A's Fandom Journal

( In which plenty of things happen )

General Roundup:
Interesting.

This is a villain-focused episode and as such the baddies - some iconic ones that probably any fan will recognize, some more obscure ones (at least for me) - get most of the screen time. It's also a team-up, but quite different from the one that happened in a previous episode. There's quite a bit of fighting, a global problem that literally does not go away in a day, and cameos aplenty (on the Justice Leaguer's side).

It's also nice to see that the kids of the team are trusted to do some important work here. They show they're able to handle it, too, by showing they've learned - from their mistakes, from their YJ mentors (one point in particular delighted me), and from their previous adventures. There's also evidence of character development and I noticed two points in particular relating to Artemis and Wally.

The "revelation" of the title is a pretty big one...but it's made at the end so I won't spoil it in the general roundup :P. Suffice to say that it made me go "ooh", that people introduced in previous episodes weren't for any simple reason, and that I continue to look forward to new episodes of this cartoon.

( In which there's plenty of action at two rather different homes )

General Roundup:
Interesting episode.

We learn a little bit more about Artemis as we see her at home (briefly), school (with some delightful Bat-cameos!), and in the past with a member of her family. There are lots of hints and teases here about her backstory.

Meanwhile at YJ HQ, a plot line that necessitates some careful work by Aqualad is furthered someewhat, although I don't think for a minute that the answer is as obvious as what the text of the show is presenting.

This episode focuses on Robin and Artemis, which is a nice complement to the Kaldur-, Wally-, and M'gann-and-Kon focused episodes we've seen previously.

( In which different characters have different targets to achieve )

General Roundup:
Very interesting episode.

In the A-story, we meet some well-known DCU villains for the first time, see others from earlier episodes return, and see a fascinating relationship begin to form. Also, the series villains make their mark again - but this time in a much more subtle way.

I also like the B-story of this episode for what it does with the "daily lives" of M'gann and Superboy (who gets a 'civilian' name finally!) and the other young DCU characters (and potential heroes!) it introduces us to.

Among the heroes there's a nice team-up, a friendship that I thought had potential earlier is solidified (much to my delight), and the seed for an interesting plot development concerning the YJers is sown.

All in all, good stuff.

( In which we get a closer look at the home lives of our heroes )

General Roundup:
In a word: FABULOUS.

This episode focuses mostly on Kaldur - including some of his origin story, which is nice to see because he's a character created for this show - and simultaneously introduces viewers to the Undersea parts of this Earth. We see Aquaman, his family, and other Atlanteans - interestingly diverse and very well-designed from an artistic viewpoint - and the network of relationships they have with one another. They have significant roles to play in this story and it is great. We also, as part of seeing this new part of the world in more detail, meet a water-based villain.

We do get to see the other YJers in their home environments too. We see this Bruce Wayne demonstrate (yet again) that he is a well-rounded character (and meet this 'verse's Alfred), see the Flash family in a warm and relaxed setting, see Artemis and her mother together (although they're in rather different circumstances than Dick or Wally and their folks, leaving plenty of room for story development), and see M'gann and Kon have a pleasant (well...mostly! XD) evening at Mount Justice.

Kaldur - who continues to be a firm favourite of mine - impressed me *highly* in this episode, which focuses on the characters individually while also tying nicely into the overall season's plot with a brief scene at the end.

Probably the best episode to date.

( In which we finally meet the last member of the team )

General Roundup:
Finally, finally, we meet the team's last permanent member - Artemis. I like her already - she's no-nonsense, experienced, and competent. In that way she's like Aqualad, who is proving to be a good leader for the team - who are now, much more than before, starting to behave like one.

I like the look at one of the team members' civilian life - and a certain humour aspect that's used in that scene is done very well - and the introduction of some more DCU characters (villains and civilians). We also see that one character who appeared briefly in episodes one and three isn't out of the story completely - and I think that's great. There's also a nice sense of forward movement in terms of the plot being hatched by the shadowy enemy.

I'm not keen on the new angle to the "romantic" part of the overall plot, however. But again, I believe that a lot will ride on how the situation is resolved.

And the following shots of M'gann - which panned upwards in the animation - ( really pulled me out of the scene they were in, because my first thought when I saw them was WTF ).

They were completely unneeded, unwanted, and took away my interest in an otherwise really good set of scenes.

And there wasn't even any need for it. The following scenes, that came earlier, were fine as they were ( and got the message (these kids are having fun in the water) across too ).

Thankfully the rest of the episode was much better - enough for me to say that overall, I thought this was an interesting and engaging episode. Note to the creators: just leave out stuff like that one unnecessary bit with M'gann at the beach and we're absolutely golden.

I can't think of a pun to make on the title of this one. XD

( So just read on for spoilery commentary and by-the-moment thoughts )

General Roundup:
Not a bad episode. The kids finally find - select - a leader, we get a tiny look at some of the other characters in this universe, and there are ties to the first episode and set up for future ones.

Not sure I like the "romantic triangle" forming, though. Yes they're teenagers and teenagers are prone to crushes (boy do I have experience with that! XD) but whether I'll ultimately accept it or not will depend, I think, on how it is played out and/or resolved.

Continuing to the second half of the pilot. The characters are mostly referred by abbreviations of their hero names.

( In which there are plenty of Fireworks indeed )

General Roundup:
This is an enjoyable episode.

The boys from the last episode get out of a predicament and form a team. They're introduced to another main character towards the end, one of the girls, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her and to the arrival of the second girl.

The villains of the day are defeated, but a larger more mysterious group is set up as well. That'll be the ongoing plot of the series, I suppose.