The world of “Scott Pilgrim” was first introduced as comics back in 2004 and was later transformed into a movie in 2010. When the movie was first released, “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” was considered a box office flop as it only grossed $49.3 million on a production budget of $85 million. Since then, however, the movie has become a cult classic.
The film’s release was accompanied by a video game release, which was remastered in 2021. This only led to more conversations and hype surrounding the film, and on Nov. 17, 2023, Netflix released “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” with the original cast.
“I was happy to be able to reach out to everyone with the news that we had finally come up with a way to continue the adventure. Seeing [and hearing] everyone come back to their roles has been a true pleasure.” director Edgar Wright said in an interview with Netflix Tudum.
The cast is one of the only things that remains the same, however, as the plot changes after Scott’s very first interaction with Ramona Flowers’s first ex — a loss against Matthew Patel. The show then focuses on Ramona contacting her exes to figure out who kidnapped Scott.
The show offers a new insight into the life of Ramona’s exes the film could not show us. It becomes a “What If…?” situation where the League of Evil Exes disbands and instead focuses on themselves and new budding friendships.
The audience sees new sides to every ex: Matthew becoming a CEO after defeating Gideon, Lucas Lee’s failing acting career, Todd Ingram’s relationship with Envy Adams and his vegan powers growing, Roxie Richter’s ninja abilities and her desire for an apology, the Katayanagi twins’ expert robot making abilities and, of course, Gideon’s fall from grace.
Ramona spends the episodes looking for the ex that might’ve taken Scott, deducts the suspect list and apologizes to each ex for leaving so abruptly — something that feels the most rewarding with Roxie, who had barely even been considered an ex by Ramona in the previous film.
The exes also interact with each other. After Gideon loses to Matthew, he loses his name and starts to go by his real name, Gordon. He moves in with Julie Powers, the monotone barista. In his time of mourning his company, he finds companionship with none other than Lucas.
Season one ended with Ramona figuring out that future Scott kidnapped Scott in an attempt to prevent Ramona and himself from ever dating because, in the future, they get divorced. The pair — with the help of the exes and friends — work together to defeat future Scott.
The season ends with the group happy and each finding their own peace — either with their careers or with themselves — that is until Gideon and Julie are shown to be plotting something unknown.
The ending does not confirm another season, unfortunately, as the showrunners were happy with where they left off.
“We put everything we had into this, and we think it has a really great ending that we’re proud of. I don’t make any plans in general. Maybe someday one of us will text each other an idea that’s really great for a season two,” show creator Bryan Lee O’Malley said in an interview with Rolling Stone.
The anime adds more character and world-building that was much needed in the film, and I’m glad more things got to be discussed. I think the series was a good mix of fan service and the use of previously known characters to expand the plot.
If you’d like to watch “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off,” you can stream it on Netflix.
