Young Justice seems to be coming along fine for newcomer Jimmy and longtime fan Tom. But then again, the show still needs to iron the team out a bit.
We get a bit more of that with the episodes “Schooled” and “Infiltrator”.
“Schooled”
Superboy’s temper interferes with a mission.
jimmy: I guess we have our answer to which Robin it is.
tomk: No one expects the Stephanie Brown Robin.
jimmy: That really would have been unexpected.
tomk: But that’s your big takeaway from this episode? You know who Robin is?
jimmy: That and that Amazo is much more comic like in this incarnation.
tomk: Fun fact: every actor who plays a robot builder also plays the robots. So, Peter MacNicol was Ivo, Amazo, and all those monkeybots.
jimmy: Really? Interesting.
tomk: Same with Morrow and the Red Tornado both being voiced by Jeff Bennet.
jimmy: In a way it makes sense. If I created a robot, he’d probably speak similar to me.
tomk: You’d also make it look like you and then send it to do your job for you.
jimmy: Also quite possible.
tomk: And then it’s just you, the Moose, and the beer tap in the Jimmy Cave.
jimmy: This sounds like a great idea. I’m getting to work on my replicant today!
tomk: You have that and your unfinished memoirs, Impossible Tales, to finish. You might end up working more than the robot will.
jimmy: I’ll create another to write the memoirs!
tomk: That sounds like something with an AI. We all know how that turns out.
jimmy: This time it will definitely be different!
tomk: The killer machines won’t be rude about it?
jimmy: Yes. Very polite. “Oh, sorry I killed you” They are Canadian after all.
tomk: Well, that’s depressing. Almost as bad as Amazo announcing out loud whose superpowers he’s using.
jimmy: Yeah, I thought that could be a huge drawback in a fight.
tomk: You’d think Robin would have busted out the matchbook when it went all Martian Manhunter.
jimmy: Not that they had much time to react, but you would think it would allow them to come with some sort of counter strategy.
tomk: He could only do one at a time, and he was decent enough to say so before doing anything.
jimmy: Right, but once he says “Superman”, you probably don’t have a counter. For that matter why not always be Superman?
tomk: Other heroes have other powers to make things rougher. Black Canary’s sonic scream can do stuff too.
By the by, Canary having an injury from the Amazo fight when she came by to train the kids was a nice touch since they didn’t tell you right away how she hurt herself.
jimmy: I know they all have powers that can be useful, but if you can have the power of Superman, you really don’t need anything else. Unless there are some “rules” about only using a power once for a short period and having to switch to another.
tomk: It could also be switching powers allowed Amazo to avoid, say, Superman’s weaknesses in case Robin pulled out some kryptonite or something.
jimmy: I was going to ask about that. Would he be susceptible to kryptonite? I can see mimicking powers to a degree, but taking on their weaknesses seems a bit much.
tomk: Well, no one tried that, so we don’t know. Depends on how good the mimicking is, isn’t it?
jimmy: It just seems silly and a level beyond mimicking.
tomk: Well, his head exploded, so maybe it doesn’t matter.
jimmy: Oh, like no one has come back from an exploded head before
tomk: Watson did it last week.
jimmy: It’s always the ones you least want to come back.
tomk: Oh wait, did I say Watson. I meant Malin Ackerman. Not sure how I got those two mixed up. It’s been a long day.
jimmy: Now I’m happy. Like Batman. He’s way too cheery in this show.
tomk: He didn’t seem happy with Clark.
jimmy: Wanting to talk to him about being a deadbeat “dad” does not necessarily make him unhappy.
tomk: Superman is the best of us and he’s being a jerk.
Like when Ryan lifted Mjonlnir, showing he was worthy, then tried to force everyone to watch Krull, instantly losing the hammer as he was no longer worthy.
jimmy: Mjolnir knows the score.
tomk: That score was Krull Lovers 0/ Us 2.
jimmy: Krull never wins.
tomk: Isn’t that on the Impossible Family Crest?
jimmy: That’s how I learned it.
tomk: Good for you. For that, you get a Twinkie.
jimmy: There has to be some irony there though about Bruce talking to Superman about being a good “parent”.
tomk: Look at it this way: Bruce, unlike Clark, actually has experience there. Plus, Clark is more disturbed about the clone part than the son part.
jimmy: I can get that with Clark, but get over it. Of all the crazy, wacky stuff that goes on in the DCU, having to take your own clone under your wing seems low on the scale.
tomk: You aren’t worried about who, you know, made that clone?
