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Slick’s Nit-Picks: Young Justice, Episode 117 – “Disordered”

down in the dumps
I swear, that TV is never on a channel!

The team is visibly shaken after their training mission in the last episode. How they cope with the experience will speak volumes about their individual characters. Hopefully, the state of depression and sadness we saw on their faces will not linger for too long. On an unrelated note, we have not seen much of the Sphere that befriended Superboy since they met in Bialya. Even when we have seen it, there has been no information whatsoever as to what exactly the Sphere is. All we do know is that the Sphere appeared through a boom tube which means it came either from Apokolips or New Genesis. We are finally starting to get some answers to the big questions on the show; let’s see what we learn in this episode.

The Forever People
Superboy meets the Forever People

AFTERMATH Nothing that happened during the training mission in “Failsafe” was real, but the effects on the team and Martian Manhunter were very much so. The episode begins with Captain Marvel, Red Tornado, and Martian Manhunter watching over the team as Batman joins them. He is understanding of their condition, but was hoping that they would have pulled through it by now. Black Canary attempts to console and counsel the team, starting with Superboy. Conner displays his usual stubbornness and storms off. While Black Canary attempts to talk to the rest of the team, Superboy leaves the cave with Wolf and Sphere, which has suddenly transformed to provide Conner with transportation. He encounters the Forever People and manages to befriend them. Together they go on a search for New Genesis technology on Earth, of which there is an unusually large amount.

Superboy...leads the Forever People?

MORE SUPER, LESS BOY Superboy was very out of character during the training mission. He was not his usual stubborn, rage-filled self. He was more of a hero than he has ever been and it was refreshing to see him that way. He continued to act more like his comic counterpart as he worked with the Forever People. Being that he was native to Earth and they were not, they chose to follow his lead and he did pretty well as a team leader. Don’t expect to see him leading the Young Justice team, but this growth in him is promising. The reason for his new maturity is what sucks though. Admitting to Black Canary that he did not experience grief in seeing his friends die is also a big step towards him being more mature. All that mattered to him was that he finally got to be Superman even though he constantly was saying “I’m not Superman.” The fact that people looked at him as Superman brought him an inner happiness he has never felt before. This is why he could not console M’Gann. He was happy and he felt guilty about it. This is more bad news for the couple; we’ll have to wait and see if their romantic relationship survives.

tough enough?
Hot (Kid)Flashes?

SHOT THROUGH THE HEART Artemis was the first to “die” during the training mission, so she really had no one to grieve over. She has no real connection to any of the Justice League members and Black Canary confirmed that by stating that Green Arrow is not really her uncle. Canary goes on to ask why she has not trusted her friends with the truth of who she is yet. Her “therapist” notes that Artemis is most worried about how Wally will respond to the truth. Not that we didn’t know before, but she can no longer deny that she has feelings for Kid Flash. During his session with Black Canary, he attempts to act like nothing is wrong and then he literally chokes up when she brings up his reaction to Artemis’ death. Instead of clamming up the way Artemis did, he tries to deflect the questioning by flirting with Black Canary. Artemis definitely has one thing straight: she needs to tell Wally about her connection to Sportsmaster and Cheshire if she really cares about him. Wally just needs to face the truth that everyone else already knows. Canary stating that Artemis needs to tell the truth about who she is also moves her a bit out of the possible mole category. As I have said before, if Green Arrow and Batman vouch for her, the likelihood of her being the bad guy are low.

Doubts
Needs to stop putting himself down

WET BEHIND THE EARS Aqualad is deeply troubled by his death during the last mission. It is not the fact that he dies that bothers him. He feels that in a way he betrayed the team by leaving them without a leader. Honestly, I think that his concern is misplaced; he made sure that his teammates were all safe. Yes, it cost him his life, but he carried out one of his primary duties as leader. Kaldur is a really cool character, but only when he is not feeling sorry for himself and doubting his ability. Granted, I would love to see Robin lead this team, but Aqualad does a damn good job. All of his teammates will agree.

The birth of Nightwing?

