Reaction (The Spectacular Spider-Man)
Encyclopedia
"Reaction" is the eighth episode of the American animated television series The Spectacular Spider-Man, which is based on the comic book
character Spider-Man
, created by Stan Lee
and Steve Ditko
. The episode originally broadcast in the United States on the Kids WB!
block for The CW
on May 3, 2008, where it was rated TV-Y7-FV.
The episode details Dr. Otto Octavius as a laboratory incident caused by the Green Goblin
merges special mechanical tentacles to his skin and turns him from a timid and weak scientist into the villain Dr. Octopus
. "Reaction" was directed by Jennifer Coyle and was the first episode of the series to be written by Randy Jandt. While writing the teleplay, Jandt was challenged with staying true to the original material of Spider-Man, particularly towards that of Dr. Octopus.
"Reaction" received generally positive reviews, with television critics singling out Dr. Octopus' portrayal. Octopus's character design was applauded by both the designers and Coyle; the latter noted that his design allowed her to direct them freely in different manners, and the that the arms in particular were particularly well-done. Peter MacNicol
voiced the character and used a voice inspired by that of late actor Laird Cregar
. It is available on both the third volume DVD
set for the series, as well as the complete season box set.
tries to complain to his boss Norman Osborn
about the dangers of several recent experiments they have been performing to create super villains in his laboratory, but is quickly berated by Osborn for his "whining." Octavius backs down and goes to work inside an experimentation chamber while Osborn departs. Unbeknown to him, the villain Green Goblin
sneaks into the lab, activating the chamber's generators while locking Octavius inside. While unsuccessfully trying to escape from the chamber, the radiation
emitted fuses the mechanical tentacles he is wearing into his skin.
Osborn and others arrive on the scene to turn off the generator, while Spider-Man
jumps in to help get Octavius out of the wreckage. When the doctor wakes up, he attacks Osborn with his tentacles and pins him to a wall. When Spider-Man tries to intervene, Octavius brushes him aside as well with one of his tentacles, declaring himself "Dr. Octopus." He steals a power battery to recharge his tentacles and storms out of the building, using his tentacles as extra limbs. The next day, Peter, Gwen
, Harry
and some of Harry's new popular friends go to Coney Island
, where Harry impresses everyone with his new found strength. Liz Allan begins to attach herself to Peter and the two have a fun time. However, Peter spots Dr. Octopus and abandons the group to pursue him as Spider-Man.
Spider-Man follows Dr. Octopus to TriCorp, where he attempts to steal a power pack
from a vault. Spider-Man swoops in and gets to the power source before him. He then runs out, with Dr. Octopus pursuing him, hoping to cause the doctor to run out of energy. They reach Coney Island through their ensuing brawl and Octopus, aware of Spider-Man's desire to save innocent lives, kidnaps Liz. With only an hour of energy left, he climbs to the top of a roller coaster
, forcing Spider-Man to choose between the power pack and Liz. Spider-Man throws the pack in the air before rescuing Liz; he gets close to Dr. Octopus as the latter scrambles for the power pack and is able to take it away from him, successfully defeating the doctor.
When Peter returns to the group, he discovers that Liz is breaking up with her boyfriend Flash Thompson
after the latter gets jealous that she spent the day so close to Peter. Gwen approaches Peter, and the two agree they need to have a talk with Harry about his belligerent attitude towards them and constant strange behavior.
"Reaction" was written by Randy Jandt and directed by Jennifer Coyle. It originally aired on the Kids WB! block for The CW on May 3, 2008
, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern/Pacific time
, with a parental guidance rating of TV-Y7-FV. The episode's title, "Reaction," expands the series theme "The Education of Peter Parker" chosen by developer Greg Weisman
. Episodes in the third season one arc all shared a naming scheme based on chemistry
.
The episode was the first of the series to be penned by Jandt, who said that the opportunity to work on the series was "both thrilling and a bit daunting, primarily because of the elevated expectations of such a high-profile, established franchise." To meet these expectations, he followed a simplistic strategy—"be mindful of the history, listen to the direction and guidance of Greg Weisman, and then write an episode with a good, entertaining story that is packed with as much action and humor as 22 minutes will allow." Writing for Dr. Octopus in particular was difficult for the first-time writer as he had "such a range of character."
