Young Justice S02E19 – Review

By: Greg Weisman (story)

The Story: No one’s back is safe in this arena of betrayal.

The Review: Gah, gah—this is the second to last episode of Young Justice.  Did you hear that?  We only have one more episode before it all ends.  I can hardly believe it myself.  I always hoped that this show would go the way of Justice League (Unlimited or otherwise): a cartoon staple, one everyone will look back on as a high-water mark for American serial animation.  To think that it’s getting canned before its time is heartbreaking, to say the least.

For one thing, I can’t think of any other cartoon currently running that takes its characters as seriously as this one does.  I never felt that the show’s writers ever took advantage of the team’s youth to deliver sloppy, silly, or haphazard personalities or behaviors.  All YJ ever wanted was to be recognized for their efforts and treated with respect, and they have always gone above and beyond to earn that recognition and respect from everyone.

Young Justice S02E16 – Review

By: Kevin Hopps (story)

The Story: Artemis is less than enthused when her family attempts to avenge her death.

The Review: The epic scale of last week’s episode in outer space could have easily made you forget that deep beneath the sea, there was another, no less important crisis at stake.  The YJ writers got a lot of glee out of maneuvering Artemis, Aqualad, and Miss Martian into such a precarious situation, without ever disturbing the tension already established by this deep-cover mission.  Getting our heroes out of that situation will take even greater care and cleverness.

While the trio found an effective way to stall for time, this couldn’t satisfy Black Manta for long and he springs a ticking time bomb—quite literally—on them here, spurring them to spring a half-baked plan into action.  Had they actually been able to see it through in its entirety, it’s doubtful they would’ve gotten away with it without some kind of compromise, but luckily, in delightful, superhero fashion, two wild cards enter the scene.

Young Justice S02E13 – Review

By: Greg Weisman (story)

The Story: Artemis begins to think a life of domesticity doesn’t sound so bad.

The Review: I’m no history buff, but I’m pretty sure that every superhero team in history has included a combo of those with superpowers and those without.  A lot of the time, those without powers have to possess some quality that makes up for it: prodigious physical abilities, mastery of certain skills and talents, or genius intellect.  Nowadays, the non-powereds tend to come with something else: true grit and sheer verve.

Now, let’s take a close look at Artemis.  Obviously, having no powers is a major downside.  In the martial arts department, her archery rivals is just a step below that of Red Arrow and she certainly doesn’t come close to Nightwing in hand-to-hand combat.  She doesn’t have the tech prowess or pure intelligence as other heroes, either.  So ever since she started this double agent gig, the show got us wondering, Of all the people in the world, why this retired C-lister?

Young Justice S02E10 – Review

By: Kevin Hopps (story)

The Story: This will teach Miss Martian to look before she leaps—into someone’s brain.

The Review: As I understand it, there’s some weirdness going on with the release of these episodes.  The official schedule set this episode to come out in January, but apparently, you can the jump on the television viewers if you have iTunes—or various “other sources,” as I do.  I won’t say more, just in case Cartoon Network’s intelligence community catches wind and breaks down my door, demanding turnover of my Young Justice episode.

They would have to pry it from my struggling fingers, too, because this was a highly enjoyable episode.  It puts on display every virtue this show has boasted from the beginning, and all the others it’s gained since its second season.  It also starts the show on the path towards the culmination of every major plotline it’s introduced in the last nine episodes.

Young Justice S02E09 – Review

By: Jon Weisman (story)

The Story: The team’s HQ may not be a Mt. St. Helen, but it sure blows up like one.

The Review: During the show’s first season, I complained frequently about how the characters didn’t seem like “real” teens, whatever that means in a world of superheroes.  As much as I appreciated that they never rushed into anything without looking first, I sometimes longed for a little more spontaneity and humor from them.  After all, what teenager doesn’t like doing something completely random and laughing a bit stupidly about it afterward?

