Ultimate Spider-Man "Why I Hate Gym" Talkback (Spoilers)

[James Harvey]

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Ultimate Spider-Man "Why I Hate Gym"
Episode Premiere Date - April 29th, 2012
When the villainous Taskmaster goes undercover as Midtown High’s gym teacher to find Spider–Man, gym class becomes a battleground. Spidey and White Tiger must put aside their differences to save their friends from the Taskmaster

Comments?

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[Dragnatek]

While the show has made some small improvements over the course of five episodes it really has not been enough. This will probably be my final episode for a while if it does not wow me. Hell I almost made last weeks my final episode but then I saw Taskmaster. I want to see how he is handled in this show and then I will decide if I want to keep watching or not.

I am fearful the Spidey and White Tiger working together plot might drag it down, it depends on how her "boys are idiots" attitude is played.

 

[BigEclipse]

Is it me or does civilian White Tiger and MJ have almost the exact same character design?

 

[Medinnus]

I liked this episode the best of those aired so far; the humor seemed a little more restrained, and Taskmaster very well-written, even though I find it hard to believe that a fellow with his intelligence and preparation wouldn't have had night-vision already built into his mask; its like one of the Bat-family not having a re-breather in his utility belt. Even so, it was more plausible than out-speeding the Living Laser, so I guess I should be grateful.

Probably the best outing for the White Tiger, also - she was more than just a sterotype loudmouth in this episode, and the change was more than welcome (and about time). Up until now she's really been a one-trick pony, and a tedious one at that.

Nova's absence was welcome.

Iron Fist and Power Man got short shrift this time, but that's OK as I get an extra helping of the actual characters and not the lame teen versions in AEMH this weekend.

The Taskmaster microhero that I promised is currently underway!

 

[Anyone00]

You know I have a feeling that janitor is going to need a cup of coffee (Disney really should dub and air Hero Man).

Anyway nice to see this show has become tolerable for this and the last episode.

 

[Rick Jones]

Pretty fun episode but as usual there are a few things I could do without (The exaggerated Batroc, the football field trap, the cartoony sound effects in general). Taskmaster was pretty cool and I can't wait to see what he's up to the next time around. Spidey's interaction with White Tiger has been the best he's had with any other member of the team since the debut.

 

[Frontier]

This was the best episode out of Ultimate Spider-Man in a while. Taskmaster was competent, and effective and looks to become a recurring villain. I'd say he was done well for his first outing in animation.They even fit in his origin as a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

The action was good, the jokes weren't terrible, and Spider-Man wasn't too big a jerk in this episode. I wasn't sure whether I would still watch this show, but this episode kept me entertained enough to want to keep watching. Next week we have the Hulk and some Mary-Jane focus, which will hopefully keep up this quality.

 

[mrD]

the one thing i knew that was going to annoy me is that spiderman will rarely if never fight on his own against his own villians if they appear.....they whole "fury said get back to the helicarrier for training" i feel this show should be called ultimate spider man and his ultimate friends, because I dont see him having his own time, good episode, though its still earlly in the show i dont see him doing his own thing, i'll just have to see

 

[MarvelManiac]

I'm making my reviews longer now!

I can honestly, no complaints! Taskmaster was a bad-ass, with a great VA to back him up (Clancy Brown makes him sound threatening and cool. "You're gonna have to pay for those, remember?"). I am hopeful that with that ending, he'll make another appearance, just as good (Seriously, best Taskmaster appearance ever).

The humor was also top-notch, will Spider-Man reassuring us that all gym teachers aren’t all evil taskmaster’s, the “amazing spider-man” phrase I laughed at (and that was before Stan decided to write it down “That could really be something”), as well as Spidey picturing what is would be like to be Taskmaster’s helper (*Belch!* “Pick that up!”) and even Flash too. And poor Coulson with his short underwear. “I swim, okay?”

Next week’s episode seems to be just as good, with a Cloverfield-style Hulk story (Poor Spidey can’t do anything against Hulk, and then gets sent flying with a back-hand). Overall, good action, funny humor, and spectacular writing makes ‘Why I Hate The Gym’ (when Peter said the episode title, I got a kick out of it) the best episode yet, with more great episodes to come!

