We don't have a JL/JLU thread? All of the other DCAU shows have one, so this is long overdue.
I just felt like saying that I love the Joker's redesign here. He looks really creepy, and not like Roger Klotz like he did in TNBA.
Sometimes, I wonder why I didn't finish that retrospective. Then I remember I was at the episode where Lyta Hall tried to copy the plot from Y The Last Man for poorly explained reasons.
I've been watching this for the past few months (currently far into Unlimited). Aside from Batman and Superman for obvious reasons, Hawkgirl is my favorite.
Another thing I was thinking about is why we didn't see more of Batman's villains. I used to think that we didn't see Two-Face, the Penguin or such because of the Bat-embargo, and while that did cut down on more potential Joker appearances, I think the main reason is because most if not all of Batman's villains are better suited for local affairs. The Joker really is one of the few who can easily operate worldwide damage, among the likes of Luthor.
Mr. Freeze is an exception, but I don't think he would have fit into the show all that well. Plus I think his story was kind of done at that point anyway.
Though it was kind of weird how Milo and Temple Fugate somehow became big shots at Cadmus. I mean, how do you go from capturing pets to working as a government operative?
Quote from: talonmalon333 on September 24, 2012, 11:34:34 PM
I've been watching this for the past few months (currently far into Unlimited). Aside from Batman and Superman for obvious reasons, Hawkgirl is my favorite.
*shakes talon's hand*
Quote from: Avaitor on September 25, 2012, 12:57:12 AM
Another thing I was thinking about is why we didn't see more of Batman's villains. I used to think that we didn't see Two-Face, the Penguin or such because of the Bat-embargo, and while that did cut down on more potential Joker appearances, I think the main reason is because most if not all of Batman's villains are better suited for local affairs. The Joker really is one of the few who can easily operate worldwide damage, among the likes of Luthor.
Mr. Freeze is an exception, but I don't think he would have fit into the show all that well. Plus I think his story was kind of done at that point anyway.
I remember you talking about how Two-Face's story was done in BTAS (never seen that episode). And during the Royal Flush gang episode, I believe I was also thinking about how The Joker was the only Batvillain that was a big enough threat for the Justice League.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on September 25, 2012, 12:59:08 AM
Though it was kind of weird how Milo and Temple Fugate somehow became big shots at Cadmus. I mean, how do you go from capturing pets to working as a government operative?
Oh yeah, that guy. And what he was working on...seriously from cats to....you well know who?!!! But either way, the scene where he imagined himself pulling out a rifle is hilarious as hell.
In my runthrough of Justice League, I recently saw the episode Epilogue. Truthfully, I had no idea if I should talk about it in the Justice League thread, or in the Batman Beyond thread (because it kind of is really a Beyond episode). But I decided to post it here, because I also wanted to mention thoughts on other parts of season 2's ending.
But anyway, the episode Epilogue. I liked it. Sure, the choice to make it a Justice League episode is very questionable. But whatever. The material itself was good, and I like that Terry eventually told Dana that he's the new Batman.
Another thing about the last few episodes of season 2... never again will I question the Flash's power (I once believed he might be the weakest of the 7). :P
Quote from: talonmalon333 on September 26, 2012, 11:48:17 PM
But anyway, the episode Epilogue. I liked it. Sure, the choice to make it a Justice League episode is very questionable. But whatever. The material itself was good, and I like that Terry eventually told Dana that he's the new Batman.
Yeah, it didn't really need to be a JLU episode, huh? Well I do know that after Beyond unexpectedly ended with its 52 episode run, Timm decided to make all of his season finales be epic to make sure that in case they don't get renewed, the show ends with a bang.
The first season finale of JLU, where we see the future Justice League with Terry and Static was meant to be a nod to the show and to acknowledge this, while "Epilogue", which they actually thought was going to be the end of the show, was meant to end the entire DCAU. Obviously that wasn't the case, since it got another year, but it would've been a perfectly fine finale IMO.
