Young Justice, Green Lantern return January 5th

[Silvercrest]

Mr. Adventure wrote:

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I didn't think GL was as strong as the last few episodes. Forces overtaking personalities is getting a bit played out as a plot device.

They sure put a lot of stock in some ancient legend. "We can't defeat the Anti-Monitor without it!" Excuse me? Besides, the fact that they could defeat Larfleeze so easily and walk off with the lantern should provide a hint how powerful it is ... or not.

[CorporalCaptain]

Yeah, this week's GL was pretty weak, unfortunately.

[DarKush]

I thought Green Lantern was just okay this week. It was great seeing the Orange Lantern and I thought Larfleeze had some comical lines, but overall it felt like it was putting a damper on the whole Anti-Monitor storyline at a point when it should be ratcheting up the action and tension.

As for Young Justice, another solid episode. I was surprised by Godfrey's turn against the Ambassador. I enjoyed the Ambassador's scenes a lot this week. Black Beetle remains a force of destruction.

I really liked a lot of other interactions in the show this week. The Nightwing-Miss Martian mutual apology society was nice. Though I didn't quite get why Mal and Bumblebee broke apart after being rescued. That was odd to me; I wish there had been some dialogue there. Arsenal was quite the jerk, but I liked that because it added some combustibility into an already volatile situation.

I did like how Nightwing dressed down Arsenal and how the new kids balked at joining Young Justice. If the show had not been canceled I wonder if they would've formed their own super team, this universe's version of the Titans, Outlaws, or Outsiders?

[Snaploud]

DarKush wrote:

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I was surprised by Godfrey's turn against the Ambassador.

He's always been a xenophobe. It's nice to see his darker instincts turned toward a decent cause, though. It would have been a bit ridiculous for him not to notice the massive attack fleet rising from our oceans as being a potential threat to the Earth.

[JD]

GL was okay. Larfleeze was fun, but the episode really did nothing to move the story forward, and in a series that's been this arc heavy that can be annoying. YJ was great though, we got lots of interesting developments. It was great seeing Godfrey tear into the Reach Ambassador, and it makes wonder if we might see some other non-team member characters start to question them and their motives. I really enjoyed seeing the new heroes again, and we got some good stuff with the main cast in the end.
Kevin Grevioux really needs to play a Klingon in a future Star Trek movie or show.

[Snaploud]

They could have used this episode to move along the arc by having Larfleeze join the group. The "he's stealing your stars" argument seemed to work well enough for him, and they could always trade him other stuff. Though, I suppose it would be awkward having Larfleeze around if their ultimate goal is to talk Aya back to sanity.

[Silvercrest]

DarKush wrote:

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I did like how Nightwing dressed down Arsenal and how the new kids balked at joining Young Justice. If the show had not been canceled I wonder if they would've formed their own super team, this universe's version of the Titans, Outlaws, or Outsiders?

I didn't care for Nightwing's reaction. As he said himself, the time for that is when they get back to Earth, not in the middle of combat. What if he drove Arsenal to do something even more rash?

And you don't chew out your subordinates in public. Bad for morale. He might not have lost the new kids otherwise. I wouldn't want to work for such a jerk either.

Nightwing has a lot to learn about leadership. The business with Aqualad and Artemis may be another example, though I'm still trying to decide if he was wrong.

[DarKush]

^
Fair enough. But Arsenal deserved to get reamed. He needed to be checked, right then. Perhaps Nightwing could've handled it a bit better, but I can understand why he did it.

[Snaploud]

DarKush wrote:

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^
Fair enough. But Arsenal deserved to get reamed. He needed to be checked, right then. Perhaps Nightwing could've handled it a bit better, but I can understand why he did it.

Yeah, it's actually a situation where there are pros and cons from the management perspective. I can see where the other team-mates might have been resentful had Nightwing not come down hard on Arsenal.

[Christopher]

^But it was contrived to have him do it right then and there, instead of afterward in a proper debriefing. They only set it up that way to give the Runaways their excuse to get home on their own and thus let Nightwing see that they had a Father Box, tipping him off to Apokoliptian involvement.

[Mr. Adventure]

Dumb question, what's there a difference between a Mother Box and a Father Box?

[Gotham Central]

Mr. Adventure wrote:

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Dumb question, what's there a difference between a Mother Box and a Father Box?

Mother Boxes come from New Genesis, Father Boxes from Apokolips.

[Mr Light]

Really? I actually didn't know that. I thought Father Box was just a Grant Morrison thing.

[Gotham Central]

Mr Light wrote:

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Really? I actually didn't know that. I thought Father Box was just a Grant Morrison thing.

It apparently predates Morrison, but Father Boxes are of Apokoliptian origin. Link

[Agent Richard07]

I quite liked the Larfleeze episode. He's a fun and mischievous character and it was nice to finally see him in live action. I also liked the that the episode touched on how the mind can be taken over. It's something a lot of us face with unwanted thoughts and habits, so it was worthwhile. I'm also fascinated by the orange lantern itself and how there's only one member. Considering it deals with greed, it's very fitting. I've always thought that if I had a ring, it would be an orange one, since I don't like to take orders. Power's all mine!

Christopher wrote:

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Over in GL, it's kind of a coincidence that Larfleeze should show up just days after I read my first comic that he was in (the Lex Luthor-focused The Black Ring miniseries by Paul Cornell). At least I had an idea what to expect. I think Tom Kenny, maybe, would've been a better voice for Larfleeze than Dee Bradley Baker. I imagined something more high-pitched and craven. I mean, Larfleeze is basically Gollum, it seems to me.

Try to find the Larfleeze Christmas Special is you can. I got it last year and loved it. It's a fun read. You'll get to see Larfleeze and his sidekick Glomulus take on the spirit of Christmas and learn nothing. But it's still got heart and a great orange lantern cookie recipe thrown in.