In Growing up With Its Audience, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Becomes a Better Version of Itself

In the time of reboots and remakes, it is rare to find one that truly stands out among the hoards of television and films released each year. It seems like each week there’s a reboot announcement on Twitter, which people clamor to with varying responses: will this reboot be any good? Will it surpass its original? Oftentimes, the answer to those questions comes in a resounding “no,” echoing from the Internet chamber all the way to conversations with coworkers and friends. So, when an animated Scott Pilgrim show was announced, fans were rightly worried. But, with creators Bryan Lee O’Malley and BenDavid Grabinski in charge, it seemed like perhaps we would be lucky this time around. 

When the first trailer for the new animated spinoff series debuted, it appeared that Scott Pilgrim Takes Off would be a cut-and-dry remake. Certain scenes looked identical to shots in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and the entire original cast from the film was returning, and with no indication otherwise, it truly seemed like just an animated version of that original movie. Even the show’s first episode plays out like a step-by-step rehashing of scenes we’ve already seen, whether it be on paper or on the big screen. Frame by frame we watch as Scott (Michael Cera) goes to band practice, sees Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) skate by him, becomes infatuated with her image, and then later falls head over heels for her at a party. 

While watching the first episode, you can’t help but wonder if you have signed up to watch a strict remake, but once Ramona’s evil exes are finally introduced, it becomes clear that Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is anything but ordinary. When Scott is inevitably forced to battle Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha) at a battle of the bands, instead of beating him in a fashion we’re familiar with, Scott doesn’t just lose: he dies. His death leaves you reeling and trying to conceive how a show named after its titular character can go on with said character dead. Somehow, though, it works, and we slowly begin to realize that maybe Scott wasn’t the reason why the original adaptation was so successful.

After Scott dies, his famed love interest Ramona quickly becomes the show’s main focus. In this version of the story, she takes the reins of her life, battling it out with her various evil exes in a way that wasn’t present in the film. With Scott now gone, Ramona is finally able to break free of the manic pixie dream girl chains that she was shackled with in the previous adaptation. Yes, Mary Elizabeth Winstead was a standout in the Scott Pilgrim film, but that doesn’t mean that the film’s story was truly kind to her character. Here, though, Ramona is finally allowed to grow into a more mature (and less sexualized) version of the initial character we fell in love with. And all Scott needed to do to make this happen was bite the dust. 

It’s not just Ramona who gets to shine this time around, either. From the foul-mouthed Julie Powers (Aubrey Plaza) to the scene stealing Roxie Richter (Mae Whitman), each and every side character is allowed to flourish into a fully realized person. Characters who skirted by in the background are now brought to the forefront of the story, with Ramona’s exes each getting a chance to shine. Rather than just serve as a means for Scott to level up, they are present because they are an integral part of Ramona’s life and development. Their attachment to her is given more time to breathe, allowing us a glimpse into not only their motivations, but Ramona as a character as well. 

With Scott gone, the show also becomes about the people in his life, who are undoubtedly far more interesting. It’s here we begin to realize that, just because the show has his name in the title, Scott was never the draw here. I still remember seeing the first trailer for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World at 12-years-old, and being enamored by the flashy action sequences more than anything. Once I had actually watched the film after it was available on DVD, I came away with a Kieran Culkin obsession and began to save up money to buy Metric’s “Fantasies” on CD. Even then, Scott was not the standout of the film, and I don’t think I’m alone in this realization. In the new animated series, the writers know this, forcing him to take a backseat in animated-purgatory, and allowing his much cooler friends to stand on their own. 

It’s a gracious thing O’Malley and Grabinkski do, and fully reinvents the idea of what a remake or reboot can be. Allowing something you’ve created (and undoubtedly love) to blossom over a decade later and take a different shape is one of the bravest things I have seen a modern creative duo do. In knowing their material, they also reveal that they know their audience. As we grow, we change, and so does our view of what we want from beloved properties. The people who read the comics are not necessarily the same people who loved the film, and the people who loved the film are well into adulthood now. O’Malley and Grabinski thankfully know this, and utilize this fact to rework Scott and Ramona’s storylines, and the overarching story at large, and turn it into something wholly unexpected, and undeniably more world-wise. 

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is a fresh and bold new take not only on its source material but on the idea of reboots as well. It takes a bold step forward in flipping everything we knew about these characters and the world they inhabit on its head, fleshing out a story that may even reign supreme over its predecessor. The show expertly transforms itself into something for not only new viewers, but older fans of the original to enjoy. It’s rare nowadays for creators to truly get what made their initial work successful, but it’s clear that O’Malley and Grabinski not only understand it, but embrace it. In growing up with its audience, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off opens itself up to a new generation while honoring the viewers who loved the source material in the 2000’s, and the live-action film in the 2010’s. In doing so, the animated series cements itself as one of the best reboots in years. 

Kaiya Shunyata is a freelance pop culture writer and academic based in Toronto. They have written for Rogerebert.com, Xtra, The Daily Dot, and more. You can follow them on Twitter, where they gab about film, queer subtext, and television.

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