Especially with the Phantasm cameo. It still breaks my heart that Andrea and Bruce never got to meet again (in the series, at least; the comics are another story), and having Waller try to add her into the mix was a brilliant, if hollow, touch.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on September 26, 2012, 11:48:17 PM
Another thing about the last few episodes of season 2... never again will I question the Flash's power (I once believed he might be the weakest of the 7). :P
That could've been a perfect end, too. Nothing like seeing Flash, often considered to be the most useless of the core 7, save the world for a change.
If you notice, the ending scene of Epilogue is a direct homage to the opening scene of On Leather Wings, the first BTAS episode and the very first episode of any DCAU show, for that matter.
Yep, I called that out before. It was just a strong production all-in-all.
So I was thinking, and this is probably how I'd rank the seasons in order of greatness.
1. Justice League Season 2
2. Justice League Unlimited Season 2
3. Justice League Unlimited Season 1
4. Justice League Season 1
5. Justice League Unlimited Season 3
To me the story wasn't quite as strong after the Lex+Braniac fight and the Batman Beyond epilogue, even though it was still really good.
I'd probably rank JLU season 3 higher, although neither are too strong.
Quote from: Avaitor on February 26, 2013, 05:00:42 PM
I'd probably rank JLU season 3 higher, although neither are too strong.
JL season 1 wasn't nearly as good as season 2, but it had its strengths, and I quite liked the three part finale. JLU season 3 was good, but the JLU season 2 was just such a perfect ending and a perfect way for the show to go out, that it couldn't be topped. The season 3 finale was almost anticlimactic compared to the the whole Lex+Braniac thing, and the Batman Beyond epilogue.
But despite that, I think the entire show was great from start to finish.
By the way, something I've been curious about.
How come some people weren't fans of JLU?
It's been a long time since I've seen it, but I remember being let down by JLU because I much preferred the smaller superhero team from the original, as that allowed for more character development.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on March 05, 2013, 01:01:46 PM
How come some people weren't fans of JLU?
The formula of having more established heroes team up with the lesser ones got old very fast, and since a lot of the newbies we see don't have much of a chance to appear again, it became a little hard to admire the existence of most of them.
When it came out it was because it was shorter and focused on more characters. Though I think as a whole it's WAY better than JL season 1 outside of a handful of episodes.
Quote from: Avaitor on March 05, 2013, 02:00:24 PM
Quote from: talonmalon333 on March 05, 2013, 01:01:46 PM
How come some people weren't fans of JLU?
The formula of having more established heroes team up with the lesser ones got old very fast, and since a lot of the newbies we see don't have much of a chance to appear again, it became a little hard to admire the existence of most of them.
This was definitely the case with me. I didn't like the roster expansion to the JLArmy; I didn't think it was necessary nor did I feel that it improved the quality of the stories. Half of the new characters didn't even do anything or even get any dialogue to utter; I didn't see the point of bringing in 30+ additional heroes to the League when all most of them did was hover around in the backgrounds. Also, the expansion seemed to lessen the overall 'coolness factor' of the JL; it made it seem like any Joe Shmoe with a fancy costume and a gimmick could get in. If bench warmers and jobbers like Vibe, Elongated Man, Gypsy and Booster Gold are considered worthy to stand alongside the World's Greatest Heroes (TM), then the producers might as well have dropped Mr. T, Ricky Bobby, Inspector Gadget and the Super Globetrotters in there as well.
I would have preferred that roster had stayed with just the Big 7 with the occasional 'Super Guest', and maybe added Green Arrow, Black Canary, Vixen, and the Question as reserve members. Oh, and I'd have rather they did a better job with Hawkman than making him a creepy fanboy stalker.
That said, I did prefer the shorter episodes to JL's 2-parters.
Quote from: Silverstar on March 05, 2013, 03:54:02 PM
Quote from: Avaitor on March 05, 2013, 02:00:24 PM
That said, I did prefer the shorter episodes to JL's 2-parters.
Personally, I think they got the two-parter formula down with season 2. It felt like Timm and crew treated the show as an hour-long sci-fi drama, and made every moment count. Season 1 as a whole feels pretty disjointed when you look at it, however.
