DC Superhero Girls Reviews (Part 2)

Episode name: Shock It to Me
Episode number(s): 11
Synopsis: Leslie Willis, the meanest girl in school, becomes a social media sensation by posting mean-spirited videos on her MetropoVids channel, causing Wonder Woman to question the moral integrity of the people who live in the World of Man.
Thoughts: This is another episode made to introduce you to a main-stay villain, and I really gotta say…this is definitely the weakest one. I like Leslie, I like her energy (as a villain), but the whole thing is just a “don’t bully, kids!” episode and Leslie’s entire motivation for upgrading from bully to supervillain is somebody saying her videos are too mean-spirited. Like yeah??? That’s the point of them, man. And I really gotta say I don’t buy for one second that the girls would find this channel funny. Like Kara would maybe be ok with it? But the rest of them…no. Absolutely not. Shock It to Me is somewhat entertaining, but really the only note-worthy thing about it is the introduction of Leslie/Livewire.
Rating: 3/10, optional watch

Episode name: She Might Be Giant
Episode number(s): 12
Synopsis: Karen tries to upgrade her Bumblebee suit so it makes her giant-sized instead of bug-sized. Giganta beats all the other Superhero Girls and it’s up to Bumblebee to stop her.
Thoughts: Another really weak villain introduction, hooray! This is our second “Karen doubts herself but learns she’s great just the way she is” episode and between this one and Beeline, I’d take Beeline any day. Just like Shock It to Me, this episode is made to introduce a main-stay villain, and one that I really like too, but unlike Shock It to Me, this one is just boring….so, so boring. The lesson is good, and I don’t know why, but I find Doris/Giganta’s stupidity super charming but just like Beeline, this one really needed a rewrite. This time more than one. I wanted this one to be good so, so badly, and they almost made it! But in the end they just missed the mark so hard it almost hurts. Definitely better than Shock It to Me, but again, only watch this one if you wanna see how Doris became a supervillain.
Rating: 4/10, optional watch

Episode name: Fight at the Museum
Episode number(s): 13
Synopsis: Supergirl attempts to foil a burglary perpetrated by Catwoman.
Thoughts: I adore this episode. To be fair, I’m incredibly biased as I adore Selina/Catwoman, but I like to think even if I had a different fav character, I’d still be a huge fan of this episode. Now this is how you introduce a supervillain, people! The episode’s lesson is all about thinking ahead and not rushing into everything and that’s a good message to carry but to be honest I just adore it for how well Kara and Selina’s personalities mesh together. Selina’s careful planning and clever comebacks are the perfect foil for Kara’s bullheaded, “I can do this on my own” attitude and just watching Kara slowly get angrier and angrier leading her to fall into more and more of Selina’s traps is a delight. You can see just how much Selina is enjoying every second she’s on screen. I also love how all the other villains try to get away with their plans in their introduction episode even after they know they can’t win but the minute Selina’s outnumbered she just gives back everything she was gonna steal and runs away like “this ain’t worth a jail cell, here, just take it”.
Rating: 9/10, definitely watch (personal favorite though and I am extremely biased)

Episode name: From Bat to Worse
Episode number(s): 14
Synopsis: Babs tells her friends how she wanted to be Batman’s sidekick before moving from Gotham to Metropolis. Batman calls her father, Commissioner Gordon, about a Gotham villain coming to Metropolis, and Babs sees this as her chance to impress Batman and join the Bat-team.
Thoughts: Last of the villain introductions (least til Harleen comes to town), From Bat to Worse is so much more than just a villain introduction. It’s kinda just made to get you acquainted with Pam/Poison Ivy, knowing you’ll meet her in a more official sense later on. The true story is about Babs sneaking away from her dad to try and impress Batman, and just like Super Who?, the lesson isn’t really one I can describe. You really only understand it by watching the episode, but let me just tell you that it’s a good one. Definitely one of the better villain introductions, though I must say I do find it weird that Babs sewed a bomb into her favorite plushie. Wonder how she managed to hide that from her dad all these years.
Rating: 7/10, definitely watch

Episode name: Crushing It
Episode number(s): 15
Synopsis: Diana Prince is absolutely crushing it in every single aspect of life as a student at Metropolis High, until Steve Trevor shows up and throws her off her game.
Thoughts: This episode had me laughing until my sides were sore, I swear. Lauren Faust said in a tweet she and the rest of the crew are playing Steve simply for humor and not for romance in the slightest and let me tell you: it’s working. I absolutely adore this man; every oblivious moment he’s on screen, every stupid reaction Diana has to him. From Jess’ debate on whether toilet paper rolls should hang over or under to her friends trying to assassinate Steve just cause Diana can’t function with him around, this episode was a delight from start to finish and is one of the best of the episodes that just wanna make you laugh. If you don’t like this kind of humor, I’d recommend staying away from this one, though.
Rating: 9/10, definitely watch (depends on personal preference tho)