So among the many improvements this season’s brought, I like most how much more often you laugh during an episode now.  The addition of purely comedy-driven characters, like Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, and especially Impulse has something to do with that, I imagine.  Kid Flash kind of served this function in season one, but his counterpart from the future really relishes his role as team jester.  Bart’s happy-go-lucky attitude is infection, and has the potential to draw the others into fun outings they’d never have taken with the first-gen YJers.

Young Justice S02E07 – Review

By: Kevin Hopps & Paul Giacoppo (story)

The Story: And you thought your high school reunion was uncomfortable.  At least no one stabbed you.

The Review: Cold opens are interesting beasts in that they’re a narrative technique exclusive to television and however way they’re used, they serve the needs specific to a TV show.  Whether they introduce a particular episode’s premise or conflict, give you a fun throwaway gag (the broadcast equivalent of the first two panels of a Doonesbury Sunday strip), or offer a cliffhanger as a down payment for your attention, it all boils down to catching your interest from the start.

For Young Justice, they’ve always shown their ambitions by making their cold opens more and more intense, getting into the heat of the action early, practically flaunting what an awesome episode they have in store.  In a few instances, the opens are a little less useful than they appear (see the redundant “This is not how the mission was supposed to go” open in S02E02), but by and large, they’ve been some of the best bits in this latest generation of cartoons.

Young Justice S02E03 – Review

By: Kevin Hopps (story)

The Story: Now this is the textbook definition of “frienemies.”

The Review: One thing that has really impressed me with this show is how well the writers have paced themselves in terms of revealing major plot points, throwing in the occasional twist, and building up character storylines.  Although season one had the rare filler episode, they always felt like enjoyable breaks rather than irritating distractions because the nearly every episode had some overarching importance to it.

Season two continues that trend, only now the writers have to do double-duty in setting the grounds for future events, but also bringing us up to speed on the current state of affairs for the characters.  Of course, we’re all wondering about the missing YJers, the ones that haven’t stayed on as mentors or that haven’t moved up to the big leagues.  You have to wonder if their departures were amicable, violent, or something uncomfortably in between.

Young Justice Episode 26 – Review

By: Greg Weisman (story)

The Story: Now is the time for the students to become the masters…too cheesy?

The Review: If you ask me, last episode was really the big, team-centered climax of the season.  Once all the secrets came out and the group became just that much tighter for it, that’s when you really saw YJ as the complete package for the first time.  From now on, they’ll have moments of growth, possibly life-changing ones, even ones that will alter the group dynamic completely, but nothing really compares to that first moment when they all truly come together for the first time.

For that reason, this episode feels a bit more like clean up, an opportunity for the team to wrap up loose ends and show what this new team is made of.  But what an opportunity it is: taking on the entire League, who both grossly outnumbers and out-powers them on pretty much every level.

Young Justice Episode 25 – Review

By: Kevin Hopps (writer)

The Story: Feel free to get real with each other, kids—Young Justice is a safe place.

The Review: I’ve spoken critically about this point a few times over the course of the season, but twenty-odd episodes later, I still don’t feel a genuine group chemistry from Young Justice.  While certain pairings have developed among various members, the vibe you get when they’re all together is a friendly coworker dynamic rather than true friendship.  Besides very rare instances, we hardly ever see them interact in non-mission related circumstances.

So even though this episode offers a feel-good plot and conclusion, with all kinds of big emotional moments and characters reaching new understanding of each other, it doesn’t project a spirit of kinship so much as it does a satisfaction from a job well done.  It’s significant that rather than dwelling on the deeper level of trust they’ve achieved, they simply marvel at having yet again averted disaster.

At any rate, this is a very minor criticism, the equivalent of saying the soup tastes good, but not like ma’s.  After all, you get some major character growth in this episode, particularly from the three “outsiders” of the group.  Kudos for the choice of having Superboy, of his own accord, be the first to come clean about his secrets, without any pressure from the plot.  When you consider the rage-ridden, aloof, and stubborn clone he started this series as, this is a huge step for him, proof positive that he’s become his own person.

