, after seeing her seat at the ballet show being in the middle of other attendees, probably because she would feel "trapped," symbolizing a fear from the car crash - telling us plenty with so little. That may have been somewhat simple (and perhaps other people thought that more strongly and only that: not worthy of praise), but I thought otherwise; it was effective and well done.
Overall, I'm pretty sure the Cloak & Dagger-centric comics were (and potentially are; I don't know if there are any ongoing comics with them) focused on grim themes, or those themes were at least moderately prominent, revolving deeply around s** or c***d trafficking, and maybe a tinge of d**g trafficking. I'm already knowledgeable, through mild remembrance, of this: that the show does honor that and leans heavily into that, adding a lot more to it than the mere, overarching teen drama-esque theme and that sort of thing, which many undoubtedly see this as, even those who've seen it, and while that is somewhat present, you shouldn't devalue the more serious themes that are also present.
For this first season, however, I'm reasonably confident that the focus is on their individual stories, each character's character development, and the coming-to-terms and knowledge improvement of their newfound abilities, intertwined with their collective character progression and development; the second season is when the overarching story leans into the harsh and cruel reality of human trafficking.
On top of that, I know their powers. But perhaps not comprehensively. Tandy can see the hopes of people, while Tyrone sees their fears; she can also summon light daggers (she may have the ability to bring forth other weapons or things and maybe even use those powers differently, not only conjuring knives/weapons), and he can teleport. They can also take away hopes and fears, not to mention amplify them, or at least Tyrone can do that from what I remember, including dragging people into his darkness, which has a dimension in and of itself; relating to that, his powers are scarier and possibly more automatic, shown by how Connors became weakened (perhaps beyond the current on-the-surface simplicity of that, like a portion of his life was sucked out of him; I may remember that a person's body becomes colder and colder as they're being affected by it) after merely coming in contact with that darkness and Tyrone's fear-seeing ability activated.
Besides the apparent lack of effort that went into (or didn't) the casting choice for the younger version of Tyrone, who did not resemble Aubrey Joseph whatsoever - and I'm joking about the possible implication of finding that inconsequential blunder to be immersion-breaking and a huge deal - it was a terrific series premiere.
The music/songs/song choices were excellent; the music supervisor(s) did a fantastic job. I'm aware that element, contributing to the teen drama feel, isn't everyone's cup of tea; some people probably didn't like it as much as I did, possibly even disliking or hating it - at the very least, doubtlessly annoyed by it, especially those who readily find things to dislike or allow to get under their skin unrealistically in shows and films. The score, too, stood out, especially during the scene with Billy and Tyrone before they ran and when they were running away as Nathan was on the phone and driving recklessly.
Not to mention, Olivia Holt's acting was phenomenal and did most of the carrying concerning that side of things, closely assisted by Gloria Reuben's acting. Aubrey Joseph did an equally efficient job, particularly in that "confrontation" scene; he and Gloria did wonderfully and played splendidly off each other.
Olivia and Aubrey had palpable chemistry from the get-go. The relationship between their characters isn't even a relationship yet, let alone platonic or romantic; as it develops, it'll likely go from the former to the latter. Or platonically undertoned with subtle crumbs of romance and s**ual tension as a slow burn. Tyrone seemed taken aback by Tandy's "well, you should wear it more often - hangs nicely off your shoulders" comment, and that had a greater sense of genuine affection and sincerity than what was present in his interactions with Evita: free and himself - untethered from putting up a bit of a front. Those two are undoubtedly the endgame ship, most notably in the minds of the majority, even if it remains in slow-burn, excruciating edging territory for the show's entirety.
But the writers are seemingly going for a classic love triangle, throwing Evita's character into the mix, given her obvious crush on him. He seems reciprocal enough - not to her level; he's noticeably distant and not fully present with her - for a potential relationship to occur: a brief one, no doubt. Hopefully, that dynamic isn't abused too much, especially regarding the inevitable increased distant behavior, now directly affecting and interfering instead of being something that happened to be in the air whenever they're together, all because of further exposure to Tandy and having a deeper connection and relationship with her, which she'll predictably notice. Handling that situation skillfully is vital, despite similar situations in TV shows and the like usually being an afterthought.
I was hooked from the get go! A great opening episode
Ed-Shullivan8 June 2018
Two young children from different backgrounds find themselves in a fight for their nine (9) year old lives while they are quickly sinking to the bottom of the harbor and then an explosion occurs on the nearby oil rig which resonates with a a bright light that envelopes these two young children who are near to death by drowning.
The two nine (9) year old children reach out in the light and somehow find each other's hand and the next thing we see is that these two children had survived their ordeal under water and are now nineteen (19) year old teenagers struggling in their current lives living flashbacks of that fateful day that changed their lives forever.
Cloak and Dagger has leaped to a terrific start after watching just the first episode. The story line seamlessly intertwines science fiction/adventure and teenage drama with cinematic style landscapes and mystical musical interludes. The two main characters first meet at a very young age around nine (9) years old, while an oil rig explodes in the harbor and the two children appear to be drowning until a bright source of light envelopes the two of them. The two children reach out to hold hands as they float up towards breaking the water surface.
The opening episode then brings the two series stars from the past tense as nine (9) year olds to nineteen (19) year old struggling teenagers named Dagger (Olivia Holt) and Cloak (Aubrey Joseph) who serendipitously run into each other at a teenage booze party in the park. Both Cloak and Dagger have back flashes of that rainy evening that changed not only their lives but the lives of their respective families forever.
