REVIEW: Young Justice Season 4: Phantoms, Episode 12, “Og Htrof dna Requnoc”

"It was not an enemy that undid me; it was cancer."

Television Reviews

*SPOILERS*

“Og Htrof dna Requnoc” opens with a narration from Zatara about his early days as a stage magician. Meanwhile, Nabu and team Zatanna get their butts handed to them by Child, who then disappears with Flaw as Klarion reverts to his original form. Klarion looks back in time for a hero to help him, taking a school bus as his earthly tether. Zatara reveals Superman as his motivation to be a hero and use his abilities for good. Kent Nelson shows up in Zatara’s flashbacks just as the heroes compose themselves. Meanwhile, a tired and distracted Gar struggles to get through filming an episode of Space Trek. Nabu and Zatanna pass through several already-decimated cities in pursuit of Child while Klarion continues searching for the help he needs. Zatara and Zatanna’s wife and mother dies of cancer in the flashbacks. Vandal Savage looks on as chaos ensues on Earth. Gar goes home, allowing a co-star to take his lines for the episode. Zatanna and her students channel their magic through Nabu, but it isn’t enough, and Child secures another triumph. Klarion finds them at last. The narration is revealed as a conversation between Zatara and Nabu, the former sharing his story to one day be passed down to Zatanna. 

“Og Htrof dna Requnoc” is a really strong episode, and I think this may be my favorite arc this season. I definitely like it better than the M’gann/Conner/Garfield arc, which is unfortunate because those are some of my favorite characters. This episode continues to display the usefulness of montages and flashbacks, something I took issue with early on in Phantoms. For me, a big part of the difference is whether the flashbacks are new material or rehashes of prior seasons’ stories. But here, at least one of the flashbacks, the scene in which Zatara takes on the mantle of Dr. Fate to save Zatanna from being bound to it, is a holdover from a previous season. And I think that sequence still fits and works well within “Og Htrof dna Requnoc” because it’s integral to the point Zatara is trying to make. He’s given up his life and every chance at happiness to serve a greater purpose, and of course, to let Zatanna live out her life. Nabu doesn’t care about the day-to-day lives of mortals, only the greater good where the Earth is concerned. Convincing Nabu to do the right thing and tell Zatanna her father’s life story is in itself a Herculean task. This makes sense, as it took the persuasion of multiple people and a calamity to get him to face Child. I wonder if Nabu was always this cold and distant since he started out as a human, the son of Vandal Savage. Did he always see humans as a mere complication of his mission, or did he become this way over time? Did being a Lord of Order do this to him? The notion that the Lords of Order care as much about individual humans as the Lords of Chaos is troubling but not surprising. After all, Vandal Savage described them as “elemental” and “fundamental” to our world. There’s nothing warm and fuzzy about that. Order also doesn’t necessarily mean justice or protection for the righteous. This exploration of the Lords has been one of my favorite aspects of this arc. 

This is also the most we’ve learned about Zatara in Young Justice. For the most part, he’s been a background player, a springboard for Zatanna’s motivation and character development more than anything else. I liked how “Teg Ydaer!” delved into faith through his character and that of Khalid. “Og Htrof dna Requnoc” continues that as Zatara recalls praying during the difficult times in his life and receiving guidance that way. The scene where he reminisces on his wife’s fate is crushing and sheds further light on Zatanna as a character, too. Losing both parents at a relatively young age informs her mission to help young people like Khalid come into their own. I also like that Zatara can be realistic about his actions leaving Zatanna feeling abandoned, but that he also had no choice. Sometimes there isn’t a perfect solution. Speaking of Khalid, I hope he gets more focus in the future. I liked the brief glimpse of what I assumed to be his first meeting with Zatanna. In “Teg Ydaer!” he undoubtedly stole the show where her students are concerned. I like Mary’s backstory, and they’re making her somewhat morally gray, which is interesting. However, I don’t care for Traci so far. She’s annoying, and I find her voice distracting; every time she speaks, it pulls me out of the show. I’m not that familiar with Lauren Tom, so I can’t say if it’s her as an actress or her voice for this character specifically. It sounds like an adult trying to sound like a kid, which almost always bothers me in animation. We also know the least about her character, just that she’s insecure. I think most people are somewhat insecure, especially females. So this isn’t saying much. 

The scenes with the Klarion bus reveal how much foresight the Young Justice team really has. I hadn’t noticed this school bus in previous seasons, but I only saw them once, so I plan to go back and see these scenes again. The brief glimpses at Garfield’s situation are gut-wrenching. To see one of the most upbeat characters struggling with depression and sleep deprivation is just heartbreaking. I still don’t know if I believe Conner is really dead, but I have to admit it would be pretty cheap to force M’gann and Gar through all this trauma just to reveal he’s actually fine. 

Overall, “Og Htrof dna Requnoc” is a solid episode of Young Justice. The backstory continues to supplement and improve the current day plot, and the characters grow ever more interesting. The action in “Og Htrof dna Requnoc” is grand and epic. I’m surprised the Zatanna/Dr. Fate/Vandal Savage arc didn’t end here since the other story arcs have each been 4 episodes thus far. That being said, this is by far my favorite one yet, so I’m certainly not complaining.