Young Justice Episode 23 – Review

By: Peter David (writer)

The Story: Imagine hanging with your boo’s ex—that’s the awkwardness we have here.

The Review: I waxed poetic about David in my review of the last episode he wrote for this series, so there’s no need to fall over myself again here.  I just have to wonder, though: how does he really feel about this show that took on the name of one of his most reputable works, yet reflects his tone and concepts in virtually no other way?  How must it feel to adapt himself to characters and conceits that in some ways go against his sensibilities?

These are all rhetorical questions, of course, best left to private but ultimately fruitless musings.  The only thing that matters is how David works the material he’s given—which is pretty darn well, actually.  Watching this episode, it occurs to me that in many ways, David takes the YJers at hand treat them like the ones he knew.

Case in point: Kid Flash and Artemis.  If any of you followed the Young Justice comics back in the day, you might remember the bit of puppy love Impulse had for Arrowette at the time.  Though that particular romance never really panned out, David seems to revive it here through their TV-screen counterparts.  The show has labored to convince us that a Kid Flash-Artemis pairing would be a great idea, but only under David’s writing do sparks actually fly.  It’s a sweet moment when Wally tells Art she has nothing to prove, made even sweeter by his bashfulness and her pleased reaction.  If we get more of this, we can look forward to their courtship.

Unfortunately, the plot throws several obstacles in their path this episode.  Despite Wally’s reassurance, Artemis does let the presence of Red Arrow get to her, though not, perhaps, for the reasons everyone expects.  It’s not about the difference in their skill levels, or even of his long history with most the team.  Artemis set out on her own to rise above the criminals all around her (apparently including her mother—as the Huntress, of all things); to discover the acceptance from her heroic mentor and teammates is unearned and tenuous is a painful experience, indeed.

Young Justice Episode 19 – Review

By: Greg Weisman (writer)

The Story: Well, they do say teens have one foot in youth and the other in adulthood.

The Review: Yes, this review is a bit late in coming.  In my defense, I had no idea the show had returned until just a day or so ago.  The erratic scheduling of this series has been of the few truly frustrating aspects of Young Justice.  No sooner does it come back than it goes on hiatus again.  Consequently, the first season has stretched on for nearly two years now, which is quite an achievement, depending on your point of view.

Anyhow, the five months since our last visit with the team gave this episode the feeling of a season premiere.  That idea must not have been lost on Weisman, since the scope and quality of this episode feels very appropriate for a premiere.  He chooses to adapt Todd Dezago’s JLA: World Without Grown-Ups, the first storyline involving the team later to be known as Young Justice, and a pretty challenging one at that.  As you might figure out from the title, our immature heroes get placed in the awkward position of being the world’s only hope for salvation, mainly because there’s flat out no one else to turn to.

It’s actually quite interesting watching Weisman’s interpretation of the story, because it seems to exemplify some of the show’s standout features.  First off, the episode doesn’t have nearly the humor and slapstick when it was Fonzie-wannabe Superboy, hyperactive Impulse, and straight man Robin (Tim Drake flavor) zipping around.  Here, things feel pretty sober, even tragic in places, and though Weisman writes it with great credibility, it’s undeniably a bummer story.

Yet strangely, at the same time, the episode somehow falls short of the maturity Dezago’s original storyline had, even though technically, the team here acts a lot more mature than the one back then.  Dezago used the absence of adults to satirically play out a world where kids can act on their impulses and desires without restriction, true, but he also dove into the crushing resentment of kids whose parents are merely figuratively absent.  Weisman sort of dismisses that to focus on the more after school special (ASS, remember) side of things: parents and children learning to appreciate each other’s presence in their lives, kids who must grow up fast to take responsibility as necessary, that kind of thing.

Young Justice Episode 18 – Review

By: Peter David (writer)

The Story: Will Artemis and Zatanna come to “Harm”?  It’s a “Secret.”  Yeah, I went there.

