Special Guest Host Billy D from Magazines and Monsters helps Chris & Cindy cover “The Great Brain Robbery”. When Flash and Lex Luthor accidentally switch minds, calamity ensues! Will Lex as Flash escape the Watchtower? Will Flash as Lex escape the amorous intentions of the mystic Tala? And does he even want to?
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Clip credits:
Clips from Justice League Unlimited “The Great Brain Robbery”, music by Michael McCustion, and theme by Kristopher Carter.
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1. I Guess if Lex Luthor does’nt know Wally west Crisis never happen Or FLASH HISTORY is totally diffrent.
1 and a half I always assume there WAS a Barry allan who had been Flash. That’s why Batman knew Wally
2 If your sleeping your way to the top of the Legion you gotta be pretty happy when luthor takes over from the guy who gave you fleas
1. Well, DCAU Wally is keeping his identity secret apparently.
2. Since apparently Wally WAS Kid-Flash (or somene was), I have to assume that too, but it’s never been confirmed. They almost did an episode focusing no him and the original members, but the continuity landmines were too much to bare, I suppose.
3. Good one!
ape or Not Luthor beats grod on the gropie scale Superman’s number 1 foe beats Flash’s number 2 foe
Comics connection! In Flash #266 (October 1978) Heat Wave knocks out The Flash and says, “Now to remove Flash’s cowl — and reveal his true identity! Hmm — I know I’ve seen that face somewhere before…But I just can’t place where! Ironic! I finally pull off the criminal coup of the decade — the unmaskin’ of the Flash — and I still don’t know who he is!” The he placed Flash in a cryogenic chamber. To be continued!
I was intrigued by the actors’ imitating the other’s characters! This is how a Deadman TV show should, but never will, be. The actor playing Boston “Deadman” Brand, only appears as a ghost. When he takes over someone else’s body, the actor who is that body would then imitate the actor of Boston Brand. For instance, if Christopher Walken was cast as Boston Brand, when Deadman possessed Peter Dinklage or Meryl Streep then Dinklage or Streep would imitate Walken while they were possessed.
I don’t know how Billy D. had time to come on this podcast when he produces about 70 of his own each week! In fact he’s next in my queue, with Martin! Hi Martin!
Chris, did you get that thing I sent you?
Uncle Terry, that was Dad’s plan for an episode of “Done-In-One Wonders” season 3 that he had to drop because of lack of time. It would had covered a one-in-done Deadman story, and special guest Deadman would have to possess various members of the Xum Crew in order to be part of the conversation. And in-between possessions Deadman would make snarky remarks about the Xum Crewman he just possessed “behind their backs,” as it were (including some jibes at “Professor Xum” himself).
Dad was considering Ryan Daly to play Deadman, so imagine Terra Man, Solomon Grundy, and Bizarro dropping their accents and mannerisms and talking like Uncle Ryan in those voices. Dad’s plan was to have Uncle Ryan record all the Deadman lines to guide how the possessed characters would speak, and Uncle Ryan’s voice would also be a “faint echo” under the character voice so listeners would know which one was possessed. L.A.N.O.S. and Maya’s analysis of Deadman would had provided another variable for Darkseid’s Anti-Life Equation.
Sorry for being way off topic… Uncle Terry’s comment about Deadman just reminded me of this…
Oh man, that would have been great. Ryan would make a great Deadman, although I think now Shawn M. Meyers would be insanely jealous!
Ah yes, Heatwave DID unmask Flash! I totally blanked on that. So two late 70s Flash references (including the vibrating fingers death touch thing, which I failed to bring up again in Comic Connections).
A Deadman series like that would be awesome. As for Billy D, I think he taps into the Speed Force like our own Siskoid and Rob Kelly, and uses it to produce podcasts!
No, I haven’t gotten anything…
I think that’s just what they did in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, when Deadman appeared in that series. Thumbs up!
This was a fun discussion about a fun episode. Thank you.
A few random thoughts from me:
It is nice to see a mind-switching story on a cartoon that doesn’t have the old trope of the characters also switching voices. Even a possessed Talia from the BATMAN BEYOND episode, “Out of the Past,” talked with Raʾs al Ġhūl’s voice…
So wait… Ice was taken down by “Bad Flash” in the Watchtower, which was locked down to prevent “Bad Flash” from escaping, and yet she was also part of the Metro Tower team that helped foil the train robbery…?!
Speaking of Ice, she was really badass in how she stopped Dr. Polaris from stealing a few of the Euro crates (I suppose those metal nails were hammered into those wooden crates nice and tight) as well as being the only Metro Tower Leaguer to evade Polaris’ attacks.
