GUIDES – EPISODE REVIEWS – “BEYOND THE GRIP OF THE GODS!”
#90 Beyond the Grip of the Gods!
Original Airdate – April 14, 2022
Rocket gets a reality check, and reality’s ready to collect.
Written by Taneka Stotts
Directed by Christina Sotta
Review by Yojimbo
Media by Warner Bros. Animation
Please note our regular reviewer, “GregX,” is currently on sabbatical.
Review:
Written by Yojimbo, edited by James Harvey
The back drop of the summit is an interesting extension of the Justice League Reserves sub-plot and it’s logical that the New Gods and Green Lantern Corps are part of that plan. Considering the ongoing threat of Apokolips and others like the Reach that are still around, it makes even more sense to strengthen the alliances. Not to mention the class struggle going on between the New Gods and the Bugs is also revisited from last season.
It was quite fortunate that Forager was part of Rocket’s party and he served as a crucial diplomatic link that prevented a real tragedy from taking place at the Mountain Hive. And it couldn’t come at a more important time as we see on Apokolips, there’s a convergence of bad guys. Darkseid, Kalibak, Grayven, Mantis, Ma’alefa’ak, and the stunning reveal that the killer on Mars is Lor-Zod, historically the son of General Zod in the comics! And a couple minutes later, there’s of course the stunning debut of General Zod, himself and confirmation at least that Conner and Phantom Girl are stuck in the Phantom Zone!
And no surprise the arc is also looking at the recurring theme of prejudice and classism on both New Genesis and also on Apokolips where we see a brief look at the Hunger Dogs, the destitute slave class and we’re introduced to Jovita, who just so happens to be a rebel leader in the comics.
Lor-Zod turning to be the mystery killer takes this sub-plot to a whole other level or two. And the fact that he’s allied to Darkseid rings a lot of alarms. While there’s still a lot of puzzle pieces to go, seeing how this fits in with Superboy’s murder and the 2030 event just got a lot more interesting. With the Legion of Superheroes also in the mix, now I can’t help but wonder even more if this “galactic disaster” that Saturn Girl and Chameleon Boy alluded to is a take on the Great Darkness Saga from the comics which entailed the Legion and Darkseid. Is Darkseid only working with a time traveler in order to get to a much needed edge against Vandal in their millennium long cosmic chess match?
And of course, does this all also tie into Lor-Zod having his own agenda: to free his father from the Phantom Zone? If so, how does that tie into screwing up the timeline by taking Conner off the chess board? General Zod joining the game sure would throw a lot of kinks into the Light’s plans and goals. No way it’s a coincidence that two Zods are formally introduced in one episode within minutes of each other. Speaking of, Zod becoming mentor to the increasingly unstable Conner is a recipe for disaster. I really hope they don’t bring him back brainwashed as a baddie.
It’s an understatement when I see there’s callbacks, references, and easter eggs galore in this episode. There’s the debut of Rocket’s ex-flame Noble on the show. Unfortunately, I could not find anything on the slighted Elaine Jackson in the comics. And if it wasn’t crystal, this episode confirms the second Flash in the Justice League that Orin alluded to at the end of Kaldur’ahm’s arc is indeed Jay Garrick. Not a surprise he made the choice to go back to active duty after mourning his wife. Forager naturally brings up he’s been gone for over a year ever since he left New Genesis with the Team in season 3’s “Away Mission.”
The episode introduces a couple heavy hitters of the New Gods: Lightray, Highfather, and Highmother/Avia as well as some lesser knowns like Celestia and Antinoos. Not too sure but the Mountain Hive’s female Forager may be the debut of the second Forager from the comics who was also a female. There’s also mention of Radion, a substance toxic to the New Gods. It was also an interesting tidbit that while the Reach knew of Rocket’s belt being technology of the Cooperative, Mother Box identified it was an unknown.
There’s more than New Gods drama here, too! We get to see Conner and more of his hallucinations. The opening of Jimmy and Lois also reminded me of the camp fire stories in an early issue of the Young Justice tie-in comic. Dr. Desmond and the G-Gnome hearkens back to the series premiere. Toyman in his giant toy soldier robot has to be a callback to Invasion when he fought Blue Beetle. And most unexpected, a Knightfall nod. And on Apokolips, like New Genesis, has the debut of a couple characters like the Hunger Dogs, a group of Lowlies or citizens of Apokolips who live in absolute poverty and the return of others: there’s the appearance of Kalibak and Grayven, who both debuted last season, as well as the return of Mantis. Among the Hunger Dogs in the bar were Jovita, a leader of the rebels in the comics, Kreetin from the Mister Miracle comics, and Ma’al impersonates Graggin from the Adventures of Superman comics.
The big shocker of Conner meeting General Dru-Zod was big enough but most of us already guessed he would show up based on the phrase made from the first letter of this season’s episode titles or the really obvious that Conner and Phantom Girl were stranded in the Phantom Zone. The progression of the Justice League Reserves was also a who’s who of people we haven’t seen since season two like Asami and Tye, last season, some just recently, or yet to see at all like Peacemaker who was first referenced in the Players arc of the tie-on comic. Superman’s mention of China hiding they have metas or heroes was intriguing as in recent years the comics have introduced two major teams, the Great Ten and the Justice League of China. Could Weisman and Vietti be seeding either? Time will tell. Another mention of Themyscira, wonder when we’ll get to see the place. And a nice little easter egg reference was Superman referring to members of Infinity, Inc. by the term used in the comics, the Infinitors.
Young Justice: Phantoms gives us some welcome and needed feature on Rocket as she hasn’t exactly got as much development as the other original members of the Team. Any time with her feels like a real treasure as does a spotlight on Jack Kirby’s Fourth World. However, it is with great hope that the two don’t obfuscate each other as the twists and shocking revelations continue this season. While one hand, in the Zatanna arc, the new faces, expansion on the magical community, and reaching the next phase of Dr. Fate’s series arc was a boon and edge of your seat entertainment, it eventually began to stifle Zatanna’s starring role. And we also have the Green Lantern Corps showing up soon, so let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself here.
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