As in real life, troubled teens believe they have the weight of the entire world on their shoulders and Cloak and Dagger both carry a certain amount of undeserved guilt and demons within themselves. As a little girl Dagger loved taking ballet lessons and Cloak just wanted to impress his big brother by stealing a car radio when both of their entire worlds fell apart.
When these two troubled teens face off against each other it only takes a simple hand touch to remind them of that fateful night some ten years ago when lighting seems to then strike them twice in their young lifetime. I am genuinely looking forward to watching future episodes to see how the series storyline evolves and how Cloak and Daggers parents and so called "friends" continue to impact their lives.
It is simply an excellent start to a brand new TV series which is showing great potential. I give the series a perfect 10 out of 10 rating for its creativity and fine acting by the series stars Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph.
The two nine (9) year old children reach out in the light and somehow find each other's hand and the next thing we see is that these two children had survived their ordeal under water and are now nineteen (19) year old teenagers struggling in their current lives living flashbacks of that fateful day that changed their lives forever.
Cloak and Dagger has leaped to a terrific start after watching just the first episode. The story line seamlessly intertwines science fiction/adventure and teenage drama with cinematic style landscapes and mystical musical interludes. The two main characters first meet at a very young age around nine (9) years old, while an oil rig explodes in the harbor and the two children appear to be drowning until a bright source of light envelopes the two of them. The two children reach out to hold hands as they float up towards breaking the water surface.
The opening episode then brings the two series stars from the past tense as nine (9) year olds to nineteen (19) year old struggling teenagers named Dagger (Olivia Holt) and Cloak (Aubrey Joseph) who serendipitously run into each other at a teenage booze party in the park. Both Cloak and Dagger have back flashes of that rainy evening that changed not only their lives but the lives of their respective families forever.
As in real life, troubled teens believe they have the weight of the entire world on their shoulders and Cloak and Dagger both carry a certain amount of undeserved guilt and demons within themselves. As a little girl Dagger loved taking ballet lessons and Cloak just wanted to impress his big brother by stealing a car radio when both of their entire worlds fell apart.
When these two troubled teens face off against each other it only takes a simple hand touch to remind them of that fateful night some ten years ago when lighting seems to then strike them twice in their young lifetime. I am genuinely looking forward to watching future episodes to see how the series storyline evolves and how Cloak and Daggers parents and so called "friends" continue to impact their lives.
It is simply an excellent start to a brand new TV series which is showing great potential. I give the series a perfect 10 out of 10 rating for its creativity and fine acting by the series stars Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph.
Good program but not for little kids
dalphon-hamilton1039 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I am binge watching the entire 1st season. Actually, I think it is worth an 8 1/2, rather than just an 8. True, the plot seems to plod along at first, but things begin to speed up during episode 8.
There are some sights in the show that make me think the show is written for the 16+ age group. I still shudder at when I remember the lady police officer finding the upper half of her boyfriend's body in the refrigerator.
However, being the father of boys, I feel that the angst/guilt/anger Tyrone feels due to seeing his brother killed is true to life. His mother's hidden anger and his father's still present grief at the loss of their 1st born is also real. Tandy's life and lifestyle, as a result of growing up with a drug addict parent, is also real life.
So far, this is not a cheery program. Yet, I get the feeling that hope exists for the main characters.
However, being the father of boys, I feel that the angst/guilt/anger Tyrone feels due to seeing his brother killed is true to life. His mother's hidden anger and his father's still present grief at the loss of their 1st born is also real. Tandy's life and lifestyle, as a result of growing up with a drug addict parent, is also real life.
So far, this is not a cheery program. Yet, I get the feeling that hope exists for the main characters.
Familiar ground, but worth the lengthy intro
mgyukeri22 June 2018
Given the central conceit of the superhero duo in the comics (that Tandy and Tyrone cannot survive without each other), it's frustrating to see the characters kept at arms length for the two-part pilot episode. It's a solid pilot, and the narrative beats make sense for an origin story, but it's superhero fatigue that makes getting through the exposition so cumbersome. It's a lot like Marc Webb's Amazing Spider-Man-totally serviceable and surprisingly well-produced, there are just a lot of narrative beats we've seen before. There's payoff in pretty much every following episode, so it's definitely worth sticking through.
Cloak and Dagger: The forgotten Two 1.1
ThunderKing615 August 2022
This episode felt so long. I guess when you watch 25 min MCU and Star Wars shows you become unused to longer dept episodes
After 3 years of MCU Disney Minus shows. TC felt like a real show that the producers tried to make something iCIONIC. MCU shows and Star Wars have felt like rushed messes. Its sad Secondary company has produced better content than Disney/MCU.
Anyways.... A solid episode on my 2nd watch. I did watch this back in the day and I didn't like it first try. Now giving it a second chance, it was a slow but interesting first episode.
Characters are being developed and you somewhat care for them despite the typical stereotypes.
Overall, a great start.
After 3 years of MCU Disney Minus shows. TC felt like a real show that the producers tried to make something iCIONIC. MCU shows and Star Wars have felt like rushed messes. Its sad Secondary company has produced better content than Disney/MCU.
Anyways.... A solid episode on my 2nd watch. I did watch this back in the day and I didn't like it first try. Now giving it a second chance, it was a slow but interesting first episode.
Characters are being developed and you somewhat care for them despite the typical stereotypes.
Overall, a great start.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
