Marvel's Cloak & Dagger has arrived on Freeform, but Tyrone (Aubrey Joseph) and Tandy (Olivia Holt) are still a very far cry from embracing their superhero alter egos.
The two-part series premiere introduced us to the troubled teens who were bonded by a tragic chemical accident when they were kids. Eight years later, the now-teenagers reunited at a party, igniting the powers gifted to them by the tanker explosion they were exposed to in the series' opening scenes. While Tyrone and Tandy definitely figured out something very strange is going on with them -- and that they can't avoid literally crashing into each other -- they had yet to accept that they need each other to reach their full potential at the end of Episode 2.
Cloak & Dagger: Behind the Darkness and Light of Freeform's New Superhero Show
Buckle up, crew because it's still going to take a minute for them to piece it together; Cloak & Dagger is going to take its time fleshing out these young teens before pairing them up for good. TV Guide talked to showrunner Joe Pokaski about the decision to make their team up a slow burn, how long you have to wait for the pay-off and what happens when Ty and Tandy finally figure it out.
Aubrey Joseph, Cloak & Dagger" data-image-credit="Alfonso Bresciani, Freeform" data-image-alt-text="Aubrey Joseph, Cloak & Dagger‹" data-image-credit-url="" data-image-target-url="" data-image-title="Aubrey Joseph, Cloak & Dagger‹" data-image-filename="180607-cloak-and-dagger-aubrey-joseph.jpg" data-image-date-created="2018/06/07" data-image-crop="" data-image-crop-gravity="" data-image-aspect-ratio="" data-image-height="1380" data-image-width="2070" data-image-do-not-crop="" data-image-do-not-resize="" data-image-watermark="" data-lightbox="">Cloak & Dagger will take its time to get Tyrone and Tandy to actually work together. How long can we sort of expect it to take before they get on the same page?
Pokaski: I think the important thing for us was to make sure we understood them individually...It was important in [the second hour] to really have one more episode where we really understand their problems as individuals, but also lay out the fact that these two are destined to be together. The last moment in Episode 2 is very much saying that these two can't avoid each other. So, without giving away too much, in Episode 3 they very intimately understand each other's problems. And then in Episode 4, we have one of the longest conversations in the history of television interlaced with some really crazy action stuff that helps them lay out what they're gonna do about their problems. So I think the first four is our first act that really bring Tyrone and Tandy together, hopefully in a very conclusive way.
What do you think each of them needs to learn before they can work efficiently together as Cloak and Dagger?
Pokaski: The most important thing they need to learn is that there is one person who understands me. When I grew up I had Buffy [the Vampire Slayer] to watch, and I felt like that was such a beautiful show in the sense that Joss Whedon and Sarah Michelle Gellar really got across the idea of being a teenager, which is "Nobody understands me." There's a sense of alienation. So I think with Tandy and Tyrone there was an opportunity to lay out the idea that every once in a while there's someone who does know what you're going through. So I think they need to understand and trust that the other person kind of gets it before they can work together.
How Well Do the Stars of Marvel's Cloak & Dagger Know Each Other?
If we're taking such a long time for them to get to a friendship level, are there romantic possibilities between these two this season? Or is that something that you want to put off for as long as possible?
Pokaski: I don't want to spoil the rest of the season, but I think the most important thing is we want them to be established as best friends. And I think the comics did a great job on that, where I want to make sure you understand them as people who need each other. And I think there's plenty of time and opportunity to explore romantic things down the road.
In the original comic book run, Cloak and Dagger's main focus was eliminating the drug trade. Is that something that we're gonna see come up for Season 1? Or do you have a different focus for these two and what their ultimate mission's gonna be?
Pokaski: We have a slightly different focus in Season 1, but I think this is something they'll be dealing with over the course of the series. We wanted to keep it a little more personal, so in broadest terms, Tyrone is basically one young man against the whole police department. And then Tandy's turn is one young woman against an entire corporation. And so I think those felt for our time and for their stories to be the best way to start off on these two as kind of the underdog superheroes of the Marvel Universe fighting tremendous, but real forces.
Cloak & Dagger continues Thursdays at 8/7c on Freeform.
Other Links From TVGuide.com Marvel's Cloak and DaggerAubrey JosephOlivia Holt