Does Superboy really strike anyone as being ideal for undercover work?
What They Say:
Terrors – Superboy and Miss Martian go undercover inside Belle Reve Penitentiary.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Young Justice goes in a surprisingly fun direction with this episode as it deals with the Belle Reve prison, the place where many super criminals go and where a few under the radar kinds of operations tend to run. Batman’s discovered something going on with some of the cold powered super villains as four of them have been busted recently and through a bit of creative legal manipulation, they’ve all ended up in Belle Reve. So in order to discover what’s really going on, Batman’s sent Superboy and Miss Martian in to find out the truth by having them assume some supervillain identities.
While the two assume the identities of the Terror twins, the real fun is in the variety of villains that we get exposed to in here, from Icicle senior to the Riddler. The big plan is, of course, to bust everyone out, but it’s hard to imagine anything like that happening under a place run by Amanda Waller. Even more amusing is that they have Hugo Strange on as the prison psychiatrist, though he’s playing things fairly straight. The combination of the two together to run the place is simply one of those really good moments even if it’s a small piece of the episode overall. It’s the kind of attention to detail and the use of unexpected characters that makes the show so much fun. The whole DC Universe is one big sandbox and Young Justice definitely likes playing in it.
The prisoners plan isn’t exactly what you’d expect since it’s not just a matter of busting down the walls and running into the countryside. They have a plan to deal with the locked down prison and to bring the two wings together so that the men and women will work in tandem, giving them an edge. And both Conner and Megan get completely caught up in it while trying to reveal their identities while still slowing down the progress that the criminals are making. It goes in some fun directions, especially when it brings in both Waller and Strange to be dealt with and even Strange has some surprising moments.
In Summary:
Young Justice hits some good notes here overall, tying back into the main storyline that was introduced during the very first two part episode, but it also ends up feeling a little rushed as well. When it gets to the end of the episode, it comes off a little anti-climactic since there’s a sense the breakout should have gone on longer and had more action to it with a fair bit more tension as well. I liked the focus on Conner here as he continues to deal with his “daddy” issues while everyone else tries to get him to just get over it. But they do move in some surprising ways, reminding that they’re not going for the kinds of stories we saw in all the other DC animated TV series we’ve seen over the years. The potential for relationship developments alone is hugely interesting and while it’s a bit forced at the moment, it does play to the age of the characters as well. Though this is one of the weaker episodes, there’s still a whole lot to like here and it keeps me wanting more of it right away.
Grade: B
