Things take a strange turn in the fifth episode of Creature Commandos, putting Eric Frankenstein in focus while unveiling further mysteries. Last week we unpacked the trauma lurking just beneath the wall-eyes of Weasel, in an episode I considered good but a little safe. This week’s episode, “The Iron Pot” was anything but.
Revenge of Graphic Content #9: Creature Commandos – S1E5 – “The Iron Pot”
The fifth episode of Creature Commandos does not play it safe at all regarding the character of Eric Frankenstein, doubling down on elements that have proven the character controversial among audiences, but really building on themes the series is exploring. Meanwhile, the presence of a significant Gotham City rogue has made the overarching plot all the more complicated. The fallout of this episode will be substantial.
The Good – The Twisting Climax
It’s getting hard to make sense of what is going on with Creature Commandos‘ Pokolistan situation, and as a viewer, I am absolutely excited about where the series is going in these final episodes of the season. We are introduced to several new wrinkles in the overall story while simultaneously exploring the troubling, complex psychology of Eric Frankenstein.
So, regarding the Pokolistan situation, Flag and Frankenstein investigate the mysterious Themiscyra expert Aisla McPherson (Stephanie Beatriz). Their investigation presents a solid mystery that runs through the episode, with one of the best elements being their back-and-forth. David Harbour’s take on Frankenstein works very well, here, when his eccentricities have someone to bounce off of, such as the case with Franke Grillo’s Flag, Sr. Frankenstein’s impatient, childish behavior adds a lot of great comedy to what is a very grim and disturbing revelation.
The question of whether Aisla MacPherson was Clayface in disguise prior to this episode hangs in the air, but more than likely, as much as a creep this Clayface appears to be, he can likely put in the work acting as the professor more professionally. We know little about what incarnation of the character this Clayface is, However, the reveal of the dead MacPherson, and Clayface having moved into her home, is incredibly dark – certainly in tone with one of Gotham’s worst rogues.
The ramifications of this subplot are exciting. Flag, Sr. looks very much dead and Frankenstein scores an exciting victory through quick thinking in a well-animated fight sequence. But the Clayface question is a lingering mystery; what is his role? Is he part of a scheme on behalf of Circe, or might he be involved with the Princess? There has been a specific emphasis on mud and clay present in Pokolistan – on vehicles, and on the salves used to treat Eric in the flashback.
The Pokolistan Situation
Meanwhile, in Pokolistan, the Commandos are made and must scatter throughout the city as the army hunts them down. The highlight here is Doctor Phosphorus, who flips the double bird through a tank and several soldiers in what is likely to be the most iconic visual in the first season. It was truly spectacular.
The apparent heel-turn of Princess Illana is also of note. The series has gone to great lengths so far to suggest she may have a role as a serious antagonist, but her reaction to learning the Commandos want to eliminate her is entirely practical. We’re getting a lot of claims and few answers, and the chaos is wonderful.
The Frankenstein Backstory
Our monster flashback this week focuses on Eric Frankenstein. As fun as everything was regarding the present timeline of the story, Eric was due some significant character development, and this episode delivered on that. However, whether this backstory helps to settle the controversy around him is another question entirely.
Having Eric be rescued by an older Romani woman tended to evoke elements of Shelley’s Frankenstein text. It’s all very much in the spirit of the character. Having him develop a familial bond with her and her dog is also fascinating.
Eric’s childish worldview and obsession with the Bride cause him to murder the closest person he has to his family with a big iron pot. That’s wonderfully dark and says a lot about him; he sees it as a mercy as he can’t stand to see her alone as he continues his mission in pursuit of “his” Bride.
I loved it. It made sense given what we know of him, the tone of the series, and the themes Gunn has been dealing with for four episodes. But I also see that this episode is going to divide audiences as well, and that falls squarely on the massive shoulders of Frankenstein.
The Bad – Eric Frankenstein: An Unfairly Divisive Character
The issue of Eric Frankenstein as a character comes down to media literacy and whether audiences can understand what Creature Commandos is doing with the character. A sizable portion of the audience will, while the grim reality is that a majority will not. This episode does a great job of really honing in on the worldview of Eric and his backstory presents his understanding of reality. And that reality is not ideal.
Eric Frankenstein, much like the Creature of Mary Shelley’s novel, is a scorned and confused child who lashes out violently at the world. Being that Creature Commandos is simultaneously a comic book adaptation and a James Gunn project, these elements are amplified greatly and heightened for comedy. The root of the comedy, however, is still derived from the tragedy of Shelley’s novel.
Frankenstein’s decision to end the life of his friend with the titular iron pot in the episode is darkly comic and tragic; he believes it to be a mercy, a good thing to do. He can’t see it any other way, because, like a child, he sees the world as revolving around him so he can make sense of it. Killing his Romani friend is an act of love.
For the audience aware of what is going on here, it is a very powerful scene that adds a lot to the character. For the less aware among the total audience, it comes off as cruel and weird (which it certainly is) but they may be unlikely to see beyond that. The metatext of Eric Frankenstein and the larger archetype that informs how Gunn writes the character may end up lost.
I’ve seen many folks in discussion spaces call Eric annoying and weird, and he is, but not understand the purpose that serves. The thematic resonance of Eric Frankenstein is becoming lost on some audiences, and I do not know how that might be fixed. I think what we see in this episode helps him to become one of the most interesting characters on the show, but with a character as polarizing as he is, this episode can’t help but be controversial.
The Monstrous – Eric Frankenstein
As with most characters we talk about in the DC Universe, you have different takes given the Crises that dictate their interpretation. As of now in the comics, we appear to have four different versions, of which, given some major differences, Creature Commandos’ take most aligns with the Frankenstein which was developed by Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke around 2005 as part of the Seven Soldiers of Victory series.
Continuity Notes
Some notes from this week’s episode.
- Princess Ilana is looking a lot like Princess Amethyst of Gemworld, right? Is it just a reference here, or are we going somewhere with this? My captions read something along the lines of “Amethyst Knights” at some point.
- So Princess Ilana was not revealed to be Clayface in disguise… yet. However, we still have a couple of episodes to go and we know that Clayface can create multiple, distinct bodies.
- Mortal Kombat makes an appearance, as does an X-Box Series X.
- Clayface hitting on a student disguised as Aisla may be the most horrific element of the episode for me, as someone who works at a college.
- Phosphorus may be my favorite of the Commandos at this point for how unabashedly bad he appears to be.
- As always, Gunn has added new tracks from the episode to the Spotify playlist. it’s been fun catching up with the playlist week to week. I hope he does the same for Peacemaker season 2.
Mission Rating
Looking for the bottom line of this review? The rapid developments of the modern mystery will ultimately need to come together within the next couple of episodes. How Clayface emerges as part of the overall scheme will affect how successful this episode is.
However, the real highlight here is the focus on Eric Frankenstein, who emerges as a deeper character with an understandable, if simplistic worldview. Again, like the central mystery, the success of this episode is going to rely greatly on what comes after.
As it stands, the episode comes in at four out of five ghost emojis, but that could always change. Can Creature Commandos stick the landing based on the sudden upheaval of everything we’ve seen so far?
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Creature Commandos is currently streaming on MAX.
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