YOUNG JUSTICE: INVASION: Anybody else just feel their suspension of disbelief snap?

Cafe Society
1

Let’s see, let’s see. Shall I be courteous and summarize the series’ premise for those who may not watch it, or shall I skip that on account of being a jackhole?

Wait a second. I don’t actually care about the opinions of people who don’t watch the show. It’s not like I go into Dexter threads. I’ll just link to the Wikipedia page.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first season of this show. Its realistic art style worked for me; its storytelling had just the right mix of character development and plot; the female characters weren’t distractingly and annoyingly over-sexualized; and Batman wasn’t around all the time. Good stuff.

But the second season has been a disaster, at least in my eyes. There’s three basic reasons. First and foremost is the five-year timeskip. Superficially it seems like an interesting idea–a good way to build mystery–but on balance that mystery is just vexing, because the series is already full of necessary enigmas; there was no need to add an arbitrary one.

The second problem, related to the first, is the expanded cast. The way the first season started with a small team and slowly added new members worked, because we got to know each character and care what happened to them. But now it’s just too diffuse. I don’t know jack diggly about Blue Beetle, Mal, Bumblebee (is that her name? I mean the Wasp knockoff), Batgirl, and so forth, because nothing’s been established. They’re simply not engaging because I don’t know them.

The last problem is this business of faking Artemis’s death so she can go undercover. The plan is just not merely sadistic on Nightwing’s part, but actively stupid. The comely archer just has too many connection on both sides of the hero-villain fence to risk it; it’s hard to believe that Jade, Superboy, Miss Martian, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Sportsmaster, etc, would not decide to kill Kaldur when next they meet. And I thought that even before the most recent episode. Wally’s concerns about Kaldur’s true allegiances were perfectly stated, and for Nightwing to need them pointed out is not believable. As things stand, even if he’s still on the side of the angels, he’s in so deep that he’s truly serving the bad guys’ aims.

But that’s just me. Anybody else have a thought?

2

I think if you can accept Sportsmaster as an A class supervillain, everything else is straining at gnats.

3

Sportsmaster isn’t an A-class villain; he’s an A-class henchman. He only thinks he’s on the level of a Luthor, a Vandal Savage, or even a Joker.

4

I also think the show has been a little off. Several months ago I posted a thread about how awesome the show was and drop seems to have happened after that so I think this is my fault. :slight_smile:

5

Still completely loving it.

6

I’ve never watched this show, but I was curious enough at the “realistic art” reference to look up an image of them on Google. They appear to have a teenage girl version of the Martian Manhunter on board, whose breasts are covered only by the skinny red X straps J’on J’onz himself wears. Did that cause no controversy at all when she first appeared?

7

I do not believe you are seeing actual art from the show. Miss Martian wears an admittedly skintight white top, but not an unusual or (to me) offensive amount of fanservice. Behold. And another.

8

Wasn’t she in Teen Titans as well (Cyborg gave her his position as team leader of Titans East)?

As for the show, the only thing that bothers me so far is the number of changes (retcons, if you wll) from “the established DC universe”. For example, Beast Boy gets his ability (and his green skin) after a blood transfusion from Miss Martian.

9

Sounds likely.

That’s no more a retcon than Barry Allen having a different origin than Jay Garrick in the comics is; it’s a different universe, one in which the Teen Titans clearly was never formed and there’s no evidence (so far) that the Doom Patrol exists. And I actually like linking Gar’s origin with Miss Martian. It follows the principle of economy of detail (though his green skin is actually a hidden inconsistency, since M’Gan’s base form is not green).

10

My friend got me into watching the show. Absolutely loved the end of the first season. When we started the second, I thought the time skip would only be for a few episodes, not a whole new permanent jump between seasons. I really don’t like it. For every interesting change, there’s two or three I don’t like. The new characters seem bland and uninteresting (or at worst, annoying) to me. And one of the new changes I did like (Aqualad turning evil) turned out to be fake. Ugh.

11

I wholeheartedly agree on the timeskip…yeah, I really appreciate learning about and getting attached to the characters over the season—which took awhile, since the network drew airing season one out over more than a year—and then suddenly: nope! Future now! Largely different cast! Often different relationships between them! And some supporting characters are or may be dead! You want backstory, explanations, or details on this world’s history? Clunky exposition thrown in for ya—occasionally!

And, to be the conniving materialistic weasel about it…great job at screwing over the merchandising angle. How many characters had toys still stilling on the shelves that aren’t part of the show anymore? For that matter, how many suddenly-important characters aren’t in plastic yet? They just herded their brand recognition into a gulag and dropped three nukes on it.

12

That makes a lot more sense. The image I was originally looking at coloured the shirt in a shadowy way which made it look like it matched her green skin.