Young Justice Episode 8 - "Downtime"

[icon_uk]

Way back in 1980-ish, after the first major story arc of "The New Teen Titans" was over, Wolfman and Perez did something in issue 8 which was more or less unheard of at the time, an issue devoted to the characters in their off duty lives, especially new characters we're not familiar with.

For legality, the cover of that issue.



Episode 8 of Young Justice (which others have noted is more Teen Titans anyway) tries more or less the same thing.

Episode 8 of Young Justice (which others have noted is more Teen Titans anyway) tries more or less the same thing, with the various characters seen in their off duty activities.

It's also the first Aqualad focus episode as, following a dressing down from Batman for lacking focus when leading a mission, he returns to Tritonis, uncertain if he wants to be in the surface world with the Titans, or back home, continuing his studies at the Hogwarts Academy of Waterbenders, sorry the Triotonis School

(In one of several nice touches, we see Kaldur and Arthur talk in Atlantean) and as Kadur returns to his old school, it's cameo time!! :)

This chap isn't named, but I think we all know who he is...



Yay! Lagoon Boy!!

This is Lori Lemaris, but again, no name (How do I know who she is? I'll tell you later)



Another student, Topo (Who has an octopid head), is using his magc to craft a magic mural which details the story of how King Orin, the Aquaman, fought the evil Ocean Master



The Aquaman was losing, but two young students, Kaldur and Garth came to his aid, tipping the balance in his favour and helping vanquish Ocean Master. (Topo added himself to the mural, even though he wasn't there, he's a little embarrassed about that but Kaldur assures him it's okay)



As a reward for their help, Orin offered them both the chance to become his protege's. Garth declined, preferring to continue his studies, but Kaldur accepted and was given the title of the Aqualad.



Kaldur moves on to see his friends, Garth





And Tula (Yup, THAT Tula, the original Aquagirl), who is Kaldurs beloved. She has the same powers as Kaldur and is not to be trifled with.



In charge of the waterbending Atlantean sorcery school is Queen Mera, who, I may add, kicks seventeen shades of ass in this episode... she's awesome.



Garth and Tula are delighted to see him back, but there's something they have to tell Kaldur, which they're not keen on doing. Can you guess what that might be. Also Mera tells Kaldur that if he DOES come back to the school, then he won't be able to be in the same class as Tula anymore, since he's missed a lot of magic classes.

Meanwhile in another part of Atlantis, another plot brews, as the Atlanteans investigate the discovery of a giant echinoderm, which was found frozen solid in an ice flow. Don't know what an echinoderm is? Look it up, or take a guess! :)



And we have someone else interested in this, a very cool take on Black Manta....



Mera and Orin announce that they are expecting their first child (even Arthur's brother Orm, who is apparently not the Ocean Master in this continuity, or at least not yet) and Kaldur discovers that what Tula hadn't wanted to tell him was that she and Garth are now... together. (Dramatic fanfare)

Meanwhile, back in Gotham Dick is working off a little jealousy. At the end of their last mission, Batman excluded him from a talk with Kaldur. Now Batman had a good reason for doing so, but Dick doesn't know this, and isn't used to having to share quality time with his Batdad. I found these nice little animated gifs over on tumblr to illustrate his feelings. (Sigh, if only he were a few of years older)



This has already inspired fanart, which is impressive (Though I also like this one better I think)

In fact he's so miffed that he's PUNCHING CONCRETE...



Batman is observing this....



So now he DOES ask to see Dick alone.... Uh oh...



For a little father/son quality time playing one on one basketball. Awwww.... this is Batman without the Batdickery... at least when it comes to his Robin.



There is a sequence of Kon and Megan which is just so dull I'm sorry, but I really couldn't be bothered capping it. Let's just say it involves Superboy watching white noice on TV, and Megan wanting to cook and her TK getting out of hand with the ingredients and it all lands on Superboy and well... oh how I laughed.

We also see a little downtime with the Flash family... It's Barry's birthday, so the West family and Iris are throwing him a party.