Season 2 of Justice League was fantastic. They fixed every issue I had with season 1 and put it up there with the best of the DCAU.
Only A Dream is one of my fave DCAU episodes.
When it first came out, I felt REALLY alienated by having a bunch of new (to the show), obscure heroes forced into the episodic stories, which to me just felt way too cluttered. After having re-watched the entire series, I can say that JL season 1 certainly hasn't aged well, but season 2 is the best one of the entire series (IMO). By that point, the team definitely had the proper experience to tell grand stories and develop the 7 core heroes of the team. But then things practically reset with JLU, and we had a ton of heroes join the team, most of which I quite frankly had no reason to care about. I wouldn't mind if they had maybe added a few new characters onto the team gradually, but having so many appear at once just wasn't something I was interested in. That said, I did give JLU a fair shake later on, and for what its worth, I liked it....well, part of it. I found that season 3 (the first season of JLU) felt way too cluttered and was sloppily put together. But to its credit, it still had far better writing than season 1 of JL, and it did still manage to be entertaining most of the time for the episodes that included at least one of the regular heroes. Season 4 was basically the peak of JLU with the 2nd half of the Cadmus arc, and while it wasn't quite as good as season 2 of JL, it was highly enjoyable and overall well written. Season 5, was....yet another mess, honestly. Having all of those villains come in and join forces sounded like it would be cool, but it just didn't work out too well. That said, I do have to admit that I really enjoyed the series finale, even though most people apparently hated it. That said, Season 4's finale with "Epilogue" would have been a far better point to leave the series off on.
I kind of like JL and JLU tied (maybe a slight edge to the original season though), largely cause the 2-part story telling wasn't so necessary. Sure, none of the new heroes were as good as the original seven. But I quite liked people like Green Arrow, Black Canary, the Question, Huntress, Supergirl, and so on. It also has some of my favorite fights in the whole series. I also think the humor is stronger. I might flip my bottom two picks in that list I posted earlier.
That said, I do really think all 5 seasons are great.
I will say though, "This Little Piggy" kicks ass.
But at the same time, "Kid's Stuff" does little for me. Go figure.
Also, I think the Cadmus story might be my favorite arc in the series.
Wally's glory moment of beating the big bad was one of my favorite parts of the show. I was almost expecting him to bite it after all the hints and whatnot.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on March 06, 2013, 04:12:53 PM
Wally's glory moment of beating the big bad was one of my favorite parts of the show. I was almost expecting him to bite it after all the hints and whatnot.
Agreed 100%. And I loved seeing this hero, who initially looks like one of the weaker members of the team, manage to do something that none of the other Justice League members could even come close to doing and defeating Lex, who had become the most powerful villain at that point (Until then, I had always wondered why some consider Flash to be a "broken character". :P). And I really loved how how they tied the Justice Lords story into it (which really was a part of the Cadmus arc). And one of my favorite images is, when Lex brings down the team, when he has Flash held down to be executed, Lex forgoes his attacks and essentially creates a gun to pull on him.
And then the Cadmus arc is wrapped up with that epilogue. Man, I can't say enough great things about that episode.
I do have to say though, there's one thing about the Cadmus arc that leaves me confused. What exactly was Lex's plan? Because it almost seems like it is to fulfill the predetermined future, killing Flash and then being killed by Superman. Even when he merges with Braniac and claims that he will "remake" the universe, he still says that he will fulfill the future of killing Flash which would lead things to chaos.
Yeah, having Flash defeat Lex/Braniac was easily my favorite scene in the entire series. It takes the "joke" character of the series and really shows you why he's not to be underestimated, and beyond his childish mannerisms and overall personality, he's just as true of a hero as any of the other core Justice League members. I also like the following scene in which the rest of the members join hands to pull Wally out of the speed-force (or whatever the hell its called). Sure, it might come off as pretty corny to most people, but I'm a complete sucker for that sort of stuff.
Two days ago I watch the last 5 episodes of whatever season has the Cadmus arc. What a great arc.
