The Hunt Begins in Black Widow: Bad Blood Episode 3

The story of Natasha Romanoff continues in Black Widow: Bad Blood Episode 3. This is a tale of intrigue and danger, as it well should be, given who has taken the lead. Black Widow has been pulled into another investigation, but this one is significantly more personal than usual.

Last we saw, Natasha had asked for help from an old ally (of sorts), courtesy of her lack of options given the situation. Now she’s got a better idea of her next step to take while still being in the dark about who targeted her and why.

Black Widow: Bad Blood is part of an ongoing series on Serial Box (now Realm). It’s currently the second Marvel series on the platform, but it certainly won’t be the last. Each week (on Tuesdays), a new episode will drop, allowing fans to choose whether they want to read or listen to the latest installment.

A Dangerous Scenario

Margaret Dunlap has stepped in to write Black Widow: Bad Blood Episode 3, and it is a tense and dramatic read. Here the Widow is once again on the hunt, though perhaps not in the way you might expect.

I honestly loved this episode, possibly more than the previous two. Never before has Black Widow resonated so strongly; she reads like a real human that has been thrown into a horrible situation, which she has.

‘Bury Me Face Down‘ is an episode that wholly delivers on the promises of the series. It’s dark and gritty while also offering some glimpses into a different side of Natasha. It’s been a fascinating read.

All while building up an inevitable confrontation, which could go one of two ways. Will she have an ally in the next episode, or will she have yet another mess to deal with? Only time will tell.

Narration

Sarah Natochenny’s rendition of Natasha is on point during Black Widow: Bad Blood Episode 3. You can really feel how conflicted and frustrated she is (not that we blame her one bit for that). More than that, her voice is really well suited to the tone of the plot itself.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but the additional little sound effects they weave into the narrative are really quite effective here. It enhances the experience, turning it into something more than an audiobook.

During this read, I happened to pay more attention to the music during the introduction and conclusion. I don’t think I had picked up on just how perfect that entire sequence is. It reminded me of the Jessica Jones intro, but in all the best of ways.

Conclusion

Black Widow: Bad Blood Episode 3 was a fun and intense read. I loved the characterization in this episode in particular, and I’ll confess that I’m extremely anxious to see how the next episode will go. Mainly because there is undoubtedly another cameo on the horizon, and I am very much looking forward to that.

I really love the tone that has been set for this series. It is perfection, both for Natasha’s character and for this platform in general. This is exactly what I would have hoped to see from a Marvel series on Serial Box.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.