Besides, one of the nice things we see in this episode is Superboy learning to be better. His temper may be less of a factor going forward as he sees the drawbacks to just running in swinging. That’s a more Superman-ish trait than he’s shown so far.
jimmy: I’d want to know who made the clone, sure. But he’s not a Bizarro or evil clone and he’s just a kid. Help him out, Supes.
tomk: You wouldn’t be so upset you’d put on your fedora and take your pie to go if someone stole your DNA?
jimmy: I leave my DNA everywhere anyway.
tomk: Well, I think it’s more disturbing here that it’s Superman talking. He’s supposed to be the force for moral good at all times. And I don’t wanna know about your DNA.
jimmy: Have you ever handled a penny? Then the government’s got your DNA.
tomk: I never handle hard currency. I use Newmancoin cryptocurrency.
jimmy: It’s the way of the future.
tomk: Well, for all that this series is about the kids, we mostly talked about Amazo and two adults talking over pie.
By the way, fellow adult, have a fresh apple pie.
jimmy: Not my favorite, but I’ll take it.
The kids’ story is still building. We’re more familiar with the others.
tomk: I see.
In that case, here’s a blueberry pie.
jimmy: Perfect.
tomk: Also, we like Batman.
jimmy: We do.
tomk: Though you’re disturbed that he seems happy and well-adjusted here.
jimmy: Not disturbed, it’s just not his usual look.
tomk: I see. You want your Batman grouchy and your Superman moral.
jimmy: Sounds right.
tomk: In that case, have you anything to add here?
jimmy: Since we’re mostly talking about pie and not why does Flash need a motorcycle to begin with, I guess not.
tomk: He’s undercover.
jimmy: Everyone’s undercover until the robot monkeys show up.
tomk: That’s a good time to break cover.
jimmy: And speaking of breaking, shall we move on?
tomk: Well, are you curious who the team archer will be?
jimmy: It’s been slightly spoiled by the credits, but yes!
tomk: So, you know her name then?
jimmy: I’m gonna guess Arrowette.
tomk: Good (completely wrong) guess!
jimmy: I knew it!
tomk: Shall we get to know Artemis then?
jimmy: Who?
tomk: You have a lot to learn. Ready to go?
jimmy: I am.
tomk: Then learn more you shall!
jimmy: It is half the battle.
tomk: Then off we go.
“Infiltrator”
The Team gets put on protection duty with new team member Artemis.
jimmy: Her name isn’t Arrowette, Tom, it is Artemis. Or is it?
tomk: It is. Artemis isn’t a new character. You’ll see why they used her later.
jimmy: On a side note, how old is Speedy, uh, Red Arrow? He seems way older than the rest of The Team.
tomk: I figure he’s about Aqualad’s age. Maybe 18 or so.
jimmy: That’s what I thought. Definitely upper not early to mid teens.
tomk: He’s old enough to be on his own. Wally and Robin still have school.
jimmy: Wally at least.
tomk: Dick goes to a different school.
jimmy: Who didn’t have class that day?
tomk: Probably You think Batman let’s a kid skip school?
jimmy: Honestly? Yes. But not for beach frolicking.
tomk: You and I have very different views of Batman.
jimmy: You think if he needed Robin to help track down Bane or the Scarecrow he’d be like, “Ok Robin, we’ll continue our search after school. Good luck on your chemistry test!”
tomk: No, I think he’d be like “You need to pass that chemistry test and keep your mind sharp. I have Alfred in the car. Get your butt to school or it’s another night in the Cave alone in the dark for you!”
Wait, that may be Frank Miller’s Batman…
jimmy: The God damn Batman!
tomk: Batman also tends to go out at night, and everyone knows you can’t stay on the Team if you have a negative GPA.
Besides, in a very not Frank Millerish time, Batman only let any Robin drive any car if said Robin had a valid driver’s license.
But what did you think of Artemis?
jimmy: An awfully cocky red herring.
tomk: So, you don’t think she’s the mole on the Team the Light spoke so confidently about?
jimmy: Seems way, way, way too obvious and telegraphed.
tomk: But she knows more about Cheshire than she lets on.
jimmy: Yeah. Maybe it’s just sloppy writing.
tomk: Or…she knows more about longtime Titans foe Cheshire than she lets on because she is not Green Arrow’s niece.
jimmy: Well, they made that pretty obvious too.
tomk: Fun fact: Cheshire, an assassin specializing in poisons, is the supervillain Roy “Speedy” Harper slept with and had a baby girl with.