The Review: Unlike the Teen Titans, which brought kids together to learn the value of friendship and heroism, David’s interpretation of the adolescent vigilante on the original Young Justice comics emphasized their most irritating qualities: distractible, selfish, temperamental, petty, and recklessly impulsive (and not just Impulse either).  But he also wrote with great credibility about their capacity for idealism, cleverness, grief, and compassion.

So it’s not surprising he brings a similar mixture of playfulness and darkness to his guest episode.  Sadly, he can’t deliver the quite same tone he did on the original comics.  For one thing, he works with completely different characters than the ones he wrote back in the day, even though they share some of the same names and origins.  Take Superboy; David’s version was a hopeless swinger with a fade haircut; ours is a sullen loner with a major chip on his shoulder.

But our clone has shed some of his angst lately, and David takes advantage of that to bring back a little of his mischievous side, featuring a return of Superboy and Miss Martian’s Happy Harbor High classmates at the same time.  As Marvin goes for the “greatest prank ever” at a Halloween dance, the joke turns on him when Connor retaliates with a trick of his own.  His brings a surprising amount of enthusiasm to the ploy, even getting M’gann and Wally on the joke too.

All this is really a fun side dish to the main course of Artemis and Zatanna hitting the town.  A fun idea, and in the early parts of the episode you do get a kick out of seeing the potent combo of Zee’s magic and Artemis’ martial artistry.  But once they run into Harm, a villain David created in the old YJ days, the episode essentially becomes a “Will the girls survive the sadist?” routine.

This would be entertaining in itself, except Harm is a painfully flat character, a case that was true back when he originally debuted.  He seems, in the tradition of Cathy, innately and incurably evil.  The episode even introduces him as such, since he can wield the sword of Beowulf, which only accepts the pure of heart—“It never said ‘pure good.’”  Like anyone who skews toward the extremes of the moral spectrum, Harm is just predictable.

Young Justice Episode 17 – Review

By: Andrew R. Robinson (writer)

The Story: Someone call the doctor, because this Black Canary’s a total quack!

The Review: If I took away one lesson from both my years as a teenager and my years teaching them, it’s that kids of that age tend to resist and resent counseling the most, yet they stand most to profit from it.  By the time you’ve reached adulthood, you’ll have (hopefully) realized that whatever issues you’re going through, you’re far from the first, and ninety-five percent of the time, it’ll work out alright in the end.  Teens don’t have that kind of helpful perspective.

And no one is better equipped to lend that perspective to YJ after last episode’s fiasco than Black Canary.  While a respected Leaguer, she doesn’t have an iconic aura that can turn people skittish around her, and so comes off very inclusive and approachable.  Her advice is practical, sensitive, salty, and wise; she never oversteps her bounds or coddles her charges.  As someone who’s done similar work with teens, I approve nearly all her responses to the team’s worries.

For example, when Aqualad expresses his feeling of inadequacy as leader and tries to resign, Canary does absolutely the right thing by asking him who he feels should replace him.  Also appropriate is her telling Miss Martian to stop feeling sorry and start amping up her training so her overwhelming powers become a non-issue.  Less convincing is her calling out of Wally and Artemis’ feelings for each other, which feels less like analysis and more like matchmaking.

One of the more revelatory sessions lies with Robin, who, contrary to his eagerness to lead in early episodes, talks about how rattled and disturbed he felt in that very role last episode.  As Batman’s protégé, he learned the art of leadership from the very best, and he certainly did right by his mentor when push came to shove.  But he also learned he has no intention of emulating his mentor’s tactical coldness, making this his first step to his future as Nightwing.

Young Justice Episode 16 – Review

By: Nicole Dubuc (writer)

The Story: It’ll be the end of the world unless Young Justice saves us.  So yeah, goodbye Earth.

The Review: While the assumption is that the members of Young Justice will take over for their iconic forebears someday, you’re not really inclined to take the notion seriously.  After all, time doesn’t really touch the world of superheroes (except during reality-bending crises, of course), so the likelihood of our favorite sidekicks taking over is pretty much nil.  That is, unless their mentors vanish and/or perish in some shocking circumstance.

