Interactions (The Spectacular Spider-Man)
Encyclopedia
"Interactions" is the second episode of the animated
television series The Spectacular Spider-Man, which is based on the comic book
character Spider-Man
, created by Stan Lee
and Steve Ditko
. The episode sees Spider-Man confronting the supervillain
Electro, whose body was corrupted with electricity after a freak lab accident.
"Interactions" was written by Kevin Hopps, who researched all the available comic books he had that featured Electro, and directed by Troy Adomitis. Electro's appearance in the episode draws on his traditional comic book style, though designer Victor Cook
emphasized the color green and removed the character's customary star-shaped mask. His voice actor, Crispin Freeman
, sought to reflect the character's declining sanity in his vocal style.
"Interactions" first aired March 8, 2008
, on the Kids WB! block for The CW network, following the first episode. Its 1.4/4 Nielsen rating was higher than that of the pilot, "Survival of the Fittest
". The episode received mixed to positive reviews, with IGN
commenting that "[w] hile not as strong as the pilot, the episode had some notable moments."
's laboratory, where Connors demonstrates to his interns Peter
, Gwen
, and Eddie
a new potential source of clean energy: genetically modified eels. After Gwen and Peter leave, Connors's colleague, Max Dillon, attempts to upgrade the lab's electrical filters, but falls into the tank and is sent to the hospital. There, he is found to be emitting strong electrical field
s and is placed in quarantine
. Max is further angered when a doctor explains that, although he is stable, he must wear a special suit to contain this emitted bioelectricity
.
Peter, meanwhile, is assigned to tutor a popular girl named Liz Allan. He is attempting to teach her science in a café when an angry Max enters and accidentally short circuit
s the power. Max leaves; Peter, believing him to be dangerous, pursues him as Spider-Man. Peter manages to photograph Max and remove his mask; Max, enraged, attacks, but flees while Peter is distracted by a phone call from Aunt May
.
The following day Peter discovers that his photographs have not developed properly, but is still able to identify the man he fought as Max. He meets with Dr. Connors, Eddie, and Gwen to seek a way to contain Max, who has meanwhile been attacked by the police and has decided to seek help from the lab. On arrival, though, Max becomes aggressive and threatens Connors's wife, Martha. Eddie distracts him long enough for Peter to lead the girls to safety and return as Spider-Man: Max, declaring himself "Electro," begins to fight with Spider-Man. The battle leads the pair out from the lab into the rain, where Spider-Man spots a radio tower
beside a pool: he knocks Electro into the water, causing him to short circuit into unconsciousness.
At school the next day Peter talks to Liz in the hall; she is complimenting his tutoring when the popular students approach, making her change her attitude, act rudely, and walk away. In the lab, Dr. Connors picks up a vial of lizard DNA
that Electro had electrified, and leaves with his wife.
"Interactions" was written by Kevin Hopps and directed by Troy Adomitis. 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 Electro. Hopps notes that he "like[s] the humanity" of Electro: "Here's a person who didn't ask to be a villain, but found himself thrust into that role."
The radio tower scene initially called for Electro to climb to the very top of the structure, a concept the crew found "clunky" throughout the storyboard
ing and directing process. Victor Cook
, a producer and developer for The Spectacular Spider-Man, observed "He's gonna climb the whole tower? It just seems kind of weird." Before release, the scene was altered to have Electro gradually propel himself up the tower with several electrical blasts.
Cook retained the "classic silhouette" of Electro's suit from the original comics, but removed his star-shaped mask. Cook made green the key color in the Electro design, noting that "In the 1960s it seems like the majority of Spider-man’s rogues gallery had green as part of their costumes." In Cook's broader color scheme for the cartoon green is used to symbolize negative situations in Peter's life, while positive settings and occurrences, such as Peter's biology
class, feature other key colors like yellow.
Electro was voiced by Crispin Freeman
, who sought to reflect in his vocal style the psychological decline brought on by the character's new powers: "It never occurred to me before how that would have an effect on his character – to be dealing with that curse and blessing. And when you think about it, that's also Peter Parker's core issue."
