“What If… Thor Were an Only Child?”
So far, What If…? has shown us murder mystery, Lovecraftian horrors, zombies, and the brink of world war. We were due for a break. And we got one in the form of an intergalactic Spring Break hosted by the god of thunder.
Based on the idea that if Odin had returned Loki to the Frost Giants instead of raising him as his own, then Thor would have become more spoiled, we see the young god prince take advantage of being left on his own. The astrophysical anomaly of his teleportation draws Dr. Jane Foster and her assistant, Darcy, to the eventual destination… Las Vegas! Foster is determined to get to the bottom of the cosmic event that she believes may have killed an entire planet. But party host Thor is just so darn cute.
In a rom-com type of story, Thor and Jane make a connection but get pulled apart by S.H.I.E.L.D. Jane had warned them of an alien disaster that could destroy the world. An alien disaster that seems to be her new boyfriend, unfortunately. Acting director Maria Hill (as Nick Fury was injured by Korg during a pool party) calls in the big gun party pooper, Captain Marvel, to shut it down. Thor and Carol actually have a damn good fight, easily worthy of a big screen or epic four-color crossover event, but nothing is accomplished. When the mega-party expands to Paris, California, St. Louis, and beyond, the literal and figurative nuclear option is put on the table. Just when Captain Marvel is set to unleash her full power with an atomic failsafe on deck, Jane manages to save the day by appealing to an ultimate authority: Thor’s mom.
The episode is fine for what it is: a fun little filler. There are elements of various “party movies” like The Hangover, Project X, What Happens in Vegas, and so on. The idea that a relaxed atmosphere and lots of alcohol might see established characters marrying ducks, Asgardians getting tattoos, and intergalactic overlords rocking the DJ booth is a stretch, but it’s all in good fun. It was indicative of some weak writing in the episode, though. The dialogue was pretty chunky and when Kat Dennings, who had to crank out whatever Two Broke Girls put in front of her, has some trouble selling it, you notice. Maybe we finally saw the drawback of using the theatrical cast as much as possible: they’re fine actors (there’s an Oscar winner in this one!), but not all of them are voice actors. It’s a special skill set and some come off a little flat.
Or, maybe the writing team just held it all back for the big reveal at the end. These What If…? endings are rarely happy and often shocking. The one for this episode will have you dying to find out the story behind that sequence of events.
