Review: Young Justice Episode 3, "Welcome to Happy Harbour"

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The three first-come boys – Robin, KF, and AL – haven’t given up on Speedy (Roy). They offer him a place with them but he’s fiercely independent and doesn’t want to be part of their “junior Justice League”. He really does seem older than both Robin and KF. AL looks like he’s one who likes to play by the rules, which is why he’s going along with Bats’ plan.

I like the opening theme! M’gann and Artemis are there right from the start. Good.

Hmm, so Red (Tornado) does have a voice actor. I wonder if Dinah will get one as well? I hope so. I hope we see her working with them at some point.

Okay. Here we get Aqualad’s real name – Kaldur’ahm – and Kid Flash’s real name, Wally. I wonder if there’s a meta reason for Bats not wanting his protégé’s name revealed? ‘Cause if he doesn’t say “Dick Grayson” then people can still have him be Tim in their headcanon.

I’m not sure I get the sunglasses, though. What’s wrong with seeing his eyes if they’re still going to call him Robin? Would seeing a blue-eyed black-haired boy like Dick be unusual?

Interesting that they still haven’t decided on a “secret ID” name for Superboy. I wonder how long that’s going to last.

I’m liking AL more and more. “You did not have to make any [cookies].” None of the other boys acknowledged that.

I’m surprised M’gann started using her telepathy after she spoke to them verbally. Why didn’t she start by speaking to them telepathically? I’m also a little surprised that *J’onn* hasn’t told her telepathic conversations aren’t normal on Earth.

Hmm. The “Hello, M’gann” seems okay here. I hope she doesn’t overdo it as the episode (and the series) goes on, though.

I like M’gann’s ship! The way she controls it reminds me of how Bob controls the Agents of Atlas’ saucer. :D

Robin seems to like making fun of KF, who doesn’t like being made fun of. Heh. :)

M'gann: “Well, a simple fire led you to Superboy. We should find out what caused the alert.”
~
M’gann, you are awesome. Practical and thoughtful - I like you.

Camouflage mode! Excellent. Now all that’s needed is a transport beam and basically you have the Agents' Saucer.

How did Robin manage to slip away? And more importantly why did he do that? He definitely reads younger even than KF here.

And that little laugh that we hear whenever Robin’s “gotten one up” on the team is not endearing at all to me >.<

Wally: “What have you done to my team?”
Mister Twister: “Embarassed them, mostly”
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XD Love that bit of dialogue.

M'gann says “I got you, Wally" at one point. What’s with the real name there? Also, I’m surprised that none of them (except SB really, but) are in costume.

WTF SB, KF, and Robin? Like none of you have made “rookie mistakes” before (especially Superboy!). There was no need to be so harsh to M'gann.

Hey, Kaldur’s wearing sandals now! I like it. Footwear is needed for the land but footwear doesn’t necessarily mean *closed* footwear.

Kaldur: "To be honest, I’m not sure we *have* a team."
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I agree, Kaldur.

Red Tornado: “...and my immunity...to telepathy.”
~
<3 Tornado giving M’gann a clue! That’s a way to teach.

Gee, Superboy, way to quickly make yourself a part of the team with the boys but leave M’gann feeling unwanted and left out! Feelings you should understand damn well yourself! :S

I bet that “Tornado” is really M’gann in disguise. :D

Really, Robin, what sort of plan do you have? Or is that grumbling a part of the plan too? :P

Hmm, do they move a little quickly from “go away, we don’t want/need you” to “you rock!”? I really hope they do get to trust her later as the series progresses, because I dislike that trope where no one likes a character (whose only crime is unpopularity because of some particular personality trait) until they do something heroic or save the day and then all of a sudden they’re (best) friends with everyone.

Why didn’t any of the kids see that glowing red eye, I wonder? But still.

Ooh, interesting antagonists! I don’t recognize them, but they’re clearly robotics experts and they clearly have some sort of gripe with Tornado.

I like Red Tornado. “I do not expect to solve your problems for you – nor should you solve mine for me.” Excellent philosophy there.

Okay, SB, you’ve just improved yourself a little in my book with your direct apology.


General Roundup:
The boys spend some time with M'gann in this episode. They face a villain who learns not to underestimate them, and they also learn a little bit more (IMO and I hope!) about the value of teamwork when it comes to taking down an enemy none of them can handle alone. They also come to realize that maybe having a mentor isn't as bad as they thought - and I like that small bit of development.

From what I've seen of M'gann, I like her. In addition, Kaldur’s continually proving to be my favourite. I think the characters' ages (oldest to youngest) go like this: Roy, Kaldur (unless the two of them are around the same age?), Wally, Dick, and M’gann. Let’s see where Artemis fits in when she joins! I'm still looking forward to that. It'll be nice to have another female perspective on the team - that way, maybe the boys will stop picking on M'gann so much. And if Artemis *isn't* a rookie, and she teaches M'gann to be more assertive, that'd be a very welcome outcome too, IMO.