‘Amazing Stories’ (2020) Recap: ‘Dynoman and the Volt’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

​Life is something that is always changing as we grow, and that tends to present us with new challenges as the years roll along. For instance, as we grow into adults, we see some of our friends disappear as we all come to learn what we like and dislike in life and that’s hard to navigate since our little world seems like it will never change when we are young. But the challenges don’t end there. For as we get older, we notice that our bodies begin to heal a little slower, and we can no longer keep up the pace that we used to and that presents new mental struggles for us as well and all of this, is relevant to today’s discussion, simply because the latest episode of Amazing Stories found a way to explore these concepts in a beautiful and thoughtful manner.
 
Because ‘Dynoman and the Volt’ took us inside the home of the Harris family, where grandfather Joe was struggling with some changes in his life. For he recently underwent major knee surgery, and the fact that he was in need of repair for his aging body, didn’t sit well with him. Because it meant he could no longer do the things he loved to do, and this injury would likely prevent him from working and that prospect terrified him to no end. Yet while Joe dealt with his fears, his grandson Dylan was handling his own struggles. For his best friend was growing up and discovering girls, and Dylan’s hardcore love of comics and cosplay and everything nerdy was beginning to alienate him from the other kids and well, this part of the story gets some serious credit for being so incredibly relatable. Because we’ve been in Dylan’s shoes before, and we’ve all noticed from time to time that a solid injury in adulthood, takes a little time to bounce back from and that’s frustrating for certain.
 
But while it seems as though this story was going to offer up grand commentary on the changes we struggle with in life, and how they bind us, since Joe and Dylan quickly bonded over their outcast-like nature, this episode offered up some vastly different concepts to explore. And that was accomplished by an unexpected delivery. For a ring from a Dynoman comic that Joe sent away for when he was a boy, turned out to possess the powers of his childhood hero and Joe was able to use that ring to inspire his grandson to believe in the impossible and it allowed for him to return to work and blow everyone away with his new skill set. But it didn’t take long for Joe to disappoint his family by prioritizing his work over anything else and the pain that brought forth, led to an epic finale, wherein two generations of the Harris boys had to work together in order to save Dylan from danger and that magical ending is what brings together the beautiful messages present in this tale.
 
For in essence, this is a story about the importance of family and how we need to embrace it because we only get one and when we do, a great peace washes over us since we come to learn that we truly belong in a family and that we often share in the same interests, as evidenced by Joe and Dylan’s love of comics and storytelling. But more importantly, this is a story that takes the time to remind us that while our bodies will indeed age as time rolls along, staying young at heart by embracing the things that bring us joy is what will make those physically tougher days a little easier to endure, and of course, this tale also serves to remind us to stay true to ourselves at any age. Because it really doesn’t matter what people think about us, and it is okay when people leave our lives. For the great ones, such as our family and the family we choose, will accept us for who we are, and they will always be at our side.
 
If anything, this is the first episode of the Amazing Stories reboot that truly feels like the original series, since it is full of feel-good moments and uplifting themes and it is handled in such smooth and magnificent fashion here that every single second of this story puts a smile on your face. Because it also knows exactly how to bring out the kid in us and send us back to those days where we saw our parents and/or our grandparents as superheroes in their own right and really, this is the finest episode of this young series to date. Because it is just a lot of fun, and it sucks you in with its lovely story and it also features some incredible performances, with a special shout out to the late and great Robert Forster. Because he is simply electric on screen as Joe Harris and honestly, there’s a fair chance this story would not have worked without him in that role and well, it is best we wish the next story in this saga a lot of luck. Because it is truly difficult to follow a story that is in essence, perfect. Until next time.   

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