After an awesome return last week, Young Justice is keeping the ball rolling nicely. We're back on track with the main plot now, while still managing to throw in some added features. As with nearly every episode, they've managed to add even more depth to the immensely deep story going on.
The focus has returned to our double agent, Aqualad. Once more, Kal has to prove himself to The Light and this time he has to lead an attack on Mount Justice. He's not alone, either, he's got his own team of evil youths now. Artemis is sticking by his side, now as Tigress, and she manages to remain pretty epic. We get to see the Terror Twins again and actually pose a threat. Last time we saw them, it was mostly just Megan and Connor posing as them, so it's nice to see what they can actually do together. And of course we've got the lovable rogue, Icicle Jr. He's still got his crush on Tuppence, despite the fact that he's never met the real her. He's easily the most enjoyable of the team, managing to be psycho will still maintaining a certain charm.
Nightwing, being the mastermind that he is, claims that Aqualad's attack was all part of the plan so he could get a way to track the captured Lagoon Boy. However, clearly a major downside to the plan is that Beast Boy, Impulse, and Blue Beetle have all be taken prisoner. This means that things will probably get messy soon. And if that wasn't bad enough, to prove his loyalty, Aqualad destroyed Mount Justice. Nightwing and Connor were barely able to survive, another hiccup in Dick's plan.
As one would expect, Wally was not happy with what happened. He brings up some good points stating that Nightwing's ploy is bound to get someone hurt soon. And Aqualad's ruse seems to be working a little too well, as even Wally is starting to doubt where his true loyalty lies. Aqualad's whole traitor plot has just been swung around so much since it began. First he turns evil due to his personal trauma, then he's actually a mole, and now there's the possibility that his emotional trauma may actually have turned him evil. So far he's seems like he's still on the heroes' side, but I can see some moral conflicts growing even more out of this.
Aside from Aqualad, though, the main character of this episode seemed to have been Blue Beetle. Continuing off of last episode, Impulse seems intent on befriending Jaime. The two of them make a good duo and should continue providing some nice moments. Jaime's story took a drastic turn, though, when The Scarab decided that it was time to take control. Jaime was helpless to stop himself from attacking Aqualad which, as far as he knew, would result in the death of his friends. It's been made pretty clear that The Partner is related to The Scarab so it makes sense that Jaime has been getting a lot of plotlines lately. Things are sure to get worse before they get better for him.
The other minor subplot of this episode featured Mal trying to reconnect with Karen. I'm really glad that Karen has finally be given some time outside of Bumblebee. So far she's been one of the least featured new heroes and I've wondered about her story. She's busy at work for Ray Palmer, while Mal is left on the sidelines. It's not the most original plot, and definitely not one of the most exciting, but it still is good to see that these characters have their own personal issues as well. I'm still hoping that Karen/Bumblebee will be getting an episode devoted to her soon.
So, where does that leave us now? The Light is in a menacing position for the team. They've got four of their newbie heroes, they've got Aqualad and Tigress on their side for now, they've got those kidnapped kids still trapped tubes, for some reason they seem to have Shimmer there too, but I'm not sure what that is about. This is sure to lead to a much larger battle that is sure to have some morals and loyalties questioned. The Partner is sure to be revealed and given some explanation soon enough, and that means that Jaime's story is likely to be given further depth. Jaime seems to be set up as the main protagonist of this part of the series, so I imagine he'll play an important role in the climax.
The show just keeps growing better so I'm even more excited for next week.
Showing posts with label Young Justice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Young Justice. Show all posts
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
Young Justice - Satisfaction
We've had a large hiatus for a while now, but it's finally over and let me tell you, the wait was worth it. This was a really strong episode that managed to focus on a lot of character development in many different characters, carried on all the major storylines, and packed in a tonne of epic action.
The main focus on this story was about the original Roy Harper who's been missing ever since before the series began. Remember way back at the start, Red Arrow was a super angry jerk. This could be forgiven as it was in his programming, but we now see that real Roy isn't any better. He quickly tears into Green Arrow for 'abandoning' him and then goes out for revenge on Lex Luthor. Yep, this guy's going to be trouble.
The real action breaks out when Roy attacks Luthor, and Luthor sends out Mercy to fight. As evil as he is, Luthor is a really awesome character. He is able to remain calm and witty all throughout the assignation attempt. Then there was the actual fight, which was really something intense. Mercy proved to be a real threat, and Roy's only got one arm here. But he manages to wrap explosive rope around her arm cannon and blow off her greatest weapon.
