The Story
With the team captured, Lex Luthor contacts the runaways and gives them a way to break into the war world and break the team out. In the meanwhile, Arsenal is running from the Reach, trying to get in touch with the outside world, and Nightwing and Miss Martian are searching for the team on the war world.
The runaways fight their way through the Reach guards, but are intercepted by Black Beetle. With Arsenal’s help they are able to keep the Reach enforcer at bay. On earth, public opinion is turning against the Reach, as G. Gordon calls them out for their lie about the fleet hidden under the ocean.
Arsenal frees Mongol, who distracts Black Beetle enough to allow the runaways to free the rest of the team. Arsenal discovers that the key to the war world has been taken. With the team freed, the group meets up with Nightwing and Miss Martian and make their escape.
After finding out that Arsenal caused the rest of the team to be captured, Nightwing kicks him off the team. The runaways decline an offer to join the team, and leave the war world by boom tube. Once back at their hideout, Arsenal discovers that Lex Luthor was the one who sent them. Arsenal reveals that Luthor was just using them, and the runaways cut ties with Luthor.
The Review
Even though I am not very invested in the runaways, I quite enjoyed this episode. There was plenty of action, and events are rapidly moving towards the finale. This episode also happens to contain one of my favorite moments in the series, namely when the massive jerk G. Gordon turns against the Reach ambassador. It just goes to show, someone may be a jerk, but as long as they’re being a jerk to someone we hate they’re all right. By the way, did you know that Tim Curry did the voice of G. Gordon? I really should have known that without looking at the credits.
I can’t imagine that the runaways will be playing a large part in the rest of the series. They’ve played their role, and bringing them back for the finale would just bloat an already large cast. Though I wouldn’t be that surprised to see them come back, considering that the defining feature of Invasion has been its large cast of barely developed characters. I can’t help but feel that there was a much better season buried deep in here. I have nothing against a large cast, but there are so many characters here I would love to spend more time with, but unfortunately that isn’t what we got. Honestly, my dream would be for Weisman and his team to just make a Batman series. I love the designs for the characters, and would love to spend more time with his take on Barbara, Tim, Dick, and the rest of the Bat cast.
I would also like if we could see Red Arrow at least one more time before the finale. I know he wasn’t always the most enjoyable character to have around, but compared to Arsenal he was about as friendly as Nightwing.
The ending was a bit odd. While it was the right call to take Arsenal off the team, I did find myself in the situation where the protagonists of the episode (the runaways) find themselves in an antagonistic relationship with the protagonists of the series. It’s one of those odd situations where you know the main protagonists are right, but you can see where the side characters opinions are coming from. Nightwing did come across as a jerk, all things considered, but Arsenal really was a loose canon.
I’ll be sad to see the series go, but if the last few episodes are all as enjoyable as this one I won’t complain too much. I’ll still complain, but eventually I’ll rewatch the series, perhaps make a video review about it, and dream of what could have been. And maybe some fanfiction, if I can find some that isn’t awful.
The Grade