The episode's title, "Interactions," expands the series theme "The Education of Peter Parker" chosen by developer Greg Weisman
. Episodes in the early season one arc all shared a naming scheme based on the biological science
s. The episode originally aired on March 8, 2008, on the Kids WB! block for The CW Network, following the show's pilot, "Survival of the Fittest
." Disney XD
aired the episode on March 23, 2009, between "Survival of the Fittest" and "Natural Selection
," with a TV-Y7-FV rating.
The episode received mixed to positive reviews from television critics. Eric Goldman of IGN
thought the episode "wasn't as strong as the pilot" and rated it at 7.4 ("Decent"). Goldman wrote that Electro's redesigned costume retained "some nice visual nods to the Electro many of us grew up with." Liz Allan's characterization, though, he found confusing, with the character's accent and background unclear, and the scene where Peter fought Electro while conducting a phonecall with Aunt May "just a bit too much": "Come on, Aunt May isn't freaking out hearing [that]?" Nonetheless, Goldman praised the episode's humorous scenes and the introduction of Dr. Conner's limb regeneration experiments.
Rob M. Worley of the entertainment website Mania said that Freeman "charges up" the series with his role, writing that he "steps away from his luminary status in the world of anime and video game voiceovers." 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." DVD Talk
reviewer Todd Douglass Jr. described Electro's design as "[incorporating] some sharp edges and dynamic plays" to an "old" character.
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
television series The Spectacular Spider-Man, which is based on the comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, created by Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and Steve Ditko
Steve Ditko
Stephen J. "Steve" Ditko is an American comic book artist and writer best known as the artist co-creator, with Stan Lee, of the Marvel Comics heroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange....
. The episode sees Spider-Man confronting the supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
Electro, whose body was corrupted with electricity after a freak lab accident.
"Interactions" was written by Kevin Hopps, who researched all the available comic books he had that featured Electro, and directed by Troy Adomitis. Electro's appearance in the episode draws on his traditional comic book style, though designer Victor Cook
Victor Cook
Victor Cook is an American television director, writer, and producer. Cook is perhaps best known for producing and developing for television the animated television series The Spectacular Spider-Man along with Greg Weisman....
emphasized the color green and removed the character's customary star-shaped mask. His voice actor, Crispin Freeman
Crispin Freeman
Crispin McDougal Freeman is an American voice actor, and Mythology scholar. His roles have included Alucard from Hellsing, Kyon from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Karasu from Noein, Togusa from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, as Holland Novak from Eureka Seven, Touga Kiriyu in...
, sought to reflect the character's declining sanity in his vocal style.
"Interactions" first aired March 8, 2008
2008 in television
The following is a list of events affecting American television in 2008. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel launches.-January:-February:-March:-April:-May:-June:-July:-August:...
, on the Kids WB! block for The CW network, following the first episode. Its 1.4/4 Nielsen rating was higher than that of the pilot, "Survival of the Fittest
Survival of the Fittest (The Spectacular Spider-Man)
"Survival of the Fittest" is the pilot episode of the animated television series The Spectacular Spider-Man, which is based on the comic book character Spider-Man, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The episode was written and directed by the series developers, Greg Weisman and Victor Cook...
". The episode received mixed to positive reviews, with IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
commenting that "
Plot summary
The episode opens in Dr. ConnorsLizard (comics)
The Lizard is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and enemy of Spider-Man. The Lizard first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #6 , and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
's laboratory, where Connors demonstrates to his interns Peter
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, Gwen
Gwen Stacy
Gwendolyn "Gwen" Stacy appears as a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 ....