The “Hall of Doom” restrooms having multiple stalls is not different from rest rooms in an office building, or the common area of a hotel, which is what the “Hall of Doom” essentially is…
There is a “comic connection” to Green Lantern John Stewart being “hurt” when “Bad Flash” burst his bubble. John actually had a similar experience, which writer Len Wein called “psychic feedback,” in Green Lantern #183. His attempt to stop a huge tidal wave with a power-ringed dam failed, and when the dam broke, the feedback actually knocked John out.
Talia telling Grodd to “go eat a banana” was quite a jibe, since “The Brave and the Bold” established that Grodd hates bananas…
I think “Bad Flash”‘s plan in outting the “Leaguer spy” to the Legion was to get “Good Luthor” killed before Dr. Fate could switch their minds back, then Luthor would be “Bad Flash” for the rest of his life. It makes sense that Lex didn’t I.D. Flash as the spy, because the Legion may go after “Bad Flash” later, thinking the real Flash had somehow escaped his… doom…
The next episode is the one with all those “I watch JLU for the plot” memes, isn’t it…? Until then…
First, thank you for the pronunciation key. Maybe we’ll all stop calling our favorite nephew 15 different names!
There’s aspects of “Out of the Past” that haven’t aged too well. We found that out when we brought it up before. But yeah, I’m glad they didn’t switch voice actors.
I need to go back and confirm that Ice WAS indeed in the Watchtower melee, but if so, that’s a Super Friends level goof! LIke Batman being “dead” but standing there trying to figure out what to do with the still-living Leaguers in “Super Friends: Rest In Peace”!
Yes, the Hall of Doom restroom is more like a hotel or office, but it’s still weird that it looks nicer than the Watchtower’s version!
I did not know about GL #183. Great catch! As is the banana callback!
Luthor in Flash’s body for all time is scary. Plus, he would have gotten his naturally red hair back!
Yes, there’s a lot of …ahem… Leaguer on Leaguer action of the female variety. We’ll be sure to bring that aspect up.
Ice was one of the unconscious in the Watchtower melee…
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Thanks for the confirmation, and now I’m mad at myself for missing that! That is indeed a Super Friends level goof-up! What’s next, John Stewart with three arms?
I know how that Challenge of the Superfriends goof happened, by the way…
Great episode. The weirdest thing about the Hall of Doom restroom, for me, is imagining the process of cleaning it. What kind of person works as a janitor for a supervillain headquarters? Does the Legion of Doom have an HR rep tasked with hiring them? How does the building get its new supplies of soap and TP? It’s almost enough to take me out of the story.
I recall watching this episode when it debuted with a group of friends, most of whom weren’t comic geeks, so I imagine it was the first time any of them had heard of Dr. Fate, Mr. Terrific, etc. It’s really a perfect episode for the layman, since it’s so damn funny. (I remember the two lines that really killed with that crowd were “I have no idea who this is” and “No. ‘Cause I’m evil.”)
Yes, both Clancy Brown and Michael Rosenbaum give great performances here, but Brown is truly phenomenal. I seriously can’t think of a past performance of his where he doesn’t play a rat bastard (I always think of him as the sadistic guard in “The Shawshank Redemption”; on “The Crown” he played LBJ who—regardless what you think of him as President—was famous for being a complete jerk to everyone around him). It’s such a departure to hear him as a essentially decent goofball, with the added wrinkle of having to filter it through yet another bastard. I bet he had the time of his life recording it.
There are probably henchranks. They don’t bring you on a daring bank robbery, first outing. You’re on hyena duty for a while.
Yeah, I agree with Siskoid that probably some low-level LODer like Hellhound (who is in the next episode) is the one who has to change the toilet paper, maybe order it, etc. OR, maybe they go through a temp or staffing service? Imagine you’re catching up with an old friend, and ask them where they are working.
They say “The Legion of Doom headquarters.”
“You work for the LEGION OF DOOM?”
“No, I don’t technically work FOR them. But my company has a contract with them. I am hoping to get on full time with them though. They have great benefits. You should see their restrooms!”.
Clancy Brown is great in EVERYTHING, but yes, usually a villain. I guess Mister Krabs kind of counts too. I will always go right back to The Kurgan. One of the great screen villains, in my opinion.
Great show, Cindy and Chris,
I learned two things from this episode:
1. Flash is a generous lover
2. I would love a workplace comedy starring the Legion of Doom. We get that in small parts thru the Harley Quinn and Kiteman shows, but I want it to have it’s own, live action thing similar to the Office.
1. Apparently so. Linda Park is a lucky lady!
2. I would be down for that. I guess you can kinda see SOME of that in the “Legends of the Super Heroes” specials. Those parts work better with the villains than the heroes, I think.
Yay, the Franklins AND Billy! What a treat!
Regarding the Legion of Doom not realizing what was up with Luthor sooner: more like Legion of Dumb, amirite?!