He doesn't get to kill Luthor, though, instead he trades his revenge for an improved arm cannon for himself. He also chooses a new name for himself. Comic fans would recognize the hint when Luthor starts praising his internal arsenal, so it's no surprise when Roy declares that he shall now be called Arsenal. I think we'll be seeing more of this guy soon, he's got a lot of room for more stories. Espescially considering that he's wearing a piece of Luthor tech on his arm. I can't be the only one who remembers what happened to Super Boy last season. Luthor may have found himself a new mole, or something just as sinister.
This episode also gave us a bunch of minor moments to see into the minds of some of the other characters. We learn that Jaime feels bitter about never getting to know the original Blue Beetle. The perky little guy from the future, Impulse, offers him a hand in friendship though. Jaime is another deep character who will no doubt bring much to the rest of the season; his friendship with Bart is just a nice touch into his character. We get to see that Super Boy is depressed because no one remembered his birthday...except Wendy. The two of them definitely have signs of a romance going on which could be an interesting, not super-related plot. And we got to see that Jade has a score to settle with Aqualad, while Sportsmaster is just ticked off at Black Manta. He brought what I felt was one of the most amusing lines, "The son of Black Manta can't kill my daughter...not without running it by me first."
And lastly we got to see all the ladies get together for a baby shower for Rocket. Naturally, I was ecstatic to see Zatanna and Rocket again since they were two of my favorites that never got enough screentime. It looked like they might be getting a sideplot when Captain Cold tried to rob a nearby bank, but sadly it didn't go anywhere. But at least we know that they haven't completely forgotten about these two ladies. Maybe they'll get to show off a bit later in the series.
All in all this episode lives up to its name as it was very satisfying. We have a lot of plots to get to and it looks like this series is going to get a lot more hectic than before. If it stays this high quality, though, it's bound to be superb. It looks like I'm back to eagerly waiting for the next episode, but at least this time it's only a week.
The main focus on this story was about the original Roy Harper who's been missing ever since before the series began. Remember way back at the start, Red Arrow was a super angry jerk. This could be forgiven as it was in his programming, but we now see that real Roy isn't any better. He quickly tears into Green Arrow for 'abandoning' him and then goes out for revenge on Lex Luthor. Yep, this guy's going to be trouble.
The real action breaks out when Roy attacks Luthor, and Luthor sends out Mercy to fight. As evil as he is, Luthor is a really awesome character. He is able to remain calm and witty all throughout the assignation attempt. Then there was the actual fight, which was really something intense. Mercy proved to be a real threat, and Roy's only got one arm here. But he manages to wrap explosive rope around her arm cannon and blow off her greatest weapon.
He doesn't get to kill Luthor, though, instead he trades his revenge for an improved arm cannon for himself. He also chooses a new name for himself. Comic fans would recognize the hint when Luthor starts praising his internal arsenal, so it's no surprise when Roy declares that he shall now be called Arsenal. I think we'll be seeing more of this guy soon, he's got a lot of room for more stories. Espescially considering that he's wearing a piece of Luthor tech on his arm. I can't be the only one who remembers what happened to Super Boy last season. Luthor may have found himself a new mole, or something just as sinister.
This episode also gave us a bunch of minor moments to see into the minds of some of the other characters. We learn that Jaime feels bitter about never getting to know the original Blue Beetle. The perky little guy from the future, Impulse, offers him a hand in friendship though. Jaime is another deep character who will no doubt bring much to the rest of the season; his friendship with Bart is just a nice touch into his character. We get to see that Super Boy is depressed because no one remembered his birthday...except Wendy. The two of them definitely have signs of a romance going on which could be an interesting, not super-related plot. And we got to see that Jade has a score to settle with Aqualad, while Sportsmaster is just ticked off at Black Manta. He brought what I felt was one of the most amusing lines, "The son of Black Manta can't kill my daughter...not without running it by me first."
And lastly we got to see all the ladies get together for a baby shower for Rocket. Naturally, I was ecstatic to see Zatanna and Rocket again since they were two of my favorites that never got enough screentime. It looked like they might be getting a sideplot when Captain Cold tried to rob a nearby bank, but sadly it didn't go anywhere. But at least we know that they haven't completely forgotten about these two ladies. Maybe they'll get to show off a bit later in the series.
