I’m not one who actively seeks out teen dramas, but after seeing Freeform’s (*coughs* ABC Family) commercial for Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger, I was pretty stoked! Set against the backdrop of New Orleans, with beautiful dark and gritty visuals, such as graveyards, old abandoned churches, and dark alleyways, we learn about Cloak & Dagger‘s two protagonists. 

Tandy is a scrappy girl who turns to a life of crime and drifts between her mother’s home and the streets of New Orleans, years after her father was killed in a car accident. Tyrone is a straight-laced student and basketball all-star who silently mourns the murder of his brother that he too lost on the same night of Tandy and her father’s car accident. Due to fate driving them to cross paths, Tyrone and Tandy gain “yin and yang”-like superpowers on that devastating night and rediscover these powers years later after another chance encounter.  

Ever since the success of Netflix’s Jessica Jones, it seems like TV stations can’t wait to develop their own Marvel superheros into live-action adaptations. Cloak & Dagger even follows the same formula as Jessica Jones: 

• Main characters who are damaged by their past traumas and have trouble coping, even turning to drug addictions – Check! 
• The development of powers following the death of the protagonists’ parents – Check!
• Characters that are emotionally unavailable – Check! 

Rather than being like Marvel’s movie characters (i.e. Thor, Spider-Man, or Captain America), who are certain their destinies involve saving the world or at least their neighborhood, Tyrone and Tandy seem to follow in the footsteps of Jessica Jones. They are normal people who just happen to have superpowers. 

While Cloak & Dagger starts off a bit slow and offers little comedic relief, there are some interesting elements that make it a show worth sticking around for. Other than the great chemistry between the main characters, the plot seems laser-focused on taking on the greedy capitalist cooperation, Roxanne. Also, during the few times we see our protagonist’s CGI superpowers, they are beautifully done!