[8.2/10] Dan Turpin is dead. I wasn’t expecting it to hit me. I knew it was coming, having remembered the episode from childhood. And, what’s more, I was a little surprised that, by the time this episode rolled around, Turpin hadn’t been developed that much. Sure, we know who he is and his role in the SCU, but he’s not as sketched out as Commissioner Gordon or Bullock or Montoya, his B:TAS counterparts.
At the same time, the whole “Earth/humanity is not like other planets/people!” routine is pretty played out. (If you’re a Star Trek fan like me, you’ve seen a lot of it.) There’s always a (small-c) chauvinism to it, a sort of myopia that assumes we’re extra special without much evidence of it. It’s a form of self-flattery that I’ve increasingly rolled my eyes at over the years.
And yet, the finale of “Apolakips...Now!” makes both things work. We care about Dan Turpin’s death not because he’s such a well-developed character at this point in the series, but because we see demonstrations of his character throughout. We see him leading the charge to help Superman against the Parademons. We see him punching out alien mooks despite being just another mortal. And we see him putting himself in harm's way to stand up to bullies and protect the innocent with his irascible, never say die attitude in a way that makes him seem undeniably courageous with a never-say-die attitude.
In the same way, that “humanity won’t bow down to you like other worlds” routine plays better because Turpin is a good mascot for it. We see him representing the best of humanity here, not just in his willingness to put himself into harm’s way for the sake of others, but for his willingness to stand up to bullies and dictators despite a mortal threat hanging over his head. He is, without exaggeration, the real hero here, and it’s him freeing Superman despite darkseid’s scary boasts that makes it possible for the good guys to make a stand.
We also see others reacting to him, whether it’s a salute from Superman or Maggie Sawyer cheering him on from his hospital beds, the responses from the other people in the episode make Dan’s actions seem that much more momentous and important.
That’s why I love the decision to kill him off, and why it hurts so hard. In truth, a lot of the episode is pretty shaky up until that point. It sets up a major plot obstacle in the form a China syndrome that threatens to turn Earth into another Apokalips. If that weren’t enough, Darkseid sends Steppenwolf in to prevent Superman from doing much to stop it. Those are both reasonable challenges, but the episode basically dispenses with them at the halfway mark. Some of the fight scenes are cool enough (the parademons bite and swarm technique is creepy and scary), but it makes this big, world-threatening event seems pretty minor when it’s wiped away so quickly.
And yet, business picks up when Darkseid himself arrives. As I’ve said before, S:TAS is always more interesting when someone who can actually challenge SUperman is involved. The fact that with one blast, Darkseid leaves Supes with his costume in tatters and his face scuffed and bloodied makes this feel like a big deal. Parading him down the streets of Metropolis in chains, while he tells the people they have no hope, also feels like a big deal.
But that’s when Turpin stands up, and the crowd rallies behind him, and humanity makes a stand that buys them just enough time for the cavalry to arrive. It’s pretty cool when, at the brink of a painful battle, Orion and his New Genesis crew show up to put Earth under HIghfather’s protection and scare away Darkseid and his forces. The move preserves Darkseid’s mystique, as you can chalk it up to a certain fatherly affection at the same time he writes of our planet as insignificant, but it gives the good guys a win without explicitly giving the villains a true loss.
That win has to come at a price though, and it’s why I love how Turpin becomes the cost to winning the day. So many of these grand battles are ultimately bloodless, and there’s nothing wrong with that in a superhero show meant to be accessible to kids. The problem is that it takes away some of the stakes of the thing. Not just losing Turpin here, but making it a big deal, is one of the cannniest moves this show would ever make.
We feel the impact of the loss by Superman’s anger and irrational destruction of Darkseid’s tank until he’s just punching rubble. We see friend and foe alike show up to Dan’s funeral out of respect for what he did. We see Superman himself commending his bravery and gravestone inscription that calls him one of earth’s greatest heroes. And we see a tribute to Jack Kirby, whom Turpin’s design was based on, as a final card.
