3x06 Rescue Op

[8.0/10] I love the poetry of this one. There’s something so satisfying about the changing of the guard, to where Nightwing, Superboy, M’gaan, and Artemis are the established heroes, having to deal with the ragtag newbies deciding to go run an op on their own despite orders to sit tight. The fact that the senior heroes acknowledge it, and lament how it stinks being the grown-ups is the icing on the cake. Dick getting back in the game and supervising The Outsiders, a name playfully hinted at in closing dialogue, is the cherry on top.

Plus hey, I actually really enjoy the combination of Brion, Halo, Forager, and Bioship as a combo. They have a good dynamic together as refugees without a home itching to do some good for the world. The prospect of them living in a living RV, sharing the joys of apples, and recognizing/missing the gender of various semi-sentient vehicles makes them an endearing bunch. As opposed to the raft of new young heroes we got in season 2, the more focused collection of recent additions, who decide to form their own team, gives the audience a chance to get to know them and become attached to them in more depth.

The actual mission here is pretty cool too. A rogue op to go trespassing on the Ra’s al Ghul’s stronghold is just foolhardy and dangerous enough to be exciting, and Brion’s mission to rescue his sister provides strong motivation. I freaking love the Sensei here (Keone Young for the win yet again), whose stern, unruffled attitude toward a heap of superpowered foes makes him seem like an instant badass. (“I don’t need the army. I trained the army.” is a hell of a line.) The ensuing fight, where he and his allies easily neutralize our heroes, and the way he plays on Brion’s anger to help win the day mark him and his crew as formidable opponents.

At the same time, the older heroes coming to rescue the team and make their way out is a nice flipping of the script. Halo’s death and revival is a little gruesome, but that seems to be the norm now that the show is on HBO Max, and I appreciate Ra’s’ intrigued reaction to someone else coming back from the dead on his island.

We also get all kinds of teases. We learn more about Halo’s backstory, with her being a Quraqi refugee who was mistreated in Markovia. Her rejecting the given name on her passport and instead adopting the name “Violet” to help signify that she’s a part of this “hive” now is low-key uplifting. Ra’s is gone from the League of Shadows and The Light, but is still keeping some mysterious figure whose lost their memory in tow, and his goons are sporting some pretty serious tech to boot.

Oh yeah, and Black Spider is back! It continues to be a hoot that Greg Weisman convinced Josh Keaton to essential reprise the title role from their Spectacular Spider-Man series, with the Web-Head as a bad guy this time around. His efforts as an assassin for the League of Shadows are as entertaining as his exploits on his home series, if a bit more malevolent.

One other thing to note here is that the dialogue was outstanding here. It’s a tricky thing to write young people and groups especially interacting and feeling natural. But whether it was The Outsiders bonding in downtime together, Dick and Barbara flirting, or the Sensei taunting his would-be attacker, the lines here were particularly great.

Overall, this is the best episode of the season so far, and the one that made me the most excited for where season 3 might go from here.

(Speculation/Possible Spoilers: I’m a dummy. I didn’t catch that Brion’s sister is named “Tara”, and given the preponderance of rock-based powers among the Markov family, chances are that she is, in fact, Terra, one of my favorite characters from the Teen Titans show. So I’m extra intrigued to see if/how those hints pay off.)