4x14 Nautical Twilight

[6.8/10] I am excited to kick off an arc focused on Kaldur! But man, this one has way too much going on in it. Young Justice suddenly has to introduce a bunch of new characters, establish the geopolitical dynamics of the ocean-dwellers, refine the relationships among many of the key figures, and tease the big conflicts that will drive this story. It’s way too much, especially without much of an anchor (no pun intended) to center things around.

Theoretically, that Anchor should be Kaldur. The episode suggests his theme for thai arc is an inability to slow down and process loss given the breakneck pace at which major events and responsibilities have come his way. But he’s as much lost in the crowd here as anyone, with little in the way of clear narrative choices that drive the action.

I have to tell you, I had trouble keeping track of who was who here. I wasn’t sure which Atlantean was Kaldur’s boyfriend versus which one was his old rival for Tula’s affections. I couldn’t keep the different diplomats and their various beefs with one another straight. King Shark is easy to pick out, but thus far, he’s a fairly generic baddie. There’s some timely thematic material about climate change and inequality, but it’s delivered in a generic fashion and, worse yet, among different regions or nations whose key details we don’t really know about. This is a rush of table-setting and introductions, without enough time for any of it to be fleshed out.

I guess it’s nice to see that Lagoon Boy landed on his feet after the events of season 2, and I suspect that the mysterious figure lurking on the horizon may be Arthur Curry, which would be cool. But otherwise, the main dust-up here with Ocean Master is a further exercise in a big event that should be meaningful, but isn’t given the rush of interchangeable characters and hastily sketched conflicts.

I’m also more than a little confused by what the deal with Conner is right now. I suppose that’s a good thing. I tend to admire shows for taking big swings with stuff like this, so him waking up in a liminal space where his body is different, his thoughts determine the physics of the world he encounters, and there’s a comatose young woman he needs to monitor has plenty of room to do unique things in the wooly spirit of the genre. But there’s nothing compelling about the mystery beyond the basics in the early going, so I wish they gave us a hint of something a little more tantalizing. Given the subtitle of this season, my guess is that Conner’s in the phantom zone, but who knows.

Last but not least, you have Violet speaking with Gabrielle’s mother about faith in general and Islam in particular. The aim is commendable. Following up on the experiences of Gabrielle’s family after the events of last season is a good call. And looking at why someone’s deepest-held beliefs matter to them and trying to destigmatize Muslims and their religious practices is a noble goal. But as with the Beast Boy material in the last episode, much of the actual delivery of those moments plays like an After School Special about the topic du jour rather than a natural conversation between two people. For whatever reason, the little tag at the end with Violet firmly deciding that they’re non-binary seems much more organic and natural.

Overall, there’s plenty of promise to the notions this arc is exploring, but reach exceeding grasp, the need for more of a handle than “Weird stuff’s happening”, and valuing the didactic over the natural leaves “Nautical Twilight” not quite living up to its potential.