All in all this episode lives up to its name as it was very satisfying. We have a lot of plots to get to and it looks like this series is going to get a lot more hectic than before. If it stays this high quality, though, it's bound to be superb. It looks like I'm back to eagerly waiting for the next episode, but at least this time it's only a week.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Young Justice - Depths
This episode has got to be the complete opposite of last week's episode. "Bloodlines" was for the most part comedic and only focused on one character. "Depths" on the other hand was incredibly dramatic and gave a fair share of development to many characters. It was just as good an episode though.
The main focus of this episode was Artemis and was nice to see her back after giving and episode to Aqualad and Kid Flash. She' still awesome as ever and seeing her in action was fun. The big thing about the episode was that she "died." However, this wasn't a surprise ending; they revealed it right at the start, which was the first clue that it would be subverted somehow. The early reveal and then working back to how it happened was an interesting idea, but they really abused it to death. Every time Artemis or Dick said anything it would someone hint to her upcoming "death," which got a little annoying after the first couple of times.
And of course the ending reveals that she's still alive. However, they did pull this off pretty well. Instead of just having Artemis burst back into life at the last minute, they actual made it seem like she was truly gone. The next scene was a funeral, again giving the impression that she really had died. So when she showed up at the final scene, it was quite a relief. I feel that it would have been better if they hadn't had the "She's dead" line right at the start, though. Like I said, that was a big tip off that all wasn't as it seemed and meant that I still figured that she might be alive.
Speaking of the ending, another twist that wasn't expecting as much though was that Aqualad is still good. I thought this at first, but after "Alienated" it made it quite clear that he had many reasons to turn to the bad side. So I really couldn't help but smile when we learn that he's just been acting undercover all this time and having to make tough decisions. Like season the search for the mole created a lot of tension between characters, I think we might heading in that direction again with this plot now.
While that was the major source of drama, there was quite a lot going on between Miss Martian, Superboy, and Lagoon Boy. In a dark scene we learn the true reason behind Miss Martian and Superboy breaking up. It seems like Megan still sees things as black and white and thinks it's okay to mind rape as long as it's on "the bad guys." That might not seem like enough to break up the two, but they we learn that she tried to change Connor's mind about it mentally. It's so easy to feel the pain between the two of them. You may recall Connor exploding at Megan earlier when she tried to talk to him mentally because it reminded him of his time at Cadmus. And then you'll remember that Megan was terrified that she might make a mistake and lose Connor. Well the worst has come true for the both of them. If the pain in their voices isn't enough to make you feel for them, than Megan starting to cry would do it.
And then there's the character who has been waiting for a breakout episode since season 2 started, Lagoon Boy. He's always around, and sometimes goes out on missions, yet we haven't really seen too much of him yet. Today we really got to learn what kind of person he is. He has probably got to be one of the most obnoxious characters yet. He purposefully taunts Connor with his relationship with Megan, and then in action he ignores orders from Nightwing. We haven't really seen a character like this yet. Cassie was shown to be a little careless, but Lagoon Boy is much, much worse. I quite like him for it. He should keep things interesting by not being as perfect as the other heroes. Currently he's been captured by Black Manta which in itself should lead to an interesting plot.
Nightwing finally got into the action, but I still don't think it was his breakout yet. He still hasn't done anything particularly big, aside from being in control of the team's actions. I'm still hoping he'll get an episode to himself soon. Since the so-called retired heroes are starting to get back in the spotlight, I'm also hoping we'll be seeing Zatanna and Rocket soon too. They were two of my favorites from season 1 and I was disappointed to learn that they would be leaving the team, especially since they didn't get much development. But I've got my fingers crossed.
The main problem with this episode was plot holes. Megan says that they can't let the villains know that the main heroes are gone, but earlier Psimon seemed to know that Batman was out of the picture. If The Light already know then it's not likely keeping it a secret will help. And then there's the reasoning behind Artemis returning to the team. In hindsight it was likely that they just wanted an excuse to "kill" her, but the reasoning they gave to everyone else seemed pretty weak. She just told Megan that she was there because "not everyone thinks the Martians are bad." So, what exactly does that mean? And lastly, why did Black Manta want to destroy the rocket? I'm sure it benefited The Light's plan somehow, but they didn't really explain that.
Last week's plots were shoved to the side for now. Bart and the real Speedy are probably going to be stored for another plot later. It's a shame because I was interested in both of them, but I guess that it's for the best that we take it one plotline at a time.
The plot is definitely getting deeper and I think things are really going to start taking shape soon. As always, I'll be looking forward to the next episode.
