2x06 Bloodlines

[7.6/10] There is an inherent cool factor to bringing four generations of Flashes working together. Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen uniting to defeat one bad guy with their combined abilities is a trip. One of the things I’ve liked about Young Justice is that it focuses on the young heroes, but has a sense of scope and also time in its construction of the D.C. Universe. You not only have Dick and M’Gaan and Wally looking up to the current set of adult heroes, but you have an older generation above them like Jay Garrick, Kent Nelson, and the JSA that set the tone for the current grown-up heroes. Seeing that reflected in the Flashes -- with past, present, future, and far future all represented -- takes advantage of that world-building.

And that's before you get to the twist that Bart Allen travels back in time from the future and clearly has more of a motivation than he lets on to his grandfather. The arrival of Impulse, with his “crash”, “mode”, and “eat” slang, fast-talking ways, and affection for his grandparents and other adopted relatives throws a speedster monkey wrench into the usual proceedings.

The setup is a good one. The Young Justice team, not to mention the multiple speesters, trying to figure out whether what this kid is saying is true, and whether he can be trusted, adds some intrigue beyond the “defeat the uber-powerful but underdeveloped bad guy” routine at the core of this one.

It helps that Impulse is played by D.C. animation vet Jason Marsden (most notably in my book, he played Virgil’s best friend, Richie, on Static Shock), who does the motor-mouthed, hyperactive teenager routine well. The episode deploys the speeter effects with alacrity, and there’s an interesting wrinkle introduced with Wally feeling a little literally and figuratively left behind when Barry and Bart have a rapport that Wally isn’t a part of.

I also appreciate the overarching plot in play. The idea that Bart knew what was up with hsi one way trip to the past, and wants to avoid a horrible future through his actions here, gives him a secret a la Artemis and M’Gaan last season, which seems useful for narrative stakes and character conflict. The fact that the aliens controlling Neutron use the same slang Bart does only adds to the mystery and sense of potential threat there. It’s easier to tease than to deliver, but in the early going at least, season 2 of Young Justice has found plenty of ways to tantalize the audience on the “Invasion” front.

But I’m glad the show’s still picking up at least a few things it teased at the end of last season. I approve of the Red Arrow/Cheshire adventure to find the “real” Roy Harper. It’s more than a little insane that they bring their infant daughter along for the ride. But the power couple finding what Red Arrow’s sought for so long, following the sort of leads only Chesire’s willing to get, leads to some cool sequences and the catharsis of finding the man whose existence has tortured Red Arrow for so long. I’m curious where they'll go from here, and there’s plenty of hay to be made from Red Arrow making peace with his status as a genetically-engineered twin now that he’s found the original.

Overall, this is my favorite of the season so far, bolstered by the fan service of a four-man Flash extravaganza, but supported by a deeper plot at the heart of the team-up, and some welcome development on the Red Arrow front.