02.06
This brings the first appearance of Aquaman in the series. Although he appeared in an episode of Superman: TAS prior to JL, both versions seem to contrast from each other. The S:TAS version had Aquaman resemble his classic self, while the one in “The Enemy Below” has his “badass” look- long hair, shaggy beard, and no shirt, as well as the attitude.
This doesn’t make Aquaman all too likable- he comes off rude, impulsive, and a bit of an ass. And to paraphrase Glen Quagmire, he might have got away with all of this if he wasn’t such a bore. There isn’t really anything to save him in either episodes. There’s an attempt to humanize Aquaman by adding a scene or two in about his son, but even those feel artificial.
The basic story is that Aquaman is attempting to protect Atlantis from oncoming nuclear attacks and comes up on land to defend his case. Meanwhile, his brother, Lord Orm, takes over Atlantis, and sends Deadshot out to kill him. I can’t help but feel like that at least a few different Namor subplots have been ripped off here, and I’m not even a big Sub-Mariner fan, either.
Timm and co are still working on the show’s kinks, and it shows. The Leaguers get little character time, and Aquaman doesn’t have much to work with, either. His brotherly feud with Orm isn’t any special after seeing how well the Thor movie handled his and Loki’s. The scene with Aquaman losing his hand is effective and brings another part of the character in place, but even the peril feels off. The action also feels trite, when present. Almost like lasers shooting off at nothing on sea, and like GI Joes hand-to-hand.
Slightly better than the previous episodes, but it still makes for a wholly average episode. It’ll take a top-notch story editor to take things around.
That said, you want to know what the best part of both eps was? “Let me give you one word of advice.” Kevin Conroy has not skipped a beat yet.
Originally posted on Thursday, December 1, 2011.