“Blood is thicker than seawater”

In last week’s episode of Young Justice I was worried that M’gann had gone dark side, but it seems like Aqualad has taken the word “dark” to a whole other level, by abandoning the team completely.  Again, in a very subtle way we’re learning more about the mystery of what has transpired over the past five years.  It was sad to hear about Aqualad’s old girlfriend dying on a mission, and I couldn’t help but wonder how awesome it would have been to watch Aquagirl in action with the rest of the team.  For those of you who are DC Comics aficionados, you’ll remember another version of Aqualad named Jackson Hyde from the “Brightest Day” series written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis.  Hyde first appeared in issue #4, and we soon learned that his father was indeed Black Manta.  I think it’s cool that Young Justice is following the stories from the comic books, even after DC’s relaunch last year.  Some of you had fears that the character development from season one would suffer, due to the five-year gap between seasons.  Have your fears subsided after the first three episodes, or do you feel that there are too many characters?  Personally, I hope the writers give us more backstory on Kaldur.  Going from a strong team leader, to working alongside one of the most dangerous villains in the DC Universe is a huge leap, and I want to see how it all took place, and not just hear about it through conversations.

I still want to discuss Miss Marian’s lobotomizing/interrogation techniques, which she uses again in this episode.  It was a small scene, but just seeing the shock on Connor’s face said it all.  The sweet little “Hello, Megan” girl he knew no longer exists.  What also interests me about the scene was that Superboy was the only one who seemed to care.  I guess that makes sense, because we all know that Bruce has a bit of a dark side to him.  I hope you all don’t think I’m thrashing M’gann, because she’s trying to protect Earth from an alien invasion, so if poking around someone’s mind is what she has to do, then so be it.  These are the morally ambiguous choices that make good storytelling so much fun to watch, just check out a show like HBO’s Game of Thrones and you’ll know what I’m talking about.  Speaking of brainwashing, if you’re interested in reading a good comic book series that deals with similar issues, then check out  ”Identity Crisis,” written by NY Times best-selling author Brad Metzler.  All I’ll say is that moral ambiguity reigns supreme in that 7-issue miniseries.

In closing I’d like mention the exciting battle between the Justice League, the Kroloteans and Black Manta’s forces.  Did any of you notice the improved camaraderie between Superboy and Superman?  Watching the two of them fight as a team was highly entertaining.  Another memorable moment was when Wonder Girl was enraptured by Princess Diana’s fighting style only to hear her mentor say, “A little less fan girl, and a little more Wonder Girl.”  Even with the large time gaps between seasons, this has been an enjoyable start for Young Justice and I hope it continues to get better with each new episode.  Let me know what you thought of “Alienated” in the comments section below.

-David Griffin (Follow @griffinde on Twitter)

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