For such a brief appearance, I loved Dr Light in this episode. Lauren Thom nails the character, and the design looks great and her powers are very effective. It left me wanting more. Wouldn’t it have been fun to have a story with her versus the villainous Dr Light? Has he appeared in any LoD group shots?
About GL’s weakness to yellow, there was the funny bit when Flash was mind controlled by Grodd, threw a banana at GL, and John didn’t try to stop it with his ring unlike everything else that Flash threw. Now this is the second time something yellow AND thrown at Flash speeds has struck John. That’s a fun coincidence.
I agree with the take on Luthor being more deadly and destructive with Flash’s powers. The word that comes to mind is restraint. Wally could use his powers to devastating effects, but like John implied, Wally shows restraint because he’s a hero and avoids hurting people. Everything we’ve seen about his character in this show confirms that. Is he also an airhead? Heck yeah! And he’s a science nerd in his day job, so he’s got the book smarts. That doesn’t always equate common sense. (Gee, it’s like I’m talking from experience.) Like I dunno, cuddling with a hot supervillain. Sigh, another trip to HR for Flash.
Wasn’t Barry shown and named as Wally’s boss in his forensics job? So maybe there wasn’t a Barry Flash in the DCAU. But! Could Jay Garrick have been Wally’s mentor? Hmmmm!
So the cliche is “good” girls like “bad” boys. Is the opposite true? Or did Tala just enjoy the novelty of Good Lex, after years of being only with villains? Maybe someone has self-esteem issues.
Sheesh, and I didn’t think I had much to say about this episode, except that it absolutely is a favorite. So many memorable lines and moments!
No, I don’t think the villainous Dr. Light was ever on JLU. Maybe because he was on Teen Titans? Thankfully he wasn’t the Brad Meltzer version!
I forgot about the banana bit! Odd that the yellow weakness only seems to come up in food form.
In “Flash and Substace”, there was a blonde guy who looked like Barry who seemed to be Wally’s supervisor, but I don’t think his name was mentioned.
I think Tala just liked…the attention, the generosity, and the enthusiasm! 😉
Hello Franklins, great to have you back. And congrats on the new addition to your family! This episode of JLU is one of my favorites for how fun it is, and your coverage has made even more fun. I listened to it while at the gym this morning, and you had me laughing so much I didn’t get much benefit from my workout. 😀 I almost lost it at Cindy’s “takes role playing to a whole new level” comment!
I really enjoyed how well Clancy Brown and Michael Rosenbaum switched personalities for their lines. There were a couple times that I questioned whether it was really Clancy Brown or Michael Rosenbaum delivering the lines. I also loved all the insults and one-liners throughout the episode. Dwayne McDuffie was a true genius and was taken from this world far too early. May ne rest in peace.
As for why Sinestro needs earth money, he has to pay his Legion dues somehow, right? I mean, those bathroom custodians aren’t free. Also, regarding the wrap up for the Brianiac/Luthor mind meld, if you haven’t seen it, the Watchtower Database YouTube channel did a video on this topic that if very interesting. To sum it up, the idea is that the Luthor/Brianiac interactions are all in Luthor’s head and may be a result of Grodd using his mental abilities to mess with Lex. Considering that Lex can’t unlock Brainiac while Grodd is… incapacitated, it makes some sense. Link to the video is below – check it out to see the full theory; it’s an interesting idea. (Spoilers for anyone who hasn’t finished season 3.)
Sorry, I forgot to include the link to the video. It’s https://youtu.be/2EQjambgba4.
Thanks for the link Chris! I subscribe to the Watchtower Database channel, and I have probably watched that video before, but I spaced on their theory. It’s a good one! Not sure I 100% head canon subscribe to it, but it’s a nice take, and it totally makes sense.
Sorry we messed up your gym experience, but at least you got a few laughs out of it! That’s good for the stomach muscles, right?
Late to the game. Love this episode!
Too many funny lines. I think ‘Because I’m evil’ in the restroom is my ultimate fave. But ‘that’s not restful’ and the Charlton Heston line are both big wins.
I always thought that Tala wasn’t a doormat or silly. I think she was shrewd, using her sexuality to basically be the Queen and run the show. My guess is she is working her … ahem … magic to influence decisions made by both Grodd and Lex. For sure, if Polaris became the boss she would be his girlfriend.
This episode is going to be a heavy contender for the Season ending “JL Communicator” best of award. So many great lines!
Hmm, interesting theory that she was using magic to influence the Legion’s leaders. It would have been nice to see this fleshed out, or even hinted at. I kind of changed my mind about the doormat comment by episode’s end, but she does allow herself to be talked to in a really awful way…when she could probably just rip the skin off Lex and leave him standing there.