I got to appreciate Epilogue more since I've recently saw episodes of the show (unlike when I first saw the show and it was a forever ago since I've seen any BB) Plus I've seen most of the show's episodes on Hub. Anyway, I liked it even though I don't think what Terry was told was enough to quickly make him proud to be Batman. My favorite part is still the flashback with Batman and that Royal Flush gang psychic girl. Lastly, thanks for pointing out that nod to On Leather Wings, guys.
"Epilogue" was an OK episode, but the only problem with it was that it should have been the series finale to Batman Beyond, not Justice League. It didn't really work as an episode of JLU because it was about the Batmen, Bruce and Terry and not about the League.
Eh, its not like they could have aired it as a Batman Beyond finale given that the series had already been done for years by that point. And as a single episode, it wouldn't work as at DTV release. To me it felt like it was supposed to cap off the DCAU by bringing things back to where they started, with Batman. Personally I thought it made a pretty great finale to both BTAS and Batman Beyond. Sure, it wasn't an episode focused on the League, but that hardly takes away from its quality, for me. Besides, it didn't end up being the finale to JLU, anyways, even though it was originally supposed to be. We got season 5 and its final 2-parter as JLU's grand finale, and whether you love it or hate it, it is what it is (at least this time it WAS focused on the League).
I think at this point, Timm and crew realized that they had made such a big universe out of these characters ever since BTAS started, that the best way to end the show was to go back to the future and cap off the two main characters of their futuristic series' story. Then they got renewed for another year.
"Epilogue" isn't very League-heavy, but considering how important Batman is to the show, it's not a bad idea for a finale.
Also, guys :oo::
Quote from: talonmalon333 on March 06, 2013, 06:32:58 PM
I do have to say though, there's one thing about the Cadmus arc that leaves me confused. What exactly was Lex's plan? Because it almost seems like it is to fulfill the predetermined future, killing Flash and then being killed by Superman. Even when he merges with Braniac and claims that he will "remake" the universe, he still says that he will fulfill the future of killing Flash which would lead things to chaos.
From what I remember, he was intent on steering the mainverse into the Justice Lords future, but the whole Braniac thing kind of derailed that into achieving godhood. When confronting the original 7, he figured he may as well go ahead with killing the Flash and seeing what would happen. If Superman somehow kills him, then his original plan is a sucess, if he doesn't, then he still has his godhood, with no one who can possibly stop him (aside from AMAZO, who had left earth if I recall).
Quote from: Rynnec on March 07, 2013, 01:36:44 AM
From what I remember, he was intent on steering the mainverse into the Justice Lords future, but the whole Braniac thing kind of derailed that into achieving godhood. When confronting the original 7, he figured he may as well go ahead with killing the Flash and seeing what would happen. If Superman somehow kills him, then his original plan is a sucess, if he doesn't, then he still has his godhood, with no one who can possibly stop him (aside from AMAZO, who had left earth if I recall).
Kind of makes me wonder why Lex's grand plan would involve his own death. I guess he's just a messed up guy in the end.
'cause he's evil
Quote from: Avaitor on March 07, 2013, 08:45:54 AM
'cause he's evil
This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh1CqCAc2fE) explains everything.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on March 07, 2013, 12:41:38 PM
Quote from: Avaitor on March 07, 2013, 08:45:54 AM
'cause he's evil
This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh1CqCAc2fE) explains everything.
Evil enough to bed with Tala and Brainiac at once.
Oh, am I the only one to prefer JL's theme to JLU? JLU's is kind of lame in a "we're trying to be as modern and epic as possible with a sick guitar solo!" way, while JL's is simple and more instantly iconic.
It's footage is also more memorable than JLU's original opening sequences.
Nah, JLU's theme never did anything for me. I preferred the JL one.
I really love both opening themes. But I think the original JL music stuck with me a bit more.
However, I prefer the visuals in JLU's opening. JL's CG never did anything for me.
While I don't hate the JLU opening theme, I prefer the JL opening, overall. JL's opening shot of the Super 7 walking toward the camera in silhouette was pure awesomeness.
Both shows' opening animation bores the shit out of me. I have to fast forward.
