Official synopsis: “The team is trapped inside the Hall of Justice for a cage match against a brutal alien gladiator!”
If you have not seen this episode yet and don’t want to be spoiled, do not continue reading!
Review:
When you have an episode with big developments like “Before the Dawn,” you expect to see some follow-up on those events. Sadly, “Cornered” was disappointing on that front.
The whole Despero plot wasn’t engaging at all, and for the first time, it wasn’t interesting to watch the fight sequences. The Despero character was boring, and it didn’t add anything to the main arc of the season. I would have preferred to see more of Black Canary’s meetings with the abducted teenagers, rather than watching a random three-eyed gladiator wanting to prove himself. We did get the destruction of the Hall of Justice and the reveal to the media about the Watchtower, but that was it.
To the episode’s defense, I was happy about how they presented Miss Martian’s struggle with using her powers, but I wish we’d gotten a bit more. Something I didn’t expect was Superboy showing up at her place at the end, presumably confronting her about her behavior. I hope the next episode will feature a lot of that conversation and not leave it offscreen, because I do love watching the two of them interact. Another highlight was Jaime’s confession and plea to get rid of the scarab. While his decision is understandable, I didn’t want to see Jaime giving up that easily.
Sadly, these were things I wished had been more focused on, instead of the Despero aspect. Those scenes felt rushed, as if the script had its final pages changed drastically right before shooting. It may seem harsh, but while Young Justice may be a half-hour long animated show, the quality is generally on par with most hour-long dramas. So it’s disappointing when we get an episode like “Cornered,” which spends a lot of time on a pointless plot, especially after a big episode like “Before the Dawn.” It’s the first time the show felt like a cartoon.
I’m willing to give a pass on that if the next episode focuses more on those aspects, but if they get the same minimal amount of screen time, I will be disappointed. Overall, not one of the best episodes of the season.
Small trivia/comments:
- We might have gotten a hint about how Jaime could become evil in the future: the Scarab could go insane if they try to cut the connection.
- Was the revelation of the Watchtower really a shock? When did they establish that the Watchtower had been a secret from the public?
- The Justice League members that are currently not on Earth seriously need to get back in the next three episodes.
- Mal actually did something useful for once on the show. While he came off as really cheesy, it was a bit humorous.
- I wonder who would win in a battle of being the most stubborn: the Helmet of Nabu or the Scarab?
- Gordon Godfrey needs to go, that voice is killing me.
Young Justice airs on Saturdays, 10:30 AM on the DC Nation block on Cartoon Network.
1 Comment
“When did they establish that the Watchtower had been a secret from the public?”
The pilot episode, when the existence of the Watchtower was proven to be a surprise to most of the sidekicks. If they didn’t know, it is a safe bet the public didn’t know.