Tom has seen all of Young Justice. Jimmy is watching for the first time. What will they get out of their latest mutual rewatch? Well, I dunno. They have a good time discussing these things. Like here, where they discuss the episodes “Welcome to Happy Harbor” and “Drop-Zone”.
“Welcome to Happy Harbor”
The Team thinks the Red Tornado is testing them.
jimmy: Maybe they should ask Speedy to join again. They say the third time’s the charm.
tomk: You like Speedy that much?
jimmy: I have no interest in Speedy, but they sure do.
tomk: They’ve probably known him for years. Plus, Speedy’s complaints may have been addressed with their new mission. He wouldn’t be a bad addition.
jimmy: Maybe they just need to find another arrow person.
tomk: Besides, the others sure were helpful taking down relatively new Green Arrow foe Brick, a gang leader with a body made out of…brick apparently.
You’re only saying that bit about another arrow person because you’ve seen the opening credits and made the banner image for these chats and saw any promo material for the show.
jimmy: Maybe. 🙂
He was made of brick? I never got that.
tomk: Well, they never said his name, did they?
jimmy: I don’t think so.
tomk: Some Green Arrow comic writer eventually killed Brick off by breaking him into two pieces with a wrecking ball.
jimmy: Ouch.
tomk: If anything, it comes from the general reddish hue of his skin.
Also, how he is very strong and somewhat indestructible. Like a brick.
jimmy: And also no match for silly string. Like a brick.
tomk: I have stopped many bricks with silly string. They never just fly at me when I spray them down.
jimmy: Exactly. Now, just put them in arrowhead form and you’re halfway to superherodom.
tomk: Is the other half how to aim accurately while running and flipping? That sounds harder.
jimmy: Just years of intense practice all day everyday. Nothing serious.
tomk: Eh, I got stuff to do.
jimmy: Like talk about someone having a grudge against Red Tornado? Who cares enough about Red Tornado to have a grudge?
tomk: The guy who built him and was then betrayed by his own creation?
jimmy: Is that who that was?
tomk: Well, one of those guys. Not the one voiced by John De Lancie.
jimmy: Was he the Twister!!!!? (You have to put the exclamation marks in his name.)
tomk: Yes.
Though the human operator (still De Lancie) was one Bromwell Stikk, AKA the first Teen Titans villain.
jimmy: The destruction of the Faux Tornado had me thinking. Superheroes have no qualms about destroying robots, to the point of Kid Flash even pocketing an eyeball as a souvenir. But if some villain was to destroy Red Tornado, you know there would be hell to pay with the League.
tomk: That’s because he’s a nice robot. Like BB-8.
Mr Twister was a jerk robot. Like C-3PO.
jimmy: And how much time did it take to make that perfect Android replica of that guy to sit in the control area? That seemed like a huge waste of time.
tomk: Well, it isn’t if you don’t want to get crushed by a rock. Are you looking to get crushed by a rock, Jimmy?
jimmy: No. But I’m sure I’m in the amount of time that took to build he could have just modified Mr Twister to control him directly without a pilot.
tomk: Maybe he did. He had that big machine back at T.O. Morrow’s place.
jimmy: Who I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of.
tomk: Perhaps.
jimmy: Maybe, he’ll want to settle down. (That’s a “Littlest Hobo” joke that you won’t get.)
tomk: Maybe I’ll get it tomorrow.
jimmy: Until tomorrow, we’ll just keep moving on.
tomk: Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
jimmy: Is that about Watson?
tomk: Well, it’s from Macbeth, but it could be.
jimmy: I figured the “tale told by an idiot” was a dead giveaway.
tomk:
But if we wanna get really literary, that whole “tale told by an idiot” bit helped inspire William Faulkner to write The Sound and the Fury, whose first part is narrated by a mentally impaired man.
Mr. Twister would mock him because Mr. Twister is that kind of dick.
jimmy: Are we still talking about Watson?
tomk: I…don’t know.
jimmy: Heh
So The Team had no qualms about jumping into action in their civilian identities.
tomk: Well, there was no one around. And one of them is green.
jimmy: And we don’t know which Robin it is anyway.
tomk: He’s the one that wears sunglasses, possibly at night.
jimmy: It’s to keep track of the visions in his eyes.
tomk: And to dismiss the abilities of Miss Martian way too early.
jimmy: And to quickly brand her a murderer.
tomk: They care for Robo-Rights more than she does.
jimmy: Well, they didn’t know he was one.
tomk: They weren’t paying attention when she said she could tell people from robots very easily.
jimmy: Wally was too busy paying attention to her other details.
tomk: Martian freckles?
jimmy: Among other Martian things.
tomk: Well, as a shapeshifter, she might not really look like that.
jimmy: No. And she could look like whoever you wanted.
tomk: She might really look like this:
jimmy: That’s…not great.
tomk: Or this:
jimmy: Better.
tomk: Or even this:
jimmy: Lol, I was just going to post the same thing. Hopefully she’s one of the first two.
tomk: Wally may not have thought that far ahead.
