1x19 Misplaced

[7.8/10] This episode doesn’t make much sense, and I don’t really care. If everyone over the age of eighteen disappeared, or everyone under the age of eighteen did, it would cause far more chaos and death than we see here. But it’s still fun as a comic book-y thought experiment. The challenge to operate without a major part of the population ironically links the grown-up heroes and their junior counterparts, even when they don’t know it.

I don’t care because the results are clever and even stirring. Showing the parallels between how Aqualad and Wally consider whether to use Dr. Fate’s helmet and how Batman and Zatara consider it on the other, speaks to the depth of training and thought on both sides of the equation. Seeing the Young Justice team work so hard to look after the younger kids left in the world is heartening. Hearing their inspiring message across the world strains credulity but works on an emotional level. The smart ways in which both sides of the generational divide respond shows competence and the type of wholesomeness in the earnest desire to find their parents, kids, mentors, and wards.

The cleverest move, though, may be to make Captain Marvel the bridge between them. This is the most focus Billy Batson’s had in the show so far, and it’s a ton of fun. His kid self is amusing, and making the hero who can famously go from child to adult the communicative link between the two dimensions, allowing them to coordinate their effort, is sharp.

My only gripe is that I’m not crazy about Klarion the Witch Boy or his plan here. Gathering five evil sorcerer’s just to screw with the world a little seems a bit much. Apparently, the truth is that he did it as a distraction so The Light could steal some tech, but even that feels a bit far fetched. And as always with magical villains, it’s not necessarily clear what the rules or limits of this power is, which weakens the setting.

Still, I love the choice to focus on Zatanna and Zatara as the fulcrums for this story. Not only are they both magic-inclined, which makes them good heroes to lead the charge against Klarion and company, but as father and daughter, they’re perfect for exploring the dynamic and hardships caused by the grown-up/kid separation spell.

Their affection and friction is relatable. Zatanna loves her dad, but thinks he’s overprotective. Zatara loves his daughter, but worries about the risks of letting her go on missions with the Young Justice team. They’re both talented, and both care for one another, but relatably clash in what they’d like for and from each other.

That just makes the conclusion of this one extra heartbreaking. I gotta admit, I blanched a bit when Zatanna put on the Dr. Fate helmet. Wally using it once and being released as part of Fate’s introduction? Sure. Aqualad using it in the mid-season finale and having Kent Nelson talk Nabu out of binding him to the mystical vocation forever? A bit of a stretch, but forgivable given the momentous circumstances of the Injustice League. But it seemed doubtful that Zatanna was going to wear the helmet forever, and so if she too could escape from its binding, I worried it would become just another power-up.

“Misplaced” surprised me though. It’s cool to see Zatanna and Zatara fighting in sync despite being in parallel dimensions. Watching the dimension-dilated skirmishes gets confusing at times, but the cuts and split-screens are generally well-timed. I particularly dug the point where both Z-heroes grab the gem at the same time until the split screens merge, visually communicating the rejoining of their temporarily split worlds.

But it comes at a cost, as does Zatanna’s freedom from Nabu’s claim on her soul. He refuses to free her until Zatara offers himself as a substitute. Zatanna can leave Nabu’s grasp, but only with the price of losing her father to him. Zatara can protect his daughter, but only with the price of sacrificing his own freedom. It’s bittersweet and painful, the polar opposite of moving scenes of our young heroes reuniting with their parents and caretakers.

It’s a classic story circle approach. Zatanna ultimately gets what she wanted -- the chance to join the Young Justice team. But it comes with a cost, the loss of her father, and changes her. There’s such pathos in her private tears, worrying that her choice cost her father his liberty. Such losses cut deep, and I continue to admire Young Justice’s willingness to go to these places.

Overall, another superb outing from the show, which has settled into a real groove of top notch episodes, even when the premise is more than a little out there.