Discussion Headscratchers / CloakAndDagger2018

observer234: I once again have to question how is this series possible. The reason why most Slice of Life stories work is because the setting involves little conflict. Equestria is a rather peaceful and uneventful place, and even Canterlot High is more or less depicted in the same manner. Beach City is pretty peaceful when the civil war among the Gems doesn't flare up. And Nekomi City doesn't have any sort of major threats (the closest thing being the Lord of Terror, who only showed up once). But the Marvel Cinematic Universe is not like those places. The MCU is in constant threat from supervillain attacks, terrorist organizations, and corrupt cops, to the point that the Runaways are portrayed as utterly helpless. So...how can you have Slice of Life in the MCU? Are all the menaces supposed to suddenly vanish when Tyrone and Tandy are around?

• Dr Sleep Watsonian explanation: Cloak and Dagger is set in New Orleans, which up to this point has been geographically removed from all the superhero activity in the MCU (which mostly takes place in major metropolitan areas (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco) or off-planet). So apart from being constant topics of discussion, it's unlikely the events of previous movies and TV shows have significantly changed day to day life for the city's residents. And unlike the Runaways, neither of the protagonists here have any direct connection to other characters in the MCU (whereas the Runaways are specifically the children of super villains), so up until they got superpowers, there's no reason for any of the larger forces at work in the MCU to be involved in their lives.
  • observer234: Considering Ego's rampage affected Missouri, and the events of Inhumans affected Hawaii, saying "supervillain activity only happens in major metropolitan areas" is just wrong.
  • Dr Sleep: Inhumans takes place in Honolulu which is, y'know...a major metropolitan area in Hawaii. And I said "mostly", not all, but to wit: The bulk of the Iron Man movies take place in LA; the first Avengers, Spiderman Homecoming and all the Netflix shows are set in New York (and the climax of Incredible Hulk takes place in Harlem), Winter Soldier is set in DC, Civil War is scattered across a number of cities including Berlin, and the major locations in Doctor Strange are New York, Hong Kong, and Kathmandu. It's not inaccurate to say that many MCU properties are set in or near major cities.
  • BJV: When was it said this show had no perils for it's characters? It is a superhero show. It's not like Freeform is devoid of shows with dangerous threats in them; Dead of Summer had a freaking demon in it.
  • observer234: If it is, it's news to me. The trailer indicates something more realistic than "a superhero show", with the character facing real-life, mundane problems rather than "superhero" ones. Again, Slice of Life. Not idealistic or "cute" Slice of Life, but still Slice of Life.
  • BJV: No, "It's a romance story" does not equal "slice of life". Also, yes, it is a superhero show; Tyrone and Tandy become superheroes. Just because the trailer didn't feature an evil guy and didn't show a big action set piece doesn't mean this show is devoid of superhero elements.
• Dr. Sleep: Doylist explanation: Apart from the presence of super villains, you've pretty much described Real Life. All around the globe people are being threatened by corruption, terrorism, warfare, etc, but the thing is, it's not happening absolutely everywhere and all at once. There are people living comfortable, peaceful lives in safe suburbs in the American Midwest at the same time that there are people fleeing from mortal danger in Syria. Heck Spiderman Homecoming had elements of Slice of Life amidst all the action sequences, with Peter having a high school crush, attending classes, and generally being an average teenager.
• observer234: I think you are taking what I said to unreasonable extremes. To use your own words, whoever said Sliceof Life is ONLY defined by My Little Pony? I used it as the best example I could think of, but there's plenty of "gritty" Sliceof Life out there (Creed, Scrubs, Community, When Marnie Was There, even Catcher in the Rye). What defines Sliceof Life is NOT "cute", but rather realism. A complete absence of superheroes, supervillains, and other ludicrous comic book elements. Which WAS how this series was announced, as a romance with no superheroes or supervilllains (beyond the two main characters) and emphasis on Character Development and interpersonal drama. None of that equals "cute".
  • BJV: Okay...Creed is a sports movie, Scrubs and Community are comedies, I'll give you Marnie, but the Catcher in the Rye? That's a character study of Holden. I think you're really stretching this "Slice of Life" thing pretty thin. Also...there's your answer if you're so convinced Cloak and Dagger is slice of life story; it can be "gritty" enough to match the MCU as a whole in spite of not necessarily focusing on the elements you say can't happen.