Obviously 2020 has been sparse when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and seriously, the sooner we get our crap together, the sooner we'll get Black Widow). We've had the final season of Agents of SHIELD last summer and we'll hopefully get WandaVision by the end of the year, but then there's the strange case of Helstrom. The Hulu series focuses on Daimon and Ana Helstrom, paternal half-demon brother and sister with supernatural abilities. This is another Marvel property I know little about and the only character I've had experience with is Daimon from appearances he's made in Avengers comics. Based on this series, I still don't think I know much about these characters.
I'll just get right down to the main problem with this series: it lacks the Marvel flair. Let's put it this way: Ant-Man put a comic spin on a heist movie as Captain America did with political thrillers, just for a couple examples. Other the Marvel TV series like Runaways, the Netflix shows, or even Inhumans to varying degrees brought the comic book feel to their product. Even Fant4stic, with Josh Trank's misguided attempt to create the anti-thesis to Avengers, still felt like a comic book movie. With Helstrom, it's like all the Marvel had been sucked out of it, leaving behind another run of the mill supernatural show with barebones of the comics that inspired it.
Helstrom had already started production when Marvel's TV division had been moved under Kevin Feige and the main Marvel Studios umbrella, making it the last show to be released before said change. So I'm not sure if the series we got was what was intended to be seen or if the oversight had removed larger Marvel universe connections. Honestly, I felt something was wrong when the first trailer came out and there was no mention of Marvel at all. The whole situation comes across as a contractual obligation to be made more than anything. The end teases a second season, though I very much doubt it happens (which kind of wastes Mitch Pileggi's cameo).
As for the show itself, it's not that bad; it's certainly better than Inhumans. There's decent acting for the most part and its mature nature is a nice return to the tone of Netflix shows we haven't seen from Marvel since the last season of Jessica Jones. The first half of the season is a little tough to get through, almost like I was forcing myself to watch. It gets a lot more enjoyable in the second half though with better character moments, some visual effects unique for a Marvel show, and more interesting plot lines, one of which is very disturbing.
When it comes to our main characters, Daimon and Ana lead interesting parallel lives when it comes to their supporting casts and how they use their powers.
Sydney Lemmon is the breakout star of the show as Ana. Lemmon brilliantly brings the character's complex nature to life. She puts on a strong appearance with the fancy clothes, haircut and make-up, only dropping all of that when she's alone; it's what makes the moment where she breaks down in front of her assistant Chris one of the highlights of the season and her character arc to open up to others.
Conversely, Tom Austen as Daimon is the blandest lead to come from a Marvel property, lacking the spark other protagonists have been able to bring to their roles. As Helstrom is like any other supernatural show, Daimon comes across as any other occult expert with a tortured past. The only time I really felt something from his performance is when he lets his mean side out in episode 8.
Another character worth mentioning is Elizabeth Marvel as Victoria, Daimon and Ana's mother. She's possessed by a demon for the most part of the season, and that part produces some pretty generic evil when it comes to that kind of performance. But when she's back in control of her body, she really shines as the mediator between her children and bringing about a sense of hope to the situation at hand.
Helstrom is worth watching for the MCU completionist or horror fan, but it's otherwise skippable.
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