As someone who has a neutral opinion on both series, I have to say I've always thought that the original Justice League opening was borderline iconic, while Unlimited's was the boring, generic type I had to tolerate from much lesser shows.
Just watched another JLU episode. It was the one about GL, Hawkman and Hawkgirl. I've been waiting to see it again ever since I saw Hawkman Carter's first episode...and 4Kids or whatever they are called now fucks it up by deleting the John/Shayera found dead scene. Ugh I need to get the DVDs. Still enjoyed what I saw though.
Just finished up season 2 of Justice League. Definitely a lot better than season 1 (I still like season 1 though). At first I was saying that Hereafter (?) and Divide and Conquer (can't remember if that's the name of the episode) were my favorites, that was until I saw Wild Cards and Starcrossed (Can't believe I never seen Starcrossed). I also like the episode with Fate, but those two episodes really stood out for me.
I haven't seen or rather, don't remember much of JLU so I'm looking forward to that.
I watched Disc 2 of Justice League Season 1 with my baby bro yesterday. (still waiting for disc one from my library) It was the Injustice For All, Paradise Lost and War World episodes. IFL was clearly the best here. The Joker's first Justice League appearance and Batman unraveling the Injustice League while being their hostage in titanium restraints was what really stood out. I found it interesting that The Joker could sneak up on Batman. He really does know him well.
Paradise Lost shows how dull Wonder Woman is. It had the scene where a pole almost falls on her while she's standing still daydreaming. It's like they tried to make her a blank slate. Her ride to Themyscria (sp???????????) made it worst. She sounded like a 10 year old when she was talking about what she was going to say to her mommy. That line about hiding in her room for 8 months was just...ugh...But these episodes were decent. We got to see how strong WW is thanks to her fight with Superman. And when most of the Justice League (where the hell were GL and Hawkgirl?) came to her island, it was great.
War World is so fucking corny. It's like they were completely unaware about how cheesy it came off. Martian Manhunter's lines "He's more than that, he's a Superman!" and him cheering Superman were the worst. What little good that came out of this episode was this being first time GL was alone with Shayera. Their arguments were funny.
I plan on getting ever JL/JLU episode from the library.
Wonder Woman is my least favorite member of the Justice League, but she's still great.
I like Wonder Woman best when she acts like an actual woman and not like a warrior.
In Justice League she acts like a 10 year old who just got to go outside for the first time so there's that.
Quote from: Avaitor on May 24, 2013, 12:18:29 PM
I like Wonder Woman best when she acts like an actual woman and not like a warrior.
Do tell.
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on May 24, 2013, 01:13:16 PM
Quote from: Avaitor on May 24, 2013, 12:18:29 PM
I like Wonder Woman best when she acts like an actual woman and not like a warrior.
Do tell.
"Maid of Honor" is the most interesting solo episode she had, if only because it's one of the few times she's allowed to actually have a personality beyond stern.
I actually like Wonder Woman. Hawkgirl is the one that had to grow onto me. I kinda found her to be on the annoying side, especially in the episode with Fate, but at the same time she really grew onto me in part 2.
Speaking of annoying, I wanted to knock on the episode when the Justice League were turned into kids so bad, but I couldn't because it had its quirks that made me chuckle a bit. This Little Piggy on the other hand was an annoying one for me though. The first episode I'd say that actually don't like.
Quote from: Grave on May 24, 2013, 02:27:17 PM
I actually like Wonder Woman. Hawkgirl is the one that had to grow onto me.
This. Plus I wasn't a huge fan of the GL/Hawkgirl romance, but then I'm not a shipper. I think I'd have rather the writers had brought in both Hawkman and Hawkgirl(woman) as an already married couple like in
Young Justice, so there'd be no drama or "will they/won't they?" business. I generally prefer my fictional romances low-key and drama-free.
Quote from: Silverstar on May 24, 2013, 02:44:35 PM
Quote from: Grave on May 24, 2013, 02:27:17 PM
I actually like Wonder Woman. Hawkgirl is the one that had to grow onto me.