, and Eddie
Eddie Brock
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
a new potential source of clean energy: genetically modified eels. After Gwen and Peter leave, Connors's colleague, Max Dillon, attempts to upgrade the lab's electrical filters, but falls into the tank and is sent to the hospital. There, he is found to be emitting strong electrical field
Electric field
In physics, an electric field surrounds electrically charged particles and time-varying magnetic fields. The electric field depicts the force exerted on other electrically charged objects by the electrically charged particle the field is surrounding...
s and is placed in quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
. Max is further angered when a doctor explains that, although he is stable, he must wear a special suit to contain this emitted bioelectricity
Bioelectromagnetism
Bioelectromagnetism refers to the electrical, magnetic or electromagnetic fields produced by living cells, tissues or organisms. Examples include the cell membrane potential and the electric currents that flow in nerves and muscles, as a result of action potentials...
.
Peter, meanwhile, is assigned to tutor a popular girl named Liz Allan. He is attempting to teach her science in a café when an angry Max enters and accidentally short circuit
Short circuit
A short circuit in an electrical circuit that allows a current to travel along an unintended path, often where essentially no electrical impedance is encountered....
s the power. Max leaves; Peter, believing him to be dangerous, pursues him as Spider-Man. Peter manages to photograph Max and remove his mask; Max, enraged, attacks, but flees while Peter is distracted by a phone call from Aunt May
Aunt May
May Reilly Parker-Jameson, commonly known as Aunt May, is a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared as May Parker in Amazing Fantasy #15...
.
The following day Peter discovers that his photographs have not developed properly, but is still able to identify the man he fought as Max. He meets with Dr. Connors, Eddie, and Gwen to seek a way to contain Max, who has meanwhile been attacked by the police and has decided to seek help from the lab. On arrival, though, Max becomes aggressive and threatens Connors's wife, Martha. Eddie distracts him long enough for Peter to lead the girls to safety and return as Spider-Man: Max, declaring himself "Electro," begins to fight with Spider-Man. The battle leads the pair out from the lab into the rain, where Spider-Man spots a radio tower
Radio masts and towers
Radio masts and towers are, typically, tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. They are among the tallest man-made structures...
beside a pool: he knocks Electro into the water, causing him to short circuit into unconsciousness.
At school the next day Peter talks to Liz in the hall; she is complimenting his tutoring when the popular students approach, making her change her attitude, act rudely, and walk away. In the lab, Dr. Connors picks up a vial of lizard DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
that Electro had electrified, and leaves with his wife.
Production
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is an American animated science fiction/adventure/comedy series produced by Walt Disney Television. The character is from the planet Zurtron. The series originally aired on UPN and ABC from October 2000 to January 2001 as part of Disney's One Saturday Morning...
, Justice League
Justice League (TV series)
Justice League is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is based on the Justice League of America and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics...
, and Darkwing Duck
Darkwing Duck
DarkWing Duck is an American animated television series produced by The Walt Disney Company that ran from 1991–1992 on both the syndicated programming block The Disney Afternoon and Saturday mornings on ABC. It featured the eponymous anthropomorphic duck superhero whose alter ego is mild-mannered...
, researched for the episode by re-reading every available comic book that featured Electro. Hopps notes that he "like[s] the humanity" of Electro: "Here's a person who didn't ask to be a villain, but found himself thrust into that role."
The radio tower scene initially called for Electro to climb to the very top of the structure, a concept the crew found "clunky" throughout the storyboard
Storyboard
Storyboards are graphic organizers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence....
ing and directing process. Victor Cook
Victor Cook
Victor Cook is an American television director, writer, and producer. Cook is perhaps best known for producing and developing for television the animated television series The Spectacular Spider-Man along with Greg Weisman....
, a producer and developer for The Spectacular Spider-Man, observed "He's gonna climb the whole tower? It just seems kind of weird." Before release, the scene was altered to have Electro gradually propel himself up the tower with several electrical blasts.
Cook retained the "classic silhouette" of Electro's suit from the original comics, but removed his star-shaped mask. Cook made green the key color in the Electro design, noting that "In the 1960s it seems like the majority of Spider-man’s rogues gallery had green as part of their costumes." In Cook's broader color scheme for the cartoon green is used to symbolize negative situations in Peter's life, while positive settings and occurrences, such as Peter's biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
class, feature other key colors like yellow.
