Replacing the front bumper, a battering ram finds itself attached to a van plowing through New York City traffic turning rush hour into a demolition derby. One car after another goes flying through the night sky until there’s a mass pile of metal burning in the middle of the street. Spider-Man swings into the middle of the mayhem. To his right, the sound of red and blue sirens chasing down the culprits, and to his left, the innocent people trying to escape the blaze. The cries for help are too much for Spider-Man to ignore. New York’s finest will have to handle this one on their own. One by one, the web-slinger makes his way to each car, helping everyone in need. The calmness in his voice is loud enough to quiet down the chaos of the moment. Everyone who can hear him knows they’re safe. And as Spider-Man calls out to make sure there’s no one left behind, buried between the flames, cries out one final voice. Spider-Man knows the fire’s going to hurt, but saving people is what he does. He takes a deep breath… and jumps.

With the first two episodes of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man being as good as a Spider-Man show can be, there was a lot of pressure sitting on the shoulders of the next three episodes released. Well, you’ll never guess, but they did it again. When it was announced that the show would be releasing the next three episodes all at once, I was admittedly frustrated. I love this show and I’d like to keep watching it for as long as possible. Why would they release so many episodes all at once? Well, I’d like to take this time to apologize to everyone involved in making these decisions. Clearly, I don’t know what I’m talking about.

With episodes 3, 4, and 5, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man tells the mirrored story of Peter Parker and Lonnie Lincoln. Little did we know when these two characters first became friends in science class that they would become two different sides of the same coin. I never intend to spoil what happens in these episodes because the ride is so much fun, but watching Lonnie and Peter have life throw the same experiences at them through completely different lenses was both heartbreaking and a complete masterclass in storytelling. Every episode is filled with separate moments where I’m desperate for someone to step in and help these characters that I’ve come to care for so much.

On top of that, much like how episode 2’s ending left me wanting more, episode 5 ends with yet another reveal that has me completely changing my opinion on how they should release this show. Don’t make me wait another week! Give me episode 6 now! Besides the latest big reveal of the show, with fantastic action scenes, great bits, and even more reveals of what’s really going on behind the scenes of the story, these three episodes could have stood on their own if they had been released weekly. As a Spider-Man fan, getting all three at once feels like an embarrassment of riches. On top of that, the show’s ability to juggle so many supporting characters while continuing to introduce even more compelling characters is just one of the many reasons why I have to give this week’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, 10 Russian Unicorns out of 10.