I mean, most Martians don’t even seem to have hair.
jimmy: Mars is too warm for hair.
tomk: But it’s further from the sun. It would be cooler.
jimmy: Someone left the oven on.
tomk: Was it you?
jimmy: I’m from Canada, Tom, not Mars.
tomk: You might have been visiting.
jimmy: That’s true.
tomk: Like, don’t you have a cousin named Marvin the Impossible Martian?
jimmy:
He’s got no hair either.
tomk: Moot point. M’gann almost certainly doesn’t look like that.
jimmy: But she could.
tomk: Also true. Have a slice of pie.
jimmy: Thanks. I’m starving.
tomk: It’s Martian pie.
jimmy: Is it made of real martians?
tomk: Depends. What kind of Martians? DC Martians? Marvin Martians? John Carter Martians? War of the Worlds Martians? Invincible Martians?
jimmy: Whichever is the most delicious.
tomk: Well, in this case, it was baked by M’gann. So, it’s like asking how much of Boston is in a Boston cream pie.
jimmy: Ok, I think we’ve spent way too long talking about pie.
tomk: You’re right. Have a cupcake.
jimmy:
tomk: Look, Jimmy, an episode like this is probably meant to give us an introduction to M’gann and her various abilities as a mind reader, shapeshifter, pilot, and baker. She wasn’t an original character like Aqualad, but she was probably the newest. So, best to show who she was after two episodes with the boys.
jimmy: And to distinguish her differences in powers from J’onn.
tomk: Like general clumsiness and hair.
jimmy: The hair at least is a choice.
tomk: So we assume.
Shapeshifters…
jimmy: So is Comic Conner such a jerk?
tomk: Not that kind of jerk. And he did apologize by episode’s end.
jimmy: He did. He’s learning.
tomk: How polite would you be after spending your short life in an underground tube?
jimmy: Well, I’m still Canadian.
tomk: I’ve been to Canada. Plenty of people on the surface. Even in Halifax.
jimmy: That just what we want the world to see while we plot…Uh…I mean…yeah, all on the surface.
tomk: There was nothing suspicious about that comment that I would need a Martian mind reader to interpret.
jimmy: Agreed. Nothing at all.
tomk: Well, I’m convinced. Anything else to add?
jimmy: I think we’ve covered pie enough.
tomk: I mean Mr. Twister. He hates pie and all pie-related pastries.
jimmy: Who hates pies? He must be truly evil.
tomk: As a robot, he cannot eat it.
jimmy: Understandable. But no need to ruin it for the rest of us.
tomk: Well, he got smashed to bits.
jimmy: He definitely won’t be having any pie now then.
tomk: Ready to move on?
jimmy: Yes. Maybe the next one will be about a delicious Tim Horton’s donut.
tomk: No, the next one is about their first mission, and they don’t go to Tim Horton’s.
jimmy: Maybe they will, Tom. Maybe they will.
Narrator: They didn’t.
tomk: Well, let’s see where they do go then.
“Drop-Zone”
The Team faces leadership problems on its first mission.
jimmy: Lesson 1: never trust Bane.
tomk: You had a problem with Bane? Bane will break you.
jimmy: I had no problem with Bane, Just saying he shouldn’t be trusted.
tomk: And he was the more trustworthy villain in this one.
If I learned anything, it’s don’t let the youngest kid be in charge.
jimmy: And also, “Sportsmaster”? That’s the best you could come up with?
tomk: He’s a Golden Age Green Lantern foe.
You know you’re badass when you can take on a Green Lantern with stuff from a sporting goods store.
jimmy: I think we’ve talked about him before. He’s still dumb.
tomk: I suppose mentioning now he’s the Light’s main enforcer would be a bad idea, but you’ll get a better idea why they used him in the future.
jimmy: Those guys are not happy with The Team.
tomk: What? Shadowy bad guys don’t like it when a bunch of kids ruin their fun?
jimmy: Surprisingly, no.
tomk: Ok, so thoughts on their first real mission?
jimmy: Robin’s a punk.
tomk: He’s used to Batman. Batman doesn’t talk much. He’s also only 13 to Wally’s 15.
jimmy: How old are the others?
tomk: Superboy is maybe a month or two old. I get the impression however old Superboy is supposed to be, M’gann is about the same. Aqualad seems like the oldest. He’s taller and more mature than Robin or Wally.
jimmy: And that’s why he’s the boss now.
