Adam Strange helps the heroes of Young Justice and the Justice League to put in place a zeta shield to protect the Earth from aliens who use zeta tech. M'Gann and La'gaan are among those present but once the shield is in place they return to their date. Connor (Superboy) and Jaime (Blue Beetle) are also present. Connor doesn't appreciate the lovey-dovey couple and drags Jaime on a mission with him.
Green Arrow, Black Canary, Nightwing, Wally West (Kid Flash), and Jim Harper (Guardian) track down Red Arrow. His hair is longer than it used to be and he is not clean shaven. They try talking some sense in to him. They've been keeping an eye on him and he hasn't been operating of the level that a superhero should. They call him out on it.
Red Arrow brushes off their concerns and tells them about his quest to find the original Roy Harper. He suggests that their time would be better spent tracking down Kaldur'ahm. It was revealed at the end of season 1 that Red Arrow was the key to the Light's plans. The Red Arrow that the heroes know was a clone of the original. The location of the original is currently unknown to the heroes. He might be dead for all they know, as Jim Harper points out.
Superboy, Blue Beetle, and Wolf chase after Bruno Manheim and Whisper A'Daire two members of Intergang. The villains arrive at the deserted Hall of Justice. They use a device that brings back to life the remains of several aliens, the Appellaxians. The bodies merge into one, under orders from Manheim, Superboy, Wolf, and Blue Beetle try to stop the giant creature but it gets away with Manheim and A'Daire.
The heroes follow the Appellaxian creature to Arlington where there is a nuclear reactor. It s unclear where in the United States that the Arlington reactor is located. In their first encounter with the Appellaxian the heroes attacked with brute force and were repelled. This time around they use the super-cycle's tech to destroy the device that Manheim is using to control the giant alien. Manheim and Adaire are quickly neutralized and secured.
Superboy, Wolf, and Blue Beetle go after the Appellaxian. Their first attempts to keep it from destroying the nuclear power plant are fairly ineffective. Blue Beetle uses a device he tried using before on it and this time he is able to communicate with the alien. It is in pain. It wants to destroy itself and sees the reactor as its best option. It seems like Blue Beetle is getting through to the alien when they are struck down by someone in the shadows.
The shadowy figure's identity is not reveled but he is in the company of Sportsmaster. The shadowy figure destroys the Appellaxian. He feared what the heroes might learn from it or be able to do with it. Superboy suspects that Manheim and A'Daire are the ones who killed the alien but the two members of Intergang are still where the heroes left them except that they seem to be brain dead. It is punishment for straying from the Light, according to the shadowy figure.
Wally returns home from the confrontation with Red Arrow. Artemis is waiting for him. They are still a couple. He is a little despondent over how things went and he has a lot on his mind. He remembers to wish her Happy Valentine's Day and they share a kiss.
Roy Harper returns to his run down apartment. He thinks he's alone but quickly discovers that there is an intruder, Cheshire. She is there to help. She says she has a lead on the location of the original Roy Harper. She drops a couple other important pieces of information. She is still his wife. That's the first time this has been revealed on the show. It is unclear at this point if anyone else knows about this. The other reveal is that she gave birth to a daughter recently. Roy is the father. This is news to him.
Notes
The Appellaxians first appeared in Justice League of America 9 (Feb 1962), The Origin of the Justice League. Their origin has been revised more than once since then. In the comic book they were seven different creatures but in this episode they were compelled to merge into one creature.
Thoughts
I'm not sure who the shadowy figure is supposed to be. He seems to be a member of the Light but there's just not enough information provided. The sound of his voice makes me think of Darkseid but I don't think that's who it is. It could be someone else from Apokolips. I didn't recognize the weapon he used to destroy the Appellaxian.
For some reason the last two scenes (Wally and Artemis, Red Arrow and Cheshire), really got to me. They were nice human moments. The second one especially hints at things to come.
I like how the title of the episode works with both stories. Green Arrow and company are trying to help Red Arrow salvage his life. Manheim and A'Daire salvage some old trophies of the Justice League to wreck havoc.
I like how this episode was put together, how the two stories were layered together. The scene on the rooftop with Red Arrow and the other heroes, unlike the way I described it above, is broken up into several moments that are interspersed with Appellaxian story.
I'm not fully confident that I will be satisfied with the resolution of this season. It seems like there is a lot of information being thrown together. I'm enjoying the ride but I just have doubts if it will end on a note that I will find satisfying. It will be nice if it does but as long as there are enough character moments in each episode I think I will on the whole be happy with this season.
No comments:
Post a Comment