Champion Of Nobody
Spider-Noir Ep. 7 begins with Cat struggling with guilt over her recent betrayal of Ben. Silvermane and his men arrive at The Alcove, angry over their failed mission at Faber’s lab. The Cat is surprised to find that they have returned empty-handed. With his anger and desire for control, Silvermane commands his three mutants to cause chaos throughout the city as a warning to the mayor.
Flint and Leyden obey him at once and hurry into one of Mayor Morris’s offices. They bully the employees and want to get to the secret stash of cash in the city. They take the money and leave behind panic and destruction.
Meanwhile, Cat goes to Ben’s office to tell Janet he never showed up. Janet quickly senses that something is wrong and calls Robbie for help. Cat leaves. Janet says let her know if Ben comes by.
Mayor Morris is furious to find out that his money has been stolen. Even the Chief Of Police wants no part of it and tells the Mayor to call The Spider.
Ben is not on duty, however. He is at a bar, drinking and drowning his frustration over Cat’s betrayal. His anger rises when a group of men enter the bar, bragging about Flint and Leyden scattering stolen money in the streets and promoting Morris’ political rival, Hudson. They also insult The Spider, and Ben loses his shit.
He exits, dons his mask and returns as The Spider, who brutally beats the men and catches them in his webs.
Robbie finds him after searching the city and takes him away. Ben: I want the antidote. He admits that being The Spider no longer feels like such a big deal. Robbie pushes back, remembering that others, Flint and Lonnie, are dying and need the cure worse.
Meanwhile, in the office, Ben accidentally exposes himself to Janet. But she knew. Flashbacks show Ben drunk, confessing again and again
Meanwhile, Flint finds Cat at her house and makes an emotional confession of his feelings for her. Cat insists she is there, but Flint cannot cope with how quickly she moved on with Ben, showing his emotional instability.
Ben prepares some syringes of antidote in the office. He intends to save some of the drug for himself, but first he wants to use some on other supers. He tells Janet that where there is no power there is no responsibility.
News soon breaks of Silvermane’s men attacking a police warehouse in Harlem. Ben suits up again as The Spider. He drops the antidote syringe during the struggle with Lonnie. Robbie intervenes and uses it to cure Lonnie, bringing him back to normal. Lonnie takes in the scene, then he and Robbie walk away. The Spider is left wounded in a savage clash with the police forces.
While recovering at Robbie’s place, Lonnie decides to leave his past behind and start a new life with his mother somewhere far away.
At the end of the episode both Silvermane and Mayor Morris learn The Spider has been distributing an antidote. So they double down on their efforts to find Ben Reilly.
Episode Review
Episode 7 returns the series to a more action-oriented pace after the slower tone of the last episode. As Silvermane’s attacks grow more ruthless, and Mayor Morris’s grip on the city slips, Ben finds himself smack in the middle of the chaos.
The episode starts off strong with Ben dealing with the emotional fallout of Cat’s betrayal, and his character taking on a darker tone. The bar fight is one of the season’s best action sequences, and it does a good job of showing Ben’s inner turmoil and moral decay, while also delivering some crisp, well-choreographed violence.
The following exchange between Ben and Robbie adds quite a bit of depth to the episode: Their conversation covers responsibility, morality and the consequences of power. Ben’s emotional fragility is offset by Robbie’s grounded attitude, making them one of the more interesting couples on the show. Robbie’s own backstory, however, still feels under-developed and ready for more work.
Lonnie’s arc, while resolved, does seem to happen a little quickly, and would have benefited from a little more development earlier in the season. On the other hand, Flint’s emotional confrontation with Cat is one of the most powerful moments in the episode, adding new layers to his character and underscoring the emotional consequences of Cat’s decisions.
The last split-screen scene is a great tension builder and prepares the stage for the inevitable confrontation of the two opposing forces hunting The Spider. All in all, this is a successful episode that has action, character development and narrative momentum all in one episode. It’s a strong penultimate episode of the season.