Alive! (1)

Episode Summary & Review

Summary

Luthor and the Secret Society refit their headquarters and fly into deep space in a do or die attempt to reanimate Brainiac. En route, Tala frees Grodd, who leads a mutiny of other disaffected villains against Luthor and his supporters. Luthor uses his intellect and resourcefulness to counter his various adversaries’ powers; Grodd’s mind control ability is used against him, forcing him to step into an airlock, from which he is released into the void. Luthor uses Tala’s magic in an attempt to reconstitute Brainiac, but instead resurrects Darkseid (with Brainiac enhancements), who makes clear his plans to lay waste to Earth before destroying the Secret Society’s headquarters. Darkseid returns to Apokolips just in time to stop a war between the two factions of his Elite fighting for power, and reveals to them his plans of massive invasion. Luthor and the surviving Secret Society members turn to the Justice League for help.

Our Take

A fun villain-heavy hour that lets Luthor scheme his way through a full-blown mutiny, and the back-and-forth between the Society’s factions is more entertaining than most hero plots this season. The Grodd showdown pays off satisfyingly, and that ending twist is a genuine gut punch. Worth it for the cliffhanger alone, even if the space setting feels a bit static.