JLU "The Once and Future Thing, Parts 1 & 2" Talkback, Part III (Spoilers)

[Bird Boy]

Discuss the two-part first season finale of Justice League Unlimited!

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Episode #12 & 13 - The Once and Future Thing, Parts 1 & 2
Original Airdates - January 22nd, 2005 & January 29th, 2005

After being flung to the past, the Justice League's adventures in time now take them to a futuristic Gotham City, where they join forces with that era's Batman and his super team: The Justice League Unlimited.

Comments?

Note: This is Part III of the talkback. Part II can be found here.

 

[EJill34]

Me too...that was the 2nd best line of the night, behind his introductions between old and middle-aged Bruce

Nah, the best line was the revolutionary war soldiers saying "Fire at Will." I didn't get it until the 2nd time I watched the episode, but it was a very funny moment.

 

[Knight]

I loved this ep and all but what did Batman do to Chronos?

Is it just him and his wife stuck in a timeloop?

If so that brings up a interesting question because I assume time is passing for the outside world and it isnt for them.

What happenes when the bills dont get payed and the collectors show up? What happenes when the people they interact with notice they havent been around? What happens when the police enter there house and see those wo stuck on repeat? Will the Chronos belt ever run out of power? Maybe its better for the JL to let Chronos steal the utlility belt and be done with it.Maybe then he doesnt become the guy who starts stealing big things (like buildings).

 

[Squall]

Speaking of Terry's lines, it always amazes me how characters in Timm & Co.'s DCAU, even if they only get a few lines, and haven't appeared on-screen in years, still have perfect characterizations. Those lines were sooo what Terry would normally say! How do they keep these characters so spot-on, in such varying situations?

I hope we see Batman Beyond and his JLU at least one more time before JLU comes to its end. Next time, Batman doesn't have to time travel! It could be, say, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and the Flash. I'd love to see how Flash and Batman Beyond (Terry) get along, and see the Batman Beyond-JLU (everyone that was in "The Call") make one last appearance.

 

[Supremus]

Nah, the best line was the revolutionary war soldiers saying "Fire at Will." I didn't get it until the 2nd time I watched the episode, but it was a very funny moment.

I'm suing! They stole that idea from my 8 years old hilarious Star Trek joke.

One of my minions actually believed me when I told him the leaked synopsis for the new Star Trek:TNG movie was:

Commander Riker is tragically killed in battle when an overzealous ensign misinterprets Picard's order to "fire at Will".

Now that's comedy.



Why do these threads always end up being about Star Trek?

 

[paulie]

Nah, the best line was the revolutionary war soldiers saying "Fire at Will." I didn't get it until the 2nd time I watched the episode, but it was a very funny moment.

Oh man, that totally went over my head...that's good stuff, hahaha

 

[Knight]

Now that I think of it Chronos is actually too dangerous to be left on infinite reset. So maybe the future Bruce should have some people pay him a visit right at the point where he is getting ready to go back in time and fry his belt. Maybe that would have been a good way to end the ep. Having Static, Terry and Warhawk destroying his belt just as he pushs the button and hauling him off to jail. That way you wouldnt have people thinking because Terry died in a alternate future that he was stilll dead.

 

[Rabi~en~Rose]

I hope we see Batman Beyond and his JLU at least one more time before JLU comes to its end. Next time, Batman doesn't have to time travel! It could be, say, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and the Flash. I'd love to see how Flash and Batman Beyond (Terry) get along, and see the Batman Beyond-JLU (everyone that was in "The Call") make one last appearance.

it wouldn't even have to be timetravel. a JLU is a JLU so they can do an episode based entirely on an adventure of the future JLU it would be the least they can do to make up for this mess and the uncalled for killing of Terry

 

[Squall]

What happenes when the bills dont get payed and the collectors show up? What happenes when the people they interact with notice they havent been around? What happens when the police enter there house and see those wo stuck on repeat? Will the Chronos belt ever run out of power? Maybe its better for the JL to let Chronos steal the utlility belt and be done with it.Maybe then he doesnt become the guy who starts stealing big things (like buildings).

Chronos is the only one stuck in a timeloop -- his wife isn't. From his wife's point of view, she only nags on him once, and then he leaves, just like he did the first time. She goes on with her life... but, unless she gets her own job, since her husband never reappears again, she'll have to sell the house and get a job and an apartment, or move back in with her mother.

My question is... how did Batman know about that conversation, or when that conversation took place, at all? That's the big plot hole for me. Also, why didn't Batman just take the belt from Chronos, and drop him off right where he left before being in the Watchtower? Then confiscated the original Chronos's belt as well... Oh, wait, I think Heisenberg's head is exploding in his grave.

 

[BeastBoyWonder]

Now that I think of it Chronos is actually too dangerous to be left on infinite reset. So maybe the future Bruce should have some people pay him a visit right at the point where he is getting ready to go back in time and fry his belt. Maybe that would have been a good way to end the ep. Having Static, Terry and Warhawk destroying his belt just as he pushs the button and hauling him off to jail. That way you wouldnt have people thinking because Terry died in a alternate future that he was stilll dead.

