Hi! Welcome to my episode-by-episode recap of, and reaction to Justice League. There will be no spoilers beyond the current episode. As is my custom with recaps, I will give you a short summary recap followed by a long and unnecessarily helpfully detailed version. My reaction will follow at the end if you just want to scroll past all of the recap.
If you want to see my prior Justice League episode reviews, click HERE:
THE QUICK AND CLEAN SUMMARY:
With his Gwynplaine Entertainment Company (a reference to The Man Who Laughs) the Joker takes over TV stations in Las Vegas, announcing that he has placed a series of bombs that will destroy the Las Vegas Strip if they are not stopped by the Justice League. With the whole world watching, the League must first get past the Joker’s own super-team, the Royal Flush Gang. However, the threat imposed by the Joker is not as simple as it seems, and Batman must track down his location to stop him.
Note: This episode is notable as a ‘hidden crossover’ with Teen Titans, as the Royal Flush Gang is voiced by the five principal actors from that series. The gang’s designs are also based on the Teen Titans voice actors.
THE EXTRA DUSTY RECAP:
The episode opens with flirty banter between GL and Hawkgirl.
HG: Uh huh. That’s it. Right there.
GL No, it’s not.
HG: I think I’d know.
GL: Really? When did you ever tap into bank records?
They banter some more, with HG’s version of that being argumentative, until GL stands up, close to her, and asks why she’s like this every time they’re together. Their longing stare is interrupted by a comms signal, though.
Down on earth, Batman appears in a corporate office and interrupts a guy on the phone, asking about air time he sold to Gwynplane Entertainment. He tells the man that he cannot let them have the airtime.
Man: Look, I don’t care who you are. You can’t just…
Batman: Gwynplane Entertainment is the Joker.
Man: He goes on in 15 seconds.
He runs from the room and tells someone else to cut the feed, adding that he’ll explain later. We find out though that Joker bought time on the other networks, too, as we cut to Joker’s ad, where he promises the audience entertaining and mindless violence and wanton property damage.
Joker’s ad rolls on and he explains to the audience that he put a bomb on the Vegas strip and that only the Justice League can stop it. He adds that if anyone else tries to stop it, he’ll press a detonator to blow it up immediately, without the waiting. Joker next explains that he has video cameras set up all over town, for the audience to watch them. He also has a countdown clock on his screen.
Joker is using Harley Quinn as a field reporter. He cuts to her and she says people are fleeing and that they’re so scared they’re even willing to go to Los Angeles. When the JL arrives, Joker compliments Batman’s costume.
Joker: He’s in black. Always chic.
[the rest of the JL arrives]
And here come the fashion disasters.
Joker directs the audience to “the boy in blue” and Harley notes that it’s almost as if he can see the bomb. Joker slaps his forehead and reminds the audience that Superman has x-ray vision. As Supes is looking at the bomb, someone shoots at him. Joker reminds the audience that this is Vegas and he has a few cards up his sleeve. He introduces the world to “the Royal Flush Gang” – superpowered bad guys named after the high suitn a deck of cards. The newcomers fight the JL and hold their own.
After Flash gets knocked out, Joker comments – with fake sadness – that it looks like they’re not going to stop the bomb after all. Then Batman arrives.
Joker: But wait! It’s him. It’s always him.
The Royal Flush Gant and the JL fight some more, and as they’re righting, the Joker gives some background information on his bad guys. He explains that they were children who were taken to a secret facility in Arizona, where they were promised an education and a home. Each of the kids was born with a mysterious power – which he describes one by one. Joker continues saying that while the government said it was protecting them, what it really wanted was to make them into human weapons.
Joker: And they would have gotten away with it too, if not for me meddling with the kids.
Joker speculates to the audience that maybe he saw a bit of himself in their psychopathic little faces, asking how he could resist. He cuts back to Batman with teh bomb. It blows up, but rather than with explosives, with confetti and a balloon.
Superman looks for the real bomb, and instead finds 25 of them. Joker tells the audience “surprise,” and explains that this is the part of the game where they change all the rules. Then he looks down at a clock on the screen and notes that it’s not a lot of time. The group splits up to take out the various bombs.
When Batman ends up in a fight with Jack, Joker cuts to an odds-maker to break down who ha the edge in the fight. The oddsmaker points out Batman is older and heavier, but Jack is younger with a longer reach (he has stretching powers.) They fight for a while, with Jack having the upper hand. Then we cut back to Joker.
Joker: As much as I hate to miss a minute of Batman’s whuppin’, Flash has found one of my party favors.
Flash calls Batman for help on disarming the bomb, who provides it while simultaneously fighting Jack.
Joker cuts to Superman, who is fighting Ten. It’s relatively even.
Meanwhile, GL has found another bomb. He is then trapped by Queen. As they fight, HG shows up to help out. HG lays the smack down on Queen, then she and GL start bickering over how to diffuse it.
Joker: [watching and commenting] Whew, is it just me or is there something going on between those two? [intoning like a soap opera voice over] Will Green Lantern ever admit to his feelings? Will Hawkgirl ever stop sublimating her passions with that big honkin’ mace? Will true love conquer all? Not on my show!
Joker pushes a button and blows up the bomb. Hawkgirl screams for GL after the explosion.
[to be continued]
PART 2
The countdown clock is down to 7 minutes and 14 seconds. Jack is still beating up Batman, who nevertheless calls to Lantern via comms demanding that he check in. HG responds explaining that one of the bombs went off while GL was inside. She says she’s looking for him. Flash offer to help but Batman tells him to stay with the bomb.
HG finds GL, and he’s unconscious. She does compressions on his chest while Joker talks to the audience.
Joker: Ooh, medical drama.
HG switches from compressions and CPR to using her mace to provide GL and electric shock. This last attempt works.
HG: I can’t believe I almost lost you without even telling you…
GL: Telling me what?Joker: [to audience] Enough with the mushy stuff, it’s time for Super Ten’s close-up.
Superman tells Ten to give it up, adding there’s no way he can beat him. Ten answers that he doesn’t have to beat him, he just has to slow him down until the bomb blows. Superman tells him to hold that thought, then punches him most of the way into outer space.
Supes disarms the bomb while he’s in the air then resumes their fight after he lands.
Joker: A person could really begin to hate that guy.
HG evacuates GL for medical attention.
Joker tells the audience that the JL has disarmed all but one of his bombs, adding that with only four minutes to go, he doesn’t think they’re going to make it. Flash fights and finally overcomes King, only to be attacked from behind by Ten when he wins.
Batman finds Harley and begins manipulating her against Joker, playing to her jealousy of the attention that Joker gives Ace.
Superman shows up to help Flash, and resumes his fight with Ten. He asks both Ten and King if they want to die in the explosion. King runs away but Ten says that dying will mean he wins. Flash gets up and diffuses the bomb while Supes fights Ten. Joker taunts and confuses Flash about how to do it. We hear an explosion but nothing seems to happen. Joker plays it back in super slow motion and we see that Flash picked the bomb up, ran it with super speed out of the city, and let it explode there.
Joker: Huh.
Flash returns to Superman and says he can’t wait to watch the rerun. Joker then appears on a giant monitor and tells everyone to give the JL a big hand for foiling his bomb plot.
Joker says that 60-70M people have been watching all along, and that this was the point. He says now that in five minutes, everyone will be privy to his biggest joke ever. Everyone is about to be hopelessly incurably insane. We then see Ace ominously standing next to him. (We haven’t seen her powers in action yet.)
Joker gives background to the audience about Ace – his Ace in the hole. He says some ever call her a monster, but he acts like that is an absurd claim.
We learn she has psychic powers and that while in custody, those powers were controlled by a special technological headband. We see her now next to Joker, without a headband, as he explains that she can make you crazy just by looking at you – either in person or on TV. Her eyes seem to glow and we see the JL falling under her spell as well as others watching on TV.
Joker is praising Ace, as his plan works, when Harley storms in. He calms her down and they hug, just before he flips out, throws her across the room, and screams at her that she led Batman right to his doorstep. As he comments about tough love to the audience, he calls out to Batman. A moment later, he gets punched in the face.
Ace starts using her powers against Batman. He’s able to resister her, though. Joker helps her but kicking Batman while he resists. During a struggle with Joker, Batman pulls from Joker the headband that the government used to control Ace with. Ace turns on Joker. She uses her powers against him and he passes out.
Ace leaves. Batman asks where she’s going to go, and she tells him “nowhere.”
Aboard the Watchtower, HG tells Batman that GL is going to be fine but that she’ll stay with him tonight. She starts to apologize for how abruptly she left the fight, but Batman tells her she was right and that you never leave a man behind.
GL wakes up and tells HG that they have things to discuss. They admit their feelings for each other. She gives the reasons for why their relationship can’t work and he shoots those reasons down. He takes off her Hawk mask (first time we’ve seen her without it.) They kiss.
REACTION:
Hawkgirl – pale and red haired – looks a lot like Ariel from The Little Mermaid without her Hawk hat/helmet (?) on. Do the wings come off, too, or do they just fold up? It’s probably best for this children’s show that GL didn’t “take them off” too. The show has been laying the groundwork for this romance for a while and finally delivers on it. I guess, absent a real backstory for Hawkgirl, this is probably the best thing the writers could do to make her interesting. For most of this series, we haven’t been on a journey with her. She’s just been present. We’ll see where this leads. I am personally more interested in the Wonder Woman – Batman pairing, as that one is more overtly entertaining.
This is one of the best stories from the show – which you might expect with it also being one of the most Joker-centric stories from the show. Mark Hammill is awesome, giving a simultaneously menacing and comedic interpretation of the Clown Prince. I’d probably watch a version of this show that’s just Joker narrating over what’s happening. There were too many great one-liners in this to count. My favorite was probably him bemoaning cutting away “from Batman’s whuppin'” to check in on Flash’s fight.
I like The Royal Flush gang as Joker adjacent characters. If Batman can find super powered friends, why not Mr. J? It’s like a Montauk Project / Stranger Things type of story, and I don’t even really care that the playing cards thing is so on the nose for Joker. That just seems like his style. I look forward to seeing Ace and the others again down the road.
It was a little predictable that Batman used Harley to foil the Joker’s scheme, but that did not detract from the enjoyment of it. It’s totally fine if the audience predicts your ending, as long as your ending is still well told. In fact, that’s better than providing a surprise that doesn’t deliver plot payoff.
Overall, this is a great two-parter. The Joker plot was highly entertaining and funny and the GL/HG romance finally paid off in this episode, too.
