WHUT. IS THIS.
M'GANN MAKING SMOOCHY FACE WITH SOMEONE NOT CONNER. IN THE FIRST THREE MINUTES OF YJ SEASON 2 EP 1.
WHUT.
Edit: Okay, okay, gonna make this a slightly more substantial post. Which means some spoilers, as much as there can be, so there's your warning. (and considering that three minute mark mentioned above is not exaggeration, that doesn't really count)
So, new season, five years later, new team. Which was..a bit of a surprise for me, as I hadn't read any ep synopses before this, and I'd thought they'd be continuing with the storylines and characters from the first season. But, although the whole "lost six hours" thing continues, it looks like they..aren't, mostly. We get a new Robin (Tim <3), some guy named Lagoon or Lagann (not doing much for me), and Hispanic Blue Beetle (seems okay) as our focus three for this ep. Also cameos by M'gann, Conner, Dick, Zatanna, JL, and some other new peeps, like Batgirl and Wondergirl (which I am looking forward to more of).
One big problem I kinda had with the ep was it literally throwing us into the five years later situation with absolutely no grounding. To be fair, if there had been a few months between seasons like there usually are for TV shows, I might not have had as much of a problem; but since my last memory of the show is literally from last week, and includes really Strong Feelings regarding a band of character who, at best, cameo in their own show and, at worst, don't show up at all (KF? Artemis? Aqualad?), it's..jarring to say the least. And I'm pretty sure that, as much development and connection as we got last season between Conner and M'gann, it was a HUGE mistake to suddenly start this season with her with a guy who, frankly, comes off as a bit of a dick in the ep. And not a charismatic dick, like Dick could sometimes be, but an actual facts dude I disliked from his lines (although I did empathize with him on a few counts).
The episode tries to insert a "message" too, which is heavy handed and really too long. It's an almost two minute long (which is long for a twenty minute show) presentation by a broadcaster obviously fearmongering against "aliens among us". Which, y'know, seems like it might be an interesting idea, with obvious connections to political issues in the USA now, but that doesn't excuse the show for having a heavy handed, obviously skewed political message that takes up 10% of the first episode of the season. It's also frustrating because...well...we kinda already had this arc, in a slightly different form. M'gann and Superboy's trust issues last season revolved heavily around the fact that neither of them are (entirely) human, and both of them have secrets about their origins that they didn't want to share. Seeing it presented in a slightly different form, as an obvious tie-in for conflict for the whole season, just feels like they're retreading ground, especially when it's going to be with new teammates who we haven't really had established yet.
So contrary to how I've presented it thus far, I did enjoy the episode. I liked the action, I love Tim already, I am so looking forward to seeing Batgirl (and Wondergirl, from the three minutes we see) on-screen, and I like the fact that they stay consistent with the mystery they set up from last season. But..for me, it still does feel incredibly abrupt, both with the sudden switch in time (with accompanying baggage) and team, it does frustrate me that they've ignored two of my favorite characters in the first episode by not even giving them screen time, and it does make me wonder how they're going to juggle more than double the number of characters they did last season while still allowing for proper story arcs for everyone, the revelation of what happened in those five years to our team, and the plot they're setting up.
Also, of slightly less importance but still relevant, why the hell did you introduce Rocket for what, three episodes, last season, just to have her be part of the JLA now and, presumably, not in the focus this season? What was the point? Just to fill your quota of female/non-white superheroes on screen? You did perfectly well with giving everyone else their own character arc but, frankly, I can't even identify a character trait for this girl, she got so little screentime.
Edit: ON THE PLUS SIDE, JUST WATCHED KORRA AND KORRA. MARRY ME. LOVED EVERYTHING. WILL TALK MORE LATER WHEN DON'T HAVE TO PREPARE FOR WORK.
WHUT.
Edit: Okay, okay, gonna make this a slightly more substantial post. Which means some spoilers, as much as there can be, so there's your warning. (and considering that three minute mark mentioned above is not exaggeration, that doesn't really count)
So, new season, five years later, new team. Which was..a bit of a surprise for me, as I hadn't read any ep synopses before this, and I'd thought they'd be continuing with the storylines and characters from the first season. But, although the whole "lost six hours" thing continues, it looks like they..aren't, mostly. We get a new Robin (Tim <3), some guy named Lagoon or Lagann (not doing much for me), and Hispanic Blue Beetle (seems okay) as our focus three for this ep. Also cameos by M'gann, Conner, Dick, Zatanna, JL, and some other new peeps, like Batgirl and Wondergirl (which I am looking forward to more of).
One big problem I kinda had with the ep was it literally throwing us into the five years later situation with absolutely no grounding. To be fair, if there had been a few months between seasons like there usually are for TV shows, I might not have had as much of a problem; but since my last memory of the show is literally from last week, and includes really Strong Feelings regarding a band of character who, at best, cameo in their own show and, at worst, don't show up at all (KF? Artemis? Aqualad?), it's..jarring to say the least. And I'm pretty sure that, as much development and connection as we got last season between Conner and M'gann, it was a HUGE mistake to suddenly start this season with her with a guy who, frankly, comes off as a bit of a dick in the ep. And not a charismatic dick, like Dick could sometimes be, but an actual facts dude I disliked from his lines (although I did empathize with him on a few counts).
The episode tries to insert a "message" too, which is heavy handed and really too long. It's an almost two minute long (which is long for a twenty minute show) presentation by a broadcaster obviously fearmongering against "aliens among us". Which, y'know, seems like it might be an interesting idea, with obvious connections to political issues in the USA now, but that doesn't excuse the show for having a heavy handed, obviously skewed political message that takes up 10% of the first episode of the season. It's also frustrating because...well...we kinda already had this arc, in a slightly different form. M'gann and Superboy's trust issues last season revolved heavily around the fact that neither of them are (entirely) human, and both of them have secrets about their origins that they didn't want to share. Seeing it presented in a slightly different form, as an obvious tie-in for conflict for the whole season, just feels like they're retreading ground, especially when it's going to be with new teammates who we haven't really had established yet.
So contrary to how I've presented it thus far, I did enjoy the episode. I liked the action, I love Tim already, I am so looking forward to seeing Batgirl (and Wondergirl, from the three minutes we see) on-screen, and I like the fact that they stay consistent with the mystery they set up from last season. But..for me, it still does feel incredibly abrupt, both with the sudden switch in time (with accompanying baggage) and team, it does frustrate me that they've ignored two of my favorite characters in the first episode by not even giving them screen time, and it does make me wonder how they're going to juggle more than double the number of characters they did last season while still allowing for proper story arcs for everyone, the revelation of what happened in those five years to our team, and the plot they're setting up.
Also, of slightly less importance but still relevant, why the hell did you introduce Rocket for what, three episodes, last season, just to have her be part of the JLA now and, presumably, not in the focus this season? What was the point? Just to fill your quota of female/non-white superheroes on screen? You did perfectly well with giving everyone else their own character arc but, frankly, I can't even identify a character trait for this girl, she got so little screentime.
Edit: ON THE PLUS SIDE, JUST WATCHED KORRA AND KORRA. MARRY ME. LOVED EVERYTHING. WILL TALK MORE LATER WHEN DON'T HAVE TO PREPARE FOR WORK.