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Nov. 23rd, 2003 03:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greenygalIn keeping with the way this season has been running, there was quite a lot to like about last night's episode of JL. There was also, however, one thing that I found cringe-inducingly horrible and have serious concerns about.
There really was a lot of good stuff in here. The three basic premises of the story--the League needs training, the Leaguers are all getting on each other's nerves partly but not primarily due to mental tampering, and a group of carefully-chosen supervillains has formed up against them--all good stuff. Grodd's explanation of what he was doing made sense, and was generally in line with what we were seeing. Primo example: Superman's desire to shield his teammates from getting hurt because he's invulnerable and they're not. Of course he'd feel that way, and of course it would tend to affect his behavior in a fight, but he wouldn't normally describe it as "we're not all equal." Also, Grodd? Very very close to my personal image of the guy (it just needed a little more violence and a different voice actor), and those of you who've had to listen to me whining about his portrayal in the comics can imagine how happy that makes me. Shade's little exchanges with Giganta were a hoot, and Killer Frost...um, well, yes, every villain group needs one disturbing psychopath, right? *shiver* Batman announcing that he'd brought backup was wonderful, as was the positively satanic grin he was wearing. See, he's learned something from the last time the League went up against a supervillain team! :) The whole breakup scene was great, but J'onn's declaration that he survived losing one family and will survive losing two...*sniffle* Major, major ouch. And Flash proving that no, in fact, he doesn't need Batman, we all know how much I loved that, right? S2 Flash rocks. Watching things come together at the end was good too (especially the Clark/Bruce exchange) and the decidedly downbeat ending...god, I love this show.
However. I did have one serious complaint, and she's called Hawkgirl. Look, I'm a big fan of Hawkgirl/GL; I've been enjoying the snark ever since "War World," and some of their scenes this season have made me a very happy little fangirl indeed. However, if falling for GL is going to make Hawkgirl into someone who a) leaves the battle to hold her guy when he's hurt--not give him medical attention, not get him out of harm's way, just hold him in her arms in a worried fashion--and b) claim that he doesn't care about her because he thinks the team should be trained to work together--we all remember she used to be a freaking police officer, right?--then I'd frankly rather she threw him over. Right now. Because that's not the character I signed up for, and no amount of sugar is going to make me feel good about it. I want back the Shayera from "Savage Time" and the Katma Tui ep, who obviously cared about John but still understood that other things were more important than his personal safety and that if she had to kick him in the butt to go get properly retrained then that's what she'd do.
If this was supposed to be a one-episode under-the-mental-influence thing, then okay, although I have real trouble seeing her little outburst on the cliff even as something she'd think but wouldn't normally say. But if it's what the writers seriously think Shayera-in-love would look like, then IMO that bodes very ill for the character.
There really was a lot of good stuff in here. The three basic premises of the story--the League needs training, the Leaguers are all getting on each other's nerves partly but not primarily due to mental tampering, and a group of carefully-chosen supervillains has formed up against them--all good stuff. Grodd's explanation of what he was doing made sense, and was generally in line with what we were seeing. Primo example: Superman's desire to shield his teammates from getting hurt because he's invulnerable and they're not. Of course he'd feel that way, and of course it would tend to affect his behavior in a fight, but he wouldn't normally describe it as "we're not all equal." Also, Grodd? Very very close to my personal image of the guy (it just needed a little more violence and a different voice actor), and those of you who've had to listen to me whining about his portrayal in the comics can imagine how happy that makes me. Shade's little exchanges with Giganta were a hoot, and Killer Frost...um, well, yes, every villain group needs one disturbing psychopath, right? *shiver* Batman announcing that he'd brought backup was wonderful, as was the positively satanic grin he was wearing. See, he's learned something from the last time the League went up against a supervillain team! :) The whole breakup scene was great, but J'onn's declaration that he survived losing one family and will survive losing two...*sniffle* Major, major ouch. And Flash proving that no, in fact, he doesn't need Batman, we all know how much I loved that, right? S2 Flash rocks. Watching things come together at the end was good too (especially the Clark/Bruce exchange) and the decidedly downbeat ending...god, I love this show.
However. I did have one serious complaint, and she's called Hawkgirl. Look, I'm a big fan of Hawkgirl/GL; I've been enjoying the snark ever since "War World," and some of their scenes this season have made me a very happy little fangirl indeed. However, if falling for GL is going to make Hawkgirl into someone who a) leaves the battle to hold her guy when he's hurt--not give him medical attention, not get him out of harm's way, just hold him in her arms in a worried fashion--and b) claim that he doesn't care about her because he thinks the team should be trained to work together--we all remember she used to be a freaking police officer, right?--then I'd frankly rather she threw him over. Right now. Because that's not the character I signed up for, and no amount of sugar is going to make me feel good about it. I want back the Shayera from "Savage Time" and the Katma Tui ep, who obviously cared about John but still understood that other things were more important than his personal safety and that if she had to kick him in the butt to go get properly retrained then that's what she'd do.
If this was supposed to be a one-episode under-the-mental-influence thing, then okay, although I have real trouble seeing her little outburst on the cliff even as something she'd think but wouldn't normally say. But if it's what the writers seriously think Shayera-in-love would look like, then IMO that bodes very ill for the character.
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Date: 2003-11-23 10:01 pm (UTC)On Hawkgirl and GL, I thought the scene on the cliff was very forced. I liked that she ran to him when he was hurt, but I'd like to have seen her do something useful once she'd gotten there ;) Yeah, I wasn't too pleased with how they portrayed her, either.
Everyone else was pretty good, though.
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Date: 2003-11-25 09:56 pm (UTC)I know. And they say Batman doesn't have a sense of humor. :) (Well, maybe the comics version doesn't. But animated Bats...positively wicked. :)
On Hawkgirl and GL, I thought the scene on the cliff was very forced.
They wanted to split them apart, I get that, and they wanted to make it personal. But they picked something that Shayera just wouldn't have objected to like that--and her "You don't know what you're saying" sounded positively bizarre, as well. They could have had at least the first half of the fight, and made it sound far more plausible, if she'd accused him of thinking that she and the rest were incompetents. Much more basis for that.
I liked that she ran to him when he was hurt, but I'd like to have seen her do something useful once she'd gotten there ;) Yeah, I wasn't too pleased with how they portrayed her, either.
Yeah, I may be a little harsh on that scene, since I know what was wrong with GL and that the only thing to do about it was clobber Grodd--all she knew was that he'd yelled and keeled over. But the visual of her just sitting there holding him in her lap really did make me cringe. After the fight, it would have been sweet, but not during. And frankly I'd think he would have been ticked as well.
Everyone else was pretty good, though.
That they were.
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Date: 2003-11-27 01:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-11-27 07:26 pm (UTC)