[8.7/10] Here’s an admission -- I’m not entirely sure what Justice League Unlimited is trying to say just yet. It seems to want to question whether it’s right for superheroes to have all that unchecked power, especially if they might use it to overstep the bounds of the world’s government, but it also shows that there really is a shadowy plot to take the Justice League down and that it’s been done under governmental auspices. It’s a little mixed, to say the last, to raise legitimate questions about the potential use of force at the same time you’re presenting a threat that seems like it could justify it.
But honestly, I love that. Who should have power, how those people should be held accountable, what justifies stepping outside of the usual procedures, and what we owe to humanity and their duly-elected officials are all complicated questions without easy answers. Layering in alien demi-gods and intergalactic threats and fearsome sorcerers only makes it harder to say what the right balance is. I like how “Flashpoint” acknowledges that complexity and doesn’t try to oversimplify it. Anything less nuanced would be facile.
There’s two key moments in the episode for me, both of which are fairly simple conversations with wide-ranging implications. The first is Martian Manhunter talking on the phone with the President. The unnamed Commander in Chief tells J’onn that the blast from the Justice League’s orbital cannon against a Cadmus facility in a populated area looks really bad, and that he’s never been crazy about the League holding onto a weapon of that power in the first place. J’onn responds that it’s not what it looks like, that the League would never do such a thing, and that they need that sort of weapon in case anything like the Thanagarian invasion ever happens again.
It’s a succinct encapsulation of the mixed feelings a lot of people had in a post-9/11 world, especially in an episode where there’s a massive destructive act (albeit on apparently without casualties) in a major city center. The President tells J’onn that the League’s earned a lot of leeway given how many times it’s saved the world, but there are limits. Those countervailing ideas -- about what steps we need to take to ward off extraordinary threats, about who can make the calls to set aside the usual rules and who deserved the trust to do so, and when that balance has been tipped too far -- are all salient as hell here, and it strengthens the narrative and thematic exploration going on.
The other conversation is the one that Flash and Green Arrow have with the civilians they’re helping. As a powerless human being, Green Arrow is having second thoughts about all of this, wondering if the League is responsible for this devastation whether they pulled the trigger or not, since it was “their gun” and wondering if humanity needs something to counterbalance such power. He wonders what their purpose is, whether it’s right to go on, and Flash reassures him that it’s to help whoever needs it.
But the response from regular people is a mixed one. Some are grateful and see the League as a pack of guardian angels. Some are angry, blame the League for the destruction, and aren’t reassured at claims that it was an accident. Some are in the middle, unsure but not wanting to take any chances. I like the way that represents internal questioning and reassurance within the League, but also gives another glimpse at how the League is viewed by the public writ large.
The episode also pays off the cliffhanger at the end of the last episode nicely. The fight between Superman and Captain Atom is suitably epic. Captain Atom’s use of red sun radiation to stand a chance against the Man of Steel is a clever choice (even if it crumbles a little if you think too hard about it), and Huntress and Question’s escape adds a sense of urgency to it. In the same way, I like that Superman is angry and not holding back with Captain Atom, but at the end of the day, respects Captain Atom’s nobility in his fight, taking him back to the Watchtower for treatment rather than leaving him for the vultures at Cadmus. It reaffirms some of Supes’s own nobility in a tough moment.
Again, I just like seeing that humanity from Clark here. He is so often so staid, and seeing how this has all gotten to him is revealing. Kara’s always been a little more impulsive, but her frustration at this is just as potent.
That leads into the more plot-heavy material on the villain side. I like Luthor continuing to try to provoke Superman, this time with a little false flag terrorism. (This is me, hoping that Dwayne McDuffie is just invoking this for story purposes and not acting as a Truther.) It’s a sharp scheme, one that would easily sow public distrust in the heroes.
I also appreciate the cliffhanger here, where Amanda Waller is not only ready to unleash Power Girl back into the wild, but has a series of Ultimen clones there to back her up. This is the type of confrontation the show has been building to for a while now, and it’s a good tease.