This. Plus I wasn't a huge fan of the GL/Hawkgirl romance, but then I'm not a shipper. I think I'd have rather the writers had brought in both Hawkman and Hawkgirl(woman) as an already married couple like in Young Justice, so there'd be no drama or "will they/won't they?" business. I generally prefer my fictional romances low-key and drama-free.
GL/Hawkgirl is the exction for me. I loved that last Hawkman episode. An annoying romance to me would be Korra/Mako.
And hmmm, I didn't know YJ had a Hawkgirl (I'm WAY behind on that show)
Wonder Woman is one of my least favorite major comic characters, but that's just because I haven't seen/read a whole lot of her. So I may change my mind. But I am in agreement with Avaitor.
Quote from: gunswordfist on May 24, 2013, 03:29:46 PM
An annoying romance to me would be Korra/Mako.
That was a romance?
I enjoyed basically every character in Justice League, but Wonder Woman is one character that got better as the show went on.
I sure hope she does.
I can't wait until the way Superman's face looks gets better. The intial design is painful for me to look at.
Batman > Superman > Hawkgirl > Green Laturn = Flash > John Jones > Wonder Woman
All are great, though.
For me it'd be
Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Lantern, Hawkgirl, Flash, John Jones
Then again I don't really care much for JJ at all though, and in JLU Green Arrow is beginning to take JJ's place in terms of being annoyed.
Quote from: Grave on May 24, 2013, 02:27:17 PM
Speaking of annoying, I wanted to knock on the episode when the Justice League were turned into kids so bad, but I couldn't because it had its quirks that made me chuckle a bit. This Little Piggy on the other hand was an annoying one for me though. The first episode I'd say that actually don't like.
I actually liked "This Little Piggy," which I found to be amusing more than anything else. I definitely wouldn't pit it with the worst episodes of the series, myself. For me, War World takes the cake there (and a handful of season 1 episodes, at that).
And as for favorite characters, I'd just say Batman and Flash stand out to me in particular. With Batman, he could have easily been written as the dark and brooding lone wolf among the team, but thankfully the writers gave him an actual personality and also made him as intelligent as he should be without making him seem unrealistically smart in his strategies. The most interesting about Batman in this series was how he interacted with the rest of the team, and the fact that he was actually a pretty damn good team player when it came down to it.
As for Flash, he was the light-hearted member of the team and was more goofy type of member that a lot of people didn't take very seriously. What I like about him, though, is that he added a much needed element of personality to the show as a whole. The rest of the team without him could have become too stern and serious for their own good to the point of being kind of boring. Whenever Flash was around, his character was able to dial the tone down just enough to keep the show more about why super heroes are so much fun, rather than ever letting it fall into the territory of something too serious to the point of not actually being any fun to watch.
The rest of the team was fine, but none of them really stood out to me as much as these 2 characters.
Quote from: Ensatsu-ken on May 24, 2013, 11:07:53 PM
Quote from: Grave on May 24, 2013, 02:27:17 PM
Speaking of annoying, I wanted to knock on the episode when the Justice League were turned into kids so bad, but I couldn't because it had its quirks that made me chuckle a bit. This Little Piggy on the other hand was an annoying one for me though. The first episode I'd say that actually don't like.
I actually liked "This Little Piggy," which I found to be amusing more than anything else. I definitely wouldn't pit it with the worst episodes of the series, myself. For me, War World takes the cake there (and a handful of season 1 episodes, at that).
Episodes where people are turned into animals just don't do much for me. As for War World, yeah, I just like that episode for some odd reason. gunswordfist do have a point with the corniness, though. Even I cringed at John for that. I will also admit that there are better episodes, I just it that's all. But then again I do like Season 1.
I thought War World was fine. I actually can't think of any season 1 episode I don't like, even if it's the weakest one.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on May 24, 2013, 09:00:30 PM
Batman > Superman > Hawkgirl > Green Laturn = Flash > John Jones > Wonder Woman
All are great, though.
I agree for the most part. I'd put Flash ahead of GL, with him being neck to neck with HG, Superman and Batman. I think Flash just might be more likable than JL Supe and Bats. I put Jonzz ahead of WW by default but I'm afraid I might end up thinking of him as one of the most boring cartoon characters ever. And my rewatching of this show may make my love of Shayera grow.
