Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
When this show was being promoted, I was a bit worried— this is Netflix we’re talking about. The streaming service that rushes all of their original shows & stuffs the plot into 6-13 episodes. I was even more terrified when the first episode seemed like a speed run of the Scott Pilgrim plot we all know and love. I’ve never been so happy about being wrong.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off takes its title seriously when the story surrounds what would happen if Scott Pilgrim Vs. Matthew Patel resulted in Scott bursting into coins. The actual main character is Ramona Flowers, who investigates his appearance after finding out he’s not actually dead. She suspects mainly her Seven Evil Exes, and makes amends with them to cross them off the list of the kidnapper— thus humanizing the villains of the story and expanding the universe beyond Scott’s point of view.
This is how you revive a universally loved comic to live action adaptation, fix its minuscule errors, and deliver something fresh to the fans without completely milking its popularity. I absolutely loved this show, and it felt like a love letter to those who grew up watching the movie over and over (and over) until they could recite lines word for word and explain the entire movie without leaving anything out, and replayed the video game god knows how many times (still not over the Subboss theme featured in the finale and Roxie & Ramona on the subway). There’s something for almost every character’s fans (excluding Crash and the Boys— I’m still butthurt about that) and no one feels too neglected. Even the characters who were meant to just be side characters are given so much depth that they become some of your favorites (Young Neil, his character reimagination was absolutely brilliant). Characters are even given their comic personalities, which, in my opinion, is a better version of themselves. Specifically Wallace and Ramona, who are mostly monotone in the film and while they were still good characters, the show is ten times better by morphing the two adaptations together.
The show does a great job at being cleverly meta and doesn’t overdo it. From the Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life movie (and musical), to recycling songs from the video game soundtrack, to the character Edgar Wrong— every episode felt like coming across a pot of gold every thirty minutes on eight occasions. The cameos by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost from Wright’s Cornetto trilogy creates even more layers to it. I also didn’t expect Fast and Furious references, but as THE number one fan of that franchise I felt my heart drop. And Scott Pilgrim by Plumtree playing in the finale end credits? I nearly shed a tear.
My only complaint is the animation— it felt a little boring and less theatric as the movie, which seems insane considering SPTO is animated. The fight scenes, though entertaining on paper, just didn’t feel Scott Pilgrim enough. It may just be nostalgia talking on the other hand, as I got used to it by the third episode.
Though I’d hate if they just capitalized off of the success of the anime, I would love to see more seasons— not necessarily as a continuation of the first season but it’d be amazing if they found a way to adapt the other volumes of the comics.