Mrs West notes that Barry is a lot more help around the kitchen than Wally is. Their other guests agree, yup it's Jay and Joan Garrick! :)



Meanwhile Black Manta's attack is well underway and Mera is leading the defence (and may have watched James Cameron's The Abyss one time too many)



The battle is very impressive, not quite Katara vs Master Wei levels, but very impressive, with the army of Black Manta on one side, and a bunch of Atlantean sorcerors on the other.

Meanwhile, back in Gotham, we get a little backstory for Artemis... as her mother (Who appears to be Vietnamese and is confined to a wheelchair) excitedly tells her that she's just received a Wayne Foundation Scholarship to attend to the prestigious Gotham Academy. She's not keen as she likes her school, but her mother talks her into it, being aware that it's the sort of opportunity that she can never give her.

And the big, if subtle, reveal of the episode is what Artemis real name is. It's on the letter...



Yup, it's confirmed that she is Miss Artemis Crock... which does suggest that her daddy is Lawrence Crock, the Sportsmaster.

And to finish it off, a quick shot of Garth showing what that extra magic training does as he summons the power of...



The TEMPEST!!!



It all ends happily enough though, with no major fatalities and a nice little Garth/Kaldur scene at the end as they ponder what might have been.

Oh, and for those who wondered how I knew Lori was Lori, I can thoroughly recommend the DA account of Jerome K Moore which has all sort of fun little pictures, not just those we see on the screen, but those we didn't, and why not. :)

Comments

[calvision]

I liked that there was variety with the population of Atlantis! And the action scenes underwater were great. My heart stopped when Tula got shot ('Really DC? REALLY?') but it thankfully was not as I thought. The speaking in Atlantean was cool too, if not a bit awkward.

[blackruzsa]

Hearing them speak Atlantean was pretty awkward indeed XD Maybe it was the diction. It had potential, but the way it was spoken was... not good.

[auggie18]

Y'know, at first I just kinda liked this show, but after this episode and the massive amount of hate I saw on the last Young Justice post, I went back and re-watched it and it hit me. I like this show. I like the fact that the characters lose a lot of their battles. I like the nods to the original run on the Titans, like fighting Mister Twister and having the strongest/only flying member of the team be a girl. I like the universe that they've set up. This episode really helped me realize this.

Also, Mera kicked SO MUCH ASS.

[aaron_bourque]

This was the first GREAT episode of YJ. The Atlantis we saw here was the best Atlantis I've ever seen. Anywhere. Not just DC Atlantis. Batman not being a dick gave me a massive case of the smiles. I actually enjoyed the Superboy/M'Gann scene. And Wally continues to be a doof.

[icon_uk]

Hmm, I thought the Superboy/M'Gann lacked anything interesting. Superboy moping is a little overdone already, maybe seeing him trying out random new things because he doesn't know what he likes yet might have interested me more than him just watching a blank TV. And M'gann being comedically domestic was just... not really showing us anything new about her either.

There was more interest for me about M'Gann in the background of the Artemis scene where it announces that they'll return to a show called "Hello Meg.." which is interrupted, suggesting that even her name (and also her annoying catchphrase) are also based on her TV viewing habits of old 1950's sitcoms.

[radioactivepiss]

I liked the SB/M'gann scene too. It was a great way to show how... weird/unsocialised SB is without being too ~dramatic~ and M'gann was adorable. And the Red Tornado bit made me laugh far too hard.

The single best bit of YJ for me is basically Batman not being a dick for me, and I really, really love this show overall, so it's saying something. I am so over dickish-Bruce, it's nice to see.

[tacobob]

Yeah, they actually made Atlantis into an interesting place you'd probably want to see more of. Not just a underwater city with a few people floating around in.

[jarodrussell]

How much butter does the Allen family eat? That thing is huge!

[superfangirl1]

The secret to health super speed protein?

Bat basketball bonding definitely deserves a big d'aww. <3

Now if only clark can do some bonding with conner soon.

[retro_nouveau]

* Mera is definitely awesome. Ten times more cool than Arthur ever was.
* So Kaldur and Garth saved Arthur from the Ocean Master. I guess that even though he lost, he still got away before his identity was discovered.
* I liked the Megan and Conner thing. I was very happy that Conner didn't smash anything in a rage this time. Sitting down and watching "NO SIGNAL" without taking a shower was funny but really weird. I hand-wave it that he doesn't want to watch television in that he just wants to
think about his future since it's so uncertain, and I like that he'd rather have someone nearby than sulk on his own.
* I was kind of sour on this Bruce until he brought out the large orange spherical thing and made Dick's day, complete with trash talk.

