Despite being a massive fan of the character for most of my life, I wasn’t particularly looking forward to the release of “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.” I made plans to watch it, but I didn’t expect to be blown away or come out of it with a new favorite.
At first, my presumptions were right. During the two-episode premiere on Jan. 29, I cringed at some of the dialogue, scoffed at the frugal animation style, and remarked that I was just watching something I’d already seen a million times before. If it didn’t improve soon, I was almost certainly going to drop it.
But then something strange happened. Episode three hit, and it flew by. Then Episode 4. By the end of Episode 5, the show had my full intention. I had gone from being mildly placated to being hardcore invested.
In other words, I never should have doubted Spider-Man.
Plot-wise, this series isn’t anything we haven’t seen before. It chronicles yet another interpretation of Spider-Man’s origin story, from the radioactive spider to the high school responsibilities and villain-of-the-week plots. It’s classic Spider-Man in every way, but I believe it’s a mistake to view that as bad.
When the show was announced, I was under the impression that it would finally reveal the origin story of Tom Holland’s iteration of Peter Parker. I was disappointed when I started episode one and quickly realized this wasn’t the case — this was an alternate universe Spider-Man. After a few episodes, though, it didn’t matter. I eventually got so invested in this iteration of the character I stopped thinking about Holland altogether.
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The same goes for the animation style. At first, I found the stilted minimalist approach jarring, but after a while, I got used to it. It’s meant to emulate the art style of classic comic books, and watching this show does feel like reading a comic, from the title card that changes with every episode to the “panels” that would occasionally appear to frame onscreen action.
One of my favorite aspects of this show was the character of Lonnie, who starts as captain of the football team and works his way into Peter’s circle. From there, he gets caught up in gang warfare and has to make some heavy choices, and these moments frequently parallel the kinds of choices Peter has to make. It was incredibly gripping watching two characters go through similar struggles, with one taking the high road and another taking a much darker path.
The series isn’t afraid to get dark either. I was surprised by how consistently real the stakes felt throughout, as Peter and many other characters take bloody beatings that have overarching repercussions. There was a moment in episode nine where a certain character tried to assist Peter in stopping a supervillain, and I genuinely thought they wouldn’t make it.
Another fun element that cropped up throughout was the presence of cameos and references to the wider Marvel universe. From Doctor Strange to Iron Man to even Daredevil, these cameos were not forced and were fun to see without overstaying their welcome.
“Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” may be another simple take on a character who’s been around since the 60s, but that’s precisely what I love about it. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves why we love our favorite characters so much, and I’m grateful that this show did that for me. Spider-Man and his stories continue to endure for a reason, and I can’t wait to see where this particular story goes next.