 

[Lighthammer]

This episode grew the beard for the storytelling of the series a lot. I'm not sure if I can sit back and say I really like this series yet, but this episode isSIGNIFICANT improvement.

The cut aways were so unobtrusive, that I don't honestly recall how many there were even right after watching the episode. I actually had to quick question myself if there were any >.>.

There's still a lot of elements of the series I think are boarding on too corny, but its certainly bringing the series in realm of a competent feeling series.

That being said, is anyone else starting to feel like there is a serious Totally Spies feeling radiating from this series ? :-|

 

[Dragnatek]

Ok I'm staying aboard for a while longer. I watched this episode mainly for Taskmasker and I was afraid of the Spidey and White Tiger team up as I said in an earlier post. Luckily Tasky did not disappoint and White Tiger was pretty good in this episode. As of this moment the only member of Spidey's team I can't stand is Nova. Here's hoping Tasky returns.

 

[macattack]

I think this is the first decent episode for the series. After five episodes that ranged from mediocre to downright awful, this is a serious improvement. The cuts were used more intelligently but there were still a few too many, but at least Taskmaster came off as a threat. Some of the cuts were genuinely amusing this time especially when Stan reacted to the "amazing Spider-Man" comment.

I'm hoping the series continues to improve from here. The Hulk episode looks like it could be genuinely good if it doesn't drown in pointless jokes.

Hopefully White Tiger's development in this episode sticks. If it doesn't I'm calling shenanigans.

It remains to be seen how the series progresses from here but there's finally some positive signs. I just wish the Spider-Cycle would go away though. >_> It's been in far too many episodes.

 

[reflection01]

I guess everybody is lowering their standards enough to make this show acceptable. Hard to believe the rumors that Marvel is developing a Marvel Animated Universe around this. It's tolerable as long as I treat it as a comedy and watch it last after YJ, GL, Thundercats, and A:EMH.

So S.H.I.E.L.D. has young heroes hiding in plain sight to the point that people from Taskmaster to J. Jonah Jameson suspect Midtown. Not sure why that scenario would quell those rumors.

Good move focusing on Spiderman and White Tiger. It would have been much more embarrassing to feature Power Man and Iron Fist before a superior portrayal of them in A:EMH.

 

[Webbed-Wonder]

This was honestly the best episode so far. The humor was non obtrusive and restrained for when it needed to be there and backed away when seriousness was needed. Spider-Man and the other teen heroes were actually competent this time unlike several past episodes where most of them act completely idiotic.

It was great seeing Taskmaster in animation and seeing him done so well. The best villain this series has offered yet for sure, Clancy Brown did a good job (Steve Blum was great in MVC3 too). He was a real threat, close to the comics, and I like how the gym teacher garb was only a disguise and not his real face.

Still don't like the spider cycle, either.

 

[JTMarsh]

Clancy Brown as Taskmaster - proving once again that Mr. Brown makes everything better.

And Spidey & White Tiger had some decent banter in between the action beats.

And it's always nice to hear veteran voice actor Rob Paulsen (to many he is Yakko from Animaniacs, but to me he'll always be Raph from the late 80s Ninja Turtles cartoon).

Is it me or does civilian White Tiger and MJ have almost the exact same character design?

Yeah, they do look very similar. And how does White Tiger get her mask over all that hair?

 

[NBM05]

I enjoyed this episode a lot more than last weeks. Some good action, good comedy, and even some build for the over arching plot lines. Nice individual fights between the heroes and Taskmaster, and a decent way for Spider-man and White Tiger to finally beat him. Definitely one of the better episodes so far.

 

[TheVileOne]

This was my favorite episode of the season so far. Taskmaster has been a favorite character of mine for years so it was great to finally see an episode dedicated to him that's also accurate and shows how he is a badass character.

White Tiger and Spider-Man actually working together was awesome and the way they figured out how to outsmart and beat Taskmaster was also awesome.