The deeper I get into JLU the more annoyed I become of JJ. Just finished up disc 3 and for the most part I think my favorite episode of JLU at the moment is the time machine episodes with the episode where Supes and Captain Marvel fighting each other coming in 2nd.
Edit:
Take it back, the whole Cadmus Labs arc really blew me away. Still can't stand JJ though.
I loved John Jones. My only issue is that they made him constantly get beat up in that series, and then end up having him basically taken out of the action for the Unlimited portion. At the very least though, they highlighted just how dangerous he really is when those villains break into the JL's ship.
For me, JJ (The Martian Man-hunter) in JL/JLU is a pretty boring character, which is my biggest problem with him. His personality is so bland and predictable most of the time.
In contrast, I love his character in Bataman: The Brave and the Bold, in which he ironically acts so bored and even somewhat annoyed by most of the things around him, but comes off as very funny and entertaining in how he deals with any given situation.
Getting even further into JLU (season 2), I dare say this season is fairly weak. I mean these episodes are moderately decent, but coming off of seasons 1 (which I feel is the best of JL and JLU put together) these episode just don't hold up. You can tell something is building up, but the majority of these episodes almost feel as if they're filler at best (best of the bunch being the all women fighting episode).
Edit:
Just finished all of JLU. Yeah, season 2 of JLU was definitely a lot weaker. Epilogue really should've been the last episode or they should've had way more buildup to Alive/Destroyer instead of having some of these filler-ish stuff. I don't mind having fun episodes, or episodes catered to those who like dealing with romance/shipping (or whatever), but it felt like there were too many of those type of episodes. Overall, though, this is definitely the best superhero show for me.
I gotta talk about the animation as well. While I'll say Batman: Under the Red Hood and Young Justice has the best animation when it comes to DC, you can really tell that same team or almost the same team started here in JLU.
Going back to favorite characters for a minute.
Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman (after these 3 everyone else is random), Flash, Question, Hawkgirl, Black Canary, Vixen, Huntress, and Supergirl turned out to be my favorites when the series finally ended.
I actually think JLU's season 2 is the best part of the whole show.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on May 26, 2013, 11:28:03 AM
I actually think JLU's season 2 is the best part of the whole show.
He's talking about the final season of the entire series (which would equate to season 4, rather than season 2 of JL), where you have all of those episodes about the Injustice League. On that note, I agree that on the whole, its a pretty weak season, though it still has its share of decent episodes, IMO, and I'd say its better than JL's season 1, myself. That said, seasons 2 and 3 of the show (season 3 is JLU season 1) are easily the best parts for me, though if I had to pick a best season, it would be season 2 of JL. I feel like the main thing that pegged down season 4's quality is that the writers clearly hadn't expected for their to be a 4th season, so when the show actually got renewed, they probably didn't have enough time to properly plan an entire season of episodes the way that they did with the previous seasons. The problem here is that coming off of the Cadmus arc, the show would inevitably seem extremely weak in comparison unless they tried to come up with another overarching story arc to top it, and what they tried to go for could have worked, but it felt rushed and half-hearted to the point of being pretty underwhelming, IMO. That said, I honestly really loved the finale of the show, even if it was incredibly rushed.
Epilogue was originally the ending, but they randomly got picked up for another season and had to make due. Also, despite what the DVD sets say, it's actually season 3 of JLU. For some reason they packed the first two seasons into one set and called it season 1.
Honestly, I think season 3 is pretty great (I like it more than most of season 1) episodes like Flash and Substance, Patriot Act, and the Great Brain Robbery bring back a lot of the fun that was missing in season 2. But as an end to the whole ACTUAL Justice League series I think Alive! and Destroyer are a much better ending since everything is basically wrapped up. If I had to rate JL as a whole, I would rank them as such:
JL season 2
JLU Season 2
JLU Season 3
JLU Season 1
JL Season 1
1. JLU Season 2
2. JL Season 2
3. JLU Season 1
4. JLU Season 3
5. JL Season 1
While the ranking of seasons one-by-one thing is still hot, let's try it for Justice League. I might do this for Batman and Superman later, but I'll go by DVD volume for those. I'll put Batman Beyond on hold until I get season 3, though.
