We continue this week with the second part of the Young Justice pilot as the scope and tone of this series is set and the team is finally formed. This episode, while not improving on the male overload that the first episode is laden with, really hits home that this whole series is a coming of age story. What does it mean to grow up in the shadow of the biggest heroes the world has ever known? What can a covert, off the books Justice League sanctioned team do that the real team can’t? Apparently, blow up Cadmus (not very covert). These questions pervade the series going forward. Let’s dive in!
1. “Everyone eventually sees The Light”
I had forgotten how early the antagonists of this show arrived. The seeds for the entire two seasons of this show, thus far, are planted here as we see the Cadmus board of directors at the beginning of the episode are a group called “The Light.” While none of the members of this group are seen as all their faces are hidden, you get the idea that these are all heavy hitters in the DCU, a group of foes truly worthy for a group of people trained by the best of Earth. These are no chump change villains, these are high stakes.
2. The tone and imagery is surprisingly dark
Another thing I just hadn’t realized until rewatching this episode, is how surprisingly violent this show is if you were to think about it. The Light orders the cloning and then extermination of Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad who are all of course all teenagers. Then they are tortured and their blood and DNA are collected so that the cloning process can begin. Finally when Dr. Desmond (voiced by René Auberjonois, your boy Odo from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) takes the serum to transform into Blockbuster he literally rips his skin off and wears it. It’s reminiscent, and albeit less creepy, of Joker tearing his face off and wearing it in The New 52. Some dark stuff happens, and it’s so easy to overlook this all because it is a “kid’s show”.
3. Such whelming one-liners
There will probably be a similar spot each week for the running Robin wordplay and one-liners this show has, but man it’s some really good stuff. We have our obligatory whelmed gag and banter moment between Robin and Kid Flash as they’re escaping that really solidifies the nature of their relationship. Superboy learns he can’t fly and Kid Flash definitely throws out the “But hey you can leap tall buildings in a single bound!” Robin hacking the motion sensors is priceless. On top of that we also get a subtle Marvel jab as KF taunts Blockbuster calling him “the incredible bulk” in honor of another lab creation monster who happens to be green.
4. Emo Superboy bearing the weight of the world.
So we get our first real look at who Superboy is as a character in this episode as we learn he was bred to be Superman’s replacement or killer pending either his death or evil turn. He has all the desire to do just as much good as Superman. He frees the fledgling team because Aqualad convinces him it is the right thing to do. But boy is he pissed off. Superboy in this show is the embodiment of the edgy, angsty teenager mad at literally everything. And it works.
When towards the end of the episode the clones of Cadmus, the genomorphs, reveal Superboy to be their hope and liberator, it means something. He gets to bear the weight of the world for them and they see him as fighting for their lives, to be seen as mattering, or even for people to see them as something other than slaves. A lot of sci-fi shows have taken on this argument of the rights of clones and AIs, but they parallel arguments we have in our society about who really matters and who can be seen as being “in.” One could argue Superboy only gets to be this savior because he can “pass” as human. Of course this whole thing is made more sad when Superman rejects him at the end of the episode, unable to see him as anything other than a clone and flying off in a hurry. Superman’s kind of an emotionless dick in season 1. Just like Doctor Manhattan! (oh wait…)
Continued below5. Don’t fuck with Batman
So Kevin Conroy will always and forever be Batman and when I read comics and Batman talks or monologues that’s whose voice I hear in my head. But man does Bruce Greenwood (Captain Pike in the Abrams Star Trek reboot) play a close second. His Batman is intimidating and sincere at the same time just like Conroy, but in some ways, especially in this universe that already feels “lived-in,” has a level of gravitas the other members of the League don’t. Greenwood gives Batman the aura of being in charge, which he very much is. Really all the voice acting in this show is pretty great, and there is more to come!
As the team is formed, Mount Justice is populated, and Miss Martian is introduced (the only female in this whole episode to have a line mind you) Young Justice finally takes off. Sound off in the comments about your favorite part of the episode, and come back next week as the team begins to bond (and hit on the only woman to talk in this show for awhile).
