Of Monsters and Men in Black Widow: Bad Blood Episode 7

It’s safe to say that the Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanoff, is more than capable of handling almost any situation. Even the ones that directly target here. Yet the events in Black Widow: Bad Blood Episode 7 surprise even her.

Last we saw, Natasha has found a potential ally, yet her quest for answers seemed to be only bringing up more questions. Whatever has been done to her will not be resolved easily, especially when she only has so many avenues to pursue.

Black Widow: Bad Blood is an actively updating series on Serial Box (now Realm). It’s currently one of three Marvel series to be found on the platform, hoping that more will get added later. If you’re a fan of the Black Widow, you can grab a new part of her adventure each Tuesday.

Who Will Stop Me?

Black Widow: Bad Blood Episode 7 brings us straight into the action, following up on the cliffhanger created in the last episode. Once again, we’re given a chance to see what Natasha can do in a fight – one sprung upon her.

The parallels being drawn between this moment and the first attack are, quite frankly, haunting. It was certainly intentional. It’s a poignant reminder that the Black Widow is, in fact, a human being and must process trauma like the rest of us.

Lindsay Smith did a wonderful job of portraying how complex trauma can be, all while showing us other sides of Natasha at the same time. In this single episode, she’s strong, cunning, and even vulnerable at times.

What’s really interesting to see (aside from all of the potential ship bait) is how thoroughly Natasha settled into her latest case. Little moments of it keep popping back into her head at the strangest times. Almost like she never really wanted to walk away from that life at all.

There’s a lot to enjoy about this episode, thanks to all of the different elements and subtleties are woven in. Many threads are directly connected to the plot and to Natasha, which could potentially be picked up from here. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes.

Narration

Black Widow: Bad Blood Episode 7 was narrated by Sarah Natochenny. As with the rest of this series so far, she’s done an excellent job here. Natasha is constantly bouncing around from concerned to curious, to clever, and back again. Those are just a few of the emotions and tones that Natochenny had to portray here, and she did it flawlessly.

There is also a bit more of an opportunity to voice other characters, both the good and the bad. The variety that can be heard is impressive, though one character, in particular, shines above the rest. Again, that was certainly done with intention.

As with the rest of this series, there are many subtle sound effects thrown in to increase the scenes. From wind gusting in the background to sounds of impact added to the fight. Combine that with the musical score created for the series (credit to Amanda Rose Smith), and you’ve got an experience worth diving into.

Conclusion

Black Widow: Bad Blood Episode 7 was every bit as thrilling as I could have hoped for. Though perhaps not for the reasons expected. Yes, there was a fight, as the last episode implied there would be. But there was more to be found as well. It made for an interesting mix, one that was full of surprises.

Black Widow: Bad Blood has quickly become one of those moments I look forward to each and every week. It’s almost sad thinking about how we’re now at the halfway mark. At least that means we still have seven-episode left.

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.