It’s moving, because for once the battle was not bloodless, but the loss was not in vain or unappreciated. The highlights Turpin as someone who represented the qualities in humanity and Earth that we like and admire, who used them to help save the day, and who gave his life in service of standing up to a tyrant. If that’s not enough to hit you, I don’t know what is, whether or not you know what’s coming.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-04-03T20:43:50Z
[8.2/10] Dan Turpin is dead. I wasn’t expecting it to hit me. I knew it was coming, having remembered the episode from childhood. And, what’s more, I was a little surprised that, by the time this episode rolled around, Turpin hadn’t been developed that much. Sure, we know who he is and his role in the SCU, but he’s not as sketched out as Commissioner Gordon or Bullock or Montoya, his B:TAS counterparts.
At the same time, the whole “Earth/humanity is not like other planets/people!” routine is pretty played out. (If you’re a Star Trek fan like me, you’ve seen a lot of it.) There’s always a (small-c) chauvinism to it, a sort of myopia that assumes we’re extra special without much evidence of it. It’s a form of self-flattery that I’ve increasingly rolled my eyes at over the years.
And yet, the finale of “Apolakips...Now!” makes both things work. We care about Dan Turpin’s death not because he’s such a well-developed character at this point in the series, but because we see demonstrations of his character throughout. We see him leading the charge to help Superman against the Parademons. We see him punching out alien mooks despite being just another mortal. And we see him putting himself in harm's way to stand up to bullies and protect the innocent with his irascible, never say die attitude in a way that makes him seem undeniably courageous with a never-say-die attitude.
In the same way, that “humanity won’t bow down to you like other worlds” routine plays better because Turpin is a good mascot for it. We see him representing the best of humanity here, not just in his willingness to put himself into harm’s way for the sake of others, but for his willingness to stand up to bullies and dictators despite a mortal threat hanging over his head. He is, without exaggeration, the real hero here, and it’s him freeing Superman despite darkseid’s scary boasts that makes it possible for the good guys to make a stand.
We also see others reacting to him, whether it’s a salute from Superman or Maggie Sawyer cheering him on from his hospital beds, the responses from the other people in the episode make Dan’s actions seem that much more momentous and important.
That’s why I love the decision to kill him off, and why it hurts so hard. In truth, a lot of the episode is pretty shaky up until that point. It sets up a major plot obstacle in the form a China syndrome that threatens to turn Earth into another Apokalips. If that weren’t enough, Darkseid sends Steppenwolf in to prevent Superman from doing much to stop it. Those are both reasonable challenges, but the episode basically dispenses with them at the halfway mark. Some of the fight scenes are cool enough (the parademons bite and swarm technique is creepy and scary), but it makes this big, world-threatening event seems pretty minor when it’s wiped away so quickly.
And yet, business picks up when Darkseid himself arrives. As I’ve said before, S:TAS is always more interesting when someone who can actually challenge SUperman is involved. The fact that with one blast, Darkseid leaves Supes with his costume in tatters and his face scuffed and bloodied makes this feel like a big deal. Parading him down the streets of Metropolis in chains, while he tells the people they have no hope, also feels like a big deal.
But that’s when Turpin stands up, and the crowd rallies behind him, and humanity makes a stand that buys them just enough time for the cavalry to arrive. It’s pretty cool when, at the brink of a painful battle, Orion and his New Genesis crew show up to put Earth under HIghfather’s protection and scare away Darkseid and his forces. The move preserves Darkseid’s mystique, as you can chalk it up to a certain fatherly affection at the same time he writes of our planet as insignificant, but it gives the good guys a win without explicitly giving the villains a true loss.
That win has to come at a price though, and it’s why I love how Turpin becomes the cost to winning the day. So many of these grand battles are ultimately bloodless, and there’s nothing wrong with that in a superhero show meant to be accessible to kids. The problem is that it takes away some of the stakes of the thing. Not just losing Turpin here, but making it a big deal, is one of the cannniest moves this show would ever make.
We feel the impact of the loss by Superman’s anger and irrational destruction of Darkseid’s tank until he’s just punching rubble. We see friend and foe alike show up to Dan’s funeral out of respect for what he did. We see Superman himself commending his bravery and gravestone inscription that calls him one of earth’s greatest heroes. And we see a tribute to Jack Kirby, whom Turpin’s design was based on, as a final card.
It’s moving, because for once the battle was not bloodless, but the loss was not in vain or unappreciated. The highlights Turpin as someone who represented the qualities in humanity and Earth that we like and admire, who used them to help save the day, and who gave his life in service of standing up to a tyrant. If that’s not enough to hit you, I don’t know what is, whether or not you know what’s coming.