IR TV Review: WHAT IF - EPISODE 1 (“Captain Carter”) [Disney+]
The texture of Marvels animated "What If..." which has been touted for sometime, is an interesting construct that plays into the idea of alternate timelines not so much as a fantasy wish scenario but in different patterns that inevitably, in certain ways, produce interesting results. The animation done here is leagues above most. There is fluidity that even "The Bad Batch" can't match (although its most recent episode really upped the bar in terms of scale -- especially on an animated series budget). The first episode of :What If": "Captain Carter" plays like a film but you get most (not all) of the original cast members reprising their roles, which does add a validity to the proceedings. The 1st Episode: "Captain Carter" shows an adjustment in the history when the super soldier program started. It goes a different way and Agent Carter instead becomes the one instead of Steve Rogers by circumstance. It creates a whole other dynamic while one stays the same. The adjustment to story works great and though it tackles many issues (as it needs to), it still feels organic and plot filled. The ending goes a little overboard while most of it really stays in good check. It feels like Disney/Marvel scale which is always tricky, especially in another medium because expectations needs to be met but they also have to make sense and not be too overwrought. Now how all the episodes push forward the next stories on screen with Dr. Strange and Hawkeye is to be seen. A
By Tim Wassberg