"Reaction" marked the first appearance of Dr. Otto Octavius as Dr. Octopus. Coyle noted her enthusiasm for the character, particularly towards his design; she has given noteworthy praise towards his arms, as they "are amazing, and the timing has been really good for this show, so much so that I think you feel the impact of those arms." Coyle also believes that people can connect with the character on different levels. Similarly, Sean Galloway—a character designer on the series—said that he is "probably one of [his] favorites" to have designed.
Peter MacNicol
was cast to play Dr. Octopus. MacNicol had starred in primetime television series, including Chicago Hope
, Numb3rs
, and Boston Legal
, while also being a veteran to the voice acting profession on animated series such as The Wild Thornberrys
and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command
. MacNicol chose to base Dr. Octopus' voice on that of Laird Cregar, a 1940s actor who, throughout his short-lived career, was challenged with obesity
, until he lost too much weight and died at age 30. MacNicol, though, notes that he is "no mimic and it was Cregar's quality rather than his voice which gave me my model."
"Reaction" became available on the DVD
The Spectacular Spider-Man, Volume 3, on March 17, 2009, alongside the episodes "Catalysts
" and "The Uncertainty Principle
." The volume featured episodes that detailed Green Goblin as a prominent or supporting character. "Reaction" also became available on the full season DVD box set entitled The Spectacular Spider-Man: The Complete First Season DVD, which featured every other episode of season one for the series.
, giving the episode an 8.2. rating ("Impressive"), wrote favorably, noting that the depiction Dr. Octopus "was very clever – on one hand, he was a pitiful, cowering pushover. But when Norman was berating him we got a brief look at the anger within, as he imagined attacking Norman with his robotic tentacles." Goldman applauded both Dr. Octopus' line, "I've been good" and when Spider-Man crashes into several stuffed animal
s, only to be pulled out by Dr. Octopus in a manner similar to a carnival game
; he concluded that, "This show continues to leave several prime time live-action shows to shame when it comes to building serialized stories and has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the TV season."
Luke Bonanno of Ultimate Disney
listed "Reaction" as one of his top five favorite episodes of the first season, while commenting that "the uniform excellence of the lot [makes] this a challenging task." Writing for DVD Talk
, reviewer Justin Felix opted that the episode was "particularly action-packed." Rob M. Worley of Mania described Dr. Octopus' introduction as "explosive," while praising MacNicol for balancing such a heavy workload between both the episode and other series.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, created by Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and Steve Ditko
Steve Ditko
Stephen J. "Steve" Ditko is an American comic book artist and writer best known as the artist co-creator, with Stan Lee, of the Marvel Comics heroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange....
. The episode originally broadcast in the United States on the Kids WB!
Kids' WB
Kids' WB! was Warner Bros. American childrens programing division brand for The WB Television Network. In September 2006, the block moved to The CW Television Network. The CW is the result of The WB's merger with UPN in 2006...
block for The CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
on May 3, 2008, where it was rated TV-Y7-FV.
The episode details Dr. Otto Octavius as a laboratory incident caused by the Green Goblin
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
merges special mechanical tentacles to his skin and turns him from a timid and weak scientist into the villain Dr. Octopus
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics since 1963. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes...
. "Reaction" was directed by Jennifer Coyle and was the first episode of the series to be written by Randy Jandt. While writing the teleplay, Jandt was challenged with staying true to the original material of Spider-Man, particularly towards that of Dr. Octopus.
"Reaction" received generally positive reviews, with television critics singling out Dr. Octopus' portrayal. Octopus's character design was applauded by both the designers and Coyle; the latter noted that his design allowed her to direct them freely in different manners, and the that the arms in particular were particularly well-done. Peter MacNicol
Peter MacNicol
Peter MacNicol is an American actor. He may be best known in films for his roles of Janosz Poha in Ghostbusters II, Stingo in Sophie's Choice, Thomas Renfield in Dracula: Dead and Loving It and David Langley in Bean...
voiced the character and used a voice inspired by that of late actor Laird Cregar
Laird Cregar
-Early life and career:Samuel Laird Cregar was the youngest of six sons of Edward Matthews Cregar, a cricketer and member of a team called the Gentlemen of Philadelphia. They toured internationally in the late 1890s and early 1900s...
. It is available on both the third volume DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
set for the series, as well as the complete season box set.
