Young Justice 1.07

Denial

The team travels to Salem, MA to look for Kent Nelson. The 106-year-old man used to be Dr. Fate, he is still the guardian of the Helmet of Fate but he has gone missing. They find him but they also find a couple villains who had kidnapped Nelson. Abra Kadabra and Klarion want to get their hands on the Helmet of Fate.

In order to save the day Wally dons the Helmet of Fate. Nabu, the ancient sorcerer whose spirit inhabits the Helmet takes over his body and defeats the two villains. Nabu doesn't want to let Wally go, after the villains have been defeated. Kent Nelson cuts a deal with the sorcerer. The heroes return to Happy Harbor victorious. Wally puts the helmet in the trophy room.

A couple interesting omissions in this episode are Robin and uniforms. The Boy Wonder is missing because he off assisting Batman. The team takes off looking for Nelson without putting on their uniforms. It isn't an official mission, maybe that's why they don't bother to "suit up".

There is a fair amount of tension between Artemis and Wally throughout the episode. Wally continues to hit on M'gann. Although she hasn't said it, M'gann probably sees him as more of a brother then a potential lover. He tries to impress her by saying that he believes in magic, as does she. His little deception almost gets the team killed after they enter the tower. Artemis isn't shy about giving Wally grief for his lies and finally gets him to admit that he does not believe in magic. At one point M'gann suggests to Artemis that she and Wally would make a cute couple. Wally also gets some romantic advice but from Kent Nelson.

The insides of the tower in places looked like an M.C. Escher painting with stairways going in all sort of different directions. The tower also seems bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. It was hidden when the heroes arrived but thanks to some quick thinking by Kaldur'ahm they were able to find it and get in.

I really like how magic is used in this episode. It is more than just as a weapon or tool used by both heroes and villains. The concept of magic is also used to help flesh out Wally as he first refuses to accept it and then later as he tries to understand what he has seen.

This is a superior episode. It works on a number of levels. There is the story of the team protecting the Helmet of Fate. There is Wally's struggle to understand and accept magic. There is the continuing evolution of his relationship with Artemis. There is the story of Kent Nelson, who longs to be reunited with his wife who died years ago. It can work as a stand alone episode but it probably works better when seen after watching the previous six episodes.