When we first meet the Crab, he's on the other side of a robbery that is thwarted by the newly-minted Thunder Team duo. After weeks of treatments and training, childhood besties-turned-superhero vigilantes Lydia (Melissa McCarthy) and Emily (Octavia Spencer) suit up for their first mission at a convenience store that the Crab and his criminal colleagues are holding up. Although it's a messy operation, the two manage to stop the Miscreant goons in their tracks. But even as Lydia puts a stop to the Crab's crime spree, she sees something she likes in him — including his giant red pincer arms.
Lydia and the Crab appear to have an instant, albeit odd connection. So she invites him out to dinner for a date that is both work and pleasure as she tries to snag some key intel about his boss, the King (Bobby Cannavale) by literally buttering the Crab up. The humor of the scene is gentle, but steady, and Jason Bateman's famous deadpanning skills come in handy as he keeps a straight face while delivering even the most uproarious lines. Consider the moment when he takes the waiter to task for recommending the seafood tower appetizer, saying, "I apologize for raising my voice, but I got bit on the ballbag by a radioactive crab, and I used to love shellfish, so my fuse is a little short. This is a triggering environment for me."
Bateman has long had a knack for being a grounding voice amid some slapstick screen situations — as with nearly the entire run of Arrested Development — but here, it's him who gets the chance to ratchet up the absurdity level with his dialogue, and he appears to have a lot of fun with it without ever showing a hint of breaking.
