VisionQuest has certainly gained momentum with time, to the point where it easily ranks among the best of Marvel's live-action Disney+ shows to date (not that it looks like there's going to be much competition in the foreseeable future). Sadly, that momentum doesn't entirely carry over into the final episode. "Forever" is a bit of a letdown compared to recent installments of the series, mainly due to the last-minute pivot to a new villain.

James Spader has so often stolen the spotlight as Ultron in this series. But here, Spader proves to be both the best and worst element of the finale. His Ultron remains as compelling and entertaining as ever, but Spader can't quite bring that appeal over to his new role as the shadowy "Client," aka Virgil Horton. There's something about Horton that just doesn't resonate as strongly as Ultron does. It's hard to say if the problem is more the quality of the dialogue or the comparatively manic way Spader is playing him, but Horton comes across as more annoying than threatening. You can't argue the actor isn't giving it his all here (including in that kooky little dance number), but as an endgame villain, Virgil Horton is lacking a certain je ne sais quoi.

Part of it comes down to the notion that Ultron is based on a human model in the first place. Y. that he was unique. Well, it turns out he isn't. It diminishes this villain a bit to see that all his acerbic, affected charm comes not from being invented in a lab by Tony Stark and immediately exposed to the horrors of the Internet, but because he's a copy of Jo Carrington's (T'Nia Miller) creepy ex-boyfriend.

Source link