The latest episode that went out last week was Downtime. I will be giving a brief outline of the episode so if you don’t want to know what happens, then go watch the show and then come back and read this.
After a training session that goes badly for the group against Clayface forcing Batman to intervene. Batman questions whether Aqualad is concentrating on leading the group. He confesses that he has been thinking about Atlantis and wishes to return home. Batman agrees that’s this would be good for him and that he has to decide if he wants to carry on with the team.
Aqualad returns home where he meets up with his two old friends Kaldur’ahm and Aquagirl . He invites her to a dinner with Aquaman and his queen there they talk about the science center holding a prehistoric starfish which Aqualad had seen on his tour of the kingdom. Aqualad and Aquagirl go outside where he tells her that he loves her. She rejects him telling that she and Kaldur’ahm are together now and leaves.
Black Manta attacks and bombs all but the science center as he wants the starfish. Aqualad sets off to stop him. Kadur’ahm follows after Aquagirl is hit by one of the grunts with Black Manta. Aqualad and Kaldur’ahm fight him off and force Manta to destroy the starfish. Which he explains to The Light was always Plan B. Aqualad decides to return to the surface.
The episode focuses mostly on Aqualad which is nice as it fleshes out a character who is perhaps not as well known as the others. There are shots of the others at home Robin playing basketball with Bruce and Wally with the Flash family. The fact that they are able to look at different characters and they are well constructed enough to hold a show on their own is a strength of the show and its interesting to see more of Atlantis.
The light continue to be the Moriarty type figures that I had hoped they would be and their role grows darker and the arc is setting itself up to be brilliant.
While it is a negative, as well, the scenes of the others at home is a really nice touch and helps develop the relationships further. Such as Dick and Bruce but also Megan and Superboy and their relationship as well. With the teenage angst dialed down these seem much more natural and deepen the characters.
There are a few niggles. “Hello Megan” has not been cut as a catch phrase and it still bugs me.
The shots of the others in their own homes felt a little tact on and perhaps a bit more of a development between Aqualad, Aquagirl and Kahur’ahm and the scenes could be their own episodes.
The use of Atlantian at the start doesn’t really work as they switch back to English quickly. I always feel that people should speak English (or whatever language is dubbed in) and that by creating a new language doesn’t show creativity or originality. It often sounds like a small child talking.
However this is by the far the best episode in the series so far and it looks like it will develop further as the team gain more experience making the episodes. I enjoyed Atlantis and seeing more of it than other series. The development of Aqualad is a very deft touch and I hope they do more along the same for the others as it makes them much more realistic.
Young Justice-Downtime:
