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Monday, April 02, 2012

Young Justice - "Agendas"

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It's a Special Young Justice Monday!

Hi everyone, Shrine Correspondent Andy Luckett here with my review of episode 22 of Young Justice Season One, "Agendas". You may have noticed that I've skipped reviewing episode 21, "Image". While that was an interesting episode, the absence of any Aqua-content (Aqualad and Aquaman were briefly mentioned but never shown) led Rob and I to decide not to review it on the Shrine. The episode I'm about to review is low on Aqua-content as well, but since Aquaman is shown frequently and has a few lines we are including it here. With that out of the way, on to the show!

We begin this episode within the hallowed halls of the Justice League Watchtower, as the entire current League is assembled. Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Batman (the founding members) convene the meeting by stating that the decisions the League makes this day will have long-rippling repercussions.
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The first issue that the League discusses is new membership. Martian Manhunter expresses his fear that a larger League could cause new groups like the Injustice League to spring up, but Superman states that all of the potential members can be vetoed if the group so choses. Superman proposes Icon for membership, but Green Arrow accuses him of being curious that Icon may be a Kryptonian. Wonder Woman counters with Icon's sidekick Rocket, stating that she wants to see more women in the League, a statement that Hawkwoman and Black Canary agree with.

Back in Happy Harbor, Young Justice is preparing for their Thanksgiving meal as Zatanna and Miss Martian put the turkey in the oven. Superboy suddenly hears an ultrasonic message from Lex Luthor , asking Superboy to meet him in Washington D.C. and claiming he has information Superboy will want to hear. Back on the Watchtower, The Atom is nominated for membership, but Captain Marvel initially scoffs at the idea because of The Atom's size. Batman argues that it is Atom's size that makes him effective. The Flash tries to nominate Guy Gardner, but both Hal Jordan and John Stewart quickly shoot him down.
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Superboy arrives with Wolf in D.C. using the Supercycle. Lex introduces himself as the new chairman of the Cadmus project. At first, Superboy is standoffish, until Lex tells him that Cadmus has produced a new Super-clone much like himself. Superboy goes to Cadmus to investigate, not by stealth but just by asking at the front desk. He is told by Dubbilex and The Guardian that no new clones have been made since Superboy left the facility. Meanwhile, at the Hall of Just...I mean the Watchtower, Blue Devil is also nominated for membership, but Green Arrow proposes his former protege Red Arrow as well. Aquaman doesn't like the idea, calling Red Arrow's behavior disrespectful and claiming it will set a bad example.
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Back at Cadmus, the Guardian (who also serves as head of the Cadmus facility) takes Superboy on a tour of the improved facility. Many of the G-gnomes, which before were used for psychic control or as potential weapons, now work odd jobs. Dubbilex, the head genomorph, contacts Superboy telepathically to tell him that although Guardian is telling the truth, there is more going on than he knows. For one thing, Dubbliex is dissatisfied with the G-gnomes new positions as "menial labor". Superboy asks Guardian if it is possible for a Super-clone to exist without him knowing, and Dubbliex agrees to contact the other G-gnomes and ask them. Guardian states that Superboy is free to look around, but that he doubts he will find anything.

Of course, that's not the case at all, and Superboy soon finds a secret chamber filled with objects in stasis tubes and a fully formed Super-clone in a pod. He opens it, waking the clone and telling him that he is free to go. Not surprisingly, the clone attacks him and throws him around the laboratory. More surprisingly, this clone has the ability to fly, which surprises Superboy immensely. He is defeated by the clone, who also possesses heat vision and burns a backwards "S" into his own chest
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Back at the Watchtower, Superman argues against inducting Young Justice onto the team, stating that they are all to young. Dr. Fate counters by saying that he has been fused with both Kid Flash and Aqualad, and they are both ready for the big leagues. Captain Marvel has a problem with Dr. Fate being a member, since he co-opted Zatara's body for his own purposes. Fate says that Zatara wants Fate to remain so the League can keep a watch on himself. Meanwhile, back once again to Cadmus, Superboy awakes in a pod like his old one, and understandably punches his way out. Guardian, Dubbilex, and the head scientist, Dr. Spence, arrive and tell Superboy that after his battle with the clone, (who was under the banner "Project Match") all security camera footage went offline and Match disappeared. Superboy was then put in a pod to heal his injuries from the battle with the more powerful Match.

Guardian and Dubbliex go off to find Match, and Lex pops up on a nearby monitor. Superboy demands to know about Project Match, which Lex claims he doesn't know much about (uh-huh). He does tell Superboy that when he was created, the geneticists filled some gene gaps with human DNA, which explains the absences of flight and heat vision in his power set. It seems with Match the entire Kryptonian sequence was used, but it has left him volatile and unstable. Lex needs Superboy to bring him in, and so he gives him patches called "shields" that will suppress his human DNA and bring out his full Kryptonian potential. Superboy takes them begrudgingly.
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Once again to the Watchtower, Plastic Man is up for membership. Flash brings up his criminal record, but Captain Marvel just starts laughing and says he finds Plastic Man funny. This leads the League to discuss the fact that Captain Marvel is really only ten years old, a fact that no one but Batman knew until recently. Red Tornado argues that Marvel is physically an adult and has the Wisdom of Solomon, but Aquaman states that "Wisdom does not equal maturity".

At Cadmus, Superboy communicates with Dubbiliex, who tells him that Match was actually Cadmus' first attempt to clone Superman under the direction of Lex Luthor. Superboy thinks Luthor took Match, but Dubbilex claims responsibility, showing Superboy a secret area he calls Genomorph City. In this place, the genomorphs are free to live instead of being persecuted by humans. Match sees Superboy and attacks him again, forcing Superboy to use the shield therapy to protect himself.

On the Watchtower, Martian Manhunter states that if 18 is the accepted age for membership in the League, his niece should have consideration. She was born 48 years ago on Mars, but to their culture she is only a teenager. Superboy is brought up as well. While he is made to be physically an adult, he has only been out of the pod for less than a year.
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Speaking of Superboy, by putting on the shields he gains flight and heat vision, though they are a bit wobbly to him at first. Soon however he is able to defeat Match, who has to be put back in the frozen section because of his unstable nature. Of course Superboy does not feel right about it, or the fact that he had to use a gift from Luthor to win. After leaving Cadmus, Superboy confronts Luthor, saying that Luthor used him to find the missing genomorphs. Luthor admits it but really messes Superboy's head by telling him that Luthor was the human DNA donor, and so he has more in common with Luthor than Superman. Superboy doesn't like this, and attacks Luthor, who says the words "Red Sun". This phrase shuts Superboy down for hours, letting Luthor get away. Superboy wonders what else Luthor might be able to make him do.

Back on the Watchtower, the team has come to a consensus about their decisions, but...we will have to wait to see those.
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OK, this episode had a strange structure, as I'm sure you can tell by my review, back and forth from the League meeting to the Superboy story it bounced. Personally I found the League meeting very interesting as a look into the processes of this group when they're not out saving the world. I hope the decisions they made are revealed sooner than later since I'm especially curious who they have inducted as new members, if anyone.

The Superboy story was ok because it provided some more information about his origins, but a few things bugged me. For instance, Luthor used Superboy to find Genomorph City. Why go to all that trouble? Just send in a team of Lexcorp security with dogs to sniff out any secret areas. Secondly, it seems only Luthor's influence is keeping Cadmus from being shut down, because this place is a magnet for suspicious research and activity. I'm surprised the League or the government hasn't scrapped it yet. Again, it must have friends in high places.
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As I said before, the Aqua-content for this episode was a bit low. Aqualad only appeared as a hologram when mentioned by Dr. Fate, but Aquaman has a handful of lines, most of them showing the serious ruler side of his personality. Not that I'm complaining at all. I especially like the fact that he is one of the League's charter members and stood alongside the Big Three in opening the meeting.

But enough of me yapping. I'm gonna open things up for a little audience participation. Tell us in the comments who you'd like to see join the League, whether it be from the Young Justice team or otherwise. I'll be curious to see what you all think about what the lineup should be on the show!

1 comment:

Russell said...

Personally, I would like to see The Atom join up. He was always one of my favorites after the characters I've already seen here.

Either him or The Elongated Man. Ralph was always a favorite, too, even though he was sometimes hard to use well surrounded as he was by so many better characters, haha.

I suppose someone should mention Firestorm...is he even around in the Young Justice universe?
I would like to see him animated, but I don't know if I would like to see him join the JLA.