REVIEW: Young Justice Season 4: Phantoms – Episode 5, “A Tale of Two Sisters”

"Cheshire, you came here to die. Come back when you're ready to live!"

Television Reviews

*SPOILERS*

“A Tale of Two Sisters” quickly catches up with Artemis before she finds Dick and Kaldur at her house. They inform her of what happened to Conner, and the usually happy, capable woman falls apart. She tells Will she knows how M’gann feels as they remember Artemis’ sister and his former wife, Jade. Artemis meets with her mother and decides she needs to try to help Jade. Her mother says that Jade is beyond help but gives Artemis her location anyway. A mysterious woman follows Artemis to the school. She’s disarmed by Artemis, Red Arrow, and Arrowette. Meanwhile, Jade trains at the temple. The woman introduces herself as Onyx Adams and warns them that Vandal Savage’s daughter Cassandra will claim to defect as part of an elaborate ruse. Cassandra arrives and does just that, while Talia Al Ghul says Jade is only with the Shadows because she’s afraid. Cassandra tells Artemis she came because Vandal killed Olympia, and she can’t take it anymore. A dart is aimed at Cassandra in the car, but Arrowette covers her and gets hit by it. In the ensuing skirmish, Cassandra saves Artemis. The group debates which Shadow defector to trust, if either of them. Jade comes to her mother’s house, and Artemis reveals that she was the one who summoned her.  

It’s good to check in on the heroes back on Earth. So far, the most we’ve seen of them was in the very beginning of “Inhospitable” and a couple of episodes’ post-credits scenes. M’gann is my favorite character in the series, so I’ve mostly enjoyed the story on Mars. But in a show with such a large cast, it makes sense to shift after four episodes following one small group. I have to say, though, I still don’t believe Conner is dead for real. Something felt off about the “death scene” and what followed. It just doesn’t feel like he’s gone no matter how major characters they show crying. I also don’t think it would be best for the story or his individual arc. For that matter, would they really split up another central couple this way like they did to Artemis and Wally? However, the way Artemis talks about Conner and M’gann goes to show how much she’s grown. Far from the overly-confident young girl who blurted out how hot Conner was, Artemis now considers him like a brother. She seems as concerned with M’gann and what she’s going through as her own grief. Keeping the team split up only magnifies the suffering as they can’t comfort one another from separate planets. The increasing isolation pushes her to seek out her sister, something that was unthinkable previously. The conflict between Artemis and Jade has been a recurring subplot throughout the previous seasons. Until now, I didn’t think the two would have a reconciliation after everything that’s happened. But now, it seems plausible and maybe even likely. This would also hopefully mean a happy reunion with Will and their daughter Lian. However, it may be hard to invite someone who abandoned them back into the home. Artemis essentially fulfills Jade’s duties as Lian’s mother and Will’s partner, if only in a practical sense. I loved the bit in Outsiders where it looked like they were going to pair up (which would be nasty since he was married to her sister.) I was confused and horrified for several episodes, but the resolution was both hilarious and a relief. Young Justice always finds ways to keep the audience on their toes. 

I’m intrigued by the defecting Shadows, and I genuinely can’t decide if I think one or both of them is telling the truth. Oftentimes, I find mystery subplots like this completely transparent. However, it really feels like this could go a number of ways. Notably, when Onyx initially thought Roy and Arrowette were sent by the Shadows, she told them they wouldn’t be taking her back. Likewise, there’s conviction in Cassandra’s voice when she talks about Olympia’s demise, and this is a believable reason to turn on her father. Both characters could still be lying and would have much to gain by doing so; Onyx has a long way to climb in the Shadows’ hierarchy. For her part, Cassandra could curry favor with her father, particularly if her story about her arm is true. Cassandra says Vandal Savage maimed her as a punishment for attempting to escape. Onyx says this is a lie, and it happened in training. Like everything else they both say, there’s no way to verify either claim. I feel at least one of these characters genuinely wants to clean up their life, and I want it to be Cassandra. I loved the scenes in Outsiders with Cassandra, Olympia, and Vandal Savage. The episode “Evolution” is one of my absolute favorites and really stuck out when I watched the first three seasons. This show has a vast cast of characters that rotate in and out of the main story, becoming more or less important to different arcs. But I would really love to see Vandal Savage become a significant antagonist this season, and I’m sure he will, given this focus on his daughters. This version of the character has ruined me; I didn’t know anything about him prior, but none of the others I’ve seen compare. I recently watched all of the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited cartoons, and while I enjoyed them, that version of Savage isn’t worth the dirt this one walks on. 

They’re obviously trying to parallel sisters Olympia and Cassandra with Jade and Artemis, at least insofar as Artemis perceives Cassandra. I like the contrast here; Artemis cares deeply for Jade but doesn’t know what she can do for her, if anything. Meanwhile, Cassandra stood by while her father murdered her sister and now (if she’s being truthful) wants to make amends. I really like Cassandra’s new design; her scars and damaged arm are brutal to look at. The action was also excellent in “A Tale of Two Sisters.” At one point, Will stabs one of the Shadows in the back with a pen, and blood gushes out. This is just a small detail, but I have to appreciate it. If this show was on Disney+ or aired on Cartoon Network instead of the HBO Max service, that wouldn’t fly. They bring back the trio of Harpers (Roy and his clones, Will and Jim) in “A Tale of Two Sisters,” and I’m here for it. These three were hysterical in Outsiders, and I hope they work together more in Phantoms. 

“A Tale of Two Sisters” is my favorite episode of Phantoms yet. The themes here are more interesting than “racism bad,” which, while true, isn’t terribly exciting or challenging. And while M’gann and Conner (whom I really don’t think will stay “dead”) are some of my favorite characters, what Artemis has to grapple with is more fun and unpredictable. Greg Weisman’s fingerprints are all over the literary allusions in this episode, another departure from the previous story arc.