I guess you could call this a case of full circle. When the first episode of “What If…?” streamed, I lamented that it needed more time to tell an adequate story. Now, it appears that the season is ending much the same way. “What If… The Watcher Broke His Oath,” once it gathers the team and gives them a quick primer, launches into a fast paced action set piece that not only nerfs Ultron as a cosmic big bad, put never once pumps the brakes allowing the characters or the audience a chance to take a breath.
I’m definitely not saying that this installment is a bad one by any means. It ends the season in an entertaining manner even though it was, at times, painfully predictable. What I am saying is that this season needed more time to tell this story and that’s painfully obvious when it comes to one aspect of it.
Gamora.
Arguably one of the most important characters of the finale story, Gamora is introduced and basically shoved into the action as the slayer of Thanos and the champion of Sakaar. I honestly thought that maybe I forgot to watch an episode and immediately stopped the episode to check.
I’m sure that covid-19 probably had something to do with the missing episode, but going into this finale without an essential piece would be like going into “The Best of Both Worlds” without introducing the Borg. It’s a stunning decision that didn’t have to be, in my opinion. Would it have really upset things so much to have delayed this series a few more months until all the episodes were completed?
That aside, “What If… The Watcher Broke His Oath” is perfectly acceptable, mostly entertaining, but painfully predictable. After investing in an entire season, to suddenly learn that a chunk of that season is missing, however, is endlessly frustrating.
Jason Gaston 