Actually, they could have probably made a really cool scene at the end of the episode of Terry intimidating Clinton into never ever using (or maybe developing?) the chrono-suit in the first place.

it wouldn't even have to be timetravel. a JLU is a JLU so they can do an episode based entirely on an adventure of the future JLU it would be the least they can do to make up for this mess and the uncalled for killing of Terry

I actually agree, a while ago I thought that a random episode set in the future here and there would be a really cool twist in the show. Another neat thing they could do with this format is not involve the Justice League at all, just like an adventure or story about some individual DCAU character -- these guys could really take advantage of the flexibility of the new format.

 

[PeterFries]

By the way, does it say anywhere, who did the voice for Hal? I'd love to know, and I don't know if it appears in the credits.

According to b.t. elsewhere, Adam Baldwin was his voice.

 

[SilverKnight]

I'm suing! They stole that idea from my 8 years old hilarious Star Trek joke.

That was a Star Trek joke?

Oh. Redshirts. Fire at will.

...

Ooooh, fire at Will. I get it! ...Wait, was that intentional? >brain sparks<

Why do these threads always end up being about Star Trek?

It wasn't until you brought it up.

 

[multivac]

My question is... how did Batman know about that conversation, or when that conversation took place, at all? That's the big plot hole for me. Also, why didn't Batman just take the belt from Chronos, and drop him off right where he left before being in the Watchtower? Then confiscated the original Chronos's belt as well... Oh, wait, I think Heisenberg's head is exploding in his grave.

Batman doesn't need to know that. He can just set the program like "If anyone enters the time portal -> Go back to five seconds ago".

 

[multivac]

I just rewatched the last two episodes. Anyone noticed that at the end in the cafeteria, the plates/cups/food/chairs are a little different? I think it means timeline did have changed a bit...

 

[maxnugget]

You'd think all Batman would have to do is take the belt, time-travel back to the end of part 1, and give Chronos that famous BTAS/TNBA backhand punch when Chronos tries to push the belt button that electrocutes Batman.

 

[Vixen]

Still, what the...?

(I haven't read through all of the replies as of yet, so some of what I'm stating might have already been said.)

After rewatching the show, there are a few things that were answered, but there are still a lot of things that WEREN'T. In a way, to me, there really wasn't a point to this story. Especially since one of the three key players doesn't remember anything of the mission-past or future time travel. So where exactly does this bring us? Is it to prove that Batman Beyond is the future, or as Bruce Timm has said, that BB is a possible or potential future? To me, this looks like a possible (only slightly) future b/c GL & Bats have seen it, and remember it, so I'm sure that they're going to have reservations about future actions (especially GL). All in all, I think the writers were trying to hard to try to fit BB into continuity by even coming up w/this story. Last week's episode was WAY better than this. My score, unfortunately, is gonna be a low one. And I think that the scenes after the show being more interesting than the actual show doesn't bode well for this episode.

 

[shany94a]

I would have liked more talking between the JLU Batman and Terry, but hey, why pollute the timestream further ...

Seeing the present-day Batman make his way about the rooftops of the futuristic Gotham was still something to watch. "Are criminals still cowardly and superstitious?"

 

[Zebi]

According to b.t. elsewhere, Adam Baldwin was his voice.

If that's true, than they sure got a lot of work out of Adam these past two episodes (he was also the voice of Bonk and Jonah Hex). It's great to hear his voice again ... last time I heard Adam in a cartoon, he was the voice of Agent X from Season 4 of Men in Black: The Series.

I really enjoyed seeing Static and Terry again - and Batman meeting "Old Man Wayne" was fun! The development with Warhawk was interesting; I wonder if John will let Shayera in on the secret (that is, if baby Rex hasn't been born yet)?

 

[Squall]

The development with Warhawk was interesting; I wonder if John will let Shayera in on the secret (that is, if baby Rex hasn't been born yet)?

Perhaps Rex has already been conceived, as in sometime between "Wild Cards" and "Starcrossed"... after all, the length of pregnancy for a Thanagarian could be much longer than that of a Human...

 

[Dwayne McDuffie]

My question is... how did Batman know about that conversation, or when that conversation took place, at all? That's the big plot hole for me. Also, why didn't Batman just take the belt from Chronos, and drop him off right where he left before being in the Watchtower? Then confiscated the original Chronos's belt as well... Oh, wait, I think Heisenberg's head is exploding in his grave.

Batman didn't know what conversation he dropped Chronos into, but as you suggest he did know (from the belt's activity log) to loop Chronos just before the trip that brought him to the Watchtower. He chose that point hoping to minimize changes to "our" timeline. If Batman simply returned Chonos to that point without the belt, Chronos would simply build another belt and attack again -this time with preknowledge of Batman's strategy. I imagine Chronos took several shots at various JLU members before finally succeeding in killing them. Batman looped Chronos because it was the only non-lethal way to protect the timestream.

Oh, and Heisenberg didn't have much to say about time travel, his most famous idea tells us you can't know the position and velocity of a particle simultaneously.