Swamp Thing Review: He Speaks (Season 1 Episode 3)

Swamp Thing Season 1 Episode 3, “He Speaks,” slows the action down — but not too much — to focus on supporting characters that can greatly influence the remaining episodes of the season.

The first two episodes of the season heavily focus on Abby, Alec, and even Avery Sunderland. That’s an understandable perspective to prioritize early in the series, but this subsequently sews seeds of doubt that other characters wouldn’t get arcs of their own.

“He Speaks” builds the foundation to put that theory to bed, especially when it comes to the episode’s biggest cliffhangers.

Liz now knows more about Avery Sunderland than anyone else in Marais. She’s going to have to fight his power and privilege to make sure people know the truth.

Liz is at the forefront of taking down the most revered man in a small town.

She’s the only person who knows about Avery’s dirty dealings and the fact that he’s a murderer. That’s a landmine for a giant and riveting story that Swamp Thing shouldn’t pass up. It doesn’t deserve to be a second thought.

Matt, on the other hand, is still a mystery.

Swamp Thing clearly shows him as someone who wants to push back against rigid protocols to save people, and Abby helps him do that. It’s hard to know whether that’s why he still has a crush on Abby or not.

It’s hard to imagine who he was in Marais before Abby returned. This is because the series predominately frames Matt’s story with his affection for Abby. This isn’t rewarding in the grand scheme of the show, because Swamp Thing hasn’t given us a reason to believe there’s a chance that these two could end up together — yet.

As unfortunate as it is, Matt’s crush is ill-timed and unrequited.

There’s a hint with their dance at the end of “He Speaks” that Abby could feel something for him, but hopefully Abby doesn’t feel obligated to give Matt a chance because he’s liked her for so long.

Abby’s not responsible for being unaware of Matt’s crush when he never brought it to her attention. She’s not all-knowing and she shouldn’t have to be. Abby Arcane is a very cool and caring person, and if someone admires that, they should tell her.

It’s not Abby’s job to know what Matt feels — not when they were younger and not now.

In that sense, Matt’s move in asking Abby to dance is a major step in the right direction. It takes him too many years to take that step, but it still counts.

If Swamp Thing wants to present Abby and Matt as a potential couple, then it’s going to have to do a lot more work. Abby has more chemistry with Alec, a man who she just met and is now a swamp monster, than a guy she’s known for years.

There needs to be more one-on-one scenes between Matt and Abby where their dynamic can develop beyond what it was when they were younger.

It’s only then that it will be believable that Matt has a crush on who Abby is now and that she’s not stuck in his mind as the girl she once was.

It’s fascinating to only discuss Matt in connection to his romantic interest on the show because that is usually reserved for female characters in shows of this genre. Swamp Thing thankfully flips the script on that tired trope.

Nevertheless, Matt is more interesting than a one-dimensional love interest, and it would be beneficial for Swamp Thing to lean into this moving forward.

Matt’s persistent push against the powers that be can become a captivating dynamic to watch, especially because his mother is so intricately woven into that system.

Swamp Thing has cultivated a group of incredibly fascinating characters very early in its season. It’s impossible not to demand more from the show when the characters so clearly deserve more. There are still seven episodes left for the show to do Liz, Matt, and the others right.

Stray Observations

• Swamp Thing is clearly a supernatural show, but Shawna’s spirit adds another layer. 
• It was nice to see Andy Bean’s face again, even if it was for just a few seconds. 

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Swamp Thing airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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