Divided We Fall
Episode #25 - Divided We Fall
Original Airdate - July 16, 2005
When most of the Justice League is incapacitated, who will be left to
stand against the League deadliest enemies?
Reviews by Bird Boy, Simple Simon
Media by Bird Boy |
Credits:
Written by Dwayne McDuffie
Directed by Joaquim dos Santos
Music by Michael McCuistion
Animation by D.R. Movie Co., LTD.
Voices:
Kevin Conroy as Batman
George Newbern as Superman
Susan Eisenberg as Wonder Woman
Michael Rosenbaum as Flash
Carl Lumbly as J'onn J'onzz
Phil LaMarr as Green Lantern
Maria Canals as Shayera
Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor
Corey Burton as Brainiac
CCH Pounder as Amanda Waller
Kin Shriner as Green Arrow
Dana Delany as Lois Lane
Robert Forster as The President
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Review (Bird Boy):
Love it or hate it, this season of Justice League Unlimited has been
rousing and action packed. Even if expectations for the Cadmus Arc was held
high and it did just de-evolve into “just another alien threat”, it was a
damn good alien threat. As I’ve been saying the past four weeks, the ride up
to this point has been nothing short of a visual treat and a great tie into
other series of the universe.
Perhaps the coolest part of the episode was the fallback to the episode
“Ghost in the Machine” from STAS. Obviously there had to be some
point in time when Brainiac and Luthor met, aside from the “Stolen Memories”
episode and this episode often completely slips my mind. The tie-in was an
awesome way to bring it around full circle, even if it wasn’t planned all
along (who knows, it may have been).
The fights were as well staged as in previous episodes and there were a few
brutal punches that Superman gave Brainiac / Luthor before Brainiac / Luthor
gave the League a beat down. I can’t talk about the fights without
mentioning the beat down on Brainiac / Luthor by Flash. You’re filled with a
sudden sense of dread when you see Flash get up and run off, but then you
hear him coming back and then wail on Brainiac / Luthor…it’s a total
hair-raising moment of excitement and joy. This moment definitely ranks high
on my list of “geek out” moments.
On another front, we have the music. There was a spectacular re-occurring
theme in here (the Justice League theme, perhaps? I can’t tell) that
played during the fights. While it sounded like the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
playing Christmas music at times, there were a few really heroic sounding
cues that fit the series so well. On top of this, the audio was once again
pounding; turn up the volume on this one. There are some really nice sound
effects that beg to be heard loud.
I’m sure I’m blinded by the fact I love this show, that I can’t find its
flaws. This season has been one of the best seasons in any of the DCAU’s
shows. The arc carried all the way over from season one has a great string
of episodes and climatic battles along the way.
This season was worth watching. A few hit-or-miss stories, but for the most
part, it’s been full of great directing, writing and character interaction.
Justice League Unlimited has never been better and here’s hoping the
next season is on-par with this one.
Review (Simple Simon): And here we go.
The final episode of the Cadmus arc, what was once the next-to-final episode
of the entire DC Animated Universe, and it’s the crowd-pleaser no one knew
they wanted. Yes there’s a lot to pick apart here, this isn’t the logical
ending to the League vs. government storyline we were expecting. This is,
very bluntly, the supervillain cop-out that we hoped wouldn’t happen.
“Divided We Fall,” for the most part, tosses out all the build-up from the
past seasons in exchange for twenty-two minutes of non-stop action that is
beautifully directed and animated.
It works. With any other creative team I’d have my doubts, but the
Justice League Unlimited gang knows how to keep their audience hooked
even when the story doesn’t lean the way it probably should. They took a
huge gamble here with Brainthor, and I’m sure that this episode will be
forever debated and re-watched long after Bruce, Dwayne, James, Joaquim, and
everyone else has moved onto other projects.
Still not satisfied with what you saw? Have you already forgotten the
spectacle of Lexcorp Tower sprouting massive tentacles and attacking the
League? Or how about Brainiac head version 2.0, much closer to its comics
iteration than the Static Shock original, and complete with an
intentionally hammy guitar riff when the League finally takes it down? The
reappearance of the Justice Lords, now at full strength with a familiarly
coloured Flash counterpart? Don’t forget one of the most obscure continuity
links ever, one that drastically changes how we view Luthor for the rest of
STAS and JL.
Forget for a moment how Amanda Waller’s character is completely pushed
aside, reduced to a less-than-bit player despite her heavy involvement in
the story arc. Focus instead on the answer to that agonizing question that’s
been plaguing viewers all season, the one that left The Question in a
hospital gown with a bedpan for a weapon: How similar to Justice Lord
Superman is our Superman? We get the final, definitive answer here, and it’s
one delivered on the heels of that other agonizing question of the hour: the
fate of Flash.
My, Wally, how far you’ve come. I’ve never been the strongest fan of you,
despite your good nature and kind heart. Maybe it’s those childish jokes the
writers kept sticking you with. Maybe it was your odd disappearance last
season, with nary a word of explanation. But oh my giddy aunt, now I
believe. You ran the world and back to save our lives when all hope was
lost. You took down Brainthor when even Batman was down for the count. You
made this episode the crowd-pleaser that it is, and I can only dream that
the creative team will take your newfound maturity into consideration next
season when they craft your episodes. All in a day’s work for the fastest
man alive.
“Divided We Fall” ends on exactly the note we all expected, with Superman’s
comments setting up the future League as seen on Batman Beyond, and
Clark and Lois sharing a closing moment at the Daily Planet. Nearly perfect,
except for the horribly off-model Lois Lane – what happened to you? If this
was the end, it would’ve been quite the end. But it’s not. And if Flash and
Brainthor are any indication, there’s more goodness to come. |
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