This episode takes not only YJ’s older analogues out of the picture, but every single other Leaguer on the planet as well, leaving the juvenile team as the world’s last, best, only hope.  To their credit, they step into the role with considerable aplomb (Aqualad’s “We stand ready” may get your eyes rolling, but an appropriate sentiment nonetheless).  In fact, they seem downright indifferent to the sight of their heroic guardians getting zapped into thin air.

That indifference probably helps them operate as effectively as they do as the situation worsens.  Each of them knows their particular role in the team (Robin providing intel, Superboy and Aqualad as tanks, etc.), and they execute each tactical point with incredible fluidity.  Watching them ambush one of the alien ships and taking its tech for their own use, you can see how much they’ve grown as professional vigilantes since the premiere episode.

And so it’s not out of the question for you to have an expectation that eventually, YJ will come out on top in the end.  You keep waiting for events to turn around and slide back toward that mushy happy ending cartoons always have, but the show doesn’t give it to you.  The team stubbornly holds onto the hope that once they make it into enemy territory, they, like their mentors would, will find the key that will save the day.  But it never happens.

The show remarkably succeeds at capturing a hopeless, end-of-the-world feeling, especially once the invasion reaches America’s capitol, and especially once the casualties catch up to the team itself.  When they manage to get into the alien mothership, and Robin finds no familiar vital signs anywhere, you begin to realize something’s afoot with this plot, but by that point, it’s too late; the episode has already reached its despairing climax.

Young Justice Episode 15 – Review

By: Greg Weisman

The Story: I think this is the beginning of a magical friendship.

The Review: Zatanna has a rather complicated place in the DCU and especially with the Justice League.  Originally, she came into the League as a rookie, one of its youngest, if not its very youngest, members.  While her teammates carried an experienced maturity, she had a bright-eyed innocence and humor that rang a little closer to that of a much younger hero.  Though now an honored member of the League, she still retains a certain youthful charm about her.

Very fitting then that she gets introduced to Young Justice as one of their peers.  In a lot of ways, she fills a vacuum within the team.  For one, she adds another female presence to a largely testosterone heavy cast.  For another, the team has had to deal with a lot of mystical threats with only Aqualad’s dabbling in magic as a viable defense, so having Zee as a direct answer to those situations seems not only appropriate, but ideal.

Weisman smartly avoids using Zee as a magical cure-all to the team’s obstacles by quickly establishing some limitations to her powers: familiarity with her spells, a proper source of energy, and preparation.  None of this stops her from making an impressive showing on her unofficial mission with the YJers, proving that her value to any team is less about solving their problems with some backwards words and more about manipulating the odds in their favor.

Her unpredictability not only in her powers but also in her status as an unknown factor proves crucial when the team finally has their showdown with their treacherous former mentor.  Of course, we know Red Tornado’s no traitor, but it’s necessary the team learns that for themselves, since they still hold a brisk chip on their shoulder when it comes to their League chaperones.  Hopefully, this episode marks a critical point in turning their wariness to genuine affection.

Young Justice Episode 14 – Review

By: Kevin Hopps (writer)

The Story: You have to hate it when villains catch on to the value of teamwork.

The Review: Over the course of this series, we’ve seen a lot of interconnected plotlines, a neat feat for a cartoon, one for which the show’s writers should give themselves a hefty pat on the back.  We’ve seen elements featured from early episodes, like the Blockbuster formula and Bane’s Venom, pop up again in later ones, developing into much bigger sources of tension.  We also know almost every foe the team has faced has some connection to the mysterious Light.

In this episode, the official halfway point of the series, almost all those elements finally get put into play when the Injustice League (or Society or what-have-you) launches attacks around the world.  It’s a pretty powerful group (Count Vertigo, Black Adam, Wotan, Ultra Humanite, Atomic Skull, Poison Ivy, and the Joker), but their particular method of collaboration is what proves most ingenious and challenging, not only for Young Justice, but their mentors as well.

