The Hobgoblin, Part 1
Synopsis: Following on from last episode, Spider-Man dodges out of the way of the explosion from the smart bomb then hides under a car in the street. Hobgoblin sends a bomb at the car, exploding it, but unbeknownst to him Spider-Man hid in the sewers using a manhole cover. Spider-Man heads to Norman Osborn and questions why Hobgoblin was talking to him, to which Norman says it's all taken care of. Spider-Man reluctantly leaves but says he'll come to see Norman later. Meanwhile, Hobgoblin shows up at Kingpin's base, whereupon Kingpin reveals that he knows that Hobgoblin is working with Norman (again). Hobgoblin causes enough chaos that Kingpin and Alistair leave the base, and he decides that he'll use it for himself. He calls up Norman Osborn and blackmails him for control of Oscorp, threatening Harry's life otherwise. Norman is approached by a surprising ally to take care of the Hobgoblin problem - namely, the Kingpin.
When Spider-Man visits Norman to see whether Harry's safe, Norman convinces him to go take care of Hobgoblin using the tunnel Kingpin and Alistair used to escape. Spider-Man makes his way to Hobgoblin and the two fight, but a lot of Kingpin's equipment is damaged. Hobgoblin escapes, but Spider-Man is too busy saving Harry to notice. He manages to escape the damaged building in spite of Kingpin and Alistair dropping the elevator he's leaving in, but the damage means that he can't return to find out where Kingpin's headquarters are. Spider-Man delivers Harry to Norman and accuses the latter of not caring about the former, but Norman claims that not being there for Harry all these years hurt him. Hobgoblin shows up and attacks, leading to Norman risking his life to save Harry. Spider-Man fights Hobgoblin, and Hobgoblin ends up losing control of his glider when Spider-Man dodges out of the way and he crashes it into a smokestack. He crashes into the water and disappears. In the aftermath, Peter goes to see Aunt May and finds out that she's recovering from her shock. Mary Jane reveals that she's not going to move out of her Aunt Anna's house in case anything happened to her like what happened to Aunt May.
Review: After a pretty good showing last episode, it's a bit of a surprise that Hobgoblin ends up being surprisingly forgettable and, dare I say, incompetent this episode. Yeah, he manages to take over Kingpin's headquarters, but it feels like it's a result of luck as much as anything else, and it's not like he manages to do anything important while he's there. He's also happy to declare that he's got control of Kingpin's empire once he sits down at the main control panel, without considering how he's going to transfer money to his bank account, or what happens when he has to leave the control panel. The cherry on top of all of this is when Spider-Man beats him by jumping out of the way of his glider, leading to him losing because he doesn't know how to dodge out of a very tall smokestack.
Instead, the most interesting character award goes to Norman Osborn. Throughout the episode, he's presented as a callous businessman who cares more about his money and company than his son, even as he denies that he doesn't care about Harry. Even with him saving Harry when Hobgoblin attacks, there's never any clear evidence for either side as to whether he does care about Harry, or whether he was just saying that to get Spider-Man on his side. It's a fascinating portrayal of him, and I love how ambiguous the character is at this point.
The other standout is Kingpin, who is as pragmatic and competent as you'd want him to be. It's probably best exemplified when Alistair comments, "The plan's working!" and he replies with "Of course! You expected less from the Kingpin?" He's in control of the situation the whole time, and while Hobgoblin taking over his headquarters wasn't planned, he's barely on the back foot at all. Honestly, this episode could have totally worked without Spider-Man at all, and instead showcased Norman and Kingpin at their best as they fight back about Hobgoblin. While I did like it overall, I am kind of disappointed that it didn't take that route. Still, that isn't to say that it's bad, and while improvements could have been made, I'd still call this a good one.
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