THE BOY. . . WONDERS Robin seemed to remain strong during the alien invasion, but when Black Canary talks with him, he talks about how difficult it was to send his friends off to what he knew would be their death. Unlike M’Gann, he has no doubts about continuing as a hero, but he is rethinking the path he wants to take. He very obviously holds high regard for Batman, but he no longer wants to be like him. This scene was ironic for a couple of reasons. Dick Grayson as we all know becomes Nightwing in his adult years, but he also takes on the Batman persona when Bruce Wayne is thought to be dead. Another situation takes place in the Young Justice comic where Batman and (Tim Drake) Robin are forced to switch places. Tim tells Bruce that no matter what, he is going to continue to fight the good fight, just probably not as Batman. It is always good to see the influence of the comic considering the huge departure the show takes from it.

Debbie Downer
Oh yeah, I am white

ULTIMATE DENIAL Miss Martian’s place on the team is questioned by no one but herself. She feels responsible for the fiasco of a training mission and she is right about that; but she cannot see that it is not her fault. It is not like she meant to put Artemis in a coma or keep the others from waking upon their imagined deaths. As Black Canary points out, she is not in proper control of her powers. She even related an incident where she almost deafened her first grade class when her powers emerged. M’Gann needs to accept the truth of who she is: a member of a team of young heroes that like any team support one another. It is ironic that the females of this team seem to keep the most secrets. Considering she is the only one from Mars, I doubt the rest of the team is going to freak over her being a White Martian. Her reaction to Black Canary saying “you’ve turned white” is confirmation beyond any doubt of that fact. Also, her turning Caucasian inside the cave supports the my theory that she might leave the team. She only assumes the physical Megan identity when she goes out in public and is not on a mission. Whether or not she leaves the team, she needs to take Canary’s advice and train with J’onn. If she doesn’t, she is never going to be confident enough to effectively operate on the team again.

Meet the Super Cycle
Pimp My Super Cycle

THE SUPER CYCLE Changing the origin of the team’s original sentient vehicle (in the comics) has really come to be pointless. First seen in Young Justice #1, it was never rolled up into a sphere. The original trio that was accidentally named Young Justice (Robin, Superboy and Impulse) “defeated” a rather ridiculous villain named Mighty Endowed. She really beat herself and you should check out the comic to see more of that rather humorous situation. Superboy then proceeds to pull the Super Cycle out of the ground and the trio have “fun” learning to control it. The next issue shows them at the mercy of the vehicle as it literally takes them around the world and frees its master, a four-armed beast from Apokolips named Rip-Roar. According to him, he stole it from New Genesis and the vehicle really is called a Super Cycle. After it rejects Rip-Roar for its new, fun-loving masters (it actually bonds to Robin, not Superboy), the cycle becomes the standard means of transport for Young Justice. It even increases its size and seating capacity as the team gets bigger. Remember, in the comics, Miss Martian is not part of the team, so no bioship either. The appearance of the new vehicle may have serious implications, especially if it can change size and shape like in the comics. Miss Martian may leave the team, at least for a short while, which would mean no bioship. The Super Cycle would be an excellent replacement during that period.

Infinity Man
I am IRON MA-oh wait, no I'm not.

This was a really messed up episode. It was a great episode, because it humanized even the non-human members of the team. You got to take a look inside each member individually and see a bit of their soul. This is probably going to piss fans off even more when the mole is either exposed or plays their hand. Gotta say that I scould not care less about the Forever People. They fit well into this episode but if they never show up again I would not shed tears. I will like them even less if Conner reverts to his old self the next time the team is on a mission. This two-part story makes me long for the early days of the Justice League series where an episode was an hour long. I like the Friday night animation block on Cartoon Network, but this is easily the best show and needs more attention. With a plot that keeps fans guessing no matter how much is revealed, a half hour is just not enough. We all know tat is not going to happen though, so whatever. Next week on Young Justice, the writers delve back into the pages of the comic as they introduce Harm, a really messed up character. Considering the title of the episode (Secrets), we will hopefully meet his sister as well as have her join the team.  I am getting way ahead of myself here. If you want details, check out the comic and tune in next week.

  • Slick's Nit-Picks: Young Justice, Episode 116 – “Failsafe” (mytakeradio.com)
  • Slick's Nit-Picks: Young Justice, Episode 15 – Humanity (mytakeradio.com)
  • Slick's Nit-Picks: Young Justice, Episode 14 – Revelation (mytakeradio.com)
  • Slick's Nit-Picks: Young Justice, Episode 12 – “Homefront” (mytakeradio.com)
  • Slick's Nit-Picks: Young Justice, Episode 11 – “Terrors” (mytakeradio.com)
  • Slick's Nit-Picks: Young Justice, Episode 13 – “Alpha Male” (mytakeradio.com)