Plot summary
Dr. Otto OctaviusDoctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics since 1963. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes...
tries to complain to his boss Norman Osborn
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
about the dangers of several recent experiments they have been performing to create super villains in his laboratory, but is quickly berated by Osborn for his "whining." Octavius backs down and goes to work inside an experimentation chamber while Osborn departs. Unbeknown to him, the villain Green Goblin
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
sneaks into the lab, activating the chamber's generators while locking Octavius inside. While unsuccessfully trying to escape from the chamber, the radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
emitted fuses the mechanical tentacles he is wearing into his skin.
Osborn and others arrive on the scene to turn off the generator, while Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
jumps in to help get Octavius out of the wreckage. When the doctor wakes up, he attacks Osborn with his tentacles and pins him to a wall. When Spider-Man tries to intervene, Octavius brushes him aside as well with one of his tentacles, declaring himself "Dr. Octopus." He steals a power battery to recharge his tentacles and storms out of the building, using his tentacles as extra limbs. The next day, Peter, Gwen
Gwen Stacy
Gwendolyn "Gwen" Stacy appears as a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 ....
, Harry
Harry Osborn
Harry Osborn is a fictional character, a supporting character of Spider-Man in the . In addition to being Peter Parker's best friend, Harry was the second Green Goblin and is the son of Norman Osborn...
and some of Harry's new popular friends go to Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
, where Harry impresses everyone with his new found strength. Liz Allan begins to attach herself to Peter and the two have a fun time. However, Peter spots Dr. Octopus and abandons the group to pursue him as Spider-Man.
Spider-Man follows Dr. Octopus to TriCorp, where he attempts to steal a power pack
Power pack
Power pack may refer to:* a power supply * A series of batteries also called a battery pack...
from a vault. Spider-Man swoops in and gets to the power source before him. He then runs out, with Dr. Octopus pursuing him, hoping to cause the doctor to run out of energy. They reach Coney Island through their ensuing brawl and Octopus, aware of Spider-Man's desire to save innocent lives, kidnaps Liz. With only an hour of energy left, he climbs to the top of a roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
, forcing Spider-Man to choose between the power pack and Liz. Spider-Man throws the pack in the air before rescuing Liz; he gets close to Dr. Octopus as the latter scrambles for the power pack and is able to take it away from him, successfully defeating the doctor.
When Peter returns to the group, he discovers that Liz is breaking up with her boyfriend Flash Thompson
Flash Thompson
Eugene "Flash" Thompson is a supporting character in Marvel Comics’s Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 ....
after the latter gets jealous that she spent the day so close to Peter. Gwen approaches Peter, and the two agree they need to have a talk with Harry about his belligerent attitude towards them and constant strange behavior.
Production
2008 in television
The following is a list of events affecting American television in 2008. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel launches.-January:-February:-March:-April:-May:-June:-July:-August:...
, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern/Pacific time
Pacific Time
Pacific Time may refer to:* Pacific Time Zone , a time zone on the west coast of the United States, Canada and Mexico* Pacific Time , a radio program produced by KQED and carried on several other NPR stations...
, with a parental guidance rating of TV-Y7-FV. The episode's title, "Reaction," expands the series theme "The Education of Peter Parker" chosen by developer Greg Weisman
Greg Weisman
Greg Weisman is an American comic book and animation writer and producer, best known as the creator of Gargoyles and as the Supervising Producer of The Spectacular Spider-Man. Weisman is currently a producer on the Young Justice animated series...
. Episodes in the third season one arc all shared a naming scheme based on chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
.
The episode was the first of the series to be penned by Jandt, who said that the opportunity to work on the series was "both thrilling and a bit daunting, primarily because of the elevated expectations of such a high-profile, established franchise." To meet these expectations, he followed a simplistic strategy—"be mindful of the history, listen to the direction and guidance of Greg Weisman, and then write an episode with a good, entertaining story that is packed with as much action and humor as 22 minutes will allow." Writing for Dr. Octopus in particular was difficult for the first-time writer as he had "such a range of character."
"Reaction" marked the first appearance of Dr. Otto Octavius as Dr. Octopus. Coyle noted her enthusiasm for the character, particularly towards his design; she has given noteworthy praise towards his arms, as they "are amazing, and the timing has been really good for this show, so much so that I think you feel the impact of those arms." Coyle also believes that people can connect with the character on different levels. Similarly, Sean Galloway—a character designer on the series—said that he is "probably one of [his] favorites" to have designed.
