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Recap / Runaways 2017 S01E01: "Reunion"

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A group of six Los Angeles teens, fractured by a tragic loss, reunite only to discover that their parents may be hiding a terrible secret that turns their world upside down.

  • Abusive Parents: Victor Stein, who has Chase terrified of him, and complains that Chase isn't scared enough.
  • Attempted Rape: Two lacrosse jocks find Karolina passed out on the floor and carry her off to one of the bedrooms in a clear case of this before Chase intervenes.
  • Book Burning: Nico throws her spellbook into the bonfire in frustration after her spell to summon her sister fails.
  • Cult: Not just the Church of the Gibborim, but also the PRIDE.
  • Church of Happyology: The Church of the Gibborim is absolutely and clearly not based in the Church of Scientology.
  • Empty Bedroom Grieving: The Minorus, particularly mama Minoru, keep Amy's bedroom as it was, and don't allow anyone to enter it (not even her sister Nico).
  • Establishing Character Moment: The main six are introduced this way.
    • Alex is sulkily playing video games and shrugs off his father's offer to play with him. When he turns the game off, we learn that he's playing to commemorate a dead friend.
    • Nico does her makeup then tries to break into her sister's room to wear her tights. When her mother confronts her about it, the altercation ends badly.
    • Chase is introduced working out, as his mother implores him to have breakfast with his father, who threatens him because he's got a C in Spanish.
    • Karolina asks her mother for permission to attend a school trip, but her mother refuses because she's got a church-related activity lined up for Karolina then (without telling her daughter).
    • Gert calls out Molly for trying out for cheerleading, claiming it to be against feminism.
    • Molly brushes off Gert's criticism, then smilingly says she'll try out for dance anyway because she loves the outfits.
  • Foreshadowing: Dancing? Drinking? Drugs? Disobeying her mother? Nope. The thing that immediately precedes Karolina taking off her bracelet is seeing two pretty girls kissing.
  • Forgotten Fallen Friend: Painfully averted with Amy Minoru, whose death caused the protagonists to drift apart. Two years later Alex and Nico are still mourning her.
  • Glowing Eyes of Doom: Molly's black irises glow yellow when her powers activate.
  • Jerk Jock: Chase's two jock friends not only are jerks, but also try to rape Karolina after she passes out during the party.
  • Language Barrier: Two men in the beginning attempt to save Destiny from being taken by Church of Gibborim, but since they only speak Spanish and Destiny can't understand them, she merely thought they're just creeps who intend to assault her, so she ends up going with the Church after two Church members tasered those two Spanish-speaking men.
    Man: [in Spanish] She would've been safer with us.
  • Menstrual Menace: When Molly complains of abdominal pain, everyone treats it as a girl's first period. It turns out to be her Super-Strength manifesting.
  • Mushroom Samba: Averted. Karolina's arms and hands glow in colors, not because of the pill she was given but implied to be because of her heritage, which her bracelet suppresses. She's even shown tossing away the pill afterwards.
  • Near-Rape Experience: Karolina takes a drug, takes off her bracelet, and falls unconscious. Some assholes carry her upstairs and start undressing her. Luckily, Chase saw her being carried up there and was willing and able to fight the guys.
  • No Celebrities Were Harmed: David Ellerh, the founder of the Church of Gibborim, is clearly based on L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology
  • Lipstick Lesbian: Two young, good-looking ones are making out during the party. Karolina notices.
  • Power Incontinence: Molly rips out the basement's door after she's scared by Old Lace.
  • Some Kind of Force Field: Alex points out that there's "some kind of barrier" keeping the PRIDE from hearing them while holding a hand up to it.
  • Stepford Smiler: Karolina is the poster child for the Church of the Gibborim but suffers under the pressure of her mother and the cyberbullying she faces for being a part of the cult.
  • The Teaser: The episode opens with a young homeless woman getting off a bus. Although a few men try to stop it from happening, she accepts help from a group of people from the Church of Gibborim. Cut to credits, then a six-month Time Skip occurs where the main characters are introduced.
  • Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Karolina takes a pill, takes off her bracelet, then starts staring at her hands, because they're all shiny and shit. We the audience could be forgiven at that time for assuming it's just Intoxication Ensues, but of course it isn't. Karolina's a Half-Human Hybrid who really does glow and shit. The other party goers should also have noticed (granted, most if not all of them were also drunk and/or high).
  • Wild Teen Party: Chase and Karolina attend a packed house party where drugs are freely being given out.


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