JL Season 1
6/10
Yeah, it's no secret that JL didn't start out great from the very beginning. The first episode was surprisingly dull and cluttered, while the next handful of episodes were not improvements. I do sincerely believe that when Dwayne McDuffie was hired as story editor midway through the season, the show found a better balance between big action/sci-fi stories and open heart, with a kick-ass finale in particular, but the show gets better from there.
JL Season 2
10/10
And get better it does! Wow, when I look over the episodes, I have to say that there's just about no duds here. The dynamics between the core 7 were perfected early on, and everybody gets their time to shine, including the best Wonder Woman episode in the series, Paul Dini's first return to Warner for a classic Christmas episode, the Joker episode which sold me on the series after initially dropping it during its first few episodes, and one hell of an incredible finale. That's only a sample of all the awesome in this season, which might just be the DCAU's finest overall.
JLU Season 1
7/10
As a whole, Unlimited was more cluttered than the original Justice League, and while there are some good ideas across the season, a lot of it doesn't live up to its potential, and too many new heroes don't live up to their potential. It says a lot that the best episodes of the season tend to involve characters we're already familiar with- a brilliant Alan Moore adaptation which even Moore liked that only used DC's big 3, a return of some of the damage done in Superman's finale which used Supergirl in a big way, et up the events for next season, and introduced us to the Question, and of course, the finale. Still, there's some good stuff here, and the heroes who were lucky enough to get more screen time in later episodes typically used it for the better.
JLU Season 2
9/10
A major step up from the first season! The Cadmus storyarc had some great ideas which continued to be expanded upon over the season, into a brilliant four-part finish, all with an epilogue that could have easily served as a fantastic finish to the DCAU. Regardless, the more of Luthor and Waller we got, the more interesting the show became. Some of the more stand-alone episodes were hit or miss however, as the basic JLU formula gets tiresome, but I do really like the episode prior to the final five, which let Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl rightfully blow off some steam against each other.
JLU Season 3
7/10
As a last season? Eh, not bad. Didn't really fix up too many loose ends, but it wasn't nearly as much of a departure as Roseanne or Scrubs' final seasons. The Legion of Doom storyline didn't really amount to anything, did it? I'm also not a huge fan of how Hawkman was integrated into the season. But there's enough strong moments to let that slide, like another great moment or two for Flash, including a classic episode which I shouldn't even need to namedrop, a girl's only episode which has surprisingly good repeat value, and a strong return of Darkseid for a good, if not exactly dynamite, finale.
If the show ended with the previous season, I'd be happy, but this was a good year that I'm glad exists.
That's pretty close to how I feel on the whole. The finale is pretty close to as good as it would get for the end of such a show where both Lex and Dark Seid are effectively neutralized as the biggest threats and like 75% of the villains are killed off.
I agree with you that Justice League season 2 is the best part of the show. About every episode is excellent.
I did knock the last season down a point though, since I thought I was a little too fair towards it. Seemed more like a 7 to me.
I think I'll actually do S:TAS first, probably tomorrow. I also want to do this for HIMYM, but there's no interest here for that.
I like JLU's season 2 a little more than JL's, but both are excellent and represent the high leaks of the show.
I have to rewatch this show and see all the episodes I missed. That may include watching the first few episodes but the very first multi-parter, War World and that GL trial episode causes me pain just thinking about their dullness.
The early part of the first season isn't ALL that bad. I do very much enjoy "Injustice for All", the first ep with Luthor and the Joker, and I recently rewatched Aquaman's episode, and while that isn't a bona-fide classics, there are some good elements there.
The show only just gets better from its beginnings, however.
I remember Aquaman's episodes being kind of dry. (HI-YO!) and even IFA had a bit of dryness (definitely still like those two episodes though. The episodes I mentioned in my last post and the Morgan Lefay episodes really do make me think too much of the first season was boring.