This
episode had its work cut out for it. Another Beast Boy adventure
to start off the final three episodes before the two part
season finale didn’t sound very promising, especially
after last week’s homerun "Wavelength."
Surprise,
surprise! The title and network summary would suggest another
zany adventure in which a dejected Beast Boy tries to prove
that he is more than merely the team’s clown and resident
prankster. Usually,
this is instigated by an unintentional prank that hurts
one of the team members’ feelings, and Beast Boy must
do what he must do to make it up to the injured party. We’ve
seen this before, and thankfully we didn’t see it
again with "The Beast Within."
Instead, we’re
treated to a more inverted look at Beast Boy. During a battle
with the robotically enhanced villain named Adonis (created
specifically for the show), Beast Boy gets tired of being
kicked around.
Adonis
is fixated on power and muscle, touting his “ripped
body” as he kicks the titans to the floor. Beast Boy’s
sinewy frame is clearly no match for this robo-behemoth.
The tables turn when he changes into an animal, like a ram
or a gorilla, with a bit more muscle than he has as himself.
His sudden frustration with being discredited as inconsequential
and weak taps into something darker surging through the
veins of our green little friend, and sets this tale in
motion. He unleashes a fury of rage onto Adonis, backing
him up against two tankers of sludge-like waste, and proceeds
to destroy Adonis’ power suit, revealing himself to
be a sinewy framed teen just like Beast Boy.
After
becoming covered in fluorescent green goo, Beast Boy’s
attitude seems to lock into a funk as he develops a chip
on his shoulder for all of the times he’s been bullied,
laughed at, or forced to turn the other cheek. Being
green skinned has got to cause a stir in public, and Beast
Boy’s jovial attitude is more like a defense mechanism
to protect him from being labeled as different, strange,
or a weirdo. His encounter with Adonis triggers him to drop
the façade and say whatever he feels like saying
whenever he feels like saying it.
He tears
up his room, picks fights with Raven incessantly and insists
that the team start respecting his role on the team, whether
they want to or not. He even goes so far as to pick on Starfire
and accuse Cyborg of cheating, storming off after scratching
Cy’s armor up in retaliation.
As his
attitude grows more and more dour, he seems more inclined
to instigate fights when walking away could solve the problem
altogether. It’s not even that walking away would
be hard, either. When
Raven bumps him in the hall, she apologizes because she
was paying too close attention to the book she was reading.
Instead of accepting her apology, Beast Boy retorts “You
better be” which prompts the two of them to get into
it again.
This
time, however, things take a turn for the worse. Beast Boy’s
anger all but consumes him, turning him into an ape-like
monster with huge claws and fangs as he attacks Raven. The
rest of the team hears the assault, but arrives too late
to the scene to help her.
The
team must split up to hunt down Beast Boy and Raven, and
hopefully work on returning Beast Boy back to his loveable
and huggable self. I won’t go too deep into plot resolution
here, because it feels more important to discuss how this
episode works into the greater bulk of the season.
It is important
to note that Beast Boy was not alone in the transformation,
Adonis also has transformed into a monster, and the two
of them must face off to conquer their individual demons
and resolve the episode.
The
thing that worked for me was the tonal shift in Gar as a
character. Although his attitude is a fluke that was triggered
by the slime waste, it still delves into a new layer for
Gar that we haven’t explored before. It also seems
to retain somewhat after the episodes conclusion.
Things work out,
mind you, but it doesn’t feel like everything is back
to the way it was. Something stirred inside Gar when the
monster took over, and now he is aware that there is some
truth to his feelings while under the slime’s influence.
Of course he didn’t mean to be a jerk, but that doesn’t
mean he doesn’t feel pushed around at times.
Overall, it wasn’t
a brilliant episode, but it did work in a surprising way.
After expecting another bout with filler, it was nice to
see something contrary to that assumption.
Now
we need to see if the next two episodes can do the same.
It’s not looking too promising as we are faced with
a "Starfire’s pet worm" episode next week,
and Mad Cap adventure following that. Hopefully the teams
behind the titans have a few more tricks up their sleeves.
Post-Script:
It’s notable to mention that both the T-Car and the
T-Cycle make an appearance here, and the episode doesn’t
completely stink, so perhaps the streak is over?
Next
Week: Starfire has a pet silkworm. The pet silkworm
consumes some Tamaranian goods and Starfire gets a big surprise.
Ho hum, right? Let’s hope not. See you next week!
