Young Justice 1.02

Fireworks

Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Superboy fight their way back to the surface. It takes some convincing before Superboy agrees to help the other three. Dr. Desmond planned to clone the three new arrivals to Project Cadmus but Superboy interfered with that plan once he decided to pitch in and help the other three escape.

The fight to the surface is not an easy one. It turns out in the end that the four young heroes had a secret ally at Cadmus, a genomorph named Dubbilex. He doesn't like the way that genomorphs are being treated. He wants to Superboy to escape and do what he can to end Project Cadmus.

Before they finally do escape they have to fight Dr. Desmond who swallows a serum from Project Blockbuster. It turns him into a hulking monster. He is very tough to beat. Some of the hits the heroes take from Desmond should have been life threatening but they just shrug them off.

The League shows up at the end of the episode, after they are free from Project Cadmus and the building has been destroyed. They are very unhappy with their sidekicks. Superboy meets Superman, who seems very unnerved by the notion that he has a clone and doesn't say much to him despite the puppy dog eyes that Superboy keeps throwing him. Batman tries reprimanding the youngsters but they throw his attitude right back in his face.

The episode ends with the League conceding to the younger heroes and giving them the League's old headquarters, the cave in Happy Harbor. They are told that they will be a covert team that operates under orders from Batman. Red Tornado will keep an eye on them and Black Canary will train them. They also meet their 5th team member, Miss Martian.

Desmond is now in captivity. Guardian is left in charge of Project Cadmus. He reports back to a group called the Light. The faces of the group are not seen. Only their voices are heard. In the comic books Guardian was a hero but here he seems more like a mercenary, a gun for hire. It reminds me a bit of the role Hawkeye played at the beginning of the Hawkeye mini-series when he was the head of security for Cross Technologies.

Another solidly good, but not great, episode. The best part is the centerpiece, the escape from Project Cadmus. It seems like the young heroes are in a no win situation. The forces stacked against them seem insurmountable. Superboy isn't as strong as Superman, can't fly, and doesn't have heat vision. Kid Flash gets a little annoying. One of the strengths of the season, as I recall from previous viewings, is that the characters evolve.

I find the adult heroes to be a bit annoying. Maybe that is to be expected considering that the intended audience is most likely not adults and that this is not their show.