Episode 9 Review
Kite Man: Hell Yeah!
Synopsis: As Kite Man and Golden Glider wing it against an unexpected adversary, Darkseid visits Malice on the anniversary of her parents' deaths.
"To Get to the Other Side, Hell Yeah!" is the penultimate episode of the season. Kite Man and Golden Glider try to go on the run with Anti-Life Equation while they try to come up with a plan to destroy but things go awry as luck would have it. Lex Luthor makes his move to get it for himself but the rest of the cast as something to say about that. Meanwhile, Darkseid enters the fray but his search hits a snag. Likewise, things take a turn for Queen of Fables and Bane as well. Nothing is going right in the second to last episode of the season. Will it go right for anyone in the season finale or will a wild card or two steal the spotlight?
The episode really does its job in presenting the stakes Kite Man and Golden Glider face with dealing with the Anti-Life Equation. The destruction of the nuclear reactor last week highlights the extreme solution with a man-made object isn't the solution. This week it's foreshadowed that Kite Man will be the ultimate solution somehow now that he knows he doesn't want power. The massacre caused by a mere chicken being empowered by the Equation strikes it home to them they can't just hide it or give it away. No one thinks Kite Man and Golden Glider are dumb enough to go back to Noonan's. Kite Man thinks they shouldn't go back either. It certainly feels like they are setting up Kite Man for a heroic sacrifice at Noonan's in the season finale, but let's be realistic - they won't off their title character and something random will happen instead.
Similarly, Malice has a choice to make. As the rich-girl-turned-impoverished arc comes to a head, she makes the surprising choice of lying to her godfather Darkseid about who has the Anti-Life Equation and dancing around to agreeing to return to Apokolips with him. To add to the drama, it's the anniversary of when he killed her parents. Malice's existential crisis is interrupted when she's called in to deal with the chicken but in another shock to the system, she watches in horror as the giant chicken beats up Chessure and leaves her a bloody pulp a la Jurassic Park ending.
Bane's babysitting misadventure continues as well. It feels like another set up for the season finale. Of all the stories he could have told Goldilocks, he tells her of his failed crush on Rebecca Chen. And what happens, Goldilocks uses the Portal Potty and presumably ends up in 1986 where Golden Glider sent Rebecca back to a couple episodes ago. Bane even plants the idea to Goldilocks the story's ending is unwritten and maybe even one day she'll save her. If I were a betting man, I think they're setting up Rebecca as a wild card that snatches the Anti-Life Equation at the last second. What that means for the next conflict in a hypothetical season two is scary. With that kind of power, worst mom of the century Rebecca Chen could make for a rather formidable supervillain...
It's very interesting to see the differences between Helen Villigan and Lex Luthor begin to surface. Helen does the mental calculus and quickly bows out but figures out how to still get something out of the ordeal, her Villigan's Crime business gets exclusive access to Apokolips. Lex is still going to go behind Darkseid's back and try to force Kite Man to give him the Anti-Life Equation but it blows up in his face and a LOT of Lex goons bite it. Darkseid, meanwhile, seems easily tricked on this show but when he figures that out he never forgets. Not even when it comes to a pushy pet store associate named Brandon who made him pay more to have Chessure chipped when he bought her for Malice.
The gags and callbacks were really on point this week and were a true pleasure. Kite Man delighting in stealing a big rig truck, but the look on Glider's face during the ride was priceless. Darkseid's love-hate relationship with his Ominous Choir. Malice having the "Lee Trevino" at the ready. Bane getting Goldilocks and having three lollipops ready. The nonchalant cafe worker who accepts the eggs and Kite Man thinking he fleeced him good. The chicken sparing the vegan couple! The ongoing gag of how old Noonan really is. A really surprising callback was all of Queen of Fables' army makes a return since their very quick cameos in episode 3 "So You Need A Crew" and episode 7 "The Line" of Harley Quinn season one. Aside from Golidlocks and the Three Bears, all of those designs are exactly as they appeared back then years ago. My favorite subtle sight gag was without a doubt Lex holding a gun to Noonan's head when in reality his goons were once again holding up a TV and Lex was standing with a gun to look like he was really there. Can you really argue against a sequence of events in which Kite Man uses an oversized mallet to hit the rear of a giant chicken to get it to regurgitate the Anti-Life Equation only for said mallet to land on his crotch?
There's not much to nitpick this week. It feels like an oddly timed break in pacing that Queen of Fables suddenly has to leave the action and go in her book's realm only to discover her army is rebelling and trying to unionize but she quickly squashes it. But by the time she comes back, the fight is wrapped up. The only thing I found really glaring was the animation quality this week. It left a lot to be desired especially when it comes to the backgrounds. That quick close up shot of Runnyside Up Farms was atrocious and the circus backgrounds looked sparse and unfinished. What Studio IAM was thinking, I couldn't fathom. Other than that, it was still a really fun and entertaining episode overall.
In "To Get to the Other Side, Hell Yeah!", the pieces are all starting to fall into place for next week's exciting conclusion. Kite Man and Golden Glider had a preview of what kind of horrors the Anti-Life Equation in the wrong hands can entail but they're nowhere closer to figuring out how to safely get rid of it without dooming all of known existence. But one telling development of it not being able to adversely affect our lead character foreshadows some possible heartbreak and heroic sacrifice is on the horizon. This week was action packed but perhaps only a preamble to the season finale when perhaps Luthor will try again but with the full force of the Legion of Doom. But will all that matter when Darkseid shows up for his prize? This spin-off has centered on the underdogs getting theirs but could a wild card like Rebecca Chen or a random like Goldilocks emerge the victor? More importantly will Brandon get what he deserves?!
Rating: 8.5 out of 10