Overall, this is another strong episode in this arc, one that balances strong political and moral commentary with good plot mechanics to keep the viewer thinking and also anxious to learn what happens next.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-10-12T19:54:08Z
[8.7/10] Here’s an admission -- I’m not entirely sure what Justice League Unlimited is trying to say just yet. It seems to want to question whether it’s right for superheroes to have all that unchecked power, especially if they might use it to overstep the bounds of the world’s government, but it also shows that there really is a shadowy plot to take the Justice League down and that it’s been done under governmental auspices. It’s a little mixed, to say the last, to raise legitimate questions about the potential use of force at the same time you’re presenting a threat that seems like it could justify it.
But honestly, I love that. Who should have power, how those people should be held accountable, what justifies stepping outside of the usual procedures, and what we owe to humanity and their duly-elected officials are all complicated questions without easy answers. Layering in alien demi-gods and intergalactic threats and fearsome sorcerers only makes it harder to say what the right balance is. I like how “Flashpoint” acknowledges that complexity and doesn’t try to oversimplify it. Anything less nuanced would be facile.
There’s two key moments in the episode for me, both of which are fairly simple conversations with wide-ranging implications. The first is Martian Manhunter talking on the phone with the President. The unnamed Commander in Chief tells J’onn that the blast from the Justice League’s orbital cannon against a Cadmus facility in a populated area looks really bad, and that he’s never been crazy about the League holding onto a weapon of that power in the first place. J’onn responds that it’s not what it looks like, that the League would never do such a thing, and that they need that sort of weapon in case anything like the Thanagarian invasion ever happens again.
It’s a succinct encapsulation of the mixed feelings a lot of people had in a post-9/11 world, especially in an episode where there’s a massive destructive act (albeit on apparently without casualties) in a major city center. The President tells J’onn that the League’s earned a lot of leeway given how many times it’s saved the world, but there are limits. Those countervailing ideas -- about what steps we need to take to ward off extraordinary threats, about who can make the calls to set aside the usual rules and who deserved the trust to do so, and when that balance has been tipped too far -- are all salient as hell here, and it strengthens the narrative and thematic exploration going on.
The other conversation is the one that Flash and Green Arrow have with the civilians they’re helping. As a powerless human being, Green Arrow is having second thoughts about all of this, wondering if the League is responsible for this devastation whether they pulled the trigger or not, since it was “their gun” and wondering if humanity needs something to counterbalance such power. He wonders what their purpose is, whether it’s right to go on, and Flash reassures him that it’s to help whoever needs it.
But the response from regular people is a mixed one. Some are grateful and see the League as a pack of guardian angels. Some are angry, blame the League for the destruction, and aren’t reassured at claims that it was an accident. Some are in the middle, unsure but not wanting to take any chances. I like the way that represents internal questioning and reassurance within the League, but also gives another glimpse at how the League is viewed by the public writ large.
The episode also pays off the cliffhanger at the end of the last episode nicely. The fight between Superman and Captain Atom is suitably epic. Captain Atom’s use of red sun radiation to stand a chance against the Man of Steel is a clever choice (even if it crumbles a little if you think too hard about it), and Huntress and Question’s escape adds a sense of urgency to it. In the same way, I like that Superman is angry and not holding back with Captain Atom, but at the end of the day, respects Captain Atom’s nobility in his fight, taking him back to the Watchtower for treatment rather than leaving him for the vultures at Cadmus. It reaffirms some of Supes’s own nobility in a tough moment.
Again, I just like seeing that humanity from Clark here. He is so often so staid, and seeing how this has all gotten to him is revealing. Kara’s always been a little more impulsive, but her frustration at this is just as potent.
That leads into the more plot-heavy material on the villain side. I like Luthor continuing to try to provoke Superman, this time with a little false flag terrorism. (This is me, hoping that Dwayne McDuffie is just invoking this for story purposes and not acting as a Truther.) It’s a sharp scheme, one that would easily sow public distrust in the heroes.
I also appreciate the cliffhanger here, where Amanda Waller is not only ready to unleash Power Girl back into the wild, but has a series of Ultimen clones there to back her up. This is the type of confrontation the show has been building to for a while now, and it’s a good tease.
Overall, this is another strong episode in this arc, one that balances strong political and moral commentary with good plot mechanics to keep the viewer thinking and also anxious to learn what happens next.