4x13 Kaerb Ym Traeh!

[7.8/10] A good ending to this arc. I appreciated the mix here, where we have the expected final confrontation with Child and Flaw that the show seemed to be setting up in the last episode, with Vandal Savage and Phantom Stranger making an appeal to the Lords of Chaos and Order on the other. Both sides have to succeed to make this work, and I appreciate that it’s not simply a matter of “Just magic harder!” which was my concern.

I don’t know if I really got or buy Vandal Savage’s argument, but I take it to be that he needs to survive, and maintain his resources, in order to stand up to Darkseid, lest the Apokalips god disrupt the balance of the scales with the anti-life equation. It does, however, have a certain superficial plausibility though, buoyed by Phantom Stranger being the voice for both sides of the equation, which makes his persuasive victory earned enough. The effect -- of the lords of chaos removing their power from Child, but letting her keep her own power so as to let fate play out -- gives the regular heroes their agency too.

And the fight is a solid one! Klarion fighting alongside Dr. Fate is a novelty. Thirteen using her bad luck powers to expand Flaw’s crack to disrupt his whole body is a cool moment. Mary stealing life force to strike at Child sets up her turn to the darkside. And in terms of visuals, I was especially taken aback by Khalid dividing up Child’s body into its constituent parts. Child remains one of the show’s creepiest villains, with her youthful bearing cut with her sadistic streak.

A lot of the build-up isn’t much to write home about. Them riding around in the bus and gathering supplies or magic is fine, but I assumed there would be something more to it than fetching a stray cat for Klarion.

I was also nonplussed by the Beast Boy material with Perdita. I can appreciate what the show’s aiming for her, with a romantic partner and confidante raising the way that Garfield is shutting everything and everyone down and refusing to get help. It’s a box the show probably needed to check, even if Perdita’s been more of a prop than a full-fledged character so far. But the line between realism and melodrama can be thin, and their scenes felt more like an After School Special than an unvarnished conversation between two partners when one of them’s hitting rock bottom.

Still, I appreciated the aftermath of the (naturally successful) battle with Child. Klarion trekking off once it’s done makes sense, and I’m intrigued by the reveal that Zatanna was basically planning this “We’ll rotate who wears the helmet of Nabu” thing from the beginning. On the one hand, it’s very sympathetic, as Zatanna unsurprisingly wants her father back, and wants him to have a life. On the other hand, Khalid rightfully points out that it’s self-serving and a little craven to ask this of others without being fully straight with them, especially younger trainees. It casts a pall over Zatanna’s heroic acts and the purpose behind her mentoring new heroes.

I’m just as intrigued by Mary’s turn to the darkside. There’s comprehensible reasons for her being disgruntled. She violates the beings of others to accomplish what she deems necessary in the moment without asking, so you understand why Zatanna feels she’s not ready for the show. But Mary also thought she was making progress on her understanding and self-control after her issues using Shazam powers, only to be rejected despite playing a major role in saving the day. And she’s right to question whether Zatanna’s motives aren’t as compromised as her, and if nothing else, it’s easy to feel for her when she thought she had reached a breakthrough and new start, only to see it fall through. The voice in her head (sounded a lot like Granny?) taunting and tempting her to transgress promises scary things to come. I especially like the tease of her saying “Shazam” for the first time in ages.

Overall, this is easily my favorite arc of the first half of the season. Epic, character-focused, and raising issues the show’s teased since the first season, it’s nice to see these complexities brought to the fore.