Oh, DC Comics, you have so much trippy stuff going on…
jimmy: I probably knew that at one time but it got pushed out by a Q-tip or something.
tomk: Well, here’s some more fun facts: the other villains were Black Spider and Hook. Hook is a lesser member of the League of Shadows under the old man, Sensei, who in turn answers to…Ra’s al-Ghul.
Black Spider had no lines here, but when he does speak, producer Greg Weisman cast the same actor who played Peter Parker on Weisman’s Spectacular Spider-Man series.
jimmy: Those facts are fun!
tomk: And for an unfun fact: some people like Krull.
jimmy: That is unfun.
tomk: How about some more fun?
jimmy: I like fun!
tomk: Good. What was fun about this episode?
jimmy: The beach/school montage?
tomk: So the rest was a dull slog for you, like Wally’s first day of school.
jimmy: There was also the hacking.
tomk: None of the telepathic bickering though.
jimmy: The constant telepathy was a bit much.
tomk: And Artemis isn’t Speedy. But neither is Speedy.
jimmy: That’s Red Arrow to you.
tomk: For someone who wants to go on his own, he didn’t pick a very good code name.
jimmy: It’s better than Speedy.
tomk: It’s probably the best he could come up with on his own.
jimmy: He should have consulted Artemis on a clever codename.
tomk: Like Archer McBullseye?
jimmy: That’s why he didn’t consult you.
tomk: Too bad. I would have given him a better one than that.
jimmy: Let’s hope so.
tomk: You gotta pay for the good names.
jimmy: Does Speedy have any money?
tomk: Speedy doesn’t. But Red Arrow sure does.
jimmy: From where?
tomk: Ollie still gives him an allowance. It’s really embarrassing.
jimmy: He earns it by taking out the trash.
tomk: Yup. All those criminals in Star City he takes out.
jimmy: Exactly.
tomk: But then he finds some job he doesn’t wanna do anymore, so he passes it along to the Team he refused to join but still has a teleporter code.
jimmy: I wondered about that. I guess anyone can have clearance, Team or not.
tomk: Well, you can’t use mine.
My code number there is C-5.
jimmy: Mine is FJ1.
tomk: What does the FJ stand for?
jimmy: …
We really shouldn’t have let Watson set up the codes.
tomk: Ah.
Still, the all-consuming smoke cloud had to be stopped.
jimmy: Before it discovered Batman’s secret identity.
tomk: And how to get Justice League secrets.
jimmy: Like Wonder Woman’s home phone number.
tomk: Or how to get into any of their headquarters.
jimmy: Good luck getting into Wonder Woman’s “headquarters”.
tomk: I meant League headquarters. Man, you are really into a character that hasn’t even spoken a line of dialogue in this show yet.
jimmy: Who isn’t into Wonder Woman? Only the second most iconic female in the DC universe.
tomk: I am not sure how to answer that question.
jimmy: Maybe we should get back to the assassins.
tomk: Like an evil Spider-Man?
jimmy: Could that guy have been more of a rip-off?
tomk: You must have been angry with rage. Or pleased as alcoholic punch.
jimmy: Neither really. Just very aware of it.
tomk: Black Spider, usually not that Spider-Man like, is an old Batman foe.
jimmy: Oh? He was very Spider-Man like in this one.
tomk: He’s generally just an acrobatic killer vigilante who tends to target drug dealers. Batman doesn’t like some guy who think because you can do a double back flip that means you can kill drug dealers.
jimmy: He only likes guys that can do a double back flip and seriously injure drug dealers.
tomk: Exactly. You get an omelet.
jimmy: Just in time for second breakfast. Perfect.
tomk: But hey, we have a new female member that Wally can’t stand for…reasons. We get some mystery. Roy/Red Arrow clearly didn’t go anywhere. Artemis knows things. And the Light has an inside agent of some kind that you believe is not Artemis. Was there anything else that caught your eye beyond Spidey rip-offs trying to kill our heroes and Superboy being a lot calmer now?
jimmy: I need more beach days?
tomk: That sounds like a personal problem. Here’s a tube of sunscreen.
jimmy: Omelets and sunscreen. It’s been a hell of a morning.
tomk: Would you rather a pot of hot coffee?
jimmy: No. I’d rather watch another episode.
tomk: That I can help you with! Would you like a bit more on Kid Flash?
jimmy: Sure. Why not?
tomk: Good. Because we’re goin’ into the world of magic.
jimmy:
tomk: Maybe not that.
Next: Tom and Jimmy will return soon with discussions of the episodes “Denial” and “Downtime”.
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