1x06 Infiltrator

[7.6/10] There’s a lot going on here. You have Artemis joining the team and Kid Flash bristling at the new addition. You have Speedy returning as Red Arrow. You have an escort mission to protect Dr. Roquette. And you have the League of Shadows deploying a nanotech fog to steal precious info from across the country. It can be hard to keep up sometimes.

But it’s all good stuff, so I’m loath to complain! I like the addition of Artemis to the team. Her joining makes Wally feel put out and have to adjust to change from the inside, while she has to adjust to change coming from the outside. Her presence adds to the intriguing friction between Speedy and Green Arrow. The idea of someone with less experience jumping onto the team, and getting support from some corners and resentment from others adds to the character dynamics. Her presence creates more gender balance for the team, which is a good thing. And the idea that she has some history with or connection to the League of Shadows, or at least some mysterious past that makes her less trustworthy and forthright than she might be, is an appropriately Terra-esque twist to her joining the team. On the whole, I’m on board with it.

Likewise, the actual setups are exciting and intense, even if the action gets a bit scattered given how quickly we jump from one thing to the next. Cheshire is a cool villain, besting our heroes in several scenarios and having some fun Beatrice/Benedict chemistry with Aqualad. The hook handed guy and knock off evil Spider-Man don’t do as much for me, but watching our heroes have to protect rather than just attack, and race against time to stop a nano-fog has some extra oomph and creativity to it.

Overall, the show is slowly but surely taking shape, and while this one is a bit overstuffed, I’m appreciating the continuing storylines, efforts to develop the team, and moves to deepen the character dynamics.