The original post: /r/television by /u/KneeHighMischief on 2026-03-08 07:09:16+00:00.
I went into the series very light on details. Most of what I remember about the character is more what he looked like than who he was. Some of what I picked up on was that it would be “inside Hollywood” in scope.
I didn’t expect it to touch on subjects like the privatization of prisons, stats-driven policing, extreme alienation & other mental health issues. I thought it was gonna be very light & breezy (it was at times) but it was refreshing how resonant it was.
Simon Williams is definitely a protagonist outside the usual MCU mold. He’s deeply insecure & needy. Plus sad in a way that I don’t know they’ve really showed before.
He wants nothing more than to be a performer even though he has serious issues relating to people in general. The uncomfortability was radiating off of him during the scenes at his Mother’s birthday.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II gives a fantastic well rounded performance as an extremely unlikely & reluctant superhero. Pairing him with disgraced actor Trevor Slattery was a great choice.
Yahya & Ben Kingsley have real chemistry. Simon thinks he’s found his first ever real friend in Trevor. The sweetness of it is undercut by Trevor’s actual intentions & I really enjoyed how it mirrored the project they were working on.
Damage Control made for a scummy & all too real to life antagonist. The bureaucracy of it has been present before, it never felt quite as insidious though is at does here. Simon is only viewed as threat in relation to budget numbers, making quotas & the perception of doing good.
I understand Marvel reached oversaturation for some people 10 movie ago. I recommend it pretty strongly. Its only eight episodes of sitcom length. I think it works well without knowing the MCU & even if you don’t love superheros do you still might connect with it.