The Uncertainty Principle (The Spectacular Spider-Man)
"The Uncertainty Principle" | |
---|---|
The Spectacular Spider-Man episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 9 |
Directed by | Dave Bullock |
Written by | Kevin Hopps |
Production code | S1E09[1] |
Original air date | May 10, 2008 |
"The Uncertainty Principle" is the ninth episode of the
The episode chronicles
The supposed revelation of Goblin's identity in the episode would later be disproved by the second-season finale "Final Curtain," which the writers had planned since the series began. "The Uncertainty Principle" is available on both the third volume DVD set for the series, as well as the complete season box set. The episode received a generally positive critical response from television critics—reviewers singled out elements such as the Halloween motif and Mary Jane's vampire costume.
Plot summary
On the night before
Spider-Man tries to catch up with him and notices him sneaking into his friend Harry's apartment. Sneaking in, he spots Harry's father Norman coming out of a secret passageway and theorizes that Norman is the Goblin. Spider-Man is forced to slip out after Harry walks in, and misses Harry drinking an experimental, drug-like formula. A short while later, Peter Parker calls Harry and invites him to a Bleecker Street Halloween carnival along with Gwen, Mary Jane and Liz. Harry accepts the invitation. On his way to the carnival, Peter attempts to sell some Spider-Man photographs to Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson, but he refuses and tells him to try selling them to the Globe.
Goblin breaks into
Meanwhile, while orbiting the Earth during a routine space mission with his crew,
Production
"The Uncertainty Principle" was written by Kevin Hopps and directed by Dave Bullock.
Hopps, who had previously written for animated series such as Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Justice League, and Darkwing Duck, researched for the episode by re-reading every available comic book that featured Green Goblin. Hopps notes that "you might consider him [Green Goblin] crazed, but he's truly brilliant and has thought things out far in advance. He's always several steps ahead of where you think he is. So while I'm writing Goblin, I'm always trying to keep in mind where he's going next." While penning the fight sequence between Goblin and Spider-Man, Hopps paid close attention to brawls detailed in "Catalysts" in order to better grasp "how we could make it different and really up the stakes."[3]
The episode served as the conclusion of the Green Goblin storyline for the first season that started with "Catalysts."
"The Uncertainty Principle" became available on the DVD The Spectacular Spider-Man, Volume 3, on March 17, 2009, alongside the episodes "Catalysts" and "Reaction."[7] The volume featured episodes that detailed Green Goblin as a prominent character.[11] "The Uncertainty Principle" also became available on the full season DVD box set entitled The Spectacular Spider-Man: The Complete First Season DVD Review, which featured every other episode of season one for the series.[12]
Reception
"This was an especially busy installment of Spectacular Spider-Man - It's amazing how much this show packs into 22 minutes."
"The Uncertainty Principle" received critical acclaim. Eric Goldman of IGN gave the episode an 8.8. ("Great") rating. He enjoyed Mary Jane's "sexy" vampire uniform and the large, three-way battle between Tombstone, Goblin, and Spider-Man, writing that it was "one hell of a fun fight" and "amazing." Goldman opted that the supposed reveal of Goblin's true identity could possibly be false based on the original comic book story and noted that Jonah's hatred of Spider-Man that was formed in the episode was "perhaps the most understandable and best way it's ever been portrayed before."[8]
Writing for DVD Talk, reviewer Justin Felix considered setting the episode on Halloween to be "a nice touch."[7] Tim Janson of Mania named it among the best episodes of the season, describing it as "a Halloween episode complete with a gothic setting."[13] Ultimate Disney reviewer Luke Bonanno did not include the episode among his top five episodes of The Spectacular Spider-Man's first season, but "feel[s] obligated to point out that the uniform excellence of the lot [makes] this a challenging task."[12]
References
- Marvel.com. Archived from the originalon 2009-04-12. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
- ^ Worley, Robert M. (2008-05-06). "Halloween comes early for 'The Spectacular Spider-Man'". Mania. Archived from the original on 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
- ^ a b ""Spectacular Spider-Man" writer, Kevin Hopps, discusses writing the Green Goblin". Comic Book Resources. 2008-05-07. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
- ^ Worley, Robert M. (2008-04-25). "Green Goblin sends 'Spectacular Spider-Man' into a wild May". Mania. Archived from the original on 2008-11-22. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
- ^ a b Elliot, Sean (2008-04-30). "Review: The Spectacular Spider-Man - Season One - 'Catalysts'". IF. Archived from the original on 2010-02-10. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
- ^ Weisman, Greg (2008-08-11). "Ask Greg". Gargoyles: A Station Eight Fan Web Site. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
- ^ a b c Felix, Justin (2009-03-10). "The Spectacular Spider-Man, Vol. 3". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
- ^ a b c Goldman, Eric (2008-05-12). ""The Uncertainty Principle" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
- ^ Goldman, Eric (2008-11-18). ""Final Curtain" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
- ^ Weisman, Greg (2008-06-18). "Ask Greg". Gargoyles: A Station Eight Fan Web Site. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
- ^ Goldman, Eric (2009-03-19). "The Spectacular Spider-Man - Volume 3 DVD Review: The Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus make their spectacular debuts". IGN. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
- ^ a b Bonanno, Luke. "The Spectacular Spider-Man Animated Series: The Complete First Season DVD Review (2-Disc Collector's Set)". Ultimate Disney. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
- ^ Janson, Tim (2009-08-26). "Spectacular Spider-Man: Complete First Season DVD Review". Mania. Archived from the original on 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2009-12-28.
External links
- "The Uncertainty Principle" at Marvel.com
- "The Uncertainty Principle" at IMDb