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Full spoilers ahead for VisionQuest Episode 8!
VisionQuest has certainly gained momentum with time, to the point where it easily ranks among the best of Marvel's live-action Disney+ shows to date (not that it looks like there's going to be much competition in the foreseeable future). Sadly, that momentum doesn't entirely carry over into the final episode. "Forever" is a bit of a letdown compared to recent installments of the series, mainly due to the last-minute pivot to a new villain.
James Spader has so often stolen the spotlight as Ultron in this series. But here, Spader proves to be both the best and worst element of the finale. His Ultron remains as compelling and entertaining as ever, but Spader can't quite bring that appeal over to his new role as the shadowy "Client," aka Virgil Horton. There's something about Horton that just doesn't resonate as strongly as Ultron does. It's hard to say if the problem is more the quality of the dialogue or the comparatively manic way Spader is playing him, but Horton comes across as more annoying than threatening. You can't argue the actor isn't giving it his all here (including in that kooky little dance number), but as an endgame villain, Virgil Horton is lacking a certain je ne sais quoi.
Part of it comes down to the notion that Ultron is based on a human model in the first place. The series lightly teased this a few episodes back when Ultron insisted to F.R.I.D.A.Y. that he was unique. Well, it turns out he isn't. It diminishes this villain a bit to see that all his acerbic, affected charm comes not from being invented in a lab by Tony Stark and immediately exposed to the horrors of the Internet, but because he's a copy of Jo Carrington's (T'Nia Miller) creepy ex-boyfriend. Ultimately, I might have been happier if the series had culminated with the more predictable reveal that Phineas Horton (Paul Bettany) or J.I.M. were the Client.
With all that in mind, it's just as well that the finale eventually wipes its hands of Virgil Horton and shifts back to the core rivalry between Vision and Ultron. Horton's death scene is amusing in its abruptness, though it is a little strange having Ultron drop a wisecrack one-liner immediately after seeing his beloved Jocasta gunned down. Regardless, though, the episode makes the most of Ultron's grief at losing the woman he so obsessively loves. It's quite a shift for a character who previously wanted to wipe out humanity for no other reason than pure contempt for his creators. Last time around, the Avengers stopped Ultron by force. This time, Vision does it alone by appealing to Ultron's latent humanity.
The finale also benefits from a steady dose of action, both within and without the Horton mansion. We finally get to see more of Vision and Ultron in their unfiltered android forms, including a rather stylish costume redesign for Vision himself. On that front, at least, this episode doesn't disappoint.
Read IGN's Previous VisionQuest Reviews
- VisionQuest Episodes 1 & 2 Review
- VisionQuest Episodes 3 & 4 Review
- VisionQuest Episodes 5 & 6 Review
- VisionQuest Episode 7 Review
Also satisfying is the way "Forever" focuses on Vision's little family unit. We finally get the big reunion between Tommy (Ruaridh Mollica) and Billy (Joe Locke), as the latter pierces the magical veil to track down his long-lost brother. I fully expected the series to do nothing more than allude to Billy's existence in the end, so actually getting some meaningful interaction between the brothers is a treat. And am I mistaken, or was that a genuinely new (if exceedingly brief) cameo shot of Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) when Vision is being tortured in the dining room? Either way, the series certainly wants us to walk away with the impression that the entire family will be happily reunited at some point post-Avengers: Secret Wars.
I do think the episode takes the whole "found family" conceit a little too far by having Vision, Tommy, Lisa (Lauren Morais) and all the A.I. units partner up with Paladin (Todd Stashwick) in the end. Obviously, Paladin himself experienced a bit of a redemption arc over time, but are we forgetting the fact that he was responsible for J.A.R.V.I.S.'s death back in Episode 2? Having everyone go full buddy/buddy feels too cute by half.
Ultimately, "Forever" acts as a decent but flawed cap to a generally strong Marvel series. I wish the execution had been stronger on the Virgil Horton front, but at least the series succeeds in terms of wrapping up Vision and Ultron's arcs.
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