1x15 Humanity

[8.2/10] If you’ve watched series creator Greg Weisman’s prior shows, then you know based on his casting decisions alone that he’s a Star Trek fan. In that spirit, “Humanity” feels like a riff on the character of Data, an android who wanted to be human, and the themes that came along with him. (In terms of other hints, see also Brent Spiner as The Joker in the prior episode.)

I was a big fan of those explorations with Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and I’m a big fan of them here. The development here is a bit rushed, given how little time we’ve had with Red Tornado thus far. But it’s still compelling to see a mechanical man choose to save humanity, defy his creator, and come to care about those in his charge.

“Humanity” is as much a riff on Frankenstein as it is on TNG. That's a cool tack, since it gives the show an excuse to do a 1930s aesthetic in flashbacks. Learning the backstories of Red Torpedo and Red Inferno helps add context to the world, and gives Red Tornado’s siblings an air of pathos about them. There’s some nice fanservice and lore to learning that they each tried to be a part of the JSA, only to be tortured by their own failed desires to be more human.

But the episode leans into the horror elements of the Frankenstein story as well. There’s a bitter irony to Morrow creating an android specifically programmed to be “unburdened” with the desire to become human, only to watch Red Volcano destroy his creator the first chance he gets and strive to destroy humanity right after.

The tug of war between Red Volcano on the one hand, and the other Red siblings on the other is reminiscent of “The Descent”, a pretty cruddy two-parter from TNG whose themes and dynamics Weisman repurposes here to better ends. Having Red Tornado and his siblings choose to sacrifice themselves to destroy their brother in order to save humanity and, most importantly, the people Red Tornado cares about, shows the depth of their attachment to these things and the lengths they’re willing to go to protect them.

The business with the kids isn’t bad either. I like adding Zatanna to the team, even if it seems likely to be temporary. She and Robin’s flirty dynamic works better than some of the other romantic sparks the show aims to establish elsewhere. Her attitude works well with the milieu of the team. And having someone whose moves Red Volcano doesn’t know, despite downloading Red Tornado’s brain, serves a purpose in the story.

More to the point, I appreciate the nuance with Superboy treating Red Tornado like a traitor, only for Aqualad to point out that more than anyone, Conner should be able to understand someone who may be good at heart but was programmed to be a weapon, whether they wanted it or not. I appreciate that this resolves whether or not Red Tornado was the mole, indicating that he was on the side of the angels the whole time. That said, why he couldn’t have sent a message to the good guys explaining what happened is beyond me.

I also appreciate the team’s ingenuity here. Their choice to find Red Tornado by talking to Dr. Ivo in Belle Reve, figuring he keeps tabs on his competitors, is smart thinking, and plays on the fact that Hugo Strange owes them a favor, if only to keep up appearances. It’s also nice to see them deciding on their own mission, rather than being assigned one, and Red Tornado subtly trying to singal them, even when he himself has to pretend to still be in league with his brother.

The climax of the episode rocks. Watching the Young Justice squad get their butts kicked by the terrifying Red Volcano, only to watch Red Torpedo and Red Inferno make good on their aspirations of herodom by saving them, is a great measure of redemption for them. Red Tornado’s speech about how they may not be humans, but they can still be heroes, is stirring. And the three good guy robots nearly giving their lives to destroy Red Volcano, and keep him from unleashing a volcanic eruption that could wipe out humanity, revivals the character of their devotion. All great stuff.

My one mild knock on this one is that, like a lot of Young Justice episodes, it tries to pack in a lot into just twenty-two minutes. That means there’s not necessarily enough time to fully vindicate that Red Tornado took the “den Mother” job not just because he didn’t have a life outside of the league to worry about it, but because he wanted to learn to be more human in a way only the less polished and more emotional teen heroes could provide by example. His choice to look after the original Morrow, as a human gesture, feels of a piece with Odo’s reluctant willingness to reach out to his own Bajoran “father” about whom he has mixed feelings.

Overall, this is a high water mark for Young Justice in its first season, an episode with plenty of excitement and character, but also some lore-heavy fun and heady sci-fi themes that characterize one of Greg Weisman and company’s inspirations and influences.