I've decided that I love this series ...
.... because:
* Awesome continuous storyline on a specific timeline, with the Legion of Doom being sooper-seekrit, and the retired Justice Society making regular appearances.
* Two Green Lanterns in the League, I don't have to miss the other one.
... in spite of:
* Seeing Dick, Wally, Roy, Garth, ... but where the fuck is Donna (or I'll take Cassie, since it's called Young Justice after all).
* Bruce sends the team on missions, Clark has a major story thread, ... but where the fuck does Diana go. Don't give me the legal bullshit, you can't tell me about overexposure when Bruce is everywhere you turn around.

[milleniumrex]

They weren't allowed to use Donna or Cassie when it started up due to the silly WW legal issues. But they've already confirmed that a Wonder Girl will be showing up in S2.

I'm hoping for Cassie, but only if it's YJ-style Cassie.

[lieut_kettch]

So Tula was Kaldur'ahm's girl? And now she's with Garth.

Cheer up, Kaldur. There's always Dolphin or L'rhenamar Kes.

[auggie18]

How weird is it that Atlantians and Martians are both huge fans of the apostrophe names?

[big_daddy_d]

This and Infiltrator are my favorite and I personally say they are the best episodes. Schooled is a good second because..well Black Canary was in it for one. And two...seeing Superboy getting beat up by robot monkeys. I laughed so hard.

Anyway, this episode was great in providing us a background in Kaldur's character, and also exploring Atlantis. More and more DC is showcasing the awesomeness of the Aquafamily. I remember how people use to make jokes saying how useless Aquaman is and now what? No one can say that about him or any one in his family anymore and once again, Mera is shown why she's the breakout character of 2010. Although personally If I was Kaldur, if I found out my girl and best friend hooked up, I wouldn't be all buddy-buddy about it and tell them to fuck themselves, but that's me. That aside, liked seeing Garth and the fact that they used Tula instead of the current Aquagirl (or is it woman? Eh) and hey, she's a redhead (I like redheads) who kicks ass.

I thought this was going to be a filler episode (a good one at that) but ultimately it seems to play into the main storyline and it also answers important questions about Artemis. The only ones left is what's her relationship to Cheshire? (which I believe that they are either sisters or Cheshire is her master) And what's her connection to the League of Shadows?

Now I do agree, the most boring part of this one was the Megan/Superboy scene. I understood it honestly. I mean where the hell else do they have to go? And as for the Hello Megan t.v. show, I do remember before the series came out, the creators did say that Megan's been on earth for years and educating herself through t.v. so...

Enjoyed the Flash family scene. That was fun and it was nice seeing Jay.

Also once again, the none Batdick Bruce Wayne. The one who gets it and is willing to have fun and spend time with Robin. That was the icing on the cake.

The only thing I wish they did was start giving clues towards Black Manta being Kaldur's father, but maybe that'll come later. That and wish there was another Roy Harper appearance, just to see where he is and if there's something that'll get him to relax. Hell it'd be awesome if they showed him on a date with Cheshire (duh duh duh!). Plus I'm starting to believe more and more that the Light is the Legion of Doom or Secret Society of Supervillains..whichever name they're going by. That or White Martians.

Overall, great episode. Definitely an official favorite.

[icon_uk]

If I was Kaldur, if I found out my girl and best friend hooked up, I wouldn't be all buddy-buddy about it and tell them to fuck themselves, but that's me.

I don't think Kaldur and Tula had ever actually been an item, I think Kaldur might have wanted it and others assumed it was inevitable, but he had never gotten around to actually doing anything about it (and that failure to do so was what caused his split priorities), and had then disappeared off for a couple of months, during which time Garth WAS prepared to do something about it (smart move there Garth; Kaldur gets the plaudits, but you get the girl!)

And to borrow a comparison between this and Friends (of all things), when Ross gets outraged when he finds out his sister and his best friend are an item, but then realises that that's actually about as positive an outcome as you could when it comes to your sister picking someone.