Indeed, as much as our stars get to do, we see nearly as much action from the Justice League, which may draw out some wistful nostalgia for all you Justice League Unlimited fans.  Besides the usual suspects, we see appearances from some very surprising members.  Some are fun delights (Plastic Man), others interesting choices (Blue Devil and Guy Gardner as Green Lantern), and some just throw you for a loop (Milestone heroes Icon and Rocket).

But what of our young heroes?  While the big guns tackle the big, imminent threats, Batman entrusts YJ to take down the villains at the source, with no help or supervision whatsoever.  A major mission, to be sure, one that feels a tad early since the team still feels pretty rough around the edges.  At any rate, this should shut down any further accusations about being babysat and doing only grunt-work, once and for all.

Young Justice Episode 13 – Review

By: Thomas Pugsley (writer)

The Story: You’re not the boss of me now!  And you’re not so big, either.

The Review: Ever since Aqualad received word from Red Arrow that the team possible had a mole lurking about and he decided to keep it a secret, we all knew it would be only a matter of time before word got out and he would have to face the consequences of that.  As we’ve learned time and time again in comics (half the time with Batman or Professor X as the offending character), heroes don’t usually take well to secrets being kept from them.

That said, the overreaction of the YJers to the news seems a little extreme, and their collective cold shoulder to Aqualad rather harsh, given how obviously penitent he is about his actions.  It’s understandable their good sense may be a little rattled from nearly perishing at the hands of Red Tornado and his “siblings” last episode, but no one seems to remember that Aqualad came just as close, if not closer, to dying as any of them, with maybe the exception of Miss Martian.

Consequently, Superboy’s rage towards Aqualad not only highlights his trademark emotional instability once again, but also reveals an one-tracked overprotectiveness for his new flame.  At least Miss Martian manages to keep her head about Aqualad’s betrayal, and even shows irritation at Connor acting like her handler.  The couple then get their first, cherished taste of romantic drama when M’gann and Artemis pair off, leaving a confused clone behind.

Of course, the team has to go through the tiresome process of splitting off and sulking before they finally get over their self-righteous anger over what Kaldur did or did not do.  Fortunately, Pugsley doesn’t spend too much time on these familiar beats, which do little except make the characters look petty and whiny, proving that Aqualad perhaps had good reason not to reveal what he knew to the team.

Young Justice Episode 12 – Review

By: Jon Weisman (writer)

The Story: Four red-chromed elemental robots are better than one.

The Review: Nowadays, hardly anyone wonders why, on a league populated by some of the most powerful superhumans on the planet, we need to have Batman around.  No one is naïve enough to believe that his explosive Batarangs will turn the tide in battle or something.  No, the Justice League needs Batman because the guy’s a genius and his prep-time is so off the charts, it may as well count as a superpower.

With that settled, we still have the question of why every superhero team needs at least a couple non-powered members.  Some kind of politically correct, demographic quota?  A reassurance that we won’t all become completely obsolete if people actually do develop superpowers?  Well, whatever the reason, it does mean that at some point, the normals have to prove their worth, usually at the expense of incapacitating the entire rest of their team.

For Artemis and Robin, that point comes in this episode.  Confronted by Red Tornado’s “siblings,” and with no help from their teammates, the two unpowered teens have to improvise their way through twisters of fire and tidal waves of water using only their wit and skills.  Obviously, you get some very high stakes from the situation.  Art and Rob spend most the episode just trying to stay alive, and we all know that mortal stamina can only last so long.

Still, in the back of your mind, you can’t help feeling a little skeptical about the shutdown of their teammates.  Are we to assume Kid Flash hasn’t gotten through Flash Facts 101 and learned how to vibrate through stuff yet?  Or that Aqualad can’t simply use his water-bending on the constant deluges of water Red Torpedo (using the names from the 2009 Red Tornado mini) keeps blasting at them?  It all seems very contrived, but let’s just chalk that up to cartoon magic.