tomk: Everyone agreed.
jimmy: Besides (and because) of his age, he was the most mature.
tomk: With the general idea that Robin has a lot of leadership potential, but he isn’t there yet.
jimmy: He has the most experience…at 13. You really gotta wonder about that Bat guy.
tomk: Yes, but Batman was actually fairly understanding everything went wrong later. That’s not how the JLU Batman would have reacted.
jimmy: I would bet modern Batman’s not allowed to smack the kids around either.
tomk: Honestly, Batman seems like a good parent in this show.
jimmy: He needs to be.
tomk: Did he send you to your room?
jimmy: That would mean I was Batman’s son and/or Robin. Which I’m pretty sure I’m not.
tomk: Batman sends a lot of people to their room. Many times, that room is in Arkham.
jimmy: And I’m certainly not there…you’re real right, Tom?
tomk: Have you ever been in the same room as me? Zoom chat rooms don’t count.
jimmy: …uh oh.
tomk: I mean, what’s the alternative? This is just a chat discussing a cartoon show, or you work with a mystery man with an unlimited amount of snack food and jet skis, and your best friend is a Moose who may or may not hang out with a foul-mouthed Beaver.
jimmy: Can’t it be both?
tomk: Sure.
Have some peanut butter-infused brownies with a root beer float on the side.
jimmy: You’re better at this than M’gann’s flirting with Superboy or Kid Flash’s flirting with M’gann.
tomk: Why thank you. The Moose suggested setting up your Jimmy Cave to have your favorite beer on tap.
jimmy: He thinks of everything.
tomk: It’s clear why he’s your bestest of friends.
Not the bestest of friends? Bane and King Kobra.
jimmy: I don’t think either of them are likely to have any friends, let alone besties.
tomk: But good casting for both fairly minor characters.
Bane:
Kobra:
jimmy: Agreed. Bane don’t text.
tomk: And Kobra beats up children.
Oh wait…
jimmy: He was very insulted that the Bat didn’t bother to show up himself.
tomk: Kobra doesn’t rate a Batman Beatdown.
jimmy: In fairness, it was supposed to be a surveillance mission.
tomk: In fairness, no mission survives first contact with the enemy. And most of them had cool, darker costumes to hide in the all-consuming shadows…until Superboy landed…
jimmy: He don’t need no stinking zip line.
tomk: It’s a good thing the bad guys invested more in Venom production than seismographs.
jimmy: Bane as Venom…now there’s a scary thought.
tomk: He will break you…and feast on the lovely brains inside.
jimmy: Even funnier that both were played by Tom Hardy.
tomk: He does not play anyone on YJ.
jimmy: Yet.
tomk: Well, keep your ears sharp then.
jimmy: You never know!
tomk: But I can strongly suspect!
jimmy: You would know better than I.
tomk: That a superhero cartoon series might not have it in its budget to hire an A-list actor? Yeah, I might know better than you.
jimmy: When did this come out? Hardy was probably a nobody then.
tomk: 2010.
About the same time Hardy was appearing in Inception.
jimmy: Hmmm. Is it that recent? You’re probably right then.
tomk: Well, that told you.
So, now that they’ve been on a mission, how have you enjoyed the show so far, four episodes in?
jimmy: I like it. The characterization (and voice casting) of the main league is obviously different but the show does feel like a worthy spiritual successor to what we’ve been watching.
tomk: It’s a different sort of show. It’s not really about the League.
jimmy: I figured that you would respond along that lines. But I can’t compare Robin et al to JL/JLU because they weren’t in it! 
tomk: Wally was!
jimmy: Who can keep all those Flashes straight?
tomk: Me?
jimmy: …
You win this round, Tom.
tomk: Well, if it helps…I can tell you who the giant guy who beat up Bane is.
jimmy: It usually does.
tomk: OK, the two similar looking baddies were Mammoth and his sister Shimmer. Both are Titans villains, usually running with the Fearsome Five. They usually look like this:
jimmy: That’s a better look.
tomk: Mammoth, as you may be able to guess, is just a superstrong brute. Shimmer can temporarily change substances to other substances.
jimmy: His name makes sense at least.
tomk: Well, she still doesn’t have powers on YJ, so we may have to wait and see what happens there. Hopefully it involves less skin-shredding.
jimmy: Yeah, that’s gotta hurt.
tomk: Well, watching the show doesn’t hurt. Do you have anything else to add here aside from noting the Light seems intent on collecting superpower-bestowing drugs and chemicals?
jimmy: Nope.
tomk: How about we see if Superboy can control himself better?
jimmy: He’s working on it.
tomk: Well, he may have to work harder.
Next: Tom and Jimmy will return soon with discussions of the episodes “Schooled” and “Infiltrator”.
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