By Sarah Musnicky
With last year's prequel, GREMLINS: SECRETS OF THE MOGWAI, fans of Joe Dante's Gremlins went back in time to explore the beginnings of Sam Wing's life. Throughout SECRETS, the series explored Chinese folklore and the adorable Gizmo's background, and gave us new characters to know and love. Now, the gang is back with the all-new GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH. Offering a more streamlined story this time, showrunner and executive producer Tze Chun takes the Wing family to the United States, setting the stage for the future.
Set one year after the events of season one, things have mostly gotten back to normal for the Wing family. Sam (Izaac Wang) has been studying under his grandfather (James Hong), while his parents, Fong Wing (Ming-Na Wen) and Hong Wing (BD Wong), have his whole life planned out for him. Season one's Sam might have been okay with this, but in GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH, Sam isn't quite yet ready to settle down.
Meanwhile, something is awry with Sam's friends. Elle (Gabrielle Nevaeh) is struggling with dreams linked to her mother. And Gizmo is undergoing some changes of his own. Think something along the lines of maybe Mogwai puberty. Either way, neither Gizmo, Sam, nor Elle knows what's happening. When the threat of evil Mogwai rears up once again, prompting the gang to head to America, the mysteries surrounding the team may have a chance of being answered. They've just got to survive first.
The adventures of Gizmo, Sam, and Elle in GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH is less busy this season. While the previous season had the team going on more traditional "monster of the week" adventures until the main baddie's paths crossed with theirs, WILD BATCH holds little distraction in pursuit of plot. Instead, the first five episodes focus on the team getting to San Francisco to hunt down the evil mogwai. Sideplots tie into the overarching storyline arc surrounding Noggin (George Takei) and his mogwai gang, making things come together neatly and concisely.
With that said, the previous season oozed with magic. Not only were there mogwai, but there were a variety of other creatures to snare the attention and flesh out the world. In THE WILD BATCH, the spark isn't quite the same this go round. That's not to say there aren't a couple of creatures here and there, but the noticeable reduction makes a difference. But perhaps it is for the best since the show's audience is growing up with Sam and Elle.
There is a lot of growing up to be had in GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH. In the first five episodes, Sam's journey has more payoff. Chun and writer/executive producer Brendan Hay make the smart decision earlier to split up Elle and Sam. But to ensure Sam isn't alone, the trio comes across a new character, Chang (Simu Liu), who serves as an older brother-figure type to Sam. Under his tutelage, Sam comes into his own just a little bit more in a scene that both children and adults can take away from.
Chun leans into the quintessential messaging that many immigrants and children of immigrants have come to hear. In America, you can become anyone or anything. Your legacy is in your hands, ready to be shaped. While Sam hears a variation of this from Chang, one other character takes a similar message. Our favorite smart mogwai, Noggin (George Takei), serves as a foil to Sam, taking away the wrong things in the process of his reinvention.
While Sam and Noggin have their own moments, Elle's are more subdued in the first five episodes of GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH. Part of this seems to be how her journey to solve the mystery of her dreams sets up the second half of the season. In setting up what will likely be the completion of her arc next season, her part feels more reduced in execution. As the wild card of the trio, it is a letdown to see her take a bit of a backseat comparatively. But hopes are high that she snags more of the spotlight in the second half.
Setting the season in the United States offers room for exploration and expansion for the team and characters. The amount of detail that went into constructing the look and feel of 1920s San Francisco is undeniable. With the set-up for the remaining half of the season, more time will be spent exploring America, giving the team a platform to showcase their animation and research capabilities. Maybe we'll also see more extravagant chases and fights in the second half.
The first half of GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH pulls back on the chaos just a bit in pursuit of a simpler story. With many characters involved, some take precedence over others regarding arc development, leaving others a bit underserved. After coming out guns a-blazing in season one, so far, the latest season slightly underwhelms. That's the downside of setting such a high standard last season. But, with what is set to be in store for the season's second half, plenty of episodes remain to cover before going out with a bang.
The first five episodes of season two of the critically acclaimed GREMLINS prequel animated series, GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH, will be available to stream Thursday, October 3, 2024, on Max. Part two of the season will debut at a later date.
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