While it’s good to focus on Artemis and Robin for once (if nothing else, it gives us a break from the Miss Martian-Superboy nonsense, except for a brief makeout session at the top of the episode), Robin mostly becomes a cipher to Artemis’ increasingly distraught behavior as the story goes on.  True, the scenes do few favors for her pride (we get a genuinely disturbing moment where she huddles into a fetal position in an air vent), it actually makes sense, given her more emotionally reactive nature and inexperience.

Young Justice Episode 10 – Review

By: Andrew R. Robinson (writer)

The Story: Good luck!  Try not to get us involved in World War III, hm?

The Review: From the start, this show has aimed for a more sophisticated, mature kind of tone, which is still something of an oddity for American cartoons.  While the creators’ efforts to produce that kind of show has run into sharp corners from time to time, the admirably high quality it’s brought demonstrates just how committed they are to ensuring the series’ success.

Still, they have to keep a younger crowd in mind, which they’ve done admirably by scripting plots that have enough topicality with the real world to stimulate the grown-ups, but dumbs it down enough for the kids to keep up (and maybe get a little enriched in the process—who knows?).  This time around, we have peace talks between the squabbling North and South Rhelasias, the results of which apparently crucial for international stability.

Arbitrating the talks is none other than Lex Luthor, not the greatest choice as he gets targeted by the League of Assassins, who doesn’t give a hoot about collateral damage.  Mark Rolston delivers a fine slipperiness as Luthor, chiding reluctant bodyguard Red Arrow with a finely-tuned degree of condescension.  When Red comments he should let Luthor and Ra’s al Ghul duke out their enmity themselves, the business mogul delivers one of the best lines of the series: “Your stab at pragmatism is, well, adorable.”

Young Justice Episode 8 – Review

By: Kevin Hopps (writer)

The Story: They say lost Atlantis holds many secrets.  No one says anything about Starros.

The Review: When the producers of Young Justice let on their show takes place on a parallel Earth, they opened up literally a whole new world of story possibilities.  They have the double-benefit of using DC canon for their source material, but molding it to their imagination.  It’s been fun exploring this universe little by little through the team’s missions, but the more you see, the more eager you get to really tramp about its locales to see what’s familiar and what’s all-new.

Aqualad’s sabbatical to Atlantis could not be a more ideal locale for seeing just how much creativity the writers will put into their world-building.  Hopps gives us everything you expect in Atlantis: the exotic, almost extraterrestrial marine life, the neo-classical architecture, the melding of ancient magic and advanced science, even its own Tolkienish language—the show’s brilliant animation brings it all to life, jumping an even higher bar of quality than it already has.

The reimagining of the Aqua-family is also stellar.  Some people wondered at the choice of Kaldur’ahm as Aqualad, but Hopps cleverly shows both Garth and Tula having chosen the Atlantean conservatory of magic as their vocations.  Guest stars include Aquaman’s wife Mera, half-brother Orm (kudos for making him actually look Inupiat), and royal science advisor Vulko.  Even Lagoon Boy and Letifos make cameos.  If you’re an Aqua-fan, this episode is practically catered to you.

Easter egg fun aside, Hopps writes an altogether sound episode, opening right in the middle of a mission gone awry, and Batman chalking it to Kaldur’s homesickness.  It’s not great we don’t see how Kaldur is supposedly responsible for the whole deal, but the scene itself works (note Bruce Greenwood’s excellent voice work as Batman) and the trade-off is we get to Atlantis that much sooner.  Kaldur’s interactions with his ocean friends and family give him some much needed personality, but I think we all just have to accept he’s the strong-and-silent type of the team.

Hopps also brings plenty of underwater action with Black Manta and his forces facing off against the Atlanteans and the Aqua-family (minus Arthur).  The melding of blaster guns, hydro-kinesis, and spell-slinging makes for visually and physically spectacular fight sequences.  It’s also good to see that writers are really embracing the tough broad Mera that’s popularized in Brightest Day. Manta comes off smart and formidable sparring versus both Aqualads, and his quest for Starro is marred only by the fact that we don’t get to see the alien starfish in action—not yet, anyway.