June 7, 2018

Marvel’s ‘Cloak and Dagger’: Here’s What You Should Know

Last week, I was gifted with an invite to screen Freeform’s newest television show, Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger, followed by a quick Q& A moderated by Joi Childs and hosted by the NAACP.

Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images North America — *From L to R: Murs, Andre Meadows, Olivia Holt, Aubrey Joseph, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Joi Childs*

Here’s a quick rundown of some things you should know about the upcoming series!

1. Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love and Basketball, Beyond the Lights, Fox’s Shots Fired) directed the pilot and rest assured, it is utterly sublime. The cinematography and music make for a beautifully constructed hour of television that introduces Tyrone “Cloak” Johnson (Aubrey Joseph) and Tandy “Dagger” Bowen (Olivia Holt) to the television landscape.

2. Joseph and Holt took a beating on set performing many of their own stunts. Holt and Prince-Bythewood revealed that Joseph had a Broadway background, playing Simba in The Lion King for several years (“A part of my past I really don’t like to talk about,” he joked). Holt is excited to play a “bold, effortlessly complicated” young woman. Joseph feels “honored to be a part of a show that makes an impact.”

3. The pilot balances themes of race and class with a 2018 lens. Tandy and Tyrone are two teens from opposite ends of the privilege spectrum, both with very distinct upbringings. Years after tragedy strikes them both, their fortunes are reversed and we see the dichotomy of what it’s like to be a young, Black and privileged versus being young, White and struggling in America. The pair have to contend with some very adult problems…which are exacerbated by their new powers, of course.

4. This is not your “average” superhero show. It’s not as trippy as Legion, not as dark as the more “adult” Marvel/Netflix shows, and doesn’t have a large ensemble cast like Runaways. However, it is just as powerful and thrives off its simplicity and steady pacing without progressing too slowly.

5. Freeform has found a great property with Cloak and Dagger and it will be in good hands on this network. Tune in tonight, June 7^th at 8PM EST/7PM CST for the premiere of the first two episodes!