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Sunday, May 13, 2018

Young Justice Reviews: Episodes 17-20

We're moving on to the next four episodes of the first season of Young Justice. At this rate, I might actually get all the first-season episodes reviewed by the end of the month.

We left off on a key episode in the series and some of what gets explored is the fallout from that episode, plus a few more developments as we move quicker toward learning more about what The Light's plans really are.

Let's look at Episodes 17 through 20.



Episode 17: Disordered

The plot: As The Team is counseled after a training exercise went wrong, Superboy leaves The Cave and meets the Forever People, who are out to recover technology stolen from their planet.

Key elements: The fallout from Failsafe and its implications on Team members, the revelation of Sphere's full powers.

Favorite quote: From Superboy: "Wait... Sphere's a she?"

Episode thoughts: The episode focuses on Superboy, who has the toughest admission to make regarding the events of Failsafe, and some of the mysteries resolved about Sphere. The Forever People and the New Gods are introduced into the series for the first time, though they don't play much of a role this season. But the ramifications of Failsafe show that some of The Team members are evolving, though a few aren't yet willing to confront truths about themselves.

Episode 18: Secrets

The plot: Artemis and Zatanna opt to skip an invitation to a Halloween dance at Happy Harbor High School, heading to New York City, where they are hunted by Harm, an individual who hides a secret of his own.

Key elements: Further insights into Artemis' character and backstory, more hints about a mole within The Team.

Favorite quote: This exchange between Harm and Artemis:
Harm: Both must do better or suffer Harm.
Artemis: We get it! Your name is Harm.

Episode thoughts: The events start when Artemis learns that Superboy and Miss Martian are a couple and becomes frustrated, because she had a crush on Superboy herself. She and Zatanna head for New York City, where Artemis wants to take her frustrations out on those breaking the law, but finds she can't take that approach when facing Harm -- an individual who has his own secrets and weaknesses. It's a solid episode that includes a fun little subplot in which Superboy, Miss Martian and Kid Flash expose an attempted Halloween prank by Marvin White.

Episode 19: Misplaced

The plot: The Team must find a way to defeat Klarion and other sorcerers who have cast a spell to cause every adult on the planet to disappear.

Key elements: Captain Marvel's identity of Billy Batson revealed to The Team, the new Dr. Fate decided upon, a key twist in The Light's plot.

Favorite quote: The revelation of Billy Batson's identity to The Team, which goes like this:
Miss Martian: He's Captain Marvel!
Kid Flash: Yeah, and I'm Speedy Gonzales. Look, just because he believes he's Cap--
Billy: Gee, Wally. Do I really have to bring you nachos and pineapple juice to get on your good side?

Episode thoughts: There's more revealed about the disappearance of every adult on Earth that would spoil the episode, but it does lead to an interesting development into how The Team finds a way to defeat Klarion. Zatanna plays a key role in the episode, including how another individual becomes the new Dr. Fate. It's amazing to watch how the show creators put together a storyline like this -- it's difficult to pull it off, but by utilizing certain characters in certain ways, the writers pull it off well.

Episode 20: Coldhearted

The plot: While the rest of The Team works with the Justice League to take down multiple ice fortresses creating snowstorms across the continent, Kid Flash has to be a delivery boy -- only his mission turns out to be more deadly than expected.

Key elements: The maturation of Kid Flash, Vandal Savage taking a hands-on approach in affairs, a key appearance by Count Vertigo.

Favorite quote: From Kid Flash: "My favorite breakfast: heaping piles of everything."

Episode thoughts: Kid Flash, to this point, has been cocky and thinks of himself as a ladies' man, but as he realizes the greater importance of his mission, he takes responsibility to see it through and finds out that the best birthday present he could ask for was something more than working with the League on a mission. A nice touch is that the plot element of four ice villains staging separate attacks on the same day, which dates back to the first episodes, pays off once again. The writers do this a lot, taking elements that were inserted into the first couple of episodes and going back to them again as the season progresses.

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