Justice League: "The Enemy Below" Part 2
Writer: Kevin Hopps
Director: Dan Riba
Producers: Rich Fogel, Glen Murakami, Bruce Timm, James Tucker
Associate Producer: Shaun McLaughlin
Justice League Theme by Lolita Rimanis
Music by Michael McCuistion
Voice Director: Andrea Romano
Casting Directors: Leslie Lamers and Andrea Romano
Cast: Scott Rummell (Aquaman), Kristen Bauer (Mera), Kevin Conroy (Batman), Susan Eisenberg (Wonder Woman), Phil LaMarr (Green Lantern), Carl Lumbly (J'onn J'onzz), George Newbern (Superman), Richard Green (Orm), Xander Berkeley (General Brak)
Original Airdate: 10 Dec 2001 (14 Dec 2001, 16 Dec 2001)
NOTE: Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Batman created by Bob Kane, Wonder Woman created by William Moulton Marston
Please also check out the official Justice League Page.
OVERVIEW
Aquaman is taken prisoner in the coup, while the Justice League rushes to warn him of the treachery. The League is unable to reach Atlantis without being captured, and Orm, now in charge of Atlantis, sentences them to death. However, Mera isn't having any of it, and frees the League by knocking out the guards with a mace.
In the meantime, Orm has put Aquaman in a death trap, and raises the stakes by adding Aquaman's son to the mix. Aquaman frees himself and saves his son, then returns to Atlantis to find Mera aided by the Justice League and looking for him.
Aquaman tells the League of a Doomsday device he planted in the North Pole, but never armed. Orm has used the nuclear sub's fuel to arm it, and Aquaman goes to stop him, followed by the League. Aquaman stops Orm while GL and Batman take out the device and save the surface world.
COMMENTS
The hand... ohhh the hand. Sorry, Peter David, but I think I like this version of losing his hand better than yours. Aquaman cuts his hand off to save his baby son from certain death. Wow. Just... Wow.
I cheered aloud three times in this episode, and the first time was when Mera shows her true spirit and takes out the guards who are watching the Justice League die. No hard-water powers... but then she wasn't in water (Atlantis seems to be a mostly air-breathing city). She simply takes a mace and thwacks the guards out of commission. I think I yelled "GO MERA!!!"
Speaking of the League, they were taken out by Atlantis' last line of defense apparently. A group of depth charges shot around them. The explosions even take out Superman and J'onn. Atlantean technology is consistently shown as having the ability to take out Superman. As for their capture, the Atlanteans put some sort of device on their heads to shake up their concentration, so GL can't use his ring and J'onn can't phase out.
I've gotta say, the battle scenes in Justice League are great. The first long fight with the League against the Atlantean army is very well done, moving at a nice pace while giving the viewer plenty to look at. Nice job, Mr. Riba!
My second yell came when Orm was threatening Aquaman's son, and Aquaman pulls hard on the chains holding him. One of the chains buckles a little, and that was enough to pull an "Oh yeah!" out of me. I didn't yell when Aquaman enters the palace with his son's blanket wrapped around the stump of his hand. By that time I'd figured out that Aquaman had taken out his own hand.
The final fight sequence, starting with Aquaman bursting from the water, got lots of oohs and aahs out of me, but I didn't cheer aloud until Aquaman summoned an Orca to jump over General Brak's troops. Classic Aquaman!!! I love GL's statement, "I saw it, but I still don't believe it!"
Only one thing in the entire episode didn't ring true for me, but after I thought about it, it seemed totally in character, where it had been out-of-character before. Aquaman let Orm fall, perhaps to his death (yeah, right). I guess this is just a meaner Aquaman, who shoves princesses around, and is willing to let the villian pay the price.
CONCLUSION
Oh man, I want more. I know he can't be in every episode, but this version of Aquaman has already really grown on me. I hope he makes a comic book appearance, and I hope to see a bit more of him in the show, as well. Get Kevin Hopps to write some more.