Young Justice: Invasion - Bloodlines - Recap

Young Justice was a consistently great show in its first season. The five-year jump between seasons 1 and 2 have led people to wonder if the quality would remain at the same level. Six episodes in, and so far so good. This week saw a fan favorite character join the show and moved a background plot forward quite a bit. Spoilers lie after the jump, so beware.





The episode opens with what looks like black ash falling to the ground. A young boy is approached by a man in what looks like a prison jumpsuit. The boy is working on a machine and states that it only seats one. The scene then shifts to Mount Justice where Nightwing, Robin, and Beast Boy are discussing recent intel that was obtained by the team.

A pod appears in the middle of the room and the door opens up. Out pops Bart Allen, aka Impulse.

I literally fist pumped in joy, as I figured the kid at the beginning was Bart. I got stoked that it was. Impulse runs around the headquarters, avoiding Robin and Beast Boy, only to be tricked by Nightwing and subdued.

The scene then shifts to Chesire and Red Arrow in Tibet, Lian in tow. We're then sent back to Mount Justice where Impulse reveals he is Barry Allen's grandson from the future. He also reveals that he knows everyone's identities, revealing Robin and Nightwing's to Beast Boy. Bart breaks free and heads to the Allen household where he meets his grandparents and the Garricks. Wally drops in, having received a call from Nightwing. Barry is called into the city to deal with a new villain, and Bart and Wally leave to help soon after.


Long story short, there's more to this battle than it seems, and Impulse obviously knows things about it the others don't. He ends up saving Barry's life and healing the villain, Neutron, of his ailment. Neutron had no knowledge of what was happening, as he was being controlled by an unknown party.

Meanwhile, Red Arrow and Chesire have totally dismantled a squad of guards, much to their daughter's delight.They enter a chamber and finally track down what seems to be the real Roy Harper, missing arm and all.

Impulse tries to leave the present, but his time machine is no longer working and he's stuck. We're shown the scene from the start of the show, and it is forty years in the future. The man approaching Bart is Neutron, and when Bart leaves, his scars and condition change, a result of Impulse's actions in the past. The rest of the world however, is seemingly still as desolate as before.

All in all, this was a great episode. I liked the Flash-centric-ness of it, showcasing all of the men who were and will be the Flash. The family dynamics are really working out with the expanded roster, much like when the Bat-family destroyed Black Manta's troops a couple of weeks back. It's nice to see the heroes and their sidekicks working together.

The stuff with Red Arrow is moving along at a brisk pace(minus the fact that this technically took five years to accomplish.) It will be interesting to see where they go with this now.

This show is now my favorite animated incarnation of the DC Universe. Every episode ends and I get disappointed that I have to wait another seven days to see what happens. It's a shame the toy line didn't work out, but the quality on the smaller figures was awful, and despite how great the six inch line looked(excluding Robin,) the price was just way too high on them. Young Justice should be DC and Warner's flagship franchise for the mainstream, but it seems like only the hardcore fans really care at this point. Fine by me. We keep getting awesome characters and nods to a pre-New 52 world. I'm on board until the end.