Electro was voiced by Crispin Freeman
Crispin Freeman
Crispin McDougal Freeman is an American voice actor, and Mythology scholar. His roles have included Alucard from Hellsing, Kyon from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Karasu from Noein, Togusa from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, as Holland Novak from Eureka Seven, Touga Kiriyu in...
, who sought to reflect in his vocal style the psychological decline brought on by the character's new powers: "It never occurred to me before how that would have an effect on his character – to be dealing with that curse and blessing. And when you think about it, that's also Peter Parker's core issue."
The episode's title, "Interactions," expands the series theme "The Education of Peter Parker" chosen by developer Greg Weisman
Greg Weisman
Greg Weisman is an American comic book and animation writer and producer, best known as the creator of Gargoyles and as the Supervising Producer of The Spectacular Spider-Man. Weisman is currently a producer on the Young Justice animated series...
. Episodes in the early season one arc all shared a naming scheme based on the biological science
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
s. The episode originally aired on March 8, 2008, on the Kids WB! block for The CW Network, following the show's pilot, "Survival of the Fittest
Survival of the Fittest (The Spectacular Spider-Man)
"Survival of the Fittest" is the pilot episode of the animated television series The Spectacular Spider-Man, which is based on the comic book character Spider-Man, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The episode was written and directed by the series developers, Greg Weisman and Victor Cook...
." Disney XD
Disney XD
Disney XD is a brand of children's TV channels worldwide targeting young males, owned by The Walt Disney Company. The channel was formerly known as Toon Disney and/or Jetix in most areas. According to Gary Marsh, President of Entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide, "XD" does not "stand for...
aired the episode on March 23, 2009, between "Survival of the Fittest" and "Natural Selection
Natural Selection (The Spectacular Spider-Man)
"Natural Selection" is the third episode of the animated television series The Spectacular Spider-Man, which is based on the comic book character Spider-Man, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
," with a TV-Y7-FV rating.
Reception
"Interactions" garnered a Nielsen rating of 1.4/4, which is considered high for American television and was the network's 2007-08 highest rating for the 10:30 a.m. timeslot. It beat the previous episode's rating of 1.2/3 (the highest for the 10:00 a.m. timeslot for the same season) and represented a 75% increase in the share of viewers aged 2 to 11 and a 200% increase in viewers aged 2 to 5. "Interactions" rated the highest of the season for kids and boys aged 9 to 14.The episode received mixed to positive reviews from television critics. Eric Goldman of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
thought the episode "wasn't as strong as the pilot" and rated it at 7.4 ("Decent"). Goldman wrote that Electro's redesigned costume retained "some nice visual nods to the Electro many of us grew up with." Liz Allan's characterization, though, he found confusing, with the character's accent and background unclear, and the scene where Peter fought Electro while conducting a phonecall with Aunt May "just a bit too much": "Come on, Aunt May isn't freaking out hearing [that]?" Nonetheless, Goldman praised the episode's humorous scenes and the introduction of Dr. Conner's limb regeneration experiments.
Rob M. Worley of the entertainment website Mania said that Freeman "charges up" the series with his role, writing that he "steps away from his luminary status in the world of anime and video game voiceovers." Ultimate Disney
Ultimate Disney
The Ultimate Guide to Disney DVD is a website dedicated to covering Walt Disney home video releases with a focus on Disney DVD and Blu-ray. The site has been online since 2001 and acquired its own domain and online forum in 2003...
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." DVD Talk
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a website for DVD enthusiasts founded in January 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman when DVDs and DVD players were first beginning to hit the market.The site started as an online forum, an email newsletter, and a page of DVD news and reviews...
reviewer Todd Douglass Jr. described Electro's design as "[incorporating] some sharp edges and dynamic plays" to an "old" character.
External links
- "Interactions" on Marvel.com