The main focus of this episode was Artemis and was nice to see her back after giving and episode to Aqualad and Kid Flash. She' still awesome as ever and seeing her in action was fun. The big thing about the episode was that she "died." However, this wasn't a surprise ending; they revealed it right at the start, which was the first clue that it would be subverted somehow. The early reveal and then working back to how it happened was an interesting idea, but they really abused it to death. Every time Artemis or Dick said anything it would someone hint to her upcoming "death," which got a little annoying after the first couple of times.
And of course the ending reveals that she's still alive. However, they did pull this off pretty well. Instead of just having Artemis burst back into life at the last minute, they actual made it seem like she was truly gone. The next scene was a funeral, again giving the impression that she really had died. So when she showed up at the final scene, it was quite a relief. I feel that it would have been better if they hadn't had the "She's dead" line right at the start, though. Like I said, that was a big tip off that all wasn't as it seemed and meant that I still figured that she might be alive.
Speaking of the ending, another twist that wasn't expecting as much though was that Aqualad is still good. I thought this at first, but after "Alienated" it made it quite clear that he had many reasons to turn to the bad side. So I really couldn't help but smile when we learn that he's just been acting undercover all this time and having to make tough decisions. Like season the search for the mole created a lot of tension between characters, I think we might heading in that direction again with this plot now.
While that was the major source of drama, there was quite a lot going on between Miss Martian, Superboy, and Lagoon Boy. In a dark scene we learn the true reason behind Miss Martian and Superboy breaking up. It seems like Megan still sees things as black and white and thinks it's okay to mind rape as long as it's on "the bad guys." That might not seem like enough to break up the two, but they we learn that she tried to change Connor's mind about it mentally. It's so easy to feel the pain between the two of them. You may recall Connor exploding at Megan earlier when she tried to talk to him mentally because it reminded him of his time at Cadmus. And then you'll remember that Megan was terrified that she might make a mistake and lose Connor. Well the worst has come true for the both of them. If the pain in their voices isn't enough to make you feel for them, than Megan starting to cry would do it.
And then there's the character who has been waiting for a breakout episode since season 2 started, Lagoon Boy. He's always around, and sometimes goes out on missions, yet we haven't really seen too much of him yet. Today we really got to learn what kind of person he is. He has probably got to be one of the most obnoxious characters yet. He purposefully taunts Connor with his relationship with Megan, and then in action he ignores orders from Nightwing. We haven't really seen a character like this yet. Cassie was shown to be a little careless, but Lagoon Boy is much, much worse. I quite like him for it. He should keep things interesting by not being as perfect as the other heroes. Currently he's been captured by Black Manta which in itself should lead to an interesting plot.
Nightwing finally got into the action, but I still don't think it was his breakout yet. He still hasn't done anything particularly big, aside from being in control of the team's actions. I'm still hoping he'll get an episode to himself soon. Since the so-called retired heroes are starting to get back in the spotlight, I'm also hoping we'll be seeing Zatanna and Rocket soon too. They were two of my favorites from season 1 and I was disappointed to learn that they would be leaving the team, especially since they didn't get much development. But I've got my fingers crossed.
The main problem with this episode was plot holes. Megan says that they can't let the villains know that the main heroes are gone, but earlier Psimon seemed to know that Batman was out of the picture. If The Light already know then it's not likely keeping it a secret will help. And then there's the reasoning behind Artemis returning to the team. In hindsight it was likely that they just wanted an excuse to "kill" her, but the reasoning they gave to everyone else seemed pretty weak. She just told Megan that she was there because "not everyone thinks the Martians are bad." So, what exactly does that mean? And lastly, why did Black Manta want to destroy the rocket? I'm sure it benefited The Light's plan somehow, but they didn't really explain that.
Last week's plots were shoved to the side for now. Bart and the real Speedy are probably going to be stored for another plot later. It's a shame because I was interested in both of them, but I guess that it's for the best that we take it one plotline at a time.
The plot is definitely getting deeper and I think things are really going to start taking shape soon. As always, I'll be looking forward to the next episode.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Young Justice - Bloodlines
Alright, let's get this started!
With the hints that have been dropped so far, I've been waiting for various other kid heroes to show up in the series. With this episode we got to meet Impulse, and I've definitely been expecting him. He's a really awesome character and this was a great episode to cover him. His wacky personality is really enjoyable, and it's a strong step above the other comic relief characters, Kid Flash and Beast Boy, who are more joke-makers. Impulse's motor mouth talking and constant nonchalant attitude makes him very amusing.
