Episode Review: Wonder Man Episode 5 - "Found Footage"

Welcome back to the blog readers. As you may know by now, Wonder Man (2026) has been the most delightful thing on television right now. I have loved its look into the industry of Hollywood (not as much as The Studio (2025-) has, but still), and the chemistry and performances of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Sir Ben Kingsley are stellar. Now that we are in the second half of this show, would we be able to continue the momentum despite the interruption to the flow last week? Stick around to find out as I review the fifth episode, titled "Found Footage," written by Anayat Fakhraie, and directed by Tiffany Johnson.

NOTE: I will be using spoilers for my thoughts, so DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen the episode.

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Now here's the thing regarding this show. Aside from the third episode, I have not been the most attracted to the performances of our lead characters of Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery. It really is the chemistry of the two that has been the selling point of the series. That is the case in this episode as well, as their chemistry shines front and center in an inconsequential 20-minute episode that possibly teases something larger.

I will not let it run for a long time because there really is not much to add to what I have already said, but the chemistry of our two main characters is unmistakable. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is one of the better actors of his generation, and his filmography is able to speak for itself. Similarly, Sir Ben Kingsley is one of the most decorated and celebrated actors of all time. And their chemistry is impeccable. The two of them know how to play off of each other and really sell us on their relationship, and that is just about the best thing I can ask for in a series like this.

And now, we are going to get into the story of this episode. We pick up shortly after the events of the third episode, in which we learned that both Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery were given callbacks for Wonder Man. Trevor and Simon are at the El Capitan and Simon is not ready to celebrate anything quite yet despite Trevor's urges that they made it this far among hundreds of hopeful actors. Simon is more fixated on what is at stake, fixated on coming this close and losing out. Trevor assists him through a breathing exercise and continues to ignore calls from Department of Damage Control (DODC) agent Cleary. Cleary is in his office dissatisfied at Slattery's ignorance when he is confronted by the director, who questions Cleary's presence so late and reminding him how expendable he is. Cleary insists that he is in the home stretch of this case and will close it soon. Back at the El Capitan, the pair look to order drinks but are stunned to learn someone has paid for their drinks. The two meet the man who claims to know Trevor as multiple armed men approach them and force them in the alleyway at gunpoint. The man reveals himself to be a drug dealer that Trevor owes money to, and the situation escalates to the point where Simon begins to use his ionic powers to brutally beat the men into submission. Simon admits he hates using his powers in public and both men are horrified when they see a young man wearing a GoPro on a scooter. Fearing the kid recorded the confrontation, the two give chase to the man.

The two scour the streets of Los Angeles looking for the young man, and get stuck in traffic while doing so. While looking, Trevor continuously ignores calls from Cleary, who he has named "Uncle Vanya" in his phone, and also receives an email. Simon wants Trevor to ignore the email, but it is from Janelle, who reveals the scene that both will be using for their Wonder Man callback in which Barnaby betrays Wonder Man after "finding his price," hinting at what may come in the final three episodes. Simon pulls over the car to read the scene and is in denial since he believes Barnaby would never betray Wonder Man since they are best friends. Trevor looks up and sees the kid, and the two are in hot pursuit yet again. He leads the pair to a club where he finally allows them to confront him and introduces himself as Jayden. Jayden offers the two men a deal: he will decline to automatically upload the footage to YouTube in the morning and hand it over if they can recover his stolen bike. Trevor does not trust Jayden, but Simon forces him to with no other choice. The three make it to the alleged house where Jayden's bike is, and we find out the house belongs to a man named Escobar. Simon proposes he and Trevor pose as undercover cops in order to get the bike, but the woman who answers the door blows their cover, almost immediately recognizing Trevor as the Mandarin.

Once inside, the pair determine the situation and try to ask Esteban for Jayden's bike back, but he determines Jayden sent them and tries to plug his chamoy candy business that Trevor mistakes for drugs. Trevor also instantly turns against Jayden to support Escobar's business and learns that GoPro footage cannot be automatically uploaded to YouTube. Escobar explains that him and Jayden used to be friends before Jayden got jealous and ended things. As this is happening, the drug dealer from last night finds Jayden and forces him to point him in Simon and Trevor's direction, leading them to the house as well. He demands Trevor, and Trevor offers him safety if he slides the GoPro camera through the door, which he does. Trevor immediately deletes the footage. The cops arrive and order the drug dealers to stand down, leading Jayden to slip into the house and reunite with his former friend. Janelle calls Simon in the midst of all this chaos to question the commotion and inform him that the callback is being pushed up to right now since Von Kovak is leaving town. Gunfire erupts, forcing everyone in the house to flee, and Simon and Trevor race towards their car and to the callback as the episode ends.

Wonder Man's fifth offering may be too short for my liking, but it begins to tease what could be on the horizon for television's new favorite duo. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.