[7.4/10] Very solid finish. I’m glad that the crux of this one was the dynamic between J’onn and Etrigan, with the one dealing with Morgan Le Fay’s deceptions in the present and Etrigan still lamenting Jason Blood’s in the past. J’onn knowing that it’s an illusion but being unable to resist it makes it feel especially tragic when he succumbs to Morgan’s influence, and him turning on the Justice League while haunted by images of his wife (Pam Grier!) is chilling in its way.
But I like how that affects the other characters. For one, I appreciate the subtle-ish way in which the episode suggests that part of Batman’s trust and tolerance for J’onn is that he knows just as well what it’s like to lose your loved ones and to want desperately to be able to bring them back. Likewise, I appreciate that what finally snaps J’onn out of it is probing Etrigan’s mind and psychically experiencing his own great shame, to where it’s enough for him to understand the price of this fantasy he wants to return to. J’onn’s decision to crush the Philosopher’s Stone rather than hand it over to Le Fay, sacrificing whatever slim possibility he’d have to be reunited with his family, is a powerful one.
The nuts and bolts superhero stuff is pretty good here too. I like Wonder Woman and Flash having a showdown with Morgan Le Fay at what is basically the Playboy mansion. Turning the ersatz Hugh Heffner into a giant worm is an ironic fate (however temporary) for the aging lech, and the reveal that he had the Philosopher's Stone this whole time but was using it for such hedonistic purposes is amusing in and of itself.
The final skirmish with Morgan and Mordred is a lot of the usual energy blasts, and the fight with her goons is pretty perfunctory (despite the cool-but-implausible freeze and spin method of defeat). But the medieval London transformation is cool enough. More to the point, the meat of it comes with J’onn and Etrigan, and that part more than delivers.
Overall, a good finish to a two-parter that lets us understand both J’onn and Jason Blood’s emotional states, and the costs they’ve paid, a little more clearly.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-08-04T21:54:49Z
[7.4/10] Very solid finish. I’m glad that the crux of this one was the dynamic between J’onn and Etrigan, with the one dealing with Morgan Le Fay’s deceptions in the present and Etrigan still lamenting Jason Blood’s in the past. J’onn knowing that it’s an illusion but being unable to resist it makes it feel especially tragic when he succumbs to Morgan’s influence, and him turning on the Justice League while haunted by images of his wife (Pam Grier!) is chilling in its way.
But I like how that affects the other characters. For one, I appreciate the subtle-ish way in which the episode suggests that part of Batman’s trust and tolerance for J’onn is that he knows just as well what it’s like to lose your loved ones and to want desperately to be able to bring them back. Likewise, I appreciate that what finally snaps J’onn out of it is probing Etrigan’s mind and psychically experiencing his own great shame, to where it’s enough for him to understand the price of this fantasy he wants to return to. J’onn’s decision to crush the Philosopher’s Stone rather than hand it over to Le Fay, sacrificing whatever slim possibility he’d have to be reunited with his family, is a powerful one.
The nuts and bolts superhero stuff is pretty good here too. I like Wonder Woman and Flash having a showdown with Morgan Le Fay at what is basically the Playboy mansion. Turning the ersatz Hugh Heffner into a giant worm is an ironic fate (however temporary) for the aging lech, and the reveal that he had the Philosopher's Stone this whole time but was using it for such hedonistic purposes is amusing in and of itself.
The final skirmish with Morgan and Mordred is a lot of the usual energy blasts, and the fight with her goons is pretty perfunctory (despite the cool-but-implausible freeze and spin method of defeat). But the medieval London transformation is cool enough. More to the point, the meat of it comes with J’onn and Etrigan, and that part more than delivers.
Overall, a good finish to a two-parter that lets us understand both J’onn and Jason Blood’s emotional states, and the costs they’ve paid, a little more clearly.