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So why did this fall short of perfect? Why? It’s full of action and pits an invading alien force against Batman, Adam Strange, and a most depressing Aquaman… oh, wait, that’s it!! No, this episode didn’t get a downer point for Aquaman being a downer half of the episode, it got a downer episode because of WHY he’s a downer half of the episode… and the lack of follow-through, stay tuned.

As we come up on the seven hour mark for Star Wars : The Clone Wars season finale we look at what could have been the most gripping episode of Batman : The Brave and the Bold… which isn’t because it treats the one moment it has rather poorly and lacks any real follow through to make this a memorable episode despite the fact it should have been.

No, not for the fact Batman has to drag a rather depressed Aquaman across the galaxy to help fight a war on the planet Ra’an (think that’s how it’s spelled, sorry if I got it wrong) with Adam Strange and his wife (yet another female who is delegated to minor status in this show… come on, where’s the angry bitter editorials about this people!! Am I the only one who seems to care… yeah, probably). No, that’s not important though it’s action. Adam Strange being sent back to Earth during the fight (his wife captured—wait, they are married, right? I didn’t catch that…) and he ends up throwing himself in front of a train to catch a Zeta beam back… yeah, isn’t that like… let’s not go there.

No, the big thing of this episode is WHY Aquaman is such a downer! You see the gang all goes down under the water and they ask Aquaman to summon a large group of alien whales to help with the attack… he does, but seconds later he throws a fit and chases them off. Why? Well then he finally admits that (and yes, for mood it had to be a dark stormy night) he was out on a rescue of some whales only to come to late… but not too late to watch the whaling factory ships drag up the last of the whales to be… well, the episode doesn’t say but anyone whose watched National Geographic or been forced to watch the plight of whales in High School know what happens next… gruesome. Of course if the episode went on this thread and furthered the message past this revelation then I wouldn’t be so pissy about it, but right on cue the whole thing is dropped and nothing more is said about it… say what!

Come on! The most powerful visual moment of the entire first season (Aquaman watching in horror as a ship drags a whale up into the sky for loading, all done in shadow and darkness so you can’t see the gory details that are probably there—no, wait, that’s for censors not mood, my bad) and it’s brushed off almost as immediately as it happens and it’s like the episode brings a finger up to it’s lips and goes “Shh… let’s say nothing more of this.”
Oh no you didn’t, episode!!

Sure, why bring kids down. It’s only a powerful anti whaling episode and all (and they didn’t even identify which nation did it though I am sure you have your suspicions) and the only Aquaman who seems to be gripey towards humans doing that is the Superman Adventures/Justice League Aquaman but why bring down the happy egomongering Aquaman with such deep thoughts… though at least we could have had some payoff to the happening by having the Ra’anians loan Aquaman some alien whales everytime a similar incident occurs (freak the whalers out as an army of large alien whales come out of the sky on a beam of light and beat their ships up)... but the episode seemed to be rather awkward about the whole whaling message thing and couldn’t forget the moment fast enough.

So that is why this episode gets only a 4. Not because of the smackdown. Not because of the team up. Because this episode could have had a more profound message and impact… and it totally pissed it away for no good reason. Bad episode, bad!!

Next review (later today) has Batman and the Demon Etrigan (again?) team up to battle Ghosts and Goblins… or just fight in an episode that may remind me of games of Ghosts and Goblins past and present… maybe.

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