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Review: POWERLESS S1 E1 “Wayne or Lose”

The seventh live action DC Comics show, Powerless is a comedy set in a mash up DC Universe. Our main character is Emily (Vanessa Hudgens), a girl from a small town looking to make a difference. It’s Emily’s first day at Wayne Security, and here we meet the rest of our cast; Her boss, Van Wayne (Alan Tudyk), and coworkers, Ron (Ron Funches), Teddy (Danny Pudi), and Jackie (Christina Kirk). Located in Charm City, Wayne Security is an offshoot of the bigger Wayne Enterprise. This division of the company is struggling to stay afloat. Our team needs to come up with an all-new product before Bruce Wayne shuts them down. Can Wayne Security stay in business?  We’ll have to find out over the next 10 episodes.

The main characters of the show are very strange to say the least. Emily is a good person, but she’s so over the top nice it becomes unbelievable. The rest of the characters are so mean spirited that it’s hard to root for them. I understand that living in a world of super heroes makes life tough, but they were almost unbearably cynical. Emily is the only optimistic person in this show – making her stick out like a sore thumb. Also Van Wayne is horrible. He’s selfish, power hungry, and an overall jerk. He has a couple of funny moments, but he’s constantly reminding us that his [much cooler] cousin isn’t showing up. Hopefully the character problems are done better in future episodes.
The show does have it’s positives. Some of the references are pretty funny, and the intro is perfection. They reference everything; from movies to comics to other DC shows. I am concerned that this show will end up like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. In season one of S.H.I.E.L.D. they relied on references to the Marvel Universe. So much so that it was almost unwatchable. Instead of letting the show grow into its own, they thought filling it up with tons of Avengers easter eggs would bring in viewers. Powerless doesn’t want to suffer the same fate. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. got better after they focused of their main characters instead of the universe they lived in. Powerless need to develop their main characters, and step away from some of the Justice League stuff. 

Powerless is a decent show that has potential. If they improve the characters, I think this show can be great. It’s nice to have a show that focuses on the “normal” people in a comic book world. Hopefully the series finds its footing and becomes something special. For more reviews, news and editorials on everything in DC Entertainment, stay tuned.
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