Also there was a nice bit of plot development that established that Taskmaster has a past relationship with SHIELD and Nick Fury. Taskmaster said that SHIELD will double-cross Spider-Man like they did him. Now yeah he's the bad guy, but if you look at Taskmaster's history he's not really a bad guy or a traditional villain. Taskmaster is very much an antihero. He has a code of honor. He refuses to kill and he will never kill innocents. He's an opportunist and a gun for hire yes. More often than not he's against the heroes but it just seems like if things were a little different he very well could've been a hero. He wasn't trying to take out Spider-Man so much as recruit him for Osborn. Like the implication that Taskmaster will return.

Another thing I liked this episode was how they represented Taskmaster's powers and how he examines and copies the moves of other heroes.

 

[Choppasmith]

I liked this episode the best of those aired so far; the humor seemed a little more restrained, and Taskmaster very well-written, even though I find it hard to believe that a fellow with his intelligence and preparation wouldn't have had night-vision already built into his mask; its like one of the Bat-family not having a re-breather in his utility belt. Even so, it was more plausible than out-speeding the Living Laser, so I guess I should be grateful.

Probably the best outing for the White Tiger, also - she was more than just a sterotype loudmouth in this episode, and the change was more than welcome (and about time). Up until now she's really been a one-trick pony, and a tedious one at that.

Nova's absence was welcome.

Iron Fist and Power Man got short shrift this time, but that's OK as I get an extra helping of the actual characters and not the lame teen versions in AEMH this weekend.

The Taskmaster microhero that I promised is currently underway!

Yeah, that kinda bugged me too, but then I remember some B:TAS episodes where Batman was victim to knockout gas when he could've easily just used some kind of emergency gas mask tucked away in his Utility Belt.

But as staunchly as I support this show, I do agree AEMH Cage and Rand >>>>>> USM Cage and Rand for sure!

That being said, is anyone else starting to feel like there is a serious Totally Spies feeling radiating from this series ? :-|

Not sure where you'd get THAT idea, but then I only saw a couple of episodes of TS! To me, the series works as a cross between Scott Pilgrim and The Emperor's New Groove/School. I certainly admit that earlier episodes they really overdid the cut away gags (the most irksome for me was the Lawnmower/Venom one because of its length right in the middle of a big fight scene). But I'll stick by my belief that it just works for Spider-man. My sister and I, long time Marvel fans, are really enjoying it.

But anyway, yeah really enjoyed this episode. When I finished watching I thought, "Okay if fans can't admit something good here, then I've officially lost my mind or something" Taskmaster's powers were wonderfully portrayed here. Also, great animation for the "black out" fight scene.

 

[TheVileOne]

Deep down I know Medinnus loves this show and can't resist but watching it. Maybe a guilty pleasure at least Medinnus?

 

[Lighthammer]

Not sure where you'd get THAT idea, but then I only saw a couple of episodes of TS! To me, the series works as a cross between Scott Pilgrim and The Emperor's New Groove/School. I certainly admit that earlier episodes they really overdid the cut away gags (the most irksome for me was the Lawnmower/Venom one because of its length right in the middle of a big fight scene). But I'll stick by my belief that it just works for Spider-man. My sister and I, long time Marvel fans, are really enjoying it.

But anyway, yeah really enjoyed this episode. When I finished watching I thought, "Okay if fans can't admit something good here, then I've officially lost my mind or something" Taskmaster's powers were wonderfully portrayed here. Also, great animation for the "black out" fight scene.

The whole super secret world agency protecting the world and being dragged off randomly in the middle of other normal life happenings was common place in Totally Spies.

Not to mention I am seeing some serious comparisons between Jerry from totally Spies Phil Coulson in Ultimate Spiderman.

Not to mention, as sad as this might sound, I am finding it easier to tolerate Ultimate Spiderman now that I am thinking about as something of a successor to Totally spies with a Marvel skin.

Lets face it, it doesn't matter your age or your gender, you can't seriously watch an episode of Totally Spies without admiting the pacing, the action, the comedy and everything about the series feels like its in perfect sync and very enjoyable. It's not exactly one of those series I go out of my way to watch or buy DVDs for or anything, but it is something I have no problem watching on TV when I see it.