On June 7, 2018, Marvel released, in my opinion, their best TV show called “Cloak and Dagger,” and the journey this show took me on was something beyond life-changing. This show was one of the first times I sat down and watched anything Marvel related outside of the movies, and that first impression is still and will always be tattooed to my identity forever.
Although the show only lasted for two seasons, there was so many real and raw topics portrayed such as police brutality, sexual assault and human trafficking to name a few. Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph, who play the titular characters Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen brought these heroes to life in the most poignant and striking way possible because they both understand first hand what it is like being a Black man in America and what it is like being a woman in America. In addition, they have to juggle with controlling their newfound superpowers.
One of the many things I believe makes this show so special to me is the chemistry between Holt and Joseph on and off screen as well as the rest of the cast. I never looked at interviews of the cast, but this show made me dive deep into the rabbit hole of Holt and Joseph’s interviews. One of my favorites, out of the 10 favorite interviews with the two, is when they played “Dive In” with MTV news four years ago.
In the interview, Holt and Joseph took turns pulling various questions out of a bowl such as icebreakers and show-related questions. When asked what was her first impression of Joseph, Holt jokingly replied he is the worst before proceeding to say, “You’re not the worst, you’re the complete opposite of the worst. You are so down-to-earth and a real genuine human being. I think you’ve got this fiery passion inside of you that you’re not really aware of, but like, you command the room, which is really cool. And you’re so insanely talented.”
As a response, Joseph replied, “I know I know, but you know how I feel about you,” to which Holt responded, “Yeah, he’s in love with me.”
If that alone does not make you automatically ship them, you might be allergic to love.
The chemistry on screen is no different because Tyrone and Tandy realize that they experienced the same traumatic event that caused them to lose a loved one, and they have been chosen to have powers that are connected. As many times as I have watched and rewatched, the bond between these characters is still so profound and magical.
What also makes this show special to me is the deeper meaning that not everyone will understand. Most of the underrated movies and shows get low critical and audience reviews because the content presented has too much symbolism.
Unlike the rest of the world, I love anything that possibly has a deeper meaning and causes me to analyze the details. Episode three of season one and episodes four and six of season two are the ones that have the lowest scores on IMDB to name a few but are one of my personal favorites. I cannot give too much away without spoiling it, but once you watch, either you will get it and love it and what it stands for or not get it and be like the rest of the world.
I would throw away my eyes in exchange for new ones to watch this show again for the first time. Yes, it is that good to me. They do say that the prettiest flowers are the ones that get picked to go first, but I would have loved to keep this flower of a show for another season. Maybe even for a movie.