Peter MacNicol
Peter MacNicol
Peter MacNicol is an American actor. He may be best known in films for his roles of Janosz Poha in Ghostbusters II, Stingo in Sophie's Choice, Thomas Renfield in Dracula: Dead and Loving It and David Langley in Bean...
was cast to play Dr. Octopus. MacNicol had starred in primetime television series, including Chicago Hope
Chicago Hope
Chicago Hope is an American medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.-Premise:The show stars Mandy Patinkin as Dr...
, Numb3rs
NUMB3RS
Numb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes...
, and Boston Legal
Boston Legal
Boston Legal is an American legal dramedy created by David E. Kelley, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC...
, while also being a veteran to the voice acting profession on animated series such as The Wild Thornberrys
The Wild Thornberrys
The Wild Thornberrys is an American animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon. It was rerun in the USA on Nickelodeon and occasionally The N until 2009 and Nicktoons until 2007...
and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is an American animated science fiction/adventure/comedy series produced by Walt Disney Television. The character is from the planet Zurtron. The series originally aired on UPN and ABC from October 2000 to January 2001 as part of Disney's One Saturday Morning...
. MacNicol chose to base Dr. Octopus' voice on that of Laird Cregar, a 1940s actor who, throughout his short-lived career, was challenged with obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
, until he lost too much weight and died at age 30. MacNicol, though, notes that he is "no mimic and it was Cregar's quality rather than his voice which gave me my model."
"Reaction" became available on the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
The Spectacular Spider-Man, Volume 3, on March 17, 2009, alongside the episodes "Catalysts
Catalysts (The Spectacular Spider-Man)
"Catalysts" is the seventh episode of the animated television series The Spectacular Spider-Man, which is based on the comic book character Spider-Man, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
" and "The Uncertainty Principle
The Uncertainty Principle (The Spectacular Spider-Man)
"The Uncertainty Principle" is the ninth episode of the animated television series The Spectacular Spider-Man, which is based on the comic book character Spider-Man, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
." The volume featured episodes that detailed Green Goblin as a prominent or supporting character. "Reaction" also became available on the full season DVD box set entitled The Spectacular Spider-Man: The Complete First Season DVD, which featured every other episode of season one for the series.
Reception
"Reaction" received a generally positive response from critics. Eric Goldman of IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, giving the episode an 8.2. rating ("Impressive"), wrote favorably, noting that the depiction Dr. Octopus "was very clever – on one hand, he was a pitiful, cowering pushover. But when Norman was berating him we got a brief look at the anger within, as he imagined attacking Norman with his robotic tentacles." Goldman applauded both Dr. Octopus' line, "I've been good" and when Spider-Man crashes into several stuffed animal
Stuffed animal
A stuffed toy is a toy sewn from cloth, plush, or other textiles, and stuffed with straw, beans, plastic pellets, cotton, synthetic fibres, or other similar materials. Stuffed toys are also known as plush toys A stuffed toy is a toy sewn from cloth, plush, or other textiles, and stuffed with straw,...
s, only to be pulled out by Dr. Octopus in a manner similar to a carnival game
Carnival game
A carnival game is a game of chance or skill that can be seen at a traveling carnival, charity fund raiser, amusement park, or on a state and county fair midway....
; he concluded that, "This show continues to leave several prime time live-action shows to shame when it comes to building serialized stories and has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the TV season."
Luke Bonanno of Ultimate Disney
Ultimate Disney
The Ultimate Guide to Disney DVD is a website dedicated to covering Walt Disney home video releases with a focus on Disney DVD and Blu-ray. The site has been online since 2001 and acquired its own domain and online forum in 2003...
listed "Reaction" as one of his top five favorite episodes of the first season, while commenting that "the uniform excellence of the lot [makes] this a challenging task." Writing for DVD Talk
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a website for DVD enthusiasts founded in January 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman when DVDs and DVD players were first beginning to hit the market.The site started as an online forum, an email newsletter, and a page of DVD news and reviews...
, reviewer Justin Felix opted that the episode was "particularly action-packed." Rob M. Worley of Mania described Dr. Octopus' introduction as "explosive," while praising MacNicol for balancing such a heavy workload between both the episode and other series.
External links
- "Reaction" at Marvel.com
- "Reaction" at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
- "Reaction" at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...