In this case, Tula is happy with the outcome, and Kaldur knows that Garth is a decent guy who will do everything he can to treat her right.

The only ones left is what's her relationship to Cheshire? (which I believe that they are either sisters or Cheshire is her master) And what's her connection to the League of Shadows?

Artemis could be her sister, her niece (on her mother's side), her sensei or (just to be different) Jade could be her father's new girlfriend.

Yep, this was my favorite YJ episode too

[omgwtflolbbqbye]

I mentioned in the last YJ forum that while I thought YJ had very interesting storyarc driven episodes, I found the character development ones to be pretty poor.

This episode was a very well executed mix of the two, as we saw The Light's most ambitious plan yet, as well as new glimpses into the teens' personal lives that were short but effective in humanizing them.

The team hasn't had a very good dynamic throughout the season, despite every episode having a heavy handed "teamwork is good" message. As a result, it was hard to like anyone that much cause it seemed like they were constantly dysfunctional jerks to each other and barely learned from their previous mistakes.

This ep made me sympathize and like everyone a whole lot more simply by taking them outside of their now routinely dysfunctional group and showing me how they are like with the people they actually get along with/ care for.

But Superboy and M'Gann were still a missed opportunity since they only got to do more of their respective brooding and ditzy shticks.

Also for a season finale, the episode lacked a good storyarc cliffhanger/finale but the top-notch action in Atlantis, especially with Mera, compensated.

Re: Yep, this was my favorite YJ episode too

[big_daddy_d]

Also for a season finale, the episode lacked a good storyarc cliffhanger/finale but the top-notch action in Atlantis, especially with Mera, compensated.

What makes you think it's a season finale?

[milleniumrex]

The only real disappointment for me was that we didn't see any interaction between J'onn and M'gann. I get that 90% of the episode had to be Aqualad because it was his spotlight ep, but still a missed opportunity.

[tacobob]

I'm sure she'll get her own episode soon. When they show that J'onn isn't the real one (White Martian!) and she's really evil! Duh Duh Duhhhhhhhh!

[heckfire]

So, what, am I the only one who saw Red Tornado walk in on M'gann and Conner and suddenly heard Joan River's voice?

"It's my Virgin Alarm; it's designed to go off before YOU do!"

[perletwo]

If you've got it handy, can I request some of that issue of New Teen Titans? Particularly the Raven storyline, which I was trying to remember the other day - I remember it had to do with her pushing the limits of her powers, but I don't recall the exact circs.

Also IIRC, wasn't this the historic first introduction of Terry Long?

[icon_uk]

I don't I'm afraid, though I'll look. You're right on the Raven arc, it was to do with her going beyond the "five minute separation of body and soul-self"

[espanolbot]

I thought that it was Ja'ys birthday?

Anyways, I thought that it was interesting that they seem to be introducing features from other superheroes into Artemis, other than parts of Cass Cain and Rose Wilson.

The being raised by a pushy, single wheelchair bound parent is like early Tim Drake for example, and she seems to consistantly dress like Steph when out of costume.

[icon_uk]

Maybe it was Jay's birthday, I'd need to rewatch to check.

I didn't see Artemis' mother as pushy in that respect, wanting what she felt was the best opportunities for her daughter, yes, but in some ways a rather sad individual. And Tim Drakes father's usual problem wasn't being pushy, it was being a rather poor father, at least in terms of having the slightest notion of what was going on in Tim's life, and over-reacting to the wrong things.

[blackruzsa]

I enjoyed basically all scenes but that of Superboy and M'gann. It seemed so... pointless. And I like Superboy, I like M'gann, but I hatehatehate them together unless it's being friendly and fun and not attempting to nudge into awkward romance.

I also enjoyed screaming every time something bad happened in Atlantis. What, no hey daddy moments for Black Manta?

AND GARTH IS A WATERBENDER, OKAY. HE IS. COMPLETE WITH CLOTHES AND HAIR AND WELL, YOU GET IT.

By the way, anyone else think the giant echinoderm is Starro?

[big_daddy_d]

By the way, anyone else think the giant echinoderm is Starro?

THANK. YOU! I knew there was something I wanted to bring up but it just slipped my mind. I watched that episode and all I could think was "Was that Starro? You fools, you doomed us all!!"

