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:
After saving two worlds, the members of the Justice League decide to take a break to celebrate the holidays. The Flash spends his Christmas Eve with the children of an orphanage, who ask that he find them a special animated toy duck. The popular toy is broken by the Ultra-Humanite, who eventually comes around and helps The Flash. Green Lantern and Hawkgirl show each other how they spend the holidays. Green Lantern engages in a snowball fight with Hawkgirl. Hawkgirl responds by starting an interplanetary barroom brawl. Batman spends Christmas on Watchtower duty. Meanwhile, Superman invites Martian Manhunter over to Smallville for Christmas Eve with his adoptive parents. Although Martian Manhunter is initially uncomfortable, he eventually learns to enjoy Christmas.
THE EXTRA DUSTY RECAP:
The episode opens with the JL preventing two planets in far out space from colliding. After they finish, the group starts making “Christmas break” plans. Hawkgirl and GL take off separate, to do their own thing. Flash asks MM if he has plans, and is told that the season has no meaning for him.
Flash: Woah, frosty.
Supes: We’ll have to do something about that.
Still on the ice planet they just saved, GL is with Hawkgirl and using his ring to make a snowboard. When she doesn’t understand the fun of snow, he makes a snowman and a snow angel. She isn’t impressed so he throws a snowball at her. HG asks what that was for and he replies it’s supposed to be fun. They then start a superhero snowball fight.
Flash visits some children at an orphanage. As is the apparent tradition, he asks them what present they want. They tell him that they want “DJ Rubber Ducky.” The rubber ducky apparently does some flatulence related rap. Flash obviously enjoys it. Flash is advised by an adult at the orphanage that the toy has been sold out for weeks, but he assures her that if he can make Gorilla Grodd cry uncle, he can get the duck.
We see Superman and MM in Smallville. MM has misgivings but Supes insists there was no way he was leaving him alone in the Watchtower. He adds that Batman practically begged for monitor duty, anyway. Superman introduces MM to his parents.
MM: My name is J’onn. I’m a Martian.
Jonathan Kent: Oh, we’re no strangers to aliens in this house.
Superman asks where Kara is and is told that she’s skiing with Barbara. Superman then offers MM her room. MM notes quietly to Supes that he’s never seen this side of him, and Supes replies that this is why he likes going home for the holidays.
Superman: I can just relax and be myself.
Meanwhile on the ice planet, HG and GL are enjoying themselves in the midst of an epic snowball fight. He eventually gets her to give, and then asks if she is now feeling more festive.
HG: I don’t know. I still don’t get this whole obsession with the holidays. Although, back on Thanagar, we would celebrate after a successful battle.
She says that she knows of a planet where they celebrate the same way. They set off together to go there.
Flash zooms over the city looking for the duck, unsuccessfully. He stops outside a store where a mob of old people are trying to break down a door, accusing the store owner of hoarding the ducks. The man inside says they’re sold out and asks them to come back after the holidays. Flash starts to see that his search might be more difficult than he thought. Almost out of ideas, he runs to Japan, to where the toy is made. He gets the last one.
Superman’s family tells MM about how much Clark loved Christmas growing up.
Jonathan: We used to wrap Clark’s presents in lead foil so that he couldn’t peak.
Clark: [sternly] You mean Santa wrapped them.
Martha: Of course, dear.
Martha offers him a gift. It’s a sweater and he puts it on. When it’s a little too large, he shapeshifts to be slightly larger.
GL and HG arrive at the planet. It’s basically a rough space bar, with all kinds of different aliens intermingling. After having a too strong drink…
HG: Just one more thing would make this evening perfect.
[She stabs another alien in the hand, starting a large brawl.]
Flash is intercepted by Ultra-Humanite, who has broken out of prison and is angry about the state of modern art. Flash promises to take him back to prison where he won’t need to see it. They fight, and in the middle of their fight, the toy is accidentally broken. They stop to talk. Ultra-Humanite tells him they would have been better off with a book, and he suggests Voltaire. Flash asks if he remember what it was like to be heartbroken.
Ultra-Humanite punches a disheartened Flash, knocking him out. When he wakes up, U-H is still there and offers him a truce, promising to repair the toy.
MM wanders city streets alone, disguised as a human. While he wanders, he telepathically hears a small child. She still believes in Santa Claus. MM flies up to her rooftop, eats an oreo cookie, and leaves. He then wanders some more and hears a Church choir.
GL and HG are fighting a barroom brawl and HG is really enjoying herself. The brawlers start to get the upper hand.
Flash returns to the orphanage with a reluctant Ultra-Humanite dressed up as a snowman. He gives the children the DJ Rubber Ducky, but instead of rapping, it tells them a story.
Flash: I kind of liked it when he made the pooping noises, but this is good, too.
When U-H returns to his cell, Flash gives him an aluminum Christmas tree. U-H starts to tell him that he had one just like it as a kid but stops and tells Flash the guard will show him out. He then turns the lights on to stare at it with a small smile.
After the barroom brawl, everyone is lying on the floor together. HG is awake, kisses GL on the cheek, and tells him “Merry Christmas.”
On Christmas morning, MM is sitting in the window sill of his room in Smallville, singing. The Kents are in the hallway, listening.
Clark: And he said he didn’t bring a gift.
REACTION:
This one-part episode sets up the three part finale.
My biggest takeaway is that I am Ultra-Humanite. It cracked me up that he broke out of prison to complain about terrible modern art. It also cracked me up that he reprogrammed DJ Ducky to be educational – though whether the kids liked it remains to be seen. They seemed to get over their initial disappointment quickly enough to listen – so odds are relatively good that they’ll like it.
People like good art. That said, I bet Flash gets them a normal DJ Ducky after Christmas, too. (It was 100% on brand for Flash to like the flatulence noise humor.)
The Supes / MM subplot was well done and touching. They’re both the alien survivors of a now dead planet, but you see a big difference between the two. Clark has a family. He even has a Kryptonian relative. He doesn’t suffer with loneliness the way that MM does. I don’t know if MM ended up in a good place, or not, but he was definitely emoting as the episode ended.
I mostly enjoyed the GL/HG subplot, too. It fits that she relaxes by going to the intergalactic version of Roadhouse.
I don’t really know where that love story is going, though. Neither is particularly interesting on their own. But the writers could either turn them into a married duo, or break them up to add some drama. I personally preferred the Batman / Wonder Woman romance that was teased earlier in the series. She’s the first potential girlfriend Bats could ever have that would be more likely to survive his lifestyle than he would. (Just imagine a WW tier hero turned loose and tackling street tier criminals in Gotham… they’d have that place cleaned up in no time. Just the idea of her putting the lasso around Joker to make him tell the truth is HIGHLY intriguing.)
Batman and WW didn’t make the episode. WW isn’t mentioned and we’re told Batman is on monitor duty aboard Watchtower. I wonder if he’s alone? Hmmm.
Anyway… good holiday episode, even if nothing much really happens. We’re jumping into the season / series finale next.
NOTE: The series technically ends after two seasons. However, a sequel series immediately picks up all the existing storylines and carries them on after. We’ll see what that looks like when we get to it. But the fact we’re getting a three-parter and the fact that it’s technically a series finisher should let you know the next episodes are gonna be good.