Review of Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger: Season Two

By Dave B.

In the second season of Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger (Freeform) Tyrone (Aubrey Joseph) and Tandy (Olivia Holt) are coping with the repercussions of defying prophecy yet still saving New Orleans in last season’s finale. Tyrone, still on the run from the police for crimes that he didn’t commit, has decided to challenge the local gangs in a bid to rid his community of criminality. Tandy has thrown herself into pursuing her dream of becoming a dancer, while confronting the reality of the type of man her late father truly was. But both teens soon realize that their city faces a new threat. One that feeds on their fears and threatens to destroy New Orleans’ only hope for survival: the seemingly unbreakable bond that exists between Tandy and Tyrone.

Cloak & Dagger isn’t my favorite Marvel TV show. But from a character development perspective, it’s undoubtedly the best. I can’t think of two characters that I’ve felt I’ve known better after two seasons of a show than Tyrone and Tandy. Both Joseph and Holt are solid individually as the young, troubled heroes. But when the pair is onscreen together, there’s an undeniable energy between the two that carries Cloak & Dagger, despite its occasionally awkward pacing. The show in general is about conflict and personal growth through adversity, and the second season takes that theme to a deeper, darker, more personal level than season one did. Season two is more explicitly about overcoming personal darkness and the consequences of failing to do so. The “internalization” of the existential threat faced by our heroes may not be to some viewers’ taste, but I think it’s a good direction for the show and compliments the program’s clear desire to develop its characters and larger story over seasons instead of merely episodes. 

Another bright spot in Cloak & Dagger is it’s music. It far and away makes better and more use of music than almost any other scripted show ever on television. From mood-setting to being an actual weapon, music suffuses every particle of Cloak & Dagger, which I suppose is fitting for a show that takes place in New Orleans. If I’m forced to pick something to be critical about regarding this show it’s that it isn’t particularly exciting in a physical sense. The action scenes are acceptable, but also feel like afterthoughts when compared to the care that is clearly taken in every scene where Tyrone and Tandy are on the screen together. 

Overall, Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger: Season Two is an improvement over an impressive debut season. It’s the type of character driven program that rewards patience with insight. That, of course, means that it’s one of Freeform’s lowest rated shows and is on the bubble for cancellation (being a Marvel property and a damn good show are it’s only hopes for renewal as far as I can see). But regardless of its future, Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger is a truly unique show that is worth your time. Start it from the series’ beginning. You won’t regret it. 

Rating: 8/10