And we’re back and over the hump here on our coverage of the Young Justice as part of the 2018 Multiversity Summer Binge. This week we have the fallout from The Reach reveal and a one-off villain, plot progression type thing going on. Let’s dive in!
1. Third Eye and Squeakers
I remember this episode being far more extraneous than it actually ends up being, but a lot happens in short segments padded out by a long drag out bloodbath between Despero and a few members of the League and the Team. With Superman and co. still facing trial (seriously long trial they’ve been gone for a few months now) it’s up to Captain Marvel (love that he’s called that in this show) and Superboy to face the brunt of the evil…Third Eye and Squeakers. At least that’s what I nicknamed them.
The first scene of the episode has L-Ron and Despero, the one-off villains of the episode, in orbit planning to go conquer Earth’s greatest heroes in order to add them to Despero’s trophy collection and grow his win percentage. It’s just so laughable that L-Ron, the robot, is talking in these indecipherable, mouselike squeaks while Despero gets horny for violence. It’s a laughable scene for an odd use of these characters who have never behaved like a cosmic heavyweight champion and his PR guy. The stealing of any sort of depth from Despero, making him just another strong alien type, something DC is not lacking, is very unfortunate. But like I said, he makes stuff happen.
2. Electrifying cameos
But before stuff happens, or maybe while stuff is happening (?), we get therapy with Black Canary time again. I love that they give Dinah sort of the tough love, therapeutic detective role and I think it’s a good look for that character. Dinah questions all the teens that have been kidnapped, including Tye, Jaime’s Super Friends namedrop friend, Impulse, and a kid named Virgil. For fans of the DCEU, this might seem familiar to you, especially when he is revealed to have electric powers and literally tells Black Canary he was subjected to “static shocks.” That’s right folks, the Milestone cuts run deeper and Virgil Hawkins, aka Static from Static Shock, exists in this universe. More on him in the future though.
The real cameo that happens here, is Black Lightning actually shows up and tries to help General Eiling (a Captain Atom villain, but a good guy here) tear down the barrier L-Ron erects around the Hall of Justice. You see him briefly in two scenes and he says nothing, but it’s really interesting, especially since he’ll be a part of season 3 and the new Outsiders team.
3. Hamming it up
Alright, big thing numero uno, behold the new Guardian. It’s been weird seeing Mal get a spotlight in the past few episodes as he’s been computer relief in the cave mostly, and, before that last season, a minor foil at the Happy Harbor High School for Superboy. Here though he adopts a comic book role he’s also held as the Guardian. The former Guardian, the Roy Harper clone Jim Harper who is also the original Joe Simon/Jack Kirby Guardian, had his costume on display in the Hall, and Mal takes it to distract Despero for the real heroes. It’s a quirky performance, and leaves you wondering how Despero didn’t kill him with some of those hits, but I digress. After getting shot down by his now college (grad school?) girlfriend for not being able to crash at her place, even in just a PG way, it’s good that Mal gets a win.
4. That’s what you get when you vegetable your friends
Oh poor M’gann. She brain bombed, destroyed, wiped, etc. Kaldur during the raid last episode only to learn Artemis was still alive and he’s playing the double agent game leading to the “I can’t use my powers, they’re dangerous,” trope this episode. In a fight that sees a big, brawny, three-eyed Hulk beating the tar out of the Justice League, this might have been a good opportunity for her to step up, but she couldn’t. It’s a good and maturing move for her into guilt, and one that sees her invite Superboy into her apartment at the end of the episode. Least someone’s having fun.
Continued belowI’m surprised she hasn’t confronted Nightwing yet, but with Conner coming to check on her, I imagine the fallout is imminent.
5. The good aliens
And finally, The Reach get major wins this episode. First, Despero demolishes the Hall of Justice. Secondly, The Reach out the Team and the fact the League are wanted galactic criminals AND that the Watchtower exists to the United Nations. All this while the heavy hitters are still offworld standing trial. They throwing diplomatic punches and making Info Wars-esque G. Gordon have a frickin field day. His ratings are going up so I imagine Facebook, or the DC equivalent thereof, isn’t planning to remove his content though.
The icing on the cake is Jaime’s reveal of Impulse’s real mission of stopping him from falling under Reach control. We end with him wanting the scarab removed from his back so the kind/evil aliens can’t get him anymore. It sucks when the world hates you and are eager to trust the blue bug people.
All in all though, these cutaway scenes and consequences further the plot of the season heavily with a pivot episode that’s 3 minutes of content and 17 of punchy padding. Things bout to get crazier though.
That’s all for this week folks. Sound off in the comments below and come back next week for scarab removal and more!