The plotlines that we've been following so far didn't get too much progress in this episode. The villain, Neutron, seems to have been controlled by some hidden bad guy. My first thought was the Kroloteans since that's what we were led to believe, but at the end we see a silhouette that does not match the Kroloteans. But the plot just got a lot more deep with the addition of time travel and a wasteland future. The ending revealed that Impulse still has work to do in 2016, so we'll probably be seeing more of that.
Speaking of the ending, it was a nice twist that they pulled off. It's not a serious shocker, but it was interesting to see that Impulse isn't actually the goofball that he appears. He seems to in fact be rather grim, having come from a terrible time that's understandable.
The sideplot in this episode was just as, if not more, fascinating. Continuing where we left off, Red Arrow work to find the original Speedy. Seeing the two of them in action on the same side was very satisfying; in particular we see them surrounded by guard in one scene, then finished off the last one in the next scene. When their story started, I was a little confused as to why Chesire would risk bring her baby with them, but I wasn't the only one; Roy points out that they should have left Lian with Artemis halfway through their plot. Of course, Chesire and Roy both have no problem even with the baby. With the discovery of Speedy I'm really interested to see how he will play into the plot.
Some of my favorite moments this episode were Nightwing's skills in general. He managed to take out super speedy Impulse, then got him to drink a tracking device by getting him to think that he was tricking him into giving a DNA sample. We really need to have an episode that actually focuses on Nightwing in action and not just him off to the side. Then there was Barry's "Be back in a flash," line. What really makes it hilarious is just his family's unamused reactions.
The only problem I have with this episode is that it created way more questions than it answered. We haven't even gotten to know all of the new characters, we don't know the full story behind the former members, and we don't know what's with the five missing numbers; yet they're already adding a new character. Furthermore I felt like they had a nice balance going on between the Kroloteans, the Light, and the other subplots, but this one just throws another major curveball. The future plot is not going to be something that can be resolved soon so we're likely to get a few more episodes on it.
That being said, I'm still really happy to have Impulse on the cast now. I think his plot and character will make the series even more enjoyable. I've got my fingers crossed that next episode we'll get a few more answers we've waiting for.
With the hints that have been dropped so far, I've been waiting for various other kid heroes to show up in the series. With this episode we got to meet Impulse, and I've definitely been expecting him. He's a really awesome character and this was a great episode to cover him. His wacky personality is really enjoyable, and it's a strong step above the other comic relief characters, Kid Flash and Beast Boy, who are more joke-makers. Impulse's motor mouth talking and constant nonchalant attitude makes him very amusing.
The plotlines that we've been following so far didn't get too much progress in this episode. The villain, Neutron, seems to have been controlled by some hidden bad guy. My first thought was the Kroloteans since that's what we were led to believe, but at the end we see a silhouette that does not match the Kroloteans. But the plot just got a lot more deep with the addition of time travel and a wasteland future. The ending revealed that Impulse still has work to do in 2016, so we'll probably be seeing more of that.
Speaking of the ending, it was a nice twist that they pulled off. It's not a serious shocker, but it was interesting to see that Impulse isn't actually the goofball that he appears. He seems to in fact be rather grim, having come from a terrible time that's understandable.
The sideplot in this episode was just as, if not more, fascinating. Continuing where we left off, Red Arrow work to find the original Speedy. Seeing the two of them in action on the same side was very satisfying; in particular we see them surrounded by guard in one scene, then finished off the last one in the next scene. When their story started, I was a little confused as to why Chesire would risk bring her baby with them, but I wasn't the only one; Roy points out that they should have left Lian with Artemis halfway through their plot. Of course, Chesire and Roy both have no problem even with the baby. With the discovery of Speedy I'm really interested to see how he will play into the plot.
Some of my favorite moments this episode were Nightwing's skills in general. He managed to take out super speedy Impulse, then got him to drink a tracking device by getting him to think that he was tricking him into giving a DNA sample. We really need to have an episode that actually focuses on Nightwing in action and not just him off to the side. Then there was Barry's "Be back in a flash," line. What really makes it hilarious is just his family's unamused reactions.
The only problem I have with this episode is that it created way more questions than it answered. We haven't even gotten to know all of the new characters, we don't know the full story behind the former members, and we don't know what's with the five missing numbers; yet they're already adding a new character. Furthermore I felt like they had a nice balance going on between the Kroloteans, the Light, and the other subplots, but this one just throws another major curveball. The future plot is not going to be something that can be resolved soon so we're likely to get a few more episodes on it.
That being said, I'm still really happy to have Impulse on the cast now. I think his plot and character will make the series even more enjoyable. I've got my fingers crossed that next episode we'll get a few more answers we've waiting for.
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