[sadoeuphemist]

Aqualad episode, automatically bound to be awesome.

It does kind of bother me, though, that he has to be the mature, responsible one all the time. I mean, he goes off for two months and his best friend and girlfriend hook up, and by the end of the episode he's all, "No, no, seriously, good for you, I wish you both the best." Sucks to be Aqualad.

[wizardru]

They were kind of nebulous on how serious their relationship actually was. I mean, he's been gone for two months and it's pretty clear he hasn't contacted either of them once. He's a pretty crappy boyfriend if he hasn't called once in that time (let alone used the teleporter). More likely he was sweet on her and vice-versa, but it never progressed much further than that. He was a little churlish about it mid-episode, but made his peace with it by episode's end.

His options are really pretty limited there, in any case. Aqualad either gets to keep his friends or become bitter and lose them. Given that he still cares for both of them, the answer for him is to accept it and move on.

[wizardru]

Unlike some folks here, I've been pretty happy with Young Justice, watching it my whole family. I also remember how uneven the first season of "Justice League" was, so I'm always willing to cut a little slack (though I don't think it's been needed here). Like all of DC's productions, I love the little easter eggs (like Lori Lemaris or Garth calling on 'The Tempest!'.

I'm convinced 'The Light' is actually a cabal of all of DC's supergeniuses, banded together for common cause. Not a Legion of Doom or what have you, but an evil intelligentsia, perhaps. A ballsy one, too, to attempt to use Starro to their own purpose.

I think this episode illustrates that the writers are working their way from 'kind of unlikable' to 'likable' with regards to the characters. All of the characters have issues of some sort, and they're moving forward with each one of them. The Robin scene was particularly good in showing that the YJ Batman is more of a 70s Batman....he's got a lot on his plate, but he means well.

IMHO this was one of the best episodes of the run so far.

[pyrotwilight]

Have to admit I like how they manage to allude to Black Manta being Aqualad's father without saying a single thing by simple virtue of having everyone elses family show up (well, short of M'ganns anyway since we already know her "uncle" and Superboy's deadbeat dad) but having Aqualad fighting Black Manta.

[icon_uk]

I confess I'd completely forgotten that part of Aqualad's heritage, so it didn't register. As, judging by his reactions, Kaldur has no idea that BM is his father, it should make for an interesting reveal.

[zyriex]

Since everyone has already expressed their love for Bat!Dad, let me say this:

I love how vibrant they made Atlantis; the buildings are incredibly varied, colorful and pretty for what amounts to background art and you can already read a bit into the overall culture.

Am I the only one who read the Superboy-M'gann scene as him pining for Aqualad his one true love the only person he can really get along with?

[sethgray]

Wow, when did Tim get superpowers?

[bruinsfan]

That puzzled me for a moment as well, until I realized what he cracked was probably a mirror panel rather than the actual wall of the bat-gymnasium.

[celestialchild]

BEST episode in the series thus far. Aqualad is definitely my favorite character (if the rumor is true that they will kill someone off, it had better not be him...). I'm glad to see the writers aren't giving him the short end of the stick, as his episodes and direction have been the most interesting to me thus far~ It was cool to see him home with his family, holding his own!

I also really love the short glimpses they are giving us of the other characters and their relationships. The Dick/Bruce moment was really something special (glad we're not dealing with asshole Batman).

[proteus_lives]

I think the villains are the best part of this show so far.

The Clayface was actually kinda scary.

Black Manta was a true military villain villain/merc.

Starro, nice touch.

Who are the white-screen guys? Evil Star is one of them I think. But I could just be going off helmet shape.

[icon_uk]

We don't know who they are other than "The Light", a secret organisation with an agenda and an interest in gathering/creating exotic weapons.

[ian_karkull]

This episode was a pleasant surprise all around, but I'm most giddy about the stealth confirmation to my Tigress theory. Not only is one of my favorite characters actually in something, but this (hopefully) means we'll get to see more of Icicle and the totally awesome version of the Sportsmaster in the near future.

[icon_uk]

Can he possibly be better than his Brave and the Bold version with his "BOWLING IS NOT A SPORT!!!" rant? :)