Superman on Television

Young Justice: Episode Reviews

Season 1 - Episode 5: "Schooled"

Reviewed by: Barry Freiman

I told you Superboy was angry. And now he told you too. Though after the way Superman treated him this episode and the way Clark Kent reacted to Bruce Wayne's atypically impassioned plea to be a parent, who can blame him?

Bruce gets it. He has become a parent to his youthful ward Dick Grayson - and though it was revealed in the comic book version of this series already we were dealing with Grayson, it's revealed again for TV in a brief glimpse of a school photo. This is a Batman who seems to have been at the game for a while - even though he's just on his first Robin. The loner hero by reputation is probably the DCU's best parental figure - and every parent is entitled to one mistake (Jason Todd anyone).

Superman doesn't get it yet and hopefully we'll see him learn a lesson long in coming during his arc with the Boy of Steel this season. In 1959 as Kara Zor-El's only living relative, on her Earthly arrival, he stuck her in an orphanage and forbade her from using her powers publicly until he said so. More recently when Mongul attacked Superman and was met with a brutal attack in return by Krypto the Super Dog, Superman punished the dog by locking him in a sterile North Pole based Fortress of Solitude with a non human robot companion - hell for a dog is having nothing to smell. And that's not to mention his less than stellar track record with other kids Chris Kent and Jason White! This is Superman's chance to learn and grow as a Dad. I hope we see that evolution's progression naturally and to its conclusion on "YJ". It's looking like we will.

This episode was mainly about training and trust, recurring show themes it seems. Robin made it clear that, while they resent that the League doesn't totally trust them, Robin's assumption about the arrow they found shows that the young team doesn't trust the League much either. Generational issues presented maturely and realistically - nice.

I really like the team's growing allegiance to one another. Even - and especially - to their absent and hopeful member, Speedy. I'm more convinced than ever that it'll be Speedy turned Red Arrow who will bring Artemis to his friends.

I only had one question after watching this virtually perfect episode - why is Ivo wearing Jimmy Olsen's clothes?

On the Teen Star scale, this is a truly great episode that shows the vast scope of this series and warrants Five Teen Stars - that's right they get a Marcia Marcia Marcia Brady. Oh my nose!



Back to the "Young Justice - Episode Reviews" Contents page.

Back to the main TELEVISION page.