Superman The Animated Series"
We are rounding out or introduction of Justice League members as we wrap up season three and get even closer to the end of the series. Let's get to it.
Superman: "Is that who I think it is?"
Lois Lane: "Aquaman, in the flesh."
Superman: "He isn't staying for introductions."
Lois Lane: "He doesn't have much time, and neither do we."
Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen are investigating sea life attacks on boats with Bibbo. Bibbo isn't convinced this is happening until two orcas attack his boat and Superman intervenes. While investigating, Lois realizes that weapons tests being performed near Atlantis by Lex Luthor brought Aquaman into the fray and when he was captured, he used his ability to communicate with sea life to instigate the attacks. Can Superman stop Lex and prevent war between Atlantis and the surface?
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| Don't make me come out of this water. |
We get one more member of the future Justice League in this episode. Aquaman makes his debut in the Timmverse and he's in his more classic look here. In the "Justice League" cartoon, he wasn't a member of the core team but did show up in his long hair, shirtless, hook hand look. It was the '90's when that look debuted. It was a choice.
For a long time, Aquaman was kind of depicted as the joke of the Justice League. He's only able to talk to fish and powerful in water. Haha. What can he do on land. All that. In recent years, particularly in Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis' new 52 "Aquaman" series, they have worked to change that and show Aquaman being the bad ass that he is. But in this episode, though they kind of try it at the end, he doesn't really seem like a bad ass.
We first meet Aquaman when he is being held captive in the basement of an aquarium. I would have loved an explanation or maybe a flashback scene to how they captured Aquaman and how he's not able to get out of this glass tube they are keeping him in. Aquaman is pretty strong. He's basically bulletproof. He's had to adapt to live with the extreme pressures of the ocean exerting on his body. He can't get out of this little tube?
A lot of this episode is just extremely silly. Like, how do you not laugh at the scene in the beginning with Superman and the orcas? It doesn't really feel like anyone is in any danger. And I can't believe that Superman tricks them into jumping up and bashing heads. It's crazy. And the silliness only intensifies as Jimmy keeps getting threatened by the fish that he is taking pictures of. Or when Lois and Aquaman are taking on the goons Lex hired and Aquaman has seagulls attack them. It definitely feels like they are stretching the definition of sea life a little bit, but whatever. Also, the image of Aquaman riding on the back of a motorcycle Lois is driving with one of those little old school helmets was so funny that I had to pause the episode I was laughing so hard.
I think the episode is OK overall and I did really enjoy the underwater fight scene with Superman, Aquaman and Lex's goons. There was very little sound, which I thought was cool. And things just flow differently underwater so it was nice to see Superman in a battle that didn't feel as samey same as some of them do at this point. Sometimes the animated series doesn't do the best job at showing viewers how ruthless Lex is and I think we get some of that here when he is willing to sacrifice his employees lives. It's very Lex Luthor.
There is a big tonal shift when the Atlanteans show up and Aquaman starts threatening people. And the Lex goon firing on the Atlanteans after Superman had brokered a kind of a peace with them felt a little ham fisted and cliche. And again, I'm not sure I'm too scared of Aquaman's threats after seeing him in a literal glass tube that he couldn't punch his way out of 15 minutes ago.
Grade: C+
Jonathan Kent: "And we were actually part of some alien conspiracy?"
Kara Zor-El: "Yeah, Pa. And you were crankier than usual. But I can't tell you how great it is to have everything back to normal."
Martha Kent: "I thought you found normal boring."
Kara Zor-El: "Well, at this point, boring's not so bad. I'm even meeting Owen down at the comic store."
Jonathan Kent: [looking out the window] "Say, Martha, did you see what the Langs are growin'? Looks like rutabaga."
Martha Kent: "I don't know, Jonathan. Looks like turnips to me."
Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl is excited to get off the farm and go visit her cousin in Metropolis. When she returns, she finds that the whole town has been taken over by a giant tentacle alien and its priest. They are ready to leave Smallville and spread their message of "unity" across the world. Can the Super cousins stop them before its too late?
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| Tentacle porn? |
This episode is a lot of fun. It definitely felt like episode writer, Paul Dini and Rich Fogel's homage to B movie sci-fi/horror like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." We haven't seen Kara Zor-El since her introduction to the series and it seems that she has adjusted as well as she can to life on the Kent farm. But she is definitely ready to get off the farm and back to the bustling city where she can do some superheroing. One thing I enjoy about this is that even though Kara is complaining about small town life, you can tell that she does really, genuinely love the Kents and respects them. She gets that this is the life they love, but its not necessarily for her. And she isn't a brat. Well, not any more of a brat than any other teenager. I thought it was great when she does the chores at super speed and the gag that she had actually milked the cow after Jonathan said that he's glad she didn't was pretty funny.
The Metropolis sequence was short and sweet. It was great seeing Supergirl doing her thing around the city. She had a face off with Volcana. Volcana is definitely one of those villains that works best when she kind of pops in for a short scene like this one. She's much less annoying. It reminds me of Roxy Rocket's brief appearance earlier in the season. Also, I love Peri Gilpin popping in to do that voice cameo for Volcana and the hick woman who is the rutabaga side of the rutabaga v turnip debate on the bus back to Smallville. That really made me laugh for some reason. Probably because it was so stupid.
The giant tentacle alien unity monster thing was truly horrifying. The tentacles shooting out of everyone's mouth was truly disturbing, as were the noises they would make when Supergirl or Superman was fighting them. I remember the scene where the tentacles are shooting out of the mouths of Martha and the two doctors and wrapping her up. The picture above is from that scene. First off, it's so freaking gross. It really makes my skin crawl. But I remember thinking, Dini definitely has watched tentacle porn in the past. It's clear.
The final action scene is really cool. The Reverend Amos Howell transforms into a smaller cthulhu creature and goes after Supergirl and Superman. I've said it before and I'm going to say it again, I really enjoy watching Superman cut loose and he can in this battle. Supergirl blows up the main alien. Superman rips the smaller one in half and at one point he flies out of it. It's really a lot of fun to watch.
This episode doesn't reinvent the wheel but its a good time and a nice return for Supergirl.
Grade: A-
Next up, we wrap up the series with a visit from Ra's al Ghul and a final showdown with Darkseid.
What do you all think of these episodes? Was Aquaman kind of lame? Did you like having Supergirl back in action? Let me know in the comments.
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