Episode name: Misgiving Tree
Episode number(s): 16
Synopsis: Jessica Cruz and Pam Isley bond over protecting an ancient tree from being cut down. When the workmen arrive to cut the tree, Pam attacks them as Poison Ivy while Jessica protects them as Green Lantern.
Thoughts: Now this is Pam’s true introduction to the series. This is one of the best episodes the show has ever produced, at least in my opinion. Jess’ desperate desire to befriend Pam just feels so real and you can perfectly understand exactly why she’s trying as well as why she’s locked herself in this alternate reality where she’s just making Pam hate her more with every attempt. It also communicates extremely well why Pam, with her own twisted version of reality, is pushing Jess as far away as possible. Not because of anything she’s done, but simply because she was born a human and Pam doesn’t trust humans. Her end goal is mass genocide; she literally refers to them as monsters in this episode. Every single part of this episode just feels so real, so overflowing with emotion. And their different approaches to protect the King of the Forest…just, please, please watch this episode. I cannot describe its majesty.
Rating: 10/10, definitely watch

Episode name: Illusions of Grandeur
Episode number(s): 17
Synopsis: Zee tries to win over crowds at the Metropolis pier with her magic.
Thoughts: Illusions of grandeur indeed. Guess they spent all their talent on Misgiving Tree. I’m not even sure I quite understand the message they’re trying to send here. Don’t curse your competitors? Just let hacks be hacks? The whole “the squeamish among you may want to look away as I make my assistant disappear” thing is just stupid, too, and let’s not forget how they completely abandon Zee’s wish to go it alone without breaking her father’s heart in favor of just watching a pack of gremlins destroy stuff. This could have been a great, really heartfelt episode if they had followed the plotline they originally set up, but as it is it’s just bland and so forgettable I legitimately didn’t remember it when I first read the title.
Rating: 2/10, optional watch (leaning towards skip)

Episode name: Beasts in Show
Episode number(s): 18
Synopsis: Babs and Kara enter their respective dogs Ace and Krypto into a dog show.
Thoughts: Another episode that really should have aired after Frenemies, especially considering the next episode, but again, another episode I can forgive for airing sooner. It’s not a perfect episode by any means, but I definitely still enjoy it quite a bit! I love the dogs’ personalities and just how much they differ and just how Babs and Kara are so proud of their good boys they’re straight up ready to fight for their honor, not to mention how genius it was to bring in to make Harleen’s hyenas the villains. You’re not gonna miss any important plot details or winning jokes if you skip this episode, but it’s still an enjoyable watch I definitely wouldn’t skip myself.
Rating: 5/10, optional watch

Episode name: GothamCon
Episode number(s): 19
Synopsis: Babs and Harleen go to the GothamCon convention where Babs hopes to meet Batman but meets Robin instead.
Thoughts: This is my favorite episode of the entire series. I just love Harleen and Babs’ friendship so incredibly much (it’s the reason I decided to start watching this show). And while “Babs accidentally tells Harleen to kill a child” isn’t the most ideal setup, I still adore every second of this episode, especially the ones where Harleen and Babs interact. The montages, the jokes, just how affectionate the two are in every shot they’re together. The episode implies they’ve known each other since second grade and the pet names and constant hugs and carrying each other really shows that. Also, whoever thought of Harleen simply idolizing the Joker instead of dating him like she does in every other show is a genius. Thank you for saving Harleen from that terrible fate and giving her an actual good friend instead.
Rating: 10/10, definitely watch. (Again, I’m incredibly biased though. Opinions of this one may vary)

Episode name: DC Superhero Boys
Episode number(s): 20-21
Synopsis: The Superhero Girls investigate what they believe to be spray-tag vandalism when they encounter a rival superhero team, the Superhero Boys. Together, both teams fight off an invasion of three Kryptonians bent on world domination.
Thoughts: I used to find this episode bland, but I can now step back and realize that’s only in comparison to the other two-parters. I love the Invincibros so much (especially Oliver/Green Arrow) and their rivalry and competition with the Superhero Girls actually makes a lot of sense! I love that they found a way to bring Steve back, too. That was a great and fairly clever way to incapacitate Diana and give the Superhero Girls a disadvantage over their rivals. Overall a pretty enjoyable episode whose main flaw is just not living up to the other two-parters.
Rating: 7/10, definitely watch