Cloak and Dagger Review and Q&A with showrunner Joe Pokaski

At MCM London, Marvel fans were treated to a screening of Cloak and Dagger before the show aired on Amazon, as well as a Q&A with the show’s creator Joe Pokaski

Set in New Orleans, the show starts out with the stories of two young children, whom we later find out are young versions of the main characters Tyrone and Tandy.  After devastating events sees them meet, the show fast forwards to their teenage years where they cross paths again, but are seen to be living very different lives.

Whilst there are a lot of similarities to the comics, the story differs at times to be adapted to fit with today’s issues, as Pokaski wanted the show to be relatable to today’s audiences. Even in the first episode, the show deals with current heavy topics such as rich vs poor and racial discrimination.

The performances of Aubrey Joseph and Olivia Holt as the title characters are fantastic. Joe Pokaski described in the Q and A that they struggled to find the right pairing and went through hundreds of people during the casting process, but that when Aubrey and Olivia walked in not long before they were due to start filming, they were perfect.

The show very much felt like the Marvel shows on Netflix. Colours and music play an important role in the first episode, and the editing and cinematography effects work fantastically well into the rhythm of the show. Flashbacks help viewers to get an understanding of the characters backstories as we go on their journeys of discovery with them, and Pokaski talked about how the flashbacks will be a common occurrence throughout the show.

There were a few hints of cross overs with other Marvel shows, with Roxxon Corporation appearing very early on. When asked about future of the show and any other possible Marvel tie-ins, Pokaski said that there will be guest stars, and to look at the little things such as towels, posters and names on gravestones. He mentioned that whilst the first series focuses on the development and journey of the two main characters, there would be a possibility in the future to cross over with the Marvel show The Runaways.

Pokaski said each episode is set like an issue of a comic, and we should expect to see a slow burn of emotion and discovery as the series progresses. There are ten episodes in the first series, which airs this week on FreeForm in the US and Amazon in Europe.

---

The writer of this piece was: Louise Saul (aka Tiny Tigress Cosplay)
Louise Tweets from @AikiSaul

---