YOUNG JUSTICE: EPISODE 9 - BEREFT
This isn't 'Memento' or 'Hangover' but such an amnesiac episode is a well-fitted and ideally placed approach to engraine some maturity into a teen-adventure animation. It's a nice concept to attempt to cultivate. We find the team entrained in Bialya with no memories indicative of the hours before. The memories seem to be coming as slow as molasses but that gives time for us to see a teenage Miss Martian more confused than ever, meeting an enraged Superboy, who ironically bears akin to Peter David's brutish 'Hulk'! The coincidence is appreciated. Also, Bialya has a keen place in the heart of DC lore, and despite not seeing Black Adam dominating rule here, it's again a lovely throwback to DC fans alike.
The Kid-Flash-Artemis experience also lends to the reveal of her identity to keen eyes last week, and again this compounds a nicely woven thread which even show Wally harassing Miss Martian to the fullest tee. The humour blends in well thus far.
As things begin to unravel, the huge downturn, that falters with all the education that the team has received in the past few episodes, lies with the rash and outlandish behaviour of Miss Martian that is as risky as one cant get and this potentially jeopardizes the team's quest. Maybe they wanted to show her humanity or her 'love' for Conner, but it was a move on the chessboard that took the team 2 steps back, and to me, proved that she may have learnt nothing from her training. It wasn't a good arc to show her, who had the most knowledge and memories, acting so impulsive, especially when the team knew the pressures and strains they faced. Her actions under duress showed that maybe stress is overwhelming for her.
Despite this, I was impressed with the simplicity and quirkiness of the dialogue, amidst a grave tone of being trapped in the Bialyan labyrinth. The psychic catacombs that also were to be navigated made for a fun ride also. Seeing Robin also step it up a bit was quite welcome as he has been a bit underplayed in this series to me. Fans of Teen Titans would be fond of the use of Psimon in this episode as the antagonist but while his role seemed somewhat weaker than what I would've thought, the end where he reconciles his woes with a certain mysterious faction gives an easter egg via a certain means of transportation that screams
'BOOM'!!!
Your eyes are glued to the
'TUBE' when it happens. Overall, this wasn't the most riveting episode but it's enough excitement to warrant a further watch come next week. I'd like a bit more delving into the